Traveler Films

Last night was spent with my family recalling the past years achievements, and looking forward to new ones for 2010. I wasn’t with my family last year at this time of the new year, making resolutions and laughing about memories. Something else had called me far away. Something on the other side of the world. Something beautiful, and painful.

When it was my turn to share I told them about that new years away from them. I was at a party, and I served the drinks and interviewed the guests. Only our guests were all homeless and all children. There was laughter, but it was bittersweet. There were memories, but painful twisted ones on the part of the children. Can I go back to that? My life right now is so good, and my plans seem so perfect… but there are children dying alone on new years while we enjoy family and friends. Where is justice? Perhaps the God follower can answer. For my part I know that my New Years Resolution must be this:

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” [Isaiah 58:6-7]

“Jesus said that we are the salt and the light of the world, and I find myself praying that I will not forget why I am doing the good I have set out to do.

It is because He said if we did not take care of the orphans and the widows we were far from his heart. “Let the little children come to me, the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”

Read Day 12: Blowin’ In The Wind for the rest of the story.

“Today our world cries out all around us. Suffering and brokenness, hunger and exploitation cling with desperation to worn prayers for rescue. An entire people remain without rights, aching at ever continuing news of the murder and abuse of their loved ones. The Tibetan plight continues…and they are not alone.

Maybe prayers go unanswered most when our voices remain silent and our hands remain still.”

-Patrick Covert

I am nearly finished with an edit of the fourth episode of the series. I had to go back tonight to read the travel blog and reflect on the thoughts and emotions of that time. It is one of my favorite parts of the journey for many reasons. The time we spent with Mr. Buche at the Tibetan refugee camp in Pokhara being not in the least of them.

“Life is a book.” he said as we entered his house and he sat us down to Chai and a plate full of delicious crackers… “Those who stay at home read only one page.”

Read: Day 13. Builder of a Nation.

(excerpt from the travel journal)

Times Square on Christmas Eve; the cacophony and flash of skyscraper video-billboards cram their messages into the minds of the continuous flows of human beings. Limousines and beggars, fights and kisses, Rolex hawkers and faceless strangers milling bye, and three men standing under an overpass away from the drizzle trying to buy tickets to Nepal.

“The airline won’t take any of the credit cards you have given me. I don’t know why this is not working.” says a travel agent, sacrificing much of his Christmas Eve to help us get flights.

“…I don’t know what else to do.” I reply.

For the umpteenth time I felt nearly sure that we will not be going to Nepal. Huddling against that marble wall we have exhausted every possible avenue we can think of. After over one hundred and one hours of trying, we have come to the end. And then, somehow, there at the end, in a matter of seconds, the tide shifts. With some unforeseen travel agent magic we had purchased the tickets, we were going to Nepal, a way had been made.
To celebrate we went and got Gyros with a man named Davis who we had met randomly on the street while we were buying tickets. After we ate the Gyros, Davis asked if he could pray for us and our journey. We all four held hands on a sidewalk in Times Square as the crowd rushed past on their way and Davis blessed us. God works through his body and we are blessed to be a part of that body. Praise him for the great things he has done and for a way being made where there is no other!

There will be more mess-ups and mix-ups to come but we will continue to press on.

“The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.”
-Psalm 29:11
 

Caleb/Blessed Follower,Possessor of an Indian Visa

(excerpt from the travel journal)

Day 3: Dec 23rd 2008

The last 12 hours have been the craziest 12 hours of our lives. I think we all are frayed to the point of exhaustion. And yet and yet. There is a ray of hope.
The past twelve hours I think each one of us has felt more or less like this trip was a failure.
The past twelve hours I am pretty sure we have each doubted the strength of God’s commitment to us… (as though He might owe us anything.)
The past twelve hours we have looked for the miraculous as much as possible and every door has slammed on us… It seemed.

“O ye of little faith.”

Perhaps to me if God gave us an outright no I could in my mind count this trip, not as a failure in God’s big picture, but as a lesson, or God’s testing us out of a greater love. Nothing felt like a greater disappointment than to see our trip and plans cut so short at the gate of exit.

At this point each time we found tickets (that didn’t require an India visa, as we had exhausted our options there) we had the flight book up, or the price too high, or we would have to travel separately, or they were too late. Honestly we were ready to admit defeat. We discussed the implications of this many times, and spent hours in fervent Prayer late into the night. I am certain we were being fervently prayed for as well. While it is hard to think of another trip more fraught with difficulty in these days, we recognized that many servants of God have had far worse traveling difficulties. Specifically Paul was shipwrecked, and imprisoned, and yet he still persisted, and trusted God.
So we decided not to give up. We will wait and see what God does…

Day 4: Dec 24th 2008

Since we are a day behind we are going to catch you up on Christmas morning with the miracle of Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas to all our beloved friends and family!

Shepherd Ahlers/filmmaker, tired writer

(excerpt from the travel journal)

…first things first: today is…hmmmm. Honestly, I’m not sure what the day is.  But I’m fairly certain this is the third day of airports, frantic phone calls to anyone who’ll listen, and surprisingly enjoyable JetLite mambo- dance-while-you’re-on-hold music.  (it’s really good… if you have some free time, i seriously recommend you check it out)

So things have been a little crazy (understatement?).  And in view of this eventful beginning a few ‘thank you’s’ are certainly in order:

First, to our famillies and friends who’ve been on call, helping to find numbers, make calls, look up addresses, etc, etc, etc, etc, and give much needed encouragement.  We are truly so thankful. (p.s. Mom- you seriously should consider a second life as a data mining and information research specialist…incredible…)

Second, to Carolyn and Dorn in Memphis… your excitement and warmth were such a relief after lots of confusion and exhaustion. And your vision and passion for living out the way of Jesus is inspiring, truly inspiring. That’s what we want our lives to look like. So keep loving people, bringing hope and reconciliation.

Third, to our good friends and brothers John and Zach…you hold Jersey down. How great it was to see your ragged faces at the airport. Good friends, a warm house, and the best homeade Philly cheesestake subs I’ve ever had. Your passion for people, redemption, and figuring out how to live all of this out intensifies our own strivings.  Thanks for being really good friends, for your lives and great conversations. Keep following Jesus.

Fourth, the lady at the Continental counter in Memphis. Thanks for making the flight to Jersey possible and for smiling a lot.

Fifth, and seriously one of my new favorite people: Roshenani (rosh-nee), one of the operators for JetLite. You were so incredibly helpful and patient and you gave a little glimmer of hope when it looked like no one would help us. Without you, I’m certain I’d still be on hold listening to incredible hold music,  in the midst of an emotional breakdown.

I realize all of this sounds like a book thank you and I should’ve thanked my publisher and editor and such, but there have been so many people a part of this trip already that I really wanted to show our gratitude.  So thank you so very very much.

A brief update: today we found out that India is one of the few countries requiring visas to enter the airport, even if you’re routing through to another country.  In short, we didn’t know this until we were at the ticket counter getting our boarding passes in Memphis. Yes we agree, this was not ideal, we should’ve know this before, how could we not know this, why didn’t anyone else help give us this small but vital piece of info, how could we not know this, we should’ve figured this out before, how could we not know this already…yeah.

So what ensued was several hours of frantic phone calling and figuring out some of the most creative ways to get to Kathmandu. We considered getting rid of our checked bags so we wouldn’t have to go through customs in Delhi (because we’re changing airlines our bags couldn’t be shipped straight through to Kathmandu…so because they couldn’t be shipped through, we would’ve had to get our bags, go through customs, and re-enter the airport, which requires a visa…if you’re confused, we completely understand). We tried getting in touch with someone who could add our trip from Delhi to Kathmandu onto our Continental itenerary…that meant calling Jet Airways who, after explaining the entire dilemma, let me know I needed to call JetLite (more rockin’ music)…who were again very helpful and gave me a few other numbers to call.  But then we found out that we had to have visas regardless of whether our entire trip itenerary moved us through India to another country.  So, we tried finding other cities outside of India that we could fly to and then continue on to Kathmandu…Continental doesn’t have any other way into Nepal except through India.  Finally, our friend at the Continental counter helped us with another option of possibly getting visas in New York. So now we’re in Jersey, preparing to go to the Indian consulate tomorrow to turn in visa applications and hopefully get them back early Wednesday.  If we get our visas back in time on Wednesday, then we’ll catch a flight from Jerseyto  Delhi on Wednesday night.  And we wanted an adventure…

Incredibly, the preceding paragraph probably took you a couple of minutes to read (possibly more if you really tried to figure out what was going on and then happened next), but in real time lasted from our arrival at the Memphis airport around 11:30am until now… 1:40am the following day.

So thanks for reading and helping and praying and just believing in us. Off now to get our visa applications ready. 

grace and peace

Patrick Covert/photographer/mambo-dancer

(excerpts from the travel journal)

A Departure poem:

Twas the night before departure and all through the dorm

not a student was stirring, which is out of the norm.

I in my thermals and Patrick in his cap

had just started packing stuff in our pack.

When out of the blue my cell phone gave a ring;

so I leapt to retrieve it with one giant spring.

And what with my wondering ears did I hear

but Shepherd Ahlers with questions of gear.

Up in the morning after waving good byes

we will head to Memphis with moistened eyes.

As the runway shrinks away below

we will make our plans to make a show.

But, till our journey has taken flight,

“Happy blog reading to all, and to all a good-night!”

Caleb Meeks/ engineer/part time poet

Day 1: We are slowed but not stopped. Though, due to bad weather, our flights from Memphis to Deli India were canceled we will still be traveling to Nepal with only a 24 hour delay. Thankfully some relations of Patrick’s in Memphis have graciously taken us in and hosted us until our new flights on the 22nd. We are in very good spirits despite the delay because it has afforded us a much needed short rest and preparation period.

Tomorrow we fly! Keep up those prayers and thank God that he has turned a potentially discouraging situation into a blessing.

Caleb Meeks/officiated fearless leader

(excerpt from the travel journal)

I have always admired people who choose to be missionaries. I have often wondered if it is something I could have chosen for myself. I want to have that mentality of self sacrifice and the freedom that comes from serving God with my life. 

The average person consumes media on an almost constant basis, and without building a case for missions using that language I think very few people will realize it’s importance or existence. The youth in our generation, like myself, spend their time surrounded by music, movies, television, and online media for an average of 6.5 hours a day. If they are going to hear the cry for them to take action it must come in the language they are most attuned to. Most young people want to feel like they are a part of something, they want to make a difference with their lives, they want to stop world hunger, or end unjust war… but few ever move from wanting to do something, to actually getting their hands dirty in real change. The purpose of this Journey to Nepal and the focus of me and Caleb and Patrick will be always to speak to that young person, and give them more than a cause, but a calling.

Why did we choose Nepal? There is a huge need in that country for relief, and hope. This is what Christ called us to do, is to be his hands and feet, and to comfort the hurting, and to take care of widows and orphans, and to set the captive free from the chains that bind their souls. There is incredible poverty and despair in Nepal.

“Approximately 40% of Nepalese live below the poverty line of $12 per person/per month. Discrimination on the grounds of caste is officially illegal in Nepal but is in fact widespread, especially in rural areas. Members of the lowest caste (dalits, or untouchable) are the most disadvantaged group. Most people in the dalit caste work as wage labourers for higher-caste farmers.” -ruralpovertyportal.org

We will be creating awareness of poverty, and suffering, but in the metanarrative we will be bringing out the calling of God in each one of us, to be Christ to the world, especially young people. That is our hope for this project, and for our own lives.

~Shepherd Ahlers/filmmaker