Bubba's BBQ Nepali Style

Lear is from Texas and we have spent a lot of time driving through that great state. One of our favorite things to do when driving across Texas is to stop at out-of-the-way barbeque places. These places are often called Joes BBQ, Bubba's BBQ or something like that. Many have been very good. A few have been not so good. On occasion we have gotten sick, probably because of the lack of sanitation. Of course the lack of sanitation often makes these places good.


On our recent trip to southern Nepal we were traveling with Rakesh Hamal. Rakesh is the head of  the National Rehabilitation Society for the Disabled. NRSD is the primary NGO (non-governmental organization) that we partner with in Nepal. It was early afternoon and we were driving between cities. Rakesh asked if we had ever eaten wild chicken. In Nepal they have a breed of wild chicken that inhabit the forests. Although they look much like domesticated chicken they are a separate breed of animal called Red Junglefowl.  We said that we had not partaken of this unique Nepali cuisine. We came to the top of a mountain and there was a group of tin sheds. Each tin shed was a small restaurant with chicken carcasses hanging in front. It was Bubba's BBQ Nepali style.


The chicken was GREAT!! We were careful to drink a soda from the bottle.

This picture shows Lear pretending to cook over the wood oven. The chicken is cooked inside the oven on kabob skewers and spiced with some a secret spice known only to Bubba.  

Wheelchairs For Southern Nepal

One of the worldwide initiatives of Latter-Day Saint Charities is to provide wheelchairs to disabled people around the world. On May 20th through May 23rd we went to the cities of Bharatpur and Butwal located in south central Nepal. This was one of the most heart-warming things that we have done!

This is Bikas. This is his second LDSC wheelchair. This one is a tricycle version. You can make it move by pushing and pulling on the steering wheel. Bikas has actually had this chair for 4 years. It is in mint condition. He uses it each day to travel 4.0 miles each way to and from the hospital where his is employed as a computer technician.

This man was injured in a motorcycle accident and is now a paraplegic. He is still recovering and this is his first wheelchair. He will probably get 2 to 5 years out of it.

This is Rebika. She is shown here with her husband, daughter and son. She is suffering from kidney failure. They have had to relocate from their village to the city of Bharatpur as she needs dialysis twice a week. Her husband is a farmer. He is working as a construction laborer in the city. He makes 500 Nepali Rupees per day (about $5).  We also gave them some crutches so she could get into the toilet.

A view of some of the people gathered for the distribution.

This guy was my favorite recipient. He is Tikka. Tikka is a banana farmer and has been disabled for many years. He has a GREAT attitude. He earns a living from his banana farm and also has a copy/lamination business. He a member of several local committees and was getting ready to travel to eastern Nepal to speak at a program about people with disabilities. He is 38 years old. I asked him if he was married. He said that it was hard for a disabled person to find somebody to marry them. He said that he had married an "older" woman 2 years ago. His wife is 24 years old, well past the age of marriage in rural Nepal.

This 14-year-old blind girl was given a walking cane to help her become more mobile.

The above two pictures are of Sunil. Sunil is 28 years old. The first picture shows him crawling into the conference center in Butwal, where the distribution was held. The second picture shows him in his new tricycle wheelchair. About an hour after the program ended we were driving down the street in Butwal. This was about a mile from the distribution site. Sunil was rapidly wheeling down the street with a BIG smile on his face.

Roofing For Schools

On May 4th we went to Charikot in the Dolokha District to deliver roofing material to 25 schools. All of these schools were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake last year. The roofing material was needed to repair the roofs prior to the monsoon.

This is a picture of various officials along with our NGO representatives. You will note that we are wearing silk scarves. The silk scarves were given to us by each of the 25 schools. A silk scarf is a traditional greeting gift for an honored guest at an activity like this. It is not easy to keep 25 silk scarves around your neck for 2 hours! As a part of the ceremony we are expected to give a speech. In this case Scott gave a short speech.

This is a picture Jivan Karki. He is the principal of Jana Jagriti Primary School in Ghyangsukathokar. He has 60 students and has been conducting classes in temporary facilities for the past year. He is a career educator serving in the public schools for 23 years. His school is in a remote village. He needed to get the roof repaired before it starts to rain and rain and rain.