that time we almost died. like last week.

Friday, April 19

 this week has been filled with the most beautiful and small inspirations. 
living life alongside precious girls who teach me joy in pain. 
all that to say, i've been a little preoccupied so the blog has landed last on my priority list. 
well, that and removing my month old nail polish. 

but today my mother-in-law called, 
and out of her mouth spilled
"katie! you can't leave us hanging...how did you almost die?" 
I forgot to share that minor detail with you! 
my b. 

so yeah, the truth is, we did almost die.

we had been visiting the town of Pokhara,
an 8 hour drive from Kathmandu where we live.

We went river rafting, which was flat out fun.
The tour had promised us "transportation" back to KTM.
Our notion was that they had a company van to drive us back.

umm....no.
it was more like the guides start bus hitch-hiking for us,
which, well....okay.
I get it, we're in a 3rd world county. 

bit, here's the freakin' deal. 
it was nepali new years, and every nepali and their five kids was on a bus back to KTM. 
Like seriously, these buses swelled with so many people that there were arms, legs and faces pouring out the windows, people standing in the aisles. 
Not gonna lie, I wasn't super stoked about carting my big bag onto a bus that probably didn't have room for a cricket. 

soon our desperate rafting guides were literally flagging down anything that had 4 wheels and a motor. 
kevin and I exchanged glances. 
jumping up and down, our guides soon pulled over a jeep. 

i stared, wide-eyed. 
There were already 7 {count it, 7!} people in the jeep, AND all their luggage. 
and Kevin and I had 2 backpacks and a huge suitcase. 
where in God's name did they plan to put us? 
kevin and I exchanged more glances. 

So basically at this point, 
we are shoved into the trunk of the jeep while all the luggage gets strapped on top of the car. 
We hop in, greet the family of 7, and then we all head on our merry way back to the city. 

At first, Kevin and I thought this was hilarious. 
Here we are with a bunch of strangers in a trunk with a LONG car ride ahead of us! 
We sat on pull-down seats, backpacks strung across our lap, our legs interwoven.
Kevin was so big he couldn't even put his head up straight. 
This is pretty funny for the first 5 minutes. 

Then, without warning, the driver starts picking up some major speed. 
now, mind you, we are on a cliff, hundreds of feet up above a river. 
faster and faster and faster we go. 
I clutch Kevin's hand with nervous laughter. 
like, haha this is funny, I can't wait to journal about this. 

There is so much traffic on the these cliffs, that our driver begins to pass buses like it ain't no thang. 
but here's the deal, the road is like NARROW, and we are like HIGH.
Not to mention that up to this point Kevin and I had counted 4 massive wrecks on the road, 
and by wrecks I mean like 2 huge buses collided head on. 

Now,  you may think i'm over exaggerating about the speed,
but finally one of the Nepali men in the car decides it's time to acknowledge us. 
He turns around, with a twinkle in his eyes, and says
"95 Kilometers an hour!" 
as if he wants me to be PROUD that his driver is trying to kill me. 
"Afraid?" he says laughing...
Kevin shakes his head and says "no", 
but i'm like YES, I'M AFRAID! 
{and I don't care if i'm being culturally insensitive now, I will tell you I fear for my life!}

he laughed. 
it's not funny homeboy, it's not funny. 


calming down a bit, Kevin and I decided to take in the surroundings, 
you know, get our mind off rolling down a cliff in our car.  
we tried to be a bit Pollyanna-like in our observations, 
suggesting things like "I bet this car is better than being in a bus"or "this will make a great story" 
but after a while our observations and conversations shifted:
me: "it smells like B.O. in here" 
kevin: "i just farted"
me: "what!?? we are stuck in this tiny space and you just farted, seriously??!?!?!"
kevin: "no one seemed to notice"
me: "that's true, ok i'm going to fart too then." 
kevin: "ewww gross. ok." 
me: "that guy hasn't stopped talking the entire car ride"
kevin: "i know {insert laughter}, and no one else has said anything"
me: "I bet you $5 that he doesnt' stop talking the entire car ride"
kevin: "ok, but I think you'll win" 

in case you were wondering, I won the bet. 
this guy had skill. like olympic medal status in speed talking. 

anyway, 
i digress. 

soon we hit a bit of a rough patch. 
and Kevin and I are bouncing up and down with such frequency and speed that i don't even know how to control my body. 
i'm pretty sure we both drooled. i know. gross. don't judge us. 
but no one seems to notice the massive white people trampolining in the back of the jeep. 
i'm really not sure how that was possible, but evidently it was. 

then we hit the breaking point. 
where our driver thought it would be a great idea to pass a huge truck, on an incline, on a cliff, hundreds of feet over a river gorge, with a car of 7 nepalis and two strangers. 
As we started to pass, Kevin and I gasped as we saw a van coming at us in the other direction. 
I dug my fingernails into Kevin,
all the while thinking, 
this is it. I'm bound to die in a jeep with strangers in a foreign country on a cliff with a maniac driver
(and by "maniac" I mean a very nice nepali man who saved us from being stranded in the middle of no where in asia)

you guys,
 we missed the van by an inch. 
and inch! 

after that, I couldn't even look out the front window. 
I just stared out the back window and prayed. 
that God would SAVE us. 

and guess what? 
He did:) 
And in all honesty, I know it was because of your prayers. 
you all have NO idea how much your prayers mean to us. 
Last week when I shared how discouraging my first nepali lesson was, 
so many of you shared that you were praying for me.
 This week language lessons have been amazing! 
{and I do NOT attribute that to my language skills, or lack-there-of!}
so thank you for walking this road with me in prayer! 

I cannot wait to share more of the exciting blessings Abba has poured out on us this past week. 
happy weekend:) 
love Katie 

30 comments :

  1. Wow!!! That's intense!! Praise God for His 1-inch net of safety around you! I remember when I visited Turkey, our bus driver also drove like a maniac. I swear the bus must have twisted and turned itself to fit through some of the corners he managed to get through without scraping its sides...not to mention he also enjoyed taking us on heart-attack rides on the wrong side of the road towards cars coming toward us!

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  2. Good grief lady!!! INTENSE is not strong enough a word....! However, I'd be lying if I said upon reading it a second time (and knowing full well you were okay) that I didn't giggled at the visual you described about body's bouncing in the back... SO SO SOOOO glad you guys are safe... LOVE being on (read: reading) this journey of yours!!! STAY SAFE!!!!

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  3. HOLY MOLY!!! I probably would have peed my pants--literally. Glad you two are safe!

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  4. Adventures huh? Glad you are okay and no more wildrides perhaps?

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  5. Oh my gosh!! What a crazy story! I love that you were trying to be Pollyanna-like. Were you playing the glad game? Haha. I can't believe you had such a close call though. Ah! I remember driving in a taxi in Africa and fearing for my life because they don't use turn signals and just put the pedal to the metal and blow their horns like crazy! I'm glad you are okay and that your language lessons are going better too!! God is good.

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  6. Cracking up at this crazy story!!! Glad you guys are safe, and did not die via jeep+van collision!!! Haha. Stay safe gal :) Praying for you and sending you all my love!

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  7. OK, once I got to the bottom I am laughing a little now! Sweet friend, holy cow! That would have been terrifying!! I am very happy to have you writing this with such humor now. I was laughing at the "not funny homeboy" part and also the fact that Kevin farted while in a tiny space. WHAT is with men and doing that?! :) Very glad you're both safe!

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  8. That story sounds so very familiar!! And exciting--after it was all safely over, of course. I'm quite convinced that bus travel is once of the scariest things in that part of the world--I've heard of so many very scary accidents, usually with buses.

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  9. WHOA!!! And to think I nearly had a panic attack on an American highway in rush hour traffic tonight. On a cliff in Asia? I would've DIED. I would've been dead of a heart attack before the car crashed. I am so glad you're ok!! Thinking of you, love!

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  10. Um I am so glad that you did not die in the middle of Asia by driving off a cliff....that would have been a really dramatic death, but death kinda sucks no matter what. What a story to tell the grandchildren someday!! (praying for continued safety!!)

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  11. Beautiful lady, I'm enamored with your tender heart and thirst for Christ. Thank you for sharing your life so openly. May God bless your travels, use you to touch the hearts of many and draw you nearer to Him.

    In Christ, Leah

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  12. oh my gosh! i was biting my nails reading, for real! that's craziness , i can only just imagine. well good that you guys are safe!

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  13. Oh my goodness! I'm so glad you guys were okay. That is one crazy story. I can imagine how scared you must have been!

    Also, I love the photos you take. What lens do you use?

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  14. love you kate

    pete

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  15. Wow Katie! That sounds absolutely terrifying! Trevor and I had a very similar experience while in Spain with a very drunk friend who insisted on driving, cliffs by the sea and a late late night - I too just ended up praying for our lives!

    I will be praying for you and your husband - looking forward to reading more of your stories - you seriously rock at this writing thing - keep them coming!

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  16. Oh my goodness, that is so scary! So happy that God was looking out for you two that day!

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  17. My heart is beating just hearing that story!
    I'm sure it was character building'

    Esther x

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  18. I am still dying over y'all's conversation. sounds too similar to conversations Josh and I have had. hilarious!!! Oh my goodness though, I'm soooo glad y'all are alright, and your observations were right, it did make for a cool story!!! Grateful our good Lord is watching over y'all!!! Proud of y'all!!!

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  19. Wow! Terrifying.

    When I was in India I was frequently terrified of driving in the roads. The taxi I was in hit a motorcyclists and then yelled at him for being in the way. Oy!

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  20. hahaha (I feel like I can laugh because you lived to write about it)! I wonder how the other people in the car would have described this adventure..."just another drive in the country...only with two drooling stinky wierdos in the back..." :-)

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  21. Wow, that story is crazy!! I'm glad you guys are ok!! God is so wonderful to offer His protection.

    In Ethiopia, I was on a bus driven by a guy chewing a plant that I was later told was basically marijuana. Yeah, he was totally high. That was quite the 7 hour bus ride. ;-)

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  22. Katie!!!! You and Kevin are in my prayers. So glad to hear that you were safe :)

    I can't wait to hear more about your adventures in Nepali! It's been so long since I've been in touch but clearly you've been on some wonderful adventures :)

    I hope you are well sweet friend - lots of love to you!!!

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  23. wow! intense stuff! So glad everything turned out okay! I still can't believe it that you are over there....

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  24. so happy you guys made it back safely...that sounds terrifying!! we are def still out here praying for you guys and the wonderful work you are doing! xo

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  25. wow katie!! you had me so nervous there while reading your story! eek!
    i probably would've peed my pants (for reals).
    so glad you got there safely.. and well, at least it will make for a great memory.. right? :)

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  26. Horrifying. I've driven on the side of a cliff before, and I thought A. I was going to die, and B. I was going to be really sick if I managed to live through it, but your story sounds about five time worse!

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  27. oh my gosh katie!!! & the way you told the story was so hilarious (your and kevin's conversations, omgosh, and only bc of course I knew you were ok!) I can relate to the terrifying transportation experiences in other countries...phew. But this one seemed to be on a whole level of its own. I'm so glad they got you back safely to KTM! You two are precious cargo, sheesh!

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  28. I love you conversation & I am SO glad you guys are safe!

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  29. good night!
    THAT IS INSANE!
    Praise God for protection and safety!
    Seriously though, y'all handled it with such grace i would have flipped the heck out.

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  30. Your conversation about farting and the talking guy cracked me up!!!!!
    +Victoria+

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