How did it get late so soon? 

It’s night before it’s afternoon.  

December is here before it’s June. 

My goodness how the time has flewn. 

How did it get late so soon?

Dr Seuss.

 

Our family arrived in Nepal on the twentieth of February 2015, six and a half months ago.  Before we left, I pencilled our approximate travel dates in our diary.  A few weeks ago, we passed the date on the calendar that we had nominated to leave Nepal.  In my calendar at the moment, it has a “pre-return” holiday pencilled in, as we were all pretty exhausted after 2014 and thought that living in Nepal would be exhausting, too.

Living in Nepal has turned out much less exhausting than we thought (excepting the humidity, which we could easily do without).  We have been excited by the opportunities we’ve met and the changes we’ve seen.  We’ve learnt so much about ourselves and about a new, very foreign culture and language.  And we love what we have experienced.  We have even enjoyed the challenges.

A few weeks ago, we started discussions with United Mission Nepal, and Tansen Hospital in particular, to extend our stay here.  In January, the surgical department will be seriously depleted, being half the strength of what it is now, and they could do with another surgeon.  Luke’s work on hospital compound and local infrastructure also continues and he feels very reluctant to leave without progressing further.  And the children are enjoying this life and their school and feeling like this is home.

So after prayer and discussion with our Australian colleagues and our families (and our dog via her foster carers) we have decided to stay another year, until January 2017.  We will continue to work here in much the same capacity we have been and continue to use our skills to serve the hospital and the people of Nepal.  We appreciate the support of all our friends and family in what we do here, and we miss you.  We are sad not to return to Australia, but we know we would regret leaving here too early.  

So to Nepal we request you host us for a further year, and to Australia, we hope you don’t forget us too quickly.