Day Seven.

In the past few days we have heard from Dipak that everyone is trying to transition back to "normal life" (if that is possible). They are trying to sleep inside the house again. I have not heard from Dipak since the most recent earthquake which happened on Monday. I am waiting to hear back from him currently regarding their wellbeing in the past few days.

I have been so dismayed to learn the status of many of the beautiful places I have traversed during my times in Nepal, and have felt the impact of grief around me as close friends suffered the loss of a dear friend in the earthquake. 

As my small contribution or attempt to "reach out my hands across the water and pray," -- a beautiful gesture of one of my close friends -- I am seeking to collect 40 prayers in 40 days in hopes that they will encourage anyone impacted deeply by this loss. 

If you have not already done so, please follow along with me in this journey on www.papercastle.ca. On this site you will see the tab "40 prayers for Nepal." Please e-mail me at papercastleart@gmail.com if you would like to send a prayer to this compilation...it would be so much appreciated. 

I am going through old photos and with new software, giving them a fresh edit job. It is a therapy for me to see this tranquil and beautiful country in the time before the earthquake took a toll. Here is a photo of Bandipur and prayer for today, submitted by a dear family member.

  

We are so thankful to hear the news that everyone in the Children's home is uninjured and the home remains strong with no cracks following the earthquake today.

The epicenter was very close to Bandipur, just slightly north near the town of Besisahar where Carmen and I started a trekking adventure to see Annapurna II a few years ago now.

Depak and the family ran out of the house around noon yesterday and spent many hours -- the entire night -- in the cold open air. They did not get any sleep as the aftershocks came about 19 times for them. Many homes, around 35, were ruined in the earthquake. We are thankful that the children's home remains strong and hope it can be a place for others in the community to gather or stay temporarily if need be.

They have food and water, but no power. They are very used to living without power on an intermittent basis and we hope the power system can be restored to enable continued communication as the days go on.

This morning when I woke up I feared the worst, and was very emotionally moved by the news. It confirmed in my heart just how deeply I care about this country, the amazing community in Bandiupr. I am thankful today for our friendship and everything they have taught me about perspective, resilience, faith, joy, and generosity. I am so grateful to have these people in my life; even from a vast distance I am so impacted by them. Here are some photos of Bandipur sent to me from Dipak about an hour ago.

One of my favourite places in the world is at the top of the hill in Bandipur. So worth the steep climb up hill.

our trip: 2012

Well, we made the big trek to bring our two little kids with us to Nepal.                                                        

The time we had with the children was priceless. There is nothing like seeing your own little ones adjusting to a new culture and making an effort to understand someone else's existence. It was a beautiful time we will never forget.