Budda's Watchful Eyes

One of the most holy sites in Buddhism is Boudhanath located on the outskirts of Kathmandu. First constructed in 500 AD, Boudhanath houses many relics of the Buddhist faith. Noticeable on many of the stupas (sacred mound shaped temples) in Nepal are a set of painted eyes symbolic of Buddha's omnipresence and his watching over the people. In between the painted eyes, a curve shaped symbol of the number one is suppose to symbolize unity.

However, there is a huge disconnect between Buddha's symbolic unity and the reality on the ground among the people of Nepal. Divisiveness and instability are the order of the day. From 1996-2006 Nepal fought a civil war against communist Maoist forces. Eight years on, politicians still can't sit down with each other and put together a new constitution.  Unity under Buddhism remains illusive.

As we met with the Christian workers we are tasked to care for we found a group of people who make time to support one another in this challenging and chaotic environment. Thank you for praying for us as we ministered to team members in the Nepal ministry area during their annual retreat.

From the Roof Top of the World

click on picture to enlarge

As we winged our way back home from Kathmandu we were treated to awesome views of the mighty Himalayas. As soon as we return to Chiang Mai we will go into serious packing mode for our furlough. 

Prayer Requests: 

1. Pray for quality time with Heather and Krista during our furlough. 

2. Pray for Krista as she presents her senior project - an art show on March 23. Pray for her as well as she graduates May 9 from Milligan College and looks for employment. 

3. Pray for us as we travel, speak and visit as we make two trips around the US and Canada. We will cover 9000 miles. We arrive in the US March 15 and we return to Asia July 16. 

4. Pray for new support to be raised to offset the loss of some support and the increased expenses of being based in Thailand.

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta