Reflections of a Midwestern Girl
on a Mideastern Culture
This summer, Mary embarked on a courageous journey to Far West Nepal. The goal of the trip was to provide a teacher training workshop for approximately 200 teachers. The teachers in rural Nepal receive little to no training on classroom instruction or management. ServLife, a not-for-profit organization, based out of Indianapolis, Indiana,
focuses their ministry and mission on Nepal and India. ServLife sponsors an annual trip to Far West Nepal to provide training to the teachers that are eager to learn and grow in their teaching abilities.
Mary on the far right with her group
Q: Where did you go during your travel?
Our team of 12 arrived at Kathmandu, Nepal. We spent 2 days in Kathmandu adjusting to the culture and recovering from the 18 hours of flight time. During that time, we also collaborated on our conference presentations and purchased supplies for our workshops.
Then, we hopped another plane to Nepalgunj (which means Nepal City). From Nepalgunj, we traveled by bus for 2 hours to Chisapani, which is in the jungle region of Nepal. We held a three day workshop during our time there.
Q: Who came along?
Our entire team was assembled by Tim Kurth, assistant director of ServLife. We were a group of 12 teachers variying from preschool to high school. Our teachers live all over the United States. Tim Kurth asked some of us personally to attend and some of us contacted ServLife with the desire to go. Although we came from all over the United States, we had one thing in common, our love and passion for the Lord.
Mary in the back with the blue headband.
Left to her (in photo) is Jessi Fisher- A Lutheran school teacher
at Cross Lutheran school in the Chicago Suburbs.
She ws also a college friend from Concordia- Chicago
Q: What was the purpose of the trip?
I believe the main purpose was to share our love and passion for education with the teachers of Nepal. God’s purpose however was revealed to us in two parts. The first revelation was that “to love your neighbor” means so much more than just the people on your street or in your congregation.
It is all about relationships.
The second was that we can share the Gospel by first building relationships. Currently, in Nepal it is illegal to proselytize, especially when it comes to Christianity. The country is predominately Hindu. As a team, our goal was to lead a teacher’s conference. As a team of teachers who love Jesus, our heart was to share that Gospel with the Nepali people. Our prayer was that they could see Jesus in what we did and said without breaking the law. Our focus was to build relationships in order to share Jesus.
Mary holding the youngest orphan
from the girl's home in Kathmandu.
Her mother was killed in the earthquake last year.
Q: What was one thing that was a total surprise to you?
So many things surprised me! I think the biggest surprise was the incredible joy the teachers had for learning. The Nepali teachers were so engaged in the training. They are full of laughter and song. They asked questions, lots of questions! The part that was surprising is that these teachers are over worked, underpaid and have little to no resources.
A Nepali classroom
Their classrooms were concrete rooms with dirt floors. Many teachers had over 50 students to one teacher. The government does not regulate these things. But the teachers were full of joy and wanted to know more. They struggle with cultural oppression, poverty, monsoons, and unbearable heat but they have joy. My prayer is that their joy will be in the Lord someday.
Mary Durkin is a member at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
in Springfield, Virginia. Born and raised in Illinois,
she is a Midwestern girl at heart.
She is a wife to John Durkin, DCE and mother of 2.
Mary has been teaching for 17 years,
16 years serving Lutheran schools.
She currently teaches for Fairfax County Public Schools.
