The Last Day

As I lay here wide awake in my tent at 5:45 am and listen to the sounds of my city I reflect back on the past 9 days. The things I will be happy to leave - the car horns blaring worse than New York City, dogs barking like 101 Dalmatians, the lack of trash pick up, the inability to have clean water, and the adventure of riding in a taxi or bus. However, when I think of the things I will miss there are too many to name. It starts with the people, their resiliency, their kindness, their folded hands to greet you. Bringing leftovers to the little lady on the street, being greeted with excitement from the little children.  Waking up to the beautiful mountains circling the city. The French toast and milkshake from Busy Bean. Meeting strangers in the bus and becoming Facebook friends. Knowing that everything we will do that day has meaning and eternal importance. The positive attitude of missionary Brian and his wife Ruth. The friendships that formed with our team. Nepal you have been an incredible host and I hope to one day return.

Saturday Worship

It's Saturday here in Nepal and that is their day of worship. We woke at 4:45 to get an early start. We had a 7 am church service in a village outside of Kathmandu. This was the village we had visited earlier in the and delivered supplies. It was so nice to go back to fellowship with these kind people. Andrew one of the guys on our team gave the message. He is a pastor from Youngstown, Ohio.

After that service we drove about a half hour to the village where the orphanage is located. We had another service with this group. Since it's their day of rest, most of our ministry is complete. Now it's time to get packed up and ready to return home tomorrow.

This trip has been such a blessing. Thank you each for the role you have played in it. The Nepalese people are overwhelmed with your generosity. They said most donations that have come through civic organizations has gone to the government to rebuild government buildings and temples. Food supplies didn't even get distributed before they spoiled. The great thing is we know exactly where these dollars are going.

Everyone Has A Story

Tonight we gathered for Friday night fellowship with the entire missonary staff. The majority are from Nepal, Brian is from India and there are a few former refugees from other countries. They all look so happy. From the outside they are cleaned up, they smile, they sing praise and worship songs. You think they are the blessed and fortunate ones.

While waiting to eat I sat with the missonary's wife Ruth. We talked a lot about their trafficking ministry and my work in Thailand. I began to ask her about the beautiful children who were all sitting eating in the middle of the room. What was their story? 

She went one by one telling of broken homes and stories of rescue. One child came from an abusive father who tried to burn his mother alive. Fortunately he did not use lighter fluid and her clothes burned out before she died.

Another child came from an abusive home where the father was trying to kill the mother. A couple of the children lived on the street for most of their young lives before they were taken in.

Then we started talking about the kids in the Orphanage. I told her how it broke my heart and how sweet the children were. She told me that one little boys father murdered his mother and then killed himself. The village viewed the baby as bad luck so no one would take him in. A minister and his wife went and got the baby and now he is doing great in the Orphanage.

You can never judge a book by its cover. When you open the pages, they all have stories.

No Shoes

When Bryan and I were leaving the village on Wednesday we stopped at a small store to purchase items for the slums. We purchased 41 small balls, 8 little trucks, a soccer ball, a badminton set and 30 pairs of sandals. When we arrived at the slums today it was overwhelming. I wanted to give the shoes to someone who needed them, but as soon as we opened the bag we were swarmed. There was one little girl who had no shoes or clothes on. I wanted to give this child a pair of sandals. Andrew helped grab some sandals out of the bag to give them. It became pretty chaotic, but I was able to wrap a bandana around the little girl to provide some clothing and give her shoes. We brought most of the shoes back and will let the missonary's wife distribute on a one on one basis.

There was another sweet little girl that warmed my heart and I was able to give her a pair of pink slides.

It was overwhelming, but another great day.

Slum Life

Today before we went out I was reading the book of John where Jesus talks about the well that never runs dry. Jacob built a well that quenched the physical thirst for a few hours, but Jesus was able to provide everlasting relief. It was so great that I read this today before going to the slums because it's impossible for one man to erase poverty. You can provide relief for a few minutes. You can take their mind off their pain for some hours, but you can't cure all of their physical needs. However, regardless of what state the people we have worked with here are in, when they have Jesus they have hope. They have someone to talk to when they feel overwhelmed. They have a shoulder to cry on.

Our trip to the slums today was incredibly difficult. The need was so great and the people are so hungry they attack you. You know that you can't fix their situation, but you can show them Jesus through your kindness and your generosity. They will remember the day the Americans came with the missonary and gave food and toys. They will remember the day they played soccer.

You see our team smiling in the photos, but inside it's a struggle to see these children and families who need so much and know you can only do so much. Brian and his wife Ruth run an amazing program here. They have a group that focuses on the slums and the street children. They provide these kids who can't go to school an informal education.

They have an anti human trafficking divison that takes girls from the bars and provides them opportunities to work in various industries. They teach them computer skills, restaurants skills, English, sewing machine operation and they have a beauty school. I was so excited to see this ministry and hope to return to help one day.

Recently they have had to focus on earthquake relief because many people are pretending to be humanitarians and ultimately end up trafficking the people. It's a sad cycle. Brian's team plans to build at least 30 houses and continue to help those who are suffering from the devastation. Pray for stability of the earth because with every major quake houses that are partially standing will fall.

Home Building and Connecting with the Community

Today was an all around blessing. 6 of us caught a bus back to the village we were in on Monday to build another tin house for 2 families to be able to move out of tents. When we arrived we carried the supplies from yesterday's construction location to the new construction location. This required carry long bamboo poles and 9 feet sheets of tin up and down a narrow trail. It was really hot out, but it was a great workout of the day.

There was a little white dog on the porch of one of the houses we had to walk past and each time we would pass he would lunge at us as far as his chain would let him go. I believe he would have eaten us if he could. The dogs of Nepal are definitely an interesting part of the culture here.

While the guys worked on the construction of the house once we delivered supplies Rachel and I decided to visit around the community. The first house we went to was completely damaged by the earthquakes. The second story had completely clasped. They were shoveling the rubble off into a pile. We offered them some snacks and gave a couple of toys to the kids. We decided because of the heat we would walk down to the village store and buy them drinks. Because of the language barrier we could not talk, but the language of love is always understood.

Rachel bought sodas for the adults and a juice box for each of the kids. While we were paying the little boy came down to buy his mom shampoo. A single wash of shampoo costs. 05. Rachel bought 10 for the little boy. When she gave the little boy the cold juice box his face lit up in excitement. He put the cold box against his face to enjoy the cooling sensation. I offered to open it and within 2 minutes he had the whole thing drank.

We returned to the house with the 5 sodas and 2 waters. The men and women were so grateful that they invited us into their home and provided us with the 2 stools. We sat with them as they took a break from shoveling. Coke definitely has it right, something as small as a soda can open happiness for people when given with love.

Once the guys were finished with the house we went down to the store area and played games with the kids. I got out one of my beachballs and started to orchestrate some organized games. The kids were having such a great time. Most of these kids don't have the opportunity to go to school so they don't have PE or other games. They were having such a great time and it was just a small beach ball and someone taking the time to play with them.

On our walk out of the village back to the bus stop we stopped at another store in the next village to purchase supplies for our visit to the slums on Friday. Brian and I got 30 plastic balls, 12 stress balls, 30 pairs of flip flops, a soccer ball, 8 little trucks, and a badminton set for $60. While we were purchasing all of the kids from this village were gathering around. We couldn't leave them empty handed. We purchased all the lollipops the store had, 27, and it was exactly the right amount of lollipops for all the kids between the store and our bus stop.

I ran into a group of the kids I had played with on Monday. They were so excited to see me. Several of them walked with me all the way to the bus stop.

The bus is an experience all in itself. The bus is designed for 12 people and we typically have around 28 in at once. There is no personal space. The great thing is it allows you to get to know your neighbors. On the first bus I met 4 lovely high school girls who get to go to college next year. After I told them that we were here to help with earthquake relief she turned to me and asked "are you a believer?" Once I said yes, she became really excited and said we all are. They started telling me about their studies.   A couple want to study sience in the US. I told them that if they make it to the US they have to find me. We are now Facebook friends.

We had to change buses and get on our last leg of the trip back to where we are staying in Kathmandu. I had planned to stand because I was so sweaty, but they refused to allow me to stand. I finally gave in and took the seat they offered. I sat next to a girl who is a medical student. She was very sweet and so appreciative of the work we came to Nepal to do. She kept thanking me. I tried writing my email down for her, but her stop came and all I got down was my name. Less than an hour later we are friends on Facebook.

Today has been so rewarding. The people of Nepal are so resilient. They have a heart that is contagious. The ladies worked all day to prepare us lunch on an outdoor fire. The smiles on the faces of the children make you want to keep going back. I am so thankful I was able to come to Nepal.

The Rain Came

The rain came hard last night. It was a welcome change. The rain brought with it cooler temperatures and quieted the night. There were no sounds of dogs or motorcycles. Just the heavy patterning of the rain drops on the rooftop of the tent. The only downside was we had left open our windows and doors rain shield on the tent to allow airflow for the hot evening. By the time I realized it was a problem we had a small pond on the floor of the tent. The upside is we got to mop this morning and now have a very clean tent floor.

Today I will be joining the construction team and going to another village to build a small shelter for an elderly lady. I can't wait to get started. It looks like it could be a rainy one, but the rain keeps it from being so hot so I welcome it.