Phil and Elle Morris with their children Evie, Jude and Isaac, moved to Kathmandu in July. Phil [former CEO of INF Australia] has taken on the role of Country Director for INF International, where he is focusing on maintaining a good relationship with the government, supporting INF’s team of expatriate advisors, and supporting INF Nepal’s leadership. Elle has taken up a role in Human Resources for KISC, the international Christian school, which the Morris children are also attending. We caught up with them about life so far in Nepal.

What has been a highlight so far?

The school community has been brilliant and the kids are all enjoying KISC. We’re very grateful for the teachers and support staff who make it happen.

It’s also been a highlight meeting old friends and making new ones. [Phil and Elle served in Nepal for the first time over ten years ago!]

In terms of the kids, Evie has been the best at learning Nepali and trying it out while shopping; Jude is loving the futsal court at KISC and had enjoyed chicken momos [until we had one batch that disagreed with him]; Isaac is happier now we have a source of cow’s milk nearby as he didn’t enjoy the buffalo milk we started buying.

Have there been any surprises?

How refreshing it felt to take a rest day to read, pray and wait on God – need to do that more often.

Occasional mountain views through the clouds have also been a nice surprise.

Is anything challenging you?

The INF team in Kathmandu are facing multiple challenges.
We lost one team member, our Liaison Manager Jay Budhathoki who died after a short battle with cancer. Around eight hundred people attended his funeral and while it was a time of grief, it was also a celebration of his life and an opportunity to give thanks for his life and witness.

We are no longer able to get free visas for INF’s expatriates in Nepal and so are applying through a different process which, while not necessarily being quicker, might make the process more reliable. The whole team in Kathmandu are involved in preparing files for submission and then multiple trips to the various government ministries to push applications from one desk to the next. We are focused on improving what we can to do our jobs excellently, and praying God will work on the rest! We are making some progress – two visas have arrived this week, but there is a long way to go.

How does it feel being back in Nepal?

Both very familiar and constantly new! While not being easy, it does feel like the right place for us to be just now.

What are you learning or reflecting on?

We have been reading 2 Corinthians in the last week and Chapter 4 resonated with us: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all- surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

We are not persecuted or struck down, but we are often perplexed and struggle to make sense of what is going on around us. God’s presence is so much more evident when we are weak and helpless. We pray that he will shine through our weakness.

What are you looking forward to?

Cooler weather, school holidays, getting through the visa ‘crisis’ and being able to focus on more exciting challenges. There are many opportunities to collaborate with other organisations here and learn from those who are trying new things.

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Please pray for the Morris family as they live and serve in Kathmandu. Pray that God’s love would shine through their weakness; for great friends for the kids to connect with; and for times of rest and opportunities for fun as a family.