Dear Family and Friends,

Warm greetings from Kathmandu on a typically foggy, chilly morning! The weather has finally changed as the year reaches its end. What a difference from the months of monsoon mugginess.

As we pack away our galoshes and raincoats and pull out our woolen Tibetan sweaters we find ourselves reflecting back over the year, our fifth year living and working in Nepal. It began with us fresh back from furlough, planning to be based in Pokhara but ending up in Kathmandu again instead. We quickly settled into our new place behind the zoo and into our jobs with the United Mission to Nepal. Over the year we have shared some of our work experiences with you—video shooting excursions and health education workshops—as well as tidbits of Christopher’s news. It has been a challenging and satisfying year.

Yesterday was Saturday and we enjoyed a lazy sunny afternoon in our yard. Christopher and his buddy Assim played in the sandbox, chatting away in Nepali. Next door at the "hostel," teen-age missionary kids played tag. The scene triggered reflections back to our own childhoods. Most of you know that Andy and I grew up on the mission field. At Christopher’s age Andy was already fluent in Thai. As a five-year-old, I made my first trip to Nepal. Like Christopher, I had my Nepali playmates, and like him, I adored my "didi" (the term of endearment used for our Nepali caregivers or household helpers). I recall with pleasure the many hours spent with "Didi," learning important skills such as washing clothes by hand and cleaning out the stones and chaff from the rice. My memories of her are as sweet as the milky spice tea we drank together every day, the same tea that my son now shares with his "didi," Sunita, This special relationship in my past has created in me a sense of closeness to "didis" in general, and has led me to become involved with them in a specific way this year. A group of ten women, including Sunita, attend a monthly gathering at our home. Although our main focus is on health-related topics, we also discuss the joys and challenges they face both in their work and in their personal lives. Beyond this group I have also begun an informal "job placement" service in order to help "didis" who are out of work when missionaries leave. I have found much satisfaction in this endeavor, and believe it is one more way that I can serve Christ in Kathmandu.

Andy reflects back to his years in Thailand, and his family’s furloughs, full of visits to supporting congregations. He recalls how missionaries were always concerned with how to "interpret" their work for folks back home, and of course this need continues. Mission interpretation was one area that always fascinated Andy, and God blessed him with a position here in Nepal that allows him to act out that childhood interest. This year Andy has worked with six different missionary colleagues from four different sending boards in the production of video programs, which they have taken back to their home countries to share with people like you. The feedback so far has been very positive. While this is only one aspect of his work as audio-visual consultant for UMN, it is one to which Andy feels truly called. It is important to add that this work has been made possible through contributions from several churches, making the purchase of necessary equipment possible. We hope that before our next Christmas letter, Andy will have time to produce a video about us!

As I conclude these reflections of how God prepared us from childhood for our service today, I am distracted by the scene outside our window. It is now evening, and Christopher is squatting in typical Nepali style with Assim, watching intently as Assim’s father digs in the flower bed. I’m not much of a gardener, but it looks like he has pulled out the old "monsoon" plants with their dead flowers, and is preparing the soil for new "winter" seedlings. Yes, in Nepal you can plant flowers any time—even in November! What can you "interpret" from this image? So many thoughts come to my mind, thoughts in themselves reflections of the truths Christ revealed to us through His life, which He began 2000 years ago. . . .

• the beauty and surprises of nature
• the innocence and potential of children
• the bond of love that crosses barriers of culture and color
• the respect and awe of a child for a parent
• our capability to learn from one another
• the need to throw out the old, rotten stuff and replace it with new
• the need to prepare tile soil, and nourish it for a bountiful harvest—the promise of flowers yet to bloom.

May He who was born as a child into our world, continue to lead us through our seasons of life.

With warmest wishes for your Christmas season,

Ellen, Andy and Christopher Collins

The 1999 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 149