Originally from March, Cambridgeshire, Alan and Megan worked with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN) from 2000 to 2004, Alan as support services transition team leader and Megan as occupational therapist.

After a period of leave of absence, they returned to Nepal in January 2007.

They are now in Surkhet in western Nepal working with International Nepal Fellowship (INF). Megan is involved with the Surkhet Programme in occupational therapy while Alan is looking into programme support.

Dear Friends,

This will be our last e-mail from Green Pastures as we pack up and leave in 8days. It’s been a busy round of dhaal bhat (rice and lentil) meals with our Nepalese friends and colleagues and this continues right up until the point at which we leave. At school the children have been making memory books and have even made a film about their school.

At Green Pastures my handover has gone well. I’m trying to play less and less of a role. That’s easy to do when it comes to the administration side of my work, but harder on the ward round where I still quite like to contribute. As you know we’ve been quite discouraged at the long term outcomes for our spinal cord injury patients but this week we were greatly encouraged by 2 young girls who were determined to get back on their feet once again. One girl had a complete injury at a level that left her with no voluntary muscle movement in her legs. Amazingly with the help of a brace and great upper body strength, she has developed a way of walking using her trunk to swing her legs forward. The girl in the next bed, who had a much less severe injury, had no choice but to follow her example and she to got up and started to walk. The healthy competition that has developed between the two of them has been really helpful and a great example to the other patients of just what it is possible to do.

Finally we want to say thank you to those of you who have faithfully supported and prayed for us for close to 5years now. It has been a privilege to be able to fulfill our calling by serving in Nepal and we are mindful that we could have have done this without your support.

We look forward to meeting as many of you as possible on deputation during the coming 11weeks.

Please note our new address and contact details:

Milrigg

12 Church Street

Fortrose

Ross-shire

IV10 8TE

If you want phone number and email please contact WBC church office.

Iain & Fiona

Dear Friends,

These last few weeks have been eventful hence the lateness of this e-mail. I’ve been in Kathmandu, Nepalgunj, Surkhet and Jumla all within the last 12days. As a result Fiona has been left with the burden of clearing the house and selling off our various possessions, in addition to her normal work.

As many of you will know we have struggled at Green Pastures to provide good care for paraplegic patients after they leave the hospital. In many respects what happens within the four walls of the hospital is straightforward, but it’s providing patients with a place to live and with a sustainable way of making a living where we have experienced major difficulties. I heard a couple of weeks back that Ram Dhani, a young patient from the Nepalgunj area, with whom we had worked for the last 2years, had died at home, probably by taking his own life. Last week, another young male patient who lived locally, died suddenly and again we suspect he may have committed suicide. This week we are participating in a meeting with our community rehabilitation colleagues to look for a way forward, looking at re-settling patients and providing some form of employment that can raise standards of living beyond mere subsistence.

One bright ray on the horizon has been Sita KC. Sita is paraplegic and works as a counsellor here at Green Pastures. She works on the front line in the ward trying to encourage patients that they should not give up hope, particularly in the first few weeks after injury. Pokhara is one of the best places in the world to paraglide and when it came up in a conversation, Sita said she would love to try. The hospital contacted a local paragliding company and they arranged to fly Sita from the top of a local hill accompanied by a former Swiss paragliding champion. We bused all the patients from Green Pastures to the top of the hill to watch, and I’m glad to say she landed safely. It was a great encouragement to the other patients and Sita was quite overcome by the experience.

Give thanks for:

• Safe travelling by road and plane
• Sita’s paragliding trip

• The community rehab meetings this week

Please pray for:

• A breakthrough in the care after discharge of paraplegic patients
• Sita KC combining her Christian faith and her practical experiences with patients at GP
• Our final 4weeks finishing work and closing up the house

Iain & Fiona