Page 42 - Faraway Frieds

36 FARAWAY FRIENDS
The little community, however, did boast of many excited children who gathered with some adults in a clearing. The Nepali pastor spoke briefly to the as- sembled villagers and led in prayer. Then the large parcels were opened and, as names were called out, each child received a gift. As unobtrusively as pos- sible, MaryCatherine took photos with her phone. Brittany, sitting for most of the time near the jeep, viewing what was happening, entertained a couple of small boys who ventured close enough to pose for photos. It was a time of “organized chaos,” as Dad called it.
By mid-afternoon the sun began to dip toward the horizon. Brittany was feeling anxious about her ex- posure to the cooler air, so they said their goodbyes, and Dad turned the jeep, now carrying only the three of them, toward the road down the mountain. Without the added weight of all the bundles and boxes they had carried up to the village, the jeep bounced around more noticeably. It was not an easy ride, but soon the lights of Kathmandu appeared up ahead, and before long, they were on smoother pavement and entering the city.
Just before dark, they reached the hotel. Dad brought up sandwiches and hot tea from the bis- tro off the main lobby while the girls took showers and donned their pajamas. An informal debriefing of sorts helped Brittany and MaryCatherine make