A Day in the Life
My name is Tashi, I am ten, and my country is the only one in the world with a thunder dragon on its flag. We call Bhutan Druk Yul, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, and we are the Drukpa, the dragon people.
My valley is so steep that the rice fields climb it in steps, and above everything stands the dzong, a white fortress-monastery with walls like cliffs and a golden roof. Everything important happens there: the festivals, the government offices, the deep horns of the monks that you feel in your chest before you hear them. My uncle is a monk. He was given to the monastery as a boy, with a shaved head and robes the color of embers, and we visit him with butter and tea.
In the morning my mother spins our prayer wheel by the door, and prayer flags snap on every ridge, printing their prayers on the wind, she says. At school I learn in Dzongkha and English both. After school I want to practice archery, because archery is our national sport and every village has a range. The men shout and dance when an arrow hits the far target, which is so far away you can barely see it.
For supper there is ema datshi, chilies cooked with cheese, which burns wonderfully, and red rice from our own terraces. My grandmother says our mountains hold our luck. We are taught that everything that breathes is on a long wheel of living and living again, and the prayer wheels and flags keep it all turning.
Fun Facts
- Bhutan measures something it calls Gross National Happiness, valuing well-being alongside money.
- Dzongs are fortress-monasteries that serve as both religious centers and government offices.
- Archery is the national sport, with targets placed at distances longer than a football field.
- Ema datshi, chili peppers with cheese, is the national dish, and Bhutanese children grow up eating chilies as a vegetable.
- The famous Tiger’s Nest monastery clings to a cliff nearly 3,000 feet above the Paro valley.
- Scripture portions exist in Dzongkha, but open churches are not permitted in Bhutan, and Drukpa believers are very few.
How to Pray for the Drukpa
Pray for the few Drukpa believers, who follow Jesus quietly in a kingdom where their faith has no public place. Pray for complete Scripture in Dzongkha and for it to travel safely from hand to hand. Pray for the monks in the dzongs, who give their whole lives to seeking merit, that they would hear of the grace that cannot be earned. And pray for Bhutan’s leaders, that a land that treasures happiness would welcome the source of joy.
How Kids Can Help
Find Bhutan on a map, a small kingdom folded into the Himalayas between India and China. Learn to say its real name, Druk Yul. Try a mild version of ema datshi night at your house: cheese sauce, rice, and the bravest pepper your family can handle. The June 2026 Wonder Letter was written from the perspective of a Drukpa child, so your family can spend a month in the Thunder Dragon Kingdom.
Scripture to Remember
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)
The Drukpa hang their prayers on the wind. Pray that they meet the God who made the wind, and who hears without a flag.