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The Thomas Hale Trilogy
Don't Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees
Thomas Hale writes about being a missionary surgeon in the same delightful way James Herriot writes about being a country veterinarian. Dr. Hale's incredible experience in tiny, mountainous Nepal are surpassed only by his talent for telling about them. Imagine, for example, the culture shock of moving to a Hindu country under such rigid religious control that it is not only illegal to proselytize, but illegal to change religions as well. Imagine further the shock of moving to that country as a missionary doctor. Thomas Hale and his wife, Cynthia, also a physician, too on that awesome challenge in 1970.God wasted no time teaching tom the peculiarities of his new culture. But His unusual method left Tom wondering what God was up to. Here is how Tom tells about it:"These were not the phlegmatic, easy-going Nepalis described in books and orientation courses. Those who spoke gesticulated fiercely. Some looked around menacingly; others spat. One thing was certain, however: in the cause of their anger they were united. The word was out: the new doctor had killed a cow. My own sense of participation in the proceedings was intense. I was the new doctor."--ExcerptAs Tom goes on to describe the events the preceded the angry scene in the Nepali village, the image of the spiritually superior missionary quickly evaporates. In a humorous, yet deeply insightful way, the author makes it clear that he is merely a servant, using his skills to the glory of God.Tom concludes this chapter with a thoughtful confession:"In the long run, that cow did much more for me that I did for it. The mild-mannered, uncritical beast made me see in myself those negative attributes I had always ascribed to other American surgeons. Facing two hundred angry men proved to be effective therapy for removing most traces of condescension with which I previously regarded them. It also improved my relations with missionary colleagues and with Nepali brothers and sisters in the church. I guess God had no gentler way of removing some of my imperfections. I only wish I could say, for His trouble, that He finished the job. But it was a start." -- Excerpt.Dr. Hale's book refused to be preachy or condescending. It presents missions as a "want" rather than an "ought." It is sensitive, warm, honest, incredibly funny, and filled with important truths illustrated from unusual and sometimes unimaginable situations.
266 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 1986
18 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Hale
126 books9 followersAlso publishes as Tom Hale.
In 1970, Thomas Hale and his wife, Cynthia, went to Nepal to work for their first twelve years at a rural mission hospital in the village of Amp Pipal. Subsequently they moved to Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city, where they have continued their work with the mission. Recently Cynthia took a position as an associate professor at Nepal's only medical school, and Tom has written a one-volume commentary on the New Testament, first in Nepali and subsequently in English for translation into other languages.
In 1970, Thomas Hale and his wife, Cynthia, went to Nepal to work for their first twelve years at a rural mission hospital in the village of Amp Pipal. Subsequently they moved to Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city, where they have continued their work with the mission. Recently Cynthia took a position as an associate professor at Nepal's only medical school, and Tom has written a one-volume commentary on the New Testament, first in Nepali and subsequently in English for translation into other languages.
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January 6, 2014Hale puts together a nice variety of doctoring experiences that show things through his deeply religious eyes (some staff are simply "nurses," and other staff are "Christian nurses"). My favorite bit is actually in the introduction when he describes himself as lucky to be there rather than thinking the locals are lucky to have him.
He insists that he is not there to proselytize. In fact, he writes, "Thus we have been invited to work in Nepal only under the condition that we do not ‘proselytise.’ This means that we agree not to persuade any Nepali to become a Christian by means of material inducement or other forms of external pressure" (pg 11). He also says on the next page, "To neglect sharing with our Nepali friends the joy of knowing Him would make a pretense of our friendship. To withhold from them this greatest gift would be to no longer love them. And so it is not our religion that we desire to introduce to them but Jesus Himself." Is there a difference between sharing a religion and sharing "Jesus Himself?" This man is a true believer, for better or worse, depending on your views.
Someone like me, who views evangelism with a defensive eye and biblical Christianity as a conflicted guide to the good, the true and the beautiful, will find it hard to understand some of the things he writes. Such as: "We will probably never see Maya Gurseni [a healed patient] or her husband again. We can only pray that they saw something of the life of God in us, though they understood it not, and that some day they will come to know and worship Him. Or else, for what has she been spared?" (pg 205). He ends the chapter with that rhetorical question. Really? Can't think of any other reason to "spare" her? Maybe I'm not thinking abstractly enough to correctly understand what Hale means by "know and worship Him." Either way, I don't get it.
If you like Christianity and accounts of modern medicine in exotic lands, you'll eat this book up. If Christianity isn't your thing, you'll have to work to separate it from the rest.
He insists that he is not there to proselytize. In fact, he writes, "Thus we have been invited to work in Nepal only under the condition that we do not ‘proselytise.’ This means that we agree not to persuade any Nepali to become a Christian by means of material inducement or other forms of external pressure" (pg 11). He also says on the next page, "To neglect sharing with our Nepali friends the joy of knowing Him would make a pretense of our friendship. To withhold from them this greatest gift would be to no longer love them. And so it is not our religion that we desire to introduce to them but Jesus Himself." Is there a difference between sharing a religion and sharing "Jesus Himself?" This man is a true believer, for better or worse, depending on your views.
Someone like me, who views evangelism with a defensive eye and biblical Christianity as a conflicted guide to the good, the true and the beautiful, will find it hard to understand some of the things he writes. Such as: "We will probably never see Maya Gurseni [a healed patient] or her husband again. We can only pray that they saw something of the life of God in us, though they understood it not, and that some day they will come to know and worship Him. Or else, for what has she been spared?" (pg 205). He ends the chapter with that rhetorical question. Really? Can't think of any other reason to "spare" her? Maybe I'm not thinking abstractly enough to correctly understand what Hale means by "know and worship Him." Either way, I don't get it.
If you like Christianity and accounts of modern medicine in exotic lands, you'll eat this book up. If Christianity isn't your thing, you'll have to work to separate it from the rest.
September 18, 2020
Fascinating look into life as a missionary doctor in Nepal in the 1970s and 80s. When Hale and his wife made plans to be missionary doctors, they expected to land in, say, Kathmandu—instead they were sent to a small, rural hospital in a region where many of their prospective patients had no experience with western medicine and no reason to trust strange western doctors, a place where just reaching the hospital required a daylong trek up a mountain.
Fees received from patients cover most of the hospital’s running costs, including the salaries of its sixty Nepali employees. The fees, by any standard, are extremely low. The average cost of an outpatient visit is $1.30; the average inpatient day, including all treatment, comes to $2.50. The daily bed fee is twenty-five cents. A major operation costs $12.00. Still, for the village Nepali, these prices hurt. (loc. 1074)
Some of the problems Hale describes are endemic in hospitals everywhere (never enough money, never enough resources), while others are more specific: patients unable to pay a dollar fifty in fees; chickens in the corridors; staff plagued with eyesight problems due to vitamin deficiencies; having to do triage to determine not only the order in which patients would receive care but whether they would receive care at all. And: like Edward Hume, Hale and his colleagues had to weigh their chances of saving someone against the chance that they couldn't be saved and locals' trust in the hospital would sink even further.
Worst of all, half the children born in rural Nepal die before they reach the age of five, usually in their first year, and almost entirely of illnesses that are easily treatable. As a result of this high infant mortality rate, the average life expectancy in Nepal is one of the lowest anywhere in the world. (The current nationwide figure is forty-four, but in the hills it is closer to thirty-five.) (loc. 1043)
For the most part it's not preachy—Hale was aware that conversion efforts would have to be in practice secondary to healthcare—though there are a few places that had me grinding my teeth with frustration. There are lots of stories about keeping on workers who were really very bad at their jobs (albeit often for good reasons), for example, but to keep on a woman who had been found to have sex outside of marriage? Never! The moral outrage! So that's...a misfit for me. Still, the overall story (and stories within the story) is engaging. I don't have ready access to the other books Hale wrote, or I'd go ahead and read them as well, as his is certainly an experience I'll never have.
Fees received from patients cover most of the hospital’s running costs, including the salaries of its sixty Nepali employees. The fees, by any standard, are extremely low. The average cost of an outpatient visit is $1.30; the average inpatient day, including all treatment, comes to $2.50. The daily bed fee is twenty-five cents. A major operation costs $12.00. Still, for the village Nepali, these prices hurt. (loc. 1074)
Some of the problems Hale describes are endemic in hospitals everywhere (never enough money, never enough resources), while others are more specific: patients unable to pay a dollar fifty in fees; chickens in the corridors; staff plagued with eyesight problems due to vitamin deficiencies; having to do triage to determine not only the order in which patients would receive care but whether they would receive care at all. And: like Edward Hume, Hale and his colleagues had to weigh their chances of saving someone against the chance that they couldn't be saved and locals' trust in the hospital would sink even further.
Worst of all, half the children born in rural Nepal die before they reach the age of five, usually in their first year, and almost entirely of illnesses that are easily treatable. As a result of this high infant mortality rate, the average life expectancy in Nepal is one of the lowest anywhere in the world. (The current nationwide figure is forty-four, but in the hills it is closer to thirty-five.) (loc. 1043)
For the most part it's not preachy—Hale was aware that conversion efforts would have to be in practice secondary to healthcare—though there are a few places that had me grinding my teeth with frustration. There are lots of stories about keeping on workers who were really very bad at their jobs (albeit often for good reasons), for example, but to keep on a woman who had been found to have sex outside of marriage? Never! The moral outrage! So that's...a misfit for me. Still, the overall story (and stories within the story) is engaging. I don't have ready access to the other books Hale wrote, or I'd go ahead and read them as well, as his is certainly an experience I'll never have.
January 3, 2012
What a fascinating peek inside the life of an American Surgeon in Nepal. I always really get enthused by learning about another's life from the inside, but I found this especially enjoyable since my father grew up in a foreign country, the son of missionaries and I grew up two blocks from a community of retired missionaries. Having worked in medicine most of my life as well, I could appreciate the medical intricacies also. Going from our life of plenty and excess into a society on the edge of survival is a type of culture shock I can only imagine. Add to that the desire to do your best for the Lord and the pressure becomes unimaginable I ached through the loss of every patient who died and cheered along when one was saved. A captivating book, full of personal insights and honest accounts of personal struggles. This is a special book. A must read for anyone considering missionary work.
November 20, 2009
While it was a bit preachy and slightly self-righteous at times, I really found myself liking this book. It was very, I don't know, endearing. Of course, I'm biased, living in Nepal, etc. I appreciated the author's stories of the "good old days" of living in a Nepali village, and the hardships that were--and still are--very real in daily life. I recommend reading it while huddled under a big, fat Nepali syrak (quilt)with someone you love, in a rustic, hillside lodge, by the light of a headlamp and/or cell phone light. Charming!
January 6, 2013
I enjoyed reading the book but was very dismayed upon reading the afterword. The author explains how the population of Nepal is now exceeding its ability to produce food for which begs the question of whether the mission might not be guilty of speeding the region's exceeding its carrying capacity before it is able to find methods to increase it? He then goes on to state that technology should not be part of the solution! Why make the most difficult path appear the best and perhaps only solution?
July 1, 2009
Birds eye view of the life of a missionary doctor - sometimes funny, somtimes sad, sometimes heartwrenching or heartwarming...an interesting mix. It is one in a 3 part series. I plan to read the other two.
September 9, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. My daughter had it on her shelf after a medical trip to Nepal and the endorsement by Paul Brand, author of Pain, The Gift Nobody Want, was a clincher. (Brand’s book is a gem - part Christian philosophy of pain, part biography, both equally honest and compelling.)
Hale starts with an account of his medical training, his conversion, courtship then marriage to Cynthia (also a doctor) and their decision to serve God in Nepal as medical missionaries. It’s a helpful setup but what follows is not a linear, biographical arc as one might have expected. Hale’s episodic approach isn’t tied to a year-by-year template.
This gives the book an immediate momentum - we’re into the cut and thrust of the Amp Pital Mission Hospital from Chapter 2 and the stories just keep coming! Hale’s wife and kids largely disappear from the story from that point on. There’s no sense that they don’t matter to him, it’s just all about the rigours of running a mission hospital in the Himalayan foothills. The stories build nicely, but you could dip in to any of the chapters and they could stand alone.
That said, it’s the emerging themes of the book that gain momentum as each episode unfolds. Hale manages a rich weave of isolation, privation, poverty, superstition, political unrest, lack of infrastructure, cultural differences, tradition and compassion. The interesting thing is that these matters are explored not in theory but in the real-time reflections of a surgeon whose decisions weigh life and death in the balance.
It’s actually a way more theological book than I realised at the time. I got caught up in the narrative, drawn into the dilemmas that forced Hale - and the reader - to ask where is God, what part do his people play, how do we respond to hardship, setback and suffering? There is no lengthy sermonising here. Like the onslaught of patients needing treatment, we may ponder, but then we tumble back into the work, learning along the way to trust God, hand over the impossible to Him, love the weak, seek his strength and, where we can, humbly point to Jesus as the great Healer of Souls.
I think missionaries must love this book. It portrays an untidy, incomplete relentlessness that doesn’t tie a neat God bow on every dilemma. Hale is honest about his struggles, frustrations, weaknesses and mistakes. There are a few chapters where the predictable outcome is turned on its head - often for the worse - and Hale is left to simply entrust the situation to the God who, mysteriously and wisely, does all things well. The scale of the challenges - from TB in Nepal to washed out roads to goats in the Lemquat trees - call all of us to live out an authentic walk with Christ, be we at home in the west or performing complex surgery in an under-resourced hospital clinging to a Nepalese hillside.
Hale has a cultural humility which is refreshing, especially for his time. The animism and superstition which would undo the good of western medical care are presented as a challenge to their work but not in a condescending way. The big plan is always to hand over the hospital to nationals and it’s remarkable how they persist with the vision for training locals despite how untidy it all gets with dishonesty, theft, immorality, activism and even violence. Perseverance, endurance and patience are mighty themes that you just smell throughout this book.
I’ll be hunting down Hale’s other books. I really enjoyed my time in the company of a 70’s missionary surgeon serving Christ in the mountains of Nepal.
Hale starts with an account of his medical training, his conversion, courtship then marriage to Cynthia (also a doctor) and their decision to serve God in Nepal as medical missionaries. It’s a helpful setup but what follows is not a linear, biographical arc as one might have expected. Hale’s episodic approach isn’t tied to a year-by-year template.
This gives the book an immediate momentum - we’re into the cut and thrust of the Amp Pital Mission Hospital from Chapter 2 and the stories just keep coming! Hale’s wife and kids largely disappear from the story from that point on. There’s no sense that they don’t matter to him, it’s just all about the rigours of running a mission hospital in the Himalayan foothills. The stories build nicely, but you could dip in to any of the chapters and they could stand alone.
That said, it’s the emerging themes of the book that gain momentum as each episode unfolds. Hale manages a rich weave of isolation, privation, poverty, superstition, political unrest, lack of infrastructure, cultural differences, tradition and compassion. The interesting thing is that these matters are explored not in theory but in the real-time reflections of a surgeon whose decisions weigh life and death in the balance.
It’s actually a way more theological book than I realised at the time. I got caught up in the narrative, drawn into the dilemmas that forced Hale - and the reader - to ask where is God, what part do his people play, how do we respond to hardship, setback and suffering? There is no lengthy sermonising here. Like the onslaught of patients needing treatment, we may ponder, but then we tumble back into the work, learning along the way to trust God, hand over the impossible to Him, love the weak, seek his strength and, where we can, humbly point to Jesus as the great Healer of Souls.
I think missionaries must love this book. It portrays an untidy, incomplete relentlessness that doesn’t tie a neat God bow on every dilemma. Hale is honest about his struggles, frustrations, weaknesses and mistakes. There are a few chapters where the predictable outcome is turned on its head - often for the worse - and Hale is left to simply entrust the situation to the God who, mysteriously and wisely, does all things well. The scale of the challenges - from TB in Nepal to washed out roads to goats in the Lemquat trees - call all of us to live out an authentic walk with Christ, be we at home in the west or performing complex surgery in an under-resourced hospital clinging to a Nepalese hillside.
Hale has a cultural humility which is refreshing, especially for his time. The animism and superstition which would undo the good of western medical care are presented as a challenge to their work but not in a condescending way. The big plan is always to hand over the hospital to nationals and it’s remarkable how they persist with the vision for training locals despite how untidy it all gets with dishonesty, theft, immorality, activism and even violence. Perseverance, endurance and patience are mighty themes that you just smell throughout this book.
I’ll be hunting down Hale’s other books. I really enjoyed my time in the company of a 70’s missionary surgeon serving Christ in the mountains of Nepal.
December 14, 2017
A really great unexpected book. A friend had read it and mentioned it and since I love memiors, especially from around the world, she let me borrow it.
Thomas begins with his coming to faith, falling away, then their call together, the preparation and then amazing stories from the beginning of their time in the 1960s in a Nepal village. Balancing medical work, administration, money needed, culture, work overload. Sharing their lives and love of Christ without offending their hosts by serving the people, not trying to change them but help them and in time turn over the hospital.
I love that he states that those who desire to show the love of Christ in other lands also love a good adventure, I feel like that is sometimes downplayed. But they had a bunch, some heart breaking, some miraculous.
A great read and I heard there are more so I'll have to find them.
PS in reviewing I totally forgot to mention the whiplash of his afterward. After sharing fun and inspiring stories of a pretty regular American Christian working in another country, he ends with a chapter on the world population explosion, the potential for famine and especially how that effects Nepal as well as how selfish and wasteful westerners are. And his call to action? Live a simpler life by 1-reducing meat consumption (totally heard that before though not really popular) 2-giving up pets (whoa Americans won't hear that happily!) 3-reliqueshing our 'right' to a large family (WHAT, I thought this was a Christian missionary not a commie! hear some sarcasm) I would love to discuss these thoughts with other believers. Is that even possible?
Thomas begins with his coming to faith, falling away, then their call together, the preparation and then amazing stories from the beginning of their time in the 1960s in a Nepal village. Balancing medical work, administration, money needed, culture, work overload. Sharing their lives and love of Christ without offending their hosts by serving the people, not trying to change them but help them and in time turn over the hospital.
I love that he states that those who desire to show the love of Christ in other lands also love a good adventure, I feel like that is sometimes downplayed. But they had a bunch, some heart breaking, some miraculous.
A great read and I heard there are more so I'll have to find them.
PS in reviewing I totally forgot to mention the whiplash of his afterward. After sharing fun and inspiring stories of a pretty regular American Christian working in another country, he ends with a chapter on the world population explosion, the potential for famine and especially how that effects Nepal as well as how selfish and wasteful westerners are. And his call to action? Live a simpler life by 1-reducing meat consumption (totally heard that before though not really popular) 2-giving up pets (whoa Americans won't hear that happily!) 3-reliqueshing our 'right' to a large family (WHAT, I thought this was a Christian missionary not a commie! hear some sarcasm) I would love to discuss these thoughts with other believers. Is that even possible?
January 1, 2024
This man has my name, and that is about the only thing we have in common. Hale's account of being a missionary doctor in rural Nepal is a weird and difficult read that made me regularly immensely frustrated. In part this is a cliché-ridden story of highly-educated white doctors clashing with superstitious and dangerous Asian locals, even though Hale mentions more than once his reluctance to be paternalistic or condescending. This is also a medical drama, with high stakes, hard work and terrible tragedy interwoven with miraculous success. Some of the most interesting parts of this were just him describing the everyday travails of running a tiny mission hospital in an inhospitable and remote part of the world, low on supplies and money and space. The third and most inescapable part of the book, unfortunately, is the religiosity. Hale is a devout born-again Christian whose unwavering faith leads to some deeply uncomfortable passages and infuriating rhetoric. (No, God did not "send you" the dying orphan child to teach you something about life, the child came to you because your job is to stop people from dying!). It's the worst part of the book, even though it's also the point of the book, as Hale's audience is presumably other Christians and (potential) missionaries. Still, this was an educational read, and a window into the life and mind and experiences of someone completely different from myself.
May 9, 2019
This biography by a surgeon missionary tells of his time in Nepal. He humbly tells of his own experiences with the patients, nurses, administration responsibilities. His ability to see his own faults is refreshing. Considering the limitations he encountered in finances, lack of staff or room or medicine for needy patients this was an inspiring story of endurance in faith in a God who is never limited.
May 9, 2016
Pretty interesting read on a surgeon missionary journey to Nepal. Very easy read, interesting anecdotes, but gets repetitive after awhile. Should have described more on his family life and struggles, though rather than just on hardships of working in Nepal.
June 2, 2008
Very humorous and adventurous account of a medical missionary family in Nepal.
April 22, 2011
It's interesting and easy to read.
September 11, 2012
Great read, want to read again one of these days!
January 16, 2021
A delight to read the experiences of the author during his time in Nepal. I read this when I was a kid. It was really inspiring.
October 30, 2018
I enjoyed the first few chapters the most (not fully appreciating medical cases as that is not my field). He has a humorous, honest way of writing, even admitting past mistakes.
February 7, 2019
Review to come soon.
July 22, 2024
As a naïve medical student, surgery represented the worst of Western medicine to me, namely in the form of pride. That’s why going into that particular clinical rotation and (what I perceived as a toxic) culture, I needed something to reconcile my faith with that aspect of the medical profession. Dr. Hale’s writings did that for me. It was as if he recognized his specialty, the mission field he was in, the stories that came out of the experience, and the reflections throughout were pointed to the intersection and reconciliation of it all.
This book dispelled such ignorant thoughts in my head by portraying the Christian physician/surgeon as simply the participant in God’s mission. “Now God seemed to be saying to me, “This is my case, not yours. All your cases belong to me. Every one of them is mine. You are nothing but my assistant.” I cherished the honest moments Dr. Hale shared where all his medical training could not tell what would happen next to the patient (or, even, prognose bleakly), and yet God showed up: “You are like a ‘god’ to us…No, I am only God’s helper. It is God Himself you must thank.”
Throughout the wide breadth of stories, that, in clinical standards, may be considered in a range of preventable failures to miraculous successes, lay a grounded and faithful assurance that Christ was with every patient, bystander, and staff- that ownership of souls and outcomes was of God, and ours was simply the willingness to participate in the process: “God would magnify His name through our stumbling efforts in His little hospital at Amp Pipal[, Nepal].”
Aside from the vivid, pragmatic portrayals of the “day-to-day, step-by-step walk with God” and what it means to “meet the needs of the poor and at the same time keep the hospital running,” this book leaves a lasting impression onto this future doctor that my patients are not my own, but God’s- and that I have the humble, weighty, and fruitful role in partaking of their wellness, in partnership with them and Christ.
For what is the best prescription I could order? This snippet encapsulates what I took away: “The family returned to their village with an enlarged perception of the God who heals, who is more powerful… They knew that this God had come to their world and touched them, and somehow even loved them… and they had heard about His Son who gives eternal life to those who believe.”
This book dispelled such ignorant thoughts in my head by portraying the Christian physician/surgeon as simply the participant in God’s mission. “Now God seemed to be saying to me, “This is my case, not yours. All your cases belong to me. Every one of them is mine. You are nothing but my assistant.” I cherished the honest moments Dr. Hale shared where all his medical training could not tell what would happen next to the patient (or, even, prognose bleakly), and yet God showed up: “You are like a ‘god’ to us…No, I am only God’s helper. It is God Himself you must thank.”
Throughout the wide breadth of stories, that, in clinical standards, may be considered in a range of preventable failures to miraculous successes, lay a grounded and faithful assurance that Christ was with every patient, bystander, and staff- that ownership of souls and outcomes was of God, and ours was simply the willingness to participate in the process: “God would magnify His name through our stumbling efforts in His little hospital at Amp Pipal[, Nepal].”
Aside from the vivid, pragmatic portrayals of the “day-to-day, step-by-step walk with God” and what it means to “meet the needs of the poor and at the same time keep the hospital running,” this book leaves a lasting impression onto this future doctor that my patients are not my own, but God’s- and that I have the humble, weighty, and fruitful role in partaking of their wellness, in partnership with them and Christ.
For what is the best prescription I could order? This snippet encapsulates what I took away: “The family returned to their village with an enlarged perception of the God who heals, who is more powerful… They knew that this God had come to their world and touched them, and somehow even loved them… and they had heard about His Son who gives eternal life to those who believe.”
December 20, 2022
Thomas Hale had planned a career in politics. Christine was training to be a concert pianist. Both felt God’s call to become medical missionaries and changed their studies to medical school. As the only two prospective missionaries in their medical class, they soon became friends and eventually married.
After finishing school, internships and specialties, the two, now a surgeon and a pediatrician packed up their two young sons, and headed to Nepal. They had assumed they would be in a city hospital where their specialties would be put to the best use. Instead, they ended up in a tiny hospital high in the mountains, accessible only by hiking several days.
When they arrived in 1970, although it was not illegal to be a Christian, it was illegal to proselytize, so they could only show their love of Christ through their actions. They had been taught by their missionary organization that they must be on guard to never let themselves feel that they, their education, or culture were superior to the people they served. The Hindu Nepalese, in turn, regarded all acts of kindness or charity as an effort on the part of the giver to increase their merit for a better rebirth in the next life. The Nepalese felt that they were doing a kindness to the missionaries by letting themselves be treated by them.
This is their story, told with both humor and good humor of having very limited medical options to treat patients, who were often carried for several days to be seen by the doctors. I believe social conditions have changed somewhat since the tourism rush to climb Mt Everest had not yet begun during the time of this book.
The book ends in 1982, with the Hales still in residence in Nepal. The author leaves the readers with some thoughts about Jesus telling his followers to give all their possessions to the poor and how very few in the West make such a monetary sacrifice.
Recommended to Christian missionary work or those interested in remote hospitals.
After finishing school, internships and specialties, the two, now a surgeon and a pediatrician packed up their two young sons, and headed to Nepal. They had assumed they would be in a city hospital where their specialties would be put to the best use. Instead, they ended up in a tiny hospital high in the mountains, accessible only by hiking several days.
When they arrived in 1970, although it was not illegal to be a Christian, it was illegal to proselytize, so they could only show their love of Christ through their actions. They had been taught by their missionary organization that they must be on guard to never let themselves feel that they, their education, or culture were superior to the people they served. The Hindu Nepalese, in turn, regarded all acts of kindness or charity as an effort on the part of the giver to increase their merit for a better rebirth in the next life. The Nepalese felt that they were doing a kindness to the missionaries by letting themselves be treated by them.
This is their story, told with both humor and good humor of having very limited medical options to treat patients, who were often carried for several days to be seen by the doctors. I believe social conditions have changed somewhat since the tourism rush to climb Mt Everest had not yet begun during the time of this book.
The book ends in 1982, with the Hales still in residence in Nepal. The author leaves the readers with some thoughts about Jesus telling his followers to give all their possessions to the poor and how very few in the West make such a monetary sacrifice.
Recommended to Christian missionary work or those interested in remote hospitals.
June 6, 2025
The title is misleading—there’s only a passing remark about goats eating trees. Most of the book is quite heavy and depressing, not humorous. I don’t know why the subtitle says “adventures,” unless you count patients dying of septic shock as “adventures.”
It also didn’t seem to have a clear, overarching purpose to unite the stories. I was left wondering why the author chose to share these particular events out of all his experiences in Nepal. For instance, he devotes several chapters to detailed stories of patients he treated, only to have them die anyways, and then the chapter ends abruptly. No hope offered. Nothing.
That said, the stories are well written and don’t sugarcoat Majority World poverty, the flawed humanity of missionaries, and the difficulties of mission work.
So for those attributes, I would still recommend the book to those who are in missions or interested in pursuing that work.
It also didn’t seem to have a clear, overarching purpose to unite the stories. I was left wondering why the author chose to share these particular events out of all his experiences in Nepal. For instance, he devotes several chapters to detailed stories of patients he treated, only to have them die anyways, and then the chapter ends abruptly. No hope offered. Nothing.
That said, the stories are well written and don’t sugarcoat Majority World poverty, the flawed humanity of missionaries, and the difficulties of mission work.
So for those attributes, I would still recommend the book to those who are in missions or interested in pursuing that work.
May 10, 2023
This is the very interesting story of an American surgeon who becomes a missionary to Nepal, taking his wife, also a doctor, and two children with him. The book details the struggles and triumphs on many fronts: trying to bring Western medicine to an under-developed Asian country, trying to bring the message of Christianity to the world of Hinduism and Buddhism, and most of all, trying to fit into a culture that was difficult to understand and to adopt. The story encompasses the first twelve years of their mission work, and helps the rest of the world understand the difficulties in projects such as this. This is definitely a good read, and will help readers understand the recent past in Nepal.
May 28, 2024
I really enjoyed this book and the humility and honesty of the author. There is no narrative thread or continuity to the stories; that’s just what the book is: a bunch of stories. A couple quibbles: there’s this big build up to the journey and movement to Nepal, yet there is nothing about the first days and what it was like to begin work in this foreign land. Just…launches into topical stories. Second, after describing at length the mistrust of the natives for the American doctors, he gives you no follow-up of the ramifications when he unexpectedly loses a patient. Nothing. End of story.
Still, a worthy and easy read.
Still, a worthy and easy read.
August 13, 2022
Rating: 5/5
Review & How I came across the book: My first full book of a doctor who works as a missionary surgeon in a third world country (Nepal in this book). For what it’s worth - my gut feeling says it is raw, honest, and does not romanticize the work missionaries do. I got to step inside the brain of a doctor who felt committed to becoming a missionary. Reading the book gave me a lot of room for thought of what kind (not in terms of the specialization but rather persona and values) of a doctor I want to be. Surgery is cool. Healthcare is messy.
Review & How I came across the book: My first full book of a doctor who works as a missionary surgeon in a third world country (Nepal in this book). For what it’s worth - my gut feeling says it is raw, honest, and does not romanticize the work missionaries do. I got to step inside the brain of a doctor who felt committed to becoming a missionary. Reading the book gave me a lot of room for thought of what kind (not in terms of the specialization but rather persona and values) of a doctor I want to be. Surgery is cool. Healthcare is messy.
July 4, 2023
This is a great memoir, but I was left hoping for a more personal account of how he and his family adjusted to missionary life. There were some lovely vignettes about his patients and the community and some honest recounts of his failures. His underlying desire to do Gods work seemed at odds with the final chapter where he focused on the overpopulation and environmental degradation of the country. Overall, this was an engaging and inspiring read.
May 24, 2023
The beginning chapters of this book were delightful, with amazing stories and a marvelous sense of humor. Many of the circumstances shared arched my own experiences in South Asia. I progressively skimmed the last few chapters, though, as the author took an almost political outlook on how people should respond.
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December 10, 2019"Geheimnisvolles Nepal" (1986; 5. Auflage 1998)
I has gliebt, das Buech uf Dütsch chönne z läse - churz nach mir Aakunft z Lima...
I has gliebt, das Buech uf Dütsch chönne z läse - churz nach mir Aakunft z Lima...
January 16, 2023
This book will bring you to your knees about the poverty and filthy conditions in Nepal. What he and his wife did was remarkable
April 19, 2023
Enjoyable easy read, interesting insight into missionary life in Nepal in the 80’s and the behind the scenes of how a mission hospital works.
November 21, 2023
Great missionary book filled with funny, interesting missionary stories. The last half of the book did become a little boring unfortunately.
October 27, 2022
This book is about a missionary surgeon and his paediatrician wife who move to Nepal to establish a small hospital in the remote hills. Thus there is talk of God and their Christian motivations for following this lifestyle. This is not at all 'preachy' though. I liked the author's humble attitude to their work and his honesty in admitting to and learning from mistakes. He also states that they are not there to convert the Nepali people - "They can take Christ or leave Him; we shall serve them regardless."
There are the usual stories to be expecting in a book about a remote hospital. One patient had to be carried in a hammock for three days to reach the hospital - she arrived on her sixth day of being in labour. Reading stories such as these make you realise how extremely fortunate we are. These people are often suffering and dying from conditions that in our countries are easily and quickly treated.
I enjoyed this book but one that I would definitely recommend along these lines is The Hospital By The River by Catherine Hamlin. Catherine Hamlin would have to be the Australian who makes me proudest to be an Australian yet so many have never heard of her.
There are the usual stories to be expecting in a book about a remote hospital. One patient had to be carried in a hammock for three days to reach the hospital - she arrived on her sixth day of being in labour. Reading stories such as these make you realise how extremely fortunate we are. These people are often suffering and dying from conditions that in our countries are easily and quickly treated.
I enjoyed this book but one that I would definitely recommend along these lines is The Hospital By The River by Catherine Hamlin. Catherine Hamlin would have to be the Australian who makes me proudest to be an Australian yet so many have never heard of her.
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