good-bye for now...

 It's hard to believe that it is our last week in Tansen. God has been so faithful in providing us a home, a community, and a life full of friends and fellowship in this special place. We will forever remember our first (pahilo) visit to Tansen, and pray that it will not be our last (antim)!

the town of Tansen just below and to the left of Shrinagar Hill

Pizza lunch in Nepal! Thanks to our forgiving friends, everyone enjoyed the pizza and pasta at our place :)
left to right (back row then front row): Pratima (PT), Deepa (OR nurse), Joan (Pediatrician, James' sister), Sumisti (intern), Rebecca (OT)

a game of "Spoons" after Sumisti's yummy dinner of momos (Nepali dumplings) at Joan's house
left to right: Nita (resident), Laksmi (anesthesia tech student), Paras (PT), Sumisti (intern), Joan

a traditional Nepali dinner and fellowship at Kasi Raam's home
He is the amazing tailor who made all of our clothes here
left to right: Yermila, Kasi, Kasi's younger sister, Mona Lisa (Kasi's daughter), and not in the photo is Bikram (his son who after attending 2 years of Bible College, now works at Tansen Church)

Laksmi, our dear gardener didi
she and Kim keep each other laughing with her limited English and Kim's limited Nepali
we will miss her amazing smile in the mornings!

dinner with Ganesh and his family
Ganesh has been our life saver in Nepal... he runs the Guesthouse and manages all accommodations for the bideshis (foreigners) on the compound; he's also quite the salu (the hockey game we play every week) player
left to right: Alisha (12), Laksmi (one of the Guesthouse didis who fed us well when we first got here), Monica (10), and Ganesh 

Jaattraa in town
everyone turns out to the town square for this Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna

part of the large parade for this festival is this Hindu shrine carried by dozens of men

we just had to share a photo of the little mouse who eluded Tom's attempts of trapping it for almost 4 weeks... sadly, the little guy met his end in a bucket of water and a well fed cat; at least he won't be eating our rice or pooping in our flour anymore!

the rest of the photos are just from our last few walks in the hills and valleys here
we will miss the fresh air and abundant beauty of this place

sometimes we encounter creatures here that we couldn't even imagine existing!