The rain held off for this, our second attempt at a picnic with our Nepali friends. Close to 120 people, two thirds of them Nepali, hung out together for a beautiful afternoon at Crossroads Park. We ate, we threw frisbees and kicked soccer balls, we pelted each other with water balloons and discovered what a wonderful mess water and sidewalk chalk make when combined. But mostly we broke down some of the barriers you encounter when getting to know people from unfamiliar cultures. Turns out it’s not nearly as scary as you might think.

A great big shout out to the many Westwind folks that went the extra mile in making this happen (you know who you are!), as well as the family and friends of Ben and Meredith Cadwell who came along for the ride and ended up doing a lot of the work. We so appreciate you all!

And the best part…the party is never really over because our Nepali friends live here in Des Moines. So we’ll always look for ways to be involved in their lives, to show them the love of Christ. And you’re always invited to join us in that.