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