Gary Fallesen / Sunday, January 9, 2011 / Categories: Nepal, Mission: Nepal 2011, Dispatches Sunday, Jan. 9 A woman laborer hauls rocks in a basket for masons to build a retaining wall. We went to work on the physical building of the church at Dapcha, taking up shovels, Nepali picks, and moving rocks in baskets they strap to their heads. These are the simple tools being used by church members and a few laborers who earn US$4-7 per day. In one day, the handful of workers toiling in the warm sun and cool air cleared away a large part of the side of a hill and continued building a rock retaining wall to anchor the church. Of course, this is a church that is built on The Rock. We only shoveled and hauled rocks for a short time; others worked all day. They expect to begin construction on the 22-by-40-foot building by late February. They are trusting God will provide funding through Climbing For Christ to make this possible. We will need to raise another US$13,000. This is a church worth far more than that. To watch 13-year-old girls carrying “neckpacks” full of heavy rocks and 16- and 18-year-old church leaders moving dirt – while cooking, cleaning and caring for guests – is humbling and inspiring. When the church is completed it will face Annapurna in the distance with side windows looking out at the beautiful Gosainkund Range, where Langtang National Park is located. But, more importantly, it will serve as God’s house, which even the gates of hell will not overcome. Without this church that is where much of this area – littered with Hindi temples and Buddhist prayer flags – is headed. Saturday, Jan. 8 Monday, Jan. 10 Print 4045 Gary FallesenGary Fallesen Other posts by Gary Fallesen Contact author