Jimasi, all!
Sarah here ☺ I wanted to share something that has recently been on my heart here in Kathmandu. We’ve shared with you how much in love we are with the street boys we’ve been working with, and some of the mental and emotional struggles we’ve gone through in thinking about their well being. But we haven’t shared much of our experiences with the women and girls we’ve met here in Nepal, so I’d like to fill you in.
The other day we went to Ratna Park, as always, to meet Dilip and spend time with some of the boys. Sometimes a few street girls show up, like Goma, a pretty little 16-year-old who recently found out that she is pregnant. This time though, an older woman showed up whom we had never seen before. She approached us sitting on the steps of the amphitheatre and shook each of our hands and sat down in front of me. That’s when we noticed that something wasn’t right. She kept making strange hand gestures, pointing to the sky and then giving us a thumbs up, then pointing down and saying “Nepal!” and wiping her hands clean of the place, shaking her head and shouting “No, not good!” Her mood jumped up and down dramatically within the span of a few minutes until she turned into a child, her arms wrapped around my legs and her head on my lap, clinging to me for love, or comfort, or stability, and avoiding the gaze of most of the men around us. Dilip came and sat in front of her to ask her questions and we found out her name is Laxmi. She has a child my age, 21, and a husband. She explained to Dilip, with her head on my lap, that she left home because her husband took 5 other wives and consistently beat her (at this point she showed us the wounds he left on each of her arms). It was apparent that the pain of her abuse, leaving home, and now living in Ratna Park (where most of the women are prostitutes) had taken it’s toll. She kept pointing to the sky and shaking her fists, crying out “God!” Dilip said she was saying that she wants to go to Heaven, which she now saw as her only way out. She had fled one abusive and domineering man only to find herself on the street, surrounded by men who would use her because she can’t do anything about it. I was touched and heartbroken by her obvious pain, but my heart was also warmed by Dilip’s approach. The love and compassion in his gaze stood in striking opposition to the treatment she’d faced at the hands of certain men.
Laxmi’s story is one I’ve heard more than once from the street girls that have developed a close relationship with Rina, a woman from YWAM that works alongside Dilip. One of the girls I talked to is 20 years old and has a 12-year-old son. She left home for the street because her husband took another wife. Now she is largely dependent on the kindness of the street boys she lives with. The girls and women on the streets of Nepal are incredibly vulnerable. From what we’ve learned, the street girls usually sleep with all of the boys in exchange for food, drugs, and the safety of their company. The dangers are obvious: pregnancy, the spread of HIV, and rape to name a few. We’ve also learned that tourists frequently use street kids, male and female, sexually, either forcefully or for money.
One group of little ones we’ve become close with we have dubbed my “fruit babies.” Kara, in Nepali, means banana. Kara and Sarah sound similar, so these kids have dubbed me accordingly, and when we see them on the street they yell “Banana, Banana!” and swarm around me for hugs and water. They have their own nicknames: Pineapple, Apple, Orange, Lychee, Mango, etc. This group doesn’t live full-time on the street. They have homes and at least one parent, but they are poor and many of their parents work all day long, leaving them on their own. So during the day they come to Thamel and sell postcards for 5 rupees each. The girls in this group are very small, about 8 years old. Sometimes they walk from their homes in another part of the city to Thamel all by themselves. Since we’ve become close with these kids, I’ve seen older men approach them several times. One man made kissing noises to Apple and spoke to her rapid-fire in Nepali as she covered her ears and hid behind me. The only word I picked up was ramri, “beautiful.” I’ve also seen tourists, older men travelling by themselves, single the girls out as their “little sisters,” acting very friendly with them, buying them ice cream, and coming to Thamel solely to spend time with them.
My gut reaction is to threaten the physical safety of any man that approaches these beautiful, innocent, naïve little girls. But for obvious reasons, that is out of the question. And I know that when I leave, there may not be anyone around Thamel at night that knows and loves these girls enough to watch out for them until they go home. The thought of how easy it would be to lure them out of the public eye terrifies me. With only 9 days left here in Kathmandu, I count every moment we are able to spend with these girls and ensure they are somewhere safe as precious, but I know that when we leave, prayer is the only tool I will have. So I’m asking you to join me.
Please pray for the women and girls living on the streets of Nepal. Pray that they would be protected and cared for, that they would not be used, and that they would not find themselves with prostitution as their only option. Pray for healing for the mental and emotional damage caused to those girls and women who have been exploited. Pray for those women and girls on the street who find themselves pregnant and without options. Please also pray for the street boys who have been exploited, and who now see sexual abuse as a normal part of life. Pray that they would not be used anymore, that they would not use others in return, and that the Lord would bring healing to them and restore their image of themselves and of others.
As we get into the single-digits of our time left here, we are soaking in the time we have with the boys and girls who have become our dear friends. Please pray that our time would be used by the Lord to the fullest! We love and miss you all and pray that you are well. Thank you for your prayers and support!
Sarah, Kevin, and Chris
Friday, July 15, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Wonderfully magical, awesomely inspiring, super great DAYS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Well I have to say it now feels like time has flown by considering we have only two weeks left here in Nepal. What a journey it has been!
We have had several very encouraging days in the midst of our street kid ministry.
Encouraging Day 1:
We have been blessed to be able to get close with two other teams working in Nepal. The APU team and the Vision team, from Nebraska, both working with our friends John and Aksha with Tiny Hands International. One morning, we were able to steal the Vision team and shared our struggles, joy, and philosophy about the street kids with them. The other night, we were feeling very discouraged that our work here was not actually doing anything. Given our short time here we knew none of our street friends would leave the street life. We came to the realization that much of our work with helping these boys would be when we returned to the states to inform as many people as we could. So finally we got to share how street life worked, the causes, some enabling factors, and possible solutions. Our advice was received well and a lot of the Vision Team was eager to learn more! Then we had the opportunity to take them around Thamel and introduce them to some of our friends in the street. Our hope is for a rippling effect to take place. We tell some people, they tell some more, and those people inform others. We have mentioned before that a harmful factor to street life is the tourists. Unknowingly, they enable street kids to remain where they are by providing food, money, and clothes. A step towards solving the problem would be informing the tourists that they may be hurting the kids when they think they are helping. Thankfully God provided an outlet for our team to share our feelings!
Encouraging Day 2:
A couple of days ago we woke up for what we thought was going to be a standard morning. Breakfast at a quiet café, play some cards, and then off the Ratna Park to spend the rest of the morning playing soccer and hanging out with the boys, little did we know this morning was not going to be very typical. We sat at our usual spot in Ratna Park, on the stair of a run-down amphitheater, and waited for the boys to come. During this time of year the park looks like a desert, which added to the dramatic scene of a large group of white people, armed with musical instruments, walking across the field to the shaded area. Of course the three of us we intrigued. As we made our way over to them, we could begin to hear a familiar tune. Singing English worship songs to a crowd of 50 Nepali men was an American group of missionaries. They had been in Nepal for two days and were planning on staying for 13 more. We were shocked that we were hearing English worship music. Many of the people listening probably had no idea what they were singing. Their behavior seemed culturally insensitive. When the musical fun stopped we tried to make our way through the crowd to hear just exactly what this group was saying. They preached the gospel with a translator, claiming that if people wished for healing they could pray and would be healed. Like God was some magic.
Now I know, you read this and say to yourself, “Wow, that’s incredibly harsh and judgmental.” And your right it is. It is far too judgmental and harsh. Sadly, this was our initial feelings. I personally was disgusted when I saw a group walk on to “my park” and preach the gospel without forming any kind of relationship with the Nepali people they were preaching to. I thought to myself typical “whites in shinning armor” with their Jesus magic. Wow. I stopped and thought about how nauseating I must sound. How put off some of you might feel from the paragraph I wrote before this. I had to admit a hard fact. Perhaps God was being glorified through their efforts and work in the park that day. And perhaps the Lord’s spirit was indeed filling the souls of some of those people listening. I limited the power of God and felt ashamed. We have no right to say what they were doing was wrong. We might not do the same things and we may not fully agree with them, but if God was being glorified then I should have nothing hateful to say. This revelation was so encouraging and very humbling. The fact of the matter is that we are only here for two months; our work is no greater than theirs. Admittedly this was a little off-putting, but you know the saying, “God works in mysterious ways.” And the way they did ministry was indeed mysterious to us.
Encouraging Day 3:
This past Saturday, Dilip took us to a rehab center that is located on the outskirts of Kathmandu. It was definitely a change of scenery. There were no honking taxis, people offering you Tiger Balm, or congested streets—only a serene view of the green mountains and a home filled with hope. We walked inside and were greeted by twelve men participating in an 18-month program in the home-turned rehab center. Dilip had asked us earlier in the week to prepare a message for our time with these men. We went upstairs into a small room and the service began with a time of worship. Hearing these men sing at the top of their lungs to Jesus was encouraging and raw. It was clear that they were singing to someone who had healed them or was in the process of healing them from their addictions. After worship, we played a game and I (Chris) shared a passage from Luke 8 about Jesus stopping on his way to Jairus’ home to acknowledge the courage and faith of a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. Sarah also shared some thoughts on this story along with her testimony. Personally, it was amazing to worship with these men and continue to see the many ways in which Jesus is working in Nepal.
We are always so grateful for your prayers! They are defiantly felt!
Sarah, Chris, Kevin
We have had several very encouraging days in the midst of our street kid ministry.
Encouraging Day 1:
We have been blessed to be able to get close with two other teams working in Nepal. The APU team and the Vision team, from Nebraska, both working with our friends John and Aksha with Tiny Hands International. One morning, we were able to steal the Vision team and shared our struggles, joy, and philosophy about the street kids with them. The other night, we were feeling very discouraged that our work here was not actually doing anything. Given our short time here we knew none of our street friends would leave the street life. We came to the realization that much of our work with helping these boys would be when we returned to the states to inform as many people as we could. So finally we got to share how street life worked, the causes, some enabling factors, and possible solutions. Our advice was received well and a lot of the Vision Team was eager to learn more! Then we had the opportunity to take them around Thamel and introduce them to some of our friends in the street. Our hope is for a rippling effect to take place. We tell some people, they tell some more, and those people inform others. We have mentioned before that a harmful factor to street life is the tourists. Unknowingly, they enable street kids to remain where they are by providing food, money, and clothes. A step towards solving the problem would be informing the tourists that they may be hurting the kids when they think they are helping. Thankfully God provided an outlet for our team to share our feelings!
Encouraging Day 2:
A couple of days ago we woke up for what we thought was going to be a standard morning. Breakfast at a quiet café, play some cards, and then off the Ratna Park to spend the rest of the morning playing soccer and hanging out with the boys, little did we know this morning was not going to be very typical. We sat at our usual spot in Ratna Park, on the stair of a run-down amphitheater, and waited for the boys to come. During this time of year the park looks like a desert, which added to the dramatic scene of a large group of white people, armed with musical instruments, walking across the field to the shaded area. Of course the three of us we intrigued. As we made our way over to them, we could begin to hear a familiar tune. Singing English worship songs to a crowd of 50 Nepali men was an American group of missionaries. They had been in Nepal for two days and were planning on staying for 13 more. We were shocked that we were hearing English worship music. Many of the people listening probably had no idea what they were singing. Their behavior seemed culturally insensitive. When the musical fun stopped we tried to make our way through the crowd to hear just exactly what this group was saying. They preached the gospel with a translator, claiming that if people wished for healing they could pray and would be healed. Like God was some magic.
Now I know, you read this and say to yourself, “Wow, that’s incredibly harsh and judgmental.” And your right it is. It is far too judgmental and harsh. Sadly, this was our initial feelings. I personally was disgusted when I saw a group walk on to “my park” and preach the gospel without forming any kind of relationship with the Nepali people they were preaching to. I thought to myself typical “whites in shinning armor” with their Jesus magic. Wow. I stopped and thought about how nauseating I must sound. How put off some of you might feel from the paragraph I wrote before this. I had to admit a hard fact. Perhaps God was being glorified through their efforts and work in the park that day. And perhaps the Lord’s spirit was indeed filling the souls of some of those people listening. I limited the power of God and felt ashamed. We have no right to say what they were doing was wrong. We might not do the same things and we may not fully agree with them, but if God was being glorified then I should have nothing hateful to say. This revelation was so encouraging and very humbling. The fact of the matter is that we are only here for two months; our work is no greater than theirs. Admittedly this was a little off-putting, but you know the saying, “God works in mysterious ways.” And the way they did ministry was indeed mysterious to us.
Encouraging Day 3:
This past Saturday, Dilip took us to a rehab center that is located on the outskirts of Kathmandu. It was definitely a change of scenery. There were no honking taxis, people offering you Tiger Balm, or congested streets—only a serene view of the green mountains and a home filled with hope. We walked inside and were greeted by twelve men participating in an 18-month program in the home-turned rehab center. Dilip had asked us earlier in the week to prepare a message for our time with these men. We went upstairs into a small room and the service began with a time of worship. Hearing these men sing at the top of their lungs to Jesus was encouraging and raw. It was clear that they were singing to someone who had healed them or was in the process of healing them from their addictions. After worship, we played a game and I (Chris) shared a passage from Luke 8 about Jesus stopping on his way to Jairus’ home to acknowledge the courage and faith of a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. Sarah also shared some thoughts on this story along with her testimony. Personally, it was amazing to worship with these men and continue to see the many ways in which Jesus is working in Nepal.
We are always so grateful for your prayers! They are defiantly felt!
Sarah, Chris, Kevin
Monday, July 4, 2011
A Plea for Prayer
Hey all. We are trying to get better at the “blogging thing” so here it goes.
We have returned to Kathmandu with heavy hearts and a lot of questions on our minds about the street kids. Questions like: What is love for these kids? Why is the street so addictive? What’s the best plan of action to get them off the street? Granted these questions have been on our mind since the beginning of our time here, but now they seem like questions we MUST answer by the time we leave in three weeks. Fact of the matter is, these questions will never have black and white answers. Each kid on the street kid comes from a different background, is on the street for a different reason, and receives love in a different way. So here we sit, itching to make an impact, stuck in a tug-of-war pulling us in ten different directions, and realizing time is running out. One of the biggest problems we have learned is that tourists contribute largely to the cycle of street kids. Without even knowing it, they provide the means the kids need to stay on the street. Food, clothes, money, water, and entertainment are often handed to the kids as an “act of kindness.” True, this may seem like the “nice” or “right” things to do; but tourists don’t realize that by handing the kids everything they want, they give them no reason or motivation to seek help from the NGO’s that exist solely to get kids off of the street. In this case, giving is truly selfish, not selfless. With the thousands of tourist that come through every year, a problem like this seems overwhelming.
BUT! We remain hopeful because the Lord is bigger. Since we are only here for a short time we know we are not going to “fix” the problem. We attempt to be a resource for the kids, rallying them to meet our friend Dilip who can try to provide lasting help.
So we need prayer. Please. To everyone who is reading this blog: Pray for the street children, that they are provided with a safe way off the streets. Pray for the children that they would know they are valued! Pray for wisdom for the different NGO’s and ministries that are all working for the same cause but not interacting with each other. Pray for our team as we wrestle with relentless questions. Pray that we would understand what it means to be Jesus to these children.
WE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR CONSTANT SUPPORT!
Sarah, Chris, and Kevin
We have returned to Kathmandu with heavy hearts and a lot of questions on our minds about the street kids. Questions like: What is love for these kids? Why is the street so addictive? What’s the best plan of action to get them off the street? Granted these questions have been on our mind since the beginning of our time here, but now they seem like questions we MUST answer by the time we leave in three weeks. Fact of the matter is, these questions will never have black and white answers. Each kid on the street kid comes from a different background, is on the street for a different reason, and receives love in a different way. So here we sit, itching to make an impact, stuck in a tug-of-war pulling us in ten different directions, and realizing time is running out. One of the biggest problems we have learned is that tourists contribute largely to the cycle of street kids. Without even knowing it, they provide the means the kids need to stay on the street. Food, clothes, money, water, and entertainment are often handed to the kids as an “act of kindness.” True, this may seem like the “nice” or “right” things to do; but tourists don’t realize that by handing the kids everything they want, they give them no reason or motivation to seek help from the NGO’s that exist solely to get kids off of the street. In this case, giving is truly selfish, not selfless. With the thousands of tourist that come through every year, a problem like this seems overwhelming.
BUT! We remain hopeful because the Lord is bigger. Since we are only here for a short time we know we are not going to “fix” the problem. We attempt to be a resource for the kids, rallying them to meet our friend Dilip who can try to provide lasting help.
So we need prayer. Please. To everyone who is reading this blog: Pray for the street children, that they are provided with a safe way off the streets. Pray for the children that they would know they are valued! Pray for wisdom for the different NGO’s and ministries that are all working for the same cause but not interacting with each other. Pray for our team as we wrestle with relentless questions. Pray that we would understand what it means to be Jesus to these children.
WE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR CONSTANT SUPPORT!
Sarah, Chris, and Kevin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)