环球英语 — 425：The Beautiful Gate

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Ruby¹ Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The sound of Nepali singing travels over the beautiful hills in Kathmandu Valley. The songs you can hear are happy worship songs. But follow the sound to the singers, and you will be surprised. The sound leads you to a small wooden building. Inside seems very dark as your eyes get used to the room. But you feel the heat! You see that the room is full!! People sit on soft material on the dusty ground. They turn to say hello to you in their traditional way. They place their hands together and say ‘Jaimasee’. This is the Napali Christian³ version of ‘Namaste’ – the more common greeting. Jamiasee means ‘Christ is risen.’ You notice the people’s hands. Many of them have parts of their fingers missing. These people have suffered with the disease leprosy at some point in their lives. At the side of the room people sit in wheelchairs because they are unable to walk. Yet, everyone seems so happy – raising their hands in the air, singing to the music. What is this place? It is a church, out in the hills of Kathmandu, Nepal. It is called Sundar Dhoka – Nepali for ‘Beautiful Gate’. In today’s Spotlight we tell the story of the Beautiful Gate.
Voice 2
The story begins with one man and one woman – Babukaji and Goma. The two married at a young age. They lived together in a small village in central Nepal. Babukaji worked as a farmer. But one day a tragic⁴ event changed their lives forever. Babukaji fell out of a tree. He injured his backbone⁵ permanently⁶. He was unable to walk. He and Goma had been married for only a year. And Goma was also pregnant. They had no idea that their married life was going to begin in this way.
Voice 1
The two travelled to a Christian hospital for help. Here, Goma learned how to care for Babukaji. She became very good at it. At the hospital they also heard teachings from the Christian Bible. This helped and encouraged them. They became interested in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. And they decided⁷ to become followers⁸ of Jesus Christ themselves. Meanwhile, Goma began to use her skills to help other patients at the hospital. When they left, they could not return to their home village. Life would be too difficult with Babukaji in a wheelchair. So they decided to live in Kathmandu.
Voice 2
They went to a Christian church in Kathmandu. But they struggled. The church group did not always meet on the ground floor. And Babukaji could not climb steps in a wheelchair.
Voice 1
So, the two decided to start their own church – on a ground floor! They called it Sundar Dhoka. This is Nepali for ‘the Beautiful Gate’. It was not long before the numbers increased at the church. And many of the people who attended had different kinds of physical problems. And so the church moved to a bigger area – a compound. The compound had several different buildings on the same land. There was a small building where the church could meet. And there were about ten other, smaller rooms there. Babukaji and Goma rented the small rooms to some church members who had no homes. The small community of the Beautiful Gate worked well together. The people cared for each other’s needs – physical, emotional and spiritual. They met together in the week to study the Bible. They did not know then, that this was the beginning of a much bigger project.
Voice 2
One day, one of Babukaji ’s friends, Mark Gill, was travelling back from West Nepal. At the airport he noticed a woman with severe burns. On the airplane, he happened to sit next to her and her husband. He learned that their names were Mahendra and Ratna Devi. Mahendra told Mark that his wife’s injuries were from a kerosene⁹ cooker. It had burned her very badly. And she was in severe pain. When the airplane landed in Kathmandu, Mahendra asked Mark where they could go for help. Mark remembers;
Voice 3
‘I saw that they had nowhere to stay and nowhere to go. I could see that people could easily take advantage of them. I immediately wondered if Babukaji’s church could help.’
Voice 1
So the next day, Mark took them to the burns area of the hospital. Then, he spoke¹⁰ to Goma. He asked her if she would like to visit them. Family members or friends have an important job with hospital care in Nepal. The hospital provides only the medical care. Family and friends are responsible for everything else. And so Goma went to help them.
Voice 2
The hospital began Ratna Devi’s long treatment process. It was not easy for either of them. But in between the treatments, they stayed at the Beautiful Gate compound. The community there provided a great deal of support and help. This support helped Mahendra and Ratna Devi get through each day. And slowly, Ratna Devi began to heal. They stayed at the Beautiful Gate for six months. Then, they went back to their own village. Mahendra planned to set up a medical centre there. He had studied medicine before. And now he had experience of care – with his wife.
Voice 1
Mahendra and Ratmma’s case was the beginning of the Beautiful Gate’s project – Saa–Tee Sey–waa. In Nepali, Saa–Tee means friends. And Sey–waa means service. And this is what Saa–Tee Sey–waa provides to village people – a friend’s service. Saa–Tee Sey–waa works with medical camps and hospitals in far country areas of Nepal. The camps and hospitals send their village patients to Saa–Tee Sey–waa. This means that village people are not lost when they enter the city of Kathmandu. They have someone to meet them when they arrive. They have somewhere to stay. And they have people to help them find the hospital – and to give them support there.
Voice 2
People gather inside the church at the Beautiful Gate. Babukaji sits at the front and teaches from the Christian Bible. The people listen closely. Look at the people. It is true; many of their bodies tell a story of pain and suffering. But look at their eyes. These show something else – they show hope. The Beautiful Gate community has become like a gate. It leads people to a place of safety, and peace. But it is not just the physical place. It leads people to a spiritual place too – to God. And so when people leave the compound, they carry God’s love with them – far over the beautiful hills of Nepal.
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

5 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

6 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

9 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。