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
Thursday, June 30, 2011
We run this: Pokhara.
Apologies to all… we owe you an update.
So here is what has been happening in Nepal.
On Saturday we left for Pokhara. After a hot six-hour bus ride through the mountains, we arrived in a beautiful town hidden in the hills. Before leaving, we had planned to meet up with a man named Hom who worked with young life. For those of you who don’t know, young life is a Christian ministry that reaches out to high school students who are not typically reached and seeks to show Christ through loving relationships. We didn’t know exactly what we would be doing, all we knew was that we were helping out with a camp and maybe teaching an English class. Embracing the unknown, we followed Hom to a hotel where he said the camp would be taking place. The kids weren’t coming till the morning so the night was ours. We met some of the other staff members and they starting asking us questions about what we had programmed… Programmed!?!? We had nothing programmed at all. We felt mountain of expectations. Luckily God’s hand directed every moment of the camp and we soon learned we had nothing to fear. Hom asked us the share something in the morning meetings so Sarah and I (Kevin) shared our testimonies while Hom translated. After singing some songs it was time to go outside for some field games. Soccer is not our sport… so needless to say, Chris and I spent an hour and a half each day getting schooled by Nepali students. While embarrassing, it was so fun! I think the boys felt sorry for us and would give us sympathy passes when no one was around us to ensure we felt included but wouldn’t mess up the game.
Then came the moment we were all not looking forward to. ENGLISH CLASS. It is safe to say that Sarah Chris and I have never taught anything… ever! So it was a bit unsettling when we were expected to teach a group of 35 Nepalis some English. But yet again God took control. The kids were very involved and seemed to enjoy it. Chris said it was hard and that we didn’t know what to do but it went well for our lack of experience. Sarah agreed and thought that it went better than expected. She thought they were gracious students and we ended up having fun. We aren’t sure if we taught anything new, but at least we could help with some simple grammar. In the end the camp was a success. We were able to see young life in Nepal and made some good friends.
Yesterday we met up with a woman named Anna who shares our love for the street children. Anna is one of the most passionate people I have ever met. To see her talk about the boys was incredible. She has devoted the past year of her life to working with one particular boy name Prakash. Anna shared some great insight with us. Her spitfire southern attitude was addicting and got us all excited to go back home to Kathmandu to see the boys. Please pray for Anna and her life. She shared with us that things are getting a little difficult. It has been such a blessing that God has provided some of the most incredible people for us to run into and learn from. To learn more about Prakash and Anna please visit the website below.
http://artbeatnepal.wordpress.com/team-prakash/
Today we rested and Raju (one of the leaders from the camp) wanted to take us around town a bit. As it comes time to go back to Kathmandu please continue praying for wisdom and discernment with our difficult street children ministry. Also please pray that God blesses Hom and the work he is doing here with the youth and young life. He is an incredible man and we are fortunate to have had the chance to get to know him.
We love and appreciate all your prayers.
Sarah, Chris, and Kevin
The street kids of Thamel
Potato sack races at the young life camp. (Check out the girl in the back about to eat it!)
Beautiful Pokhara.
Teacher Kevin!
Sarah, teach me how to dougie!
Young Life Nepal.
Kevin grew some more hair.
Chris has become the Justin Bieber of Nepal.
Lake swim with Raju!
Sarah and Chris at Devi's Falls
So here is what has been happening in Nepal.
On Saturday we left for Pokhara. After a hot six-hour bus ride through the mountains, we arrived in a beautiful town hidden in the hills. Before leaving, we had planned to meet up with a man named Hom who worked with young life. For those of you who don’t know, young life is a Christian ministry that reaches out to high school students who are not typically reached and seeks to show Christ through loving relationships. We didn’t know exactly what we would be doing, all we knew was that we were helping out with a camp and maybe teaching an English class. Embracing the unknown, we followed Hom to a hotel where he said the camp would be taking place. The kids weren’t coming till the morning so the night was ours. We met some of the other staff members and they starting asking us questions about what we had programmed… Programmed!?!? We had nothing programmed at all. We felt mountain of expectations. Luckily God’s hand directed every moment of the camp and we soon learned we had nothing to fear. Hom asked us the share something in the morning meetings so Sarah and I (Kevin) shared our testimonies while Hom translated. After singing some songs it was time to go outside for some field games. Soccer is not our sport… so needless to say, Chris and I spent an hour and a half each day getting schooled by Nepali students. While embarrassing, it was so fun! I think the boys felt sorry for us and would give us sympathy passes when no one was around us to ensure we felt included but wouldn’t mess up the game.
Then came the moment we were all not looking forward to. ENGLISH CLASS. It is safe to say that Sarah Chris and I have never taught anything… ever! So it was a bit unsettling when we were expected to teach a group of 35 Nepalis some English. But yet again God took control. The kids were very involved and seemed to enjoy it. Chris said it was hard and that we didn’t know what to do but it went well for our lack of experience. Sarah agreed and thought that it went better than expected. She thought they were gracious students and we ended up having fun. We aren’t sure if we taught anything new, but at least we could help with some simple grammar. In the end the camp was a success. We were able to see young life in Nepal and made some good friends.
Yesterday we met up with a woman named Anna who shares our love for the street children. Anna is one of the most passionate people I have ever met. To see her talk about the boys was incredible. She has devoted the past year of her life to working with one particular boy name Prakash. Anna shared some great insight with us. Her spitfire southern attitude was addicting and got us all excited to go back home to Kathmandu to see the boys. Please pray for Anna and her life. She shared with us that things are getting a little difficult. It has been such a blessing that God has provided some of the most incredible people for us to run into and learn from. To learn more about Prakash and Anna please visit the website below.
http://artbeatnepal.wordpress.com/team-prakash/
Today we rested and Raju (one of the leaders from the camp) wanted to take us around town a bit. As it comes time to go back to Kathmandu please continue praying for wisdom and discernment with our difficult street children ministry. Also please pray that God blesses Hom and the work he is doing here with the youth and young life. He is an incredible man and we are fortunate to have had the chance to get to know him.
We love and appreciate all your prayers.
Sarah, Chris, and Kevin
The street kids of Thamel
Potato sack races at the young life camp. (Check out the girl in the back about to eat it!)
Beautiful Pokhara.
Teacher Kevin!
Sarah, teach me how to dougie!
Young Life Nepal.
Kevin grew some more hair.
Chris has become the Justin Bieber of Nepal.
Lake swim with Raju!
Sarah and Chris at Devi's Falls
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Two Weeks In!
Hello Friends!
We recognize that it has been a long time since our last entry. Therefore, we will try to update you on our past week and what we are currently experiencing.
Our days here in Kathmandu are simple, yet exciting. We wake up around 8:30 AM and eat breakfast, typically with a game of Bohnanza on the side. At 10:30 AM, we meet our friends Dilip and Rina at a large field in the middle of the city called Ratna Park. Dilip and Rina run a ministry among the street children that live on the premises of Ratna Park. Dilip and Rina clean their wounds (usually self-inflicted or from a street fight), spend time with them and give them clean water. Yesterday we mixed things up and played soccer/volleyball with a few of the children.
Our afternoons are open and free. We have made friends with the street children of Thamel (where we are staying) and so if we run into them, we hang out with them. We also travelled to Pashupati where we familiarized ourselves with one of the Mother Theresa homes—a place we will be serving throughout our time in Kathmandu.
We are currently in a rough patch. Two nights ago, one of the street children saw us eating on the second floor of a restaurant. He came upstairs and we offered him some of our food. Once he got a bite of our food, he leaned over the balcony to show the rest of the street children that he was eating with us. Immediately all the rest of the children asked for food and we couldn’t give any more out. It was an awful feeling, and to be honest, the feeling hasn’t left.
After eating that night, we went down to the street to say hello to the children and say sorry that we couldn’t give everyone food. We were met with cold shoulders and sad faces. They wouldn’t look at us or speak to us. So far, this has lasted two days.
The problem we are facing is systemic. Street children live in hierarchical groups. There are two leaders in the Thamel group: Assish and Anil. They make the cute younger kids take advantage of the heavily populated tourist area. The money made is pooled together to buy glue to sniff or food to eat. In the realm of street children, the Thamel boys are spoiled. They get the freedom of the streets and gifts from the tourists.
Because we won’t give them food, they won’t speak to us. We are discouraged, to say the least, but we are not giving up hope. Tonight we walked and prayed through the streets to show that even thought we can’t give the boys food and everything they desire, we are still there. We will not stop being a presence. Why? Because we love these boys so much that it doesn’t matter if they are mad at us. We will continue to pray for them when we see their faces.
We ask for your prayers. We have fallen in love with these street children. We are discouraged yet hopeful. We hold strong to the fact that God has something planned for us with these street boys, but at the moment, it’s hard to know that our friends don’t want anything to do with us.
Thank you all for your support and continued prayers. They mean so much to us and they are not unnoticed.
On a lighter note, we want to say HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to Eric Sanders, Dan Jessup, and Ron Chandler. We love you and appreciate you so much!!
-Sarah, Chris and Kevin
Friday, June 10, 2011
Meet Binot
 |
| This is Binot. He is our street kid friend. We wish you all could meet and get to know these amazing street children. More pictures and updates will be coming soon! -Sarah, Kevin, & Chris |
Monday, June 6, 2011
The Perfect Day
Hi y'all, Sarah here!
Today was... how do I describe it?... PERFECT.
We've been in Kathmandu for 3 days and so far we have just been familiarizing ourselves with our surroundings. Exploring Thamel, the tourist-y type area near our hotel, meeting with friends and connections in the area, and yesterday we visited Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, which is a 15 minute walk from where we are staying (Favorite memory from Swayambhunath: Kevin made best friends with a little boy, maybe a year old, who loooooved him!!). Kathmandu is incredible, filled with so many sights and sounds and people. Everyone we've met is so friendly and hospitable, including the lovely people working at the hotel.
So far our time has been chocked full of divine appointments, and today topped it! A couple days ago we ran into Emily, who has worked with APU students at Tiny Hands in previous years, and she treated us to some iced tea at a nearby cafe. Turned out her and a friend also working with Tiny Hands were staying at our hotel, so we spent some time with them and met the head of Tiny Hands International, John, and had dinner at his place last night followed by a few rounds of Mafia (in which Chris died almost every single round and Kevin falsely accused me of being Mafia twice!). Emily, Courtney, John, and John's girlfriend Aksha are some of the nicest people! We look forward to many more games of Mafia with them. :)
This morning started with a random phone call to Kevin and Chris' room. On the line was Hom, a man Kevin has been in contact with who works with Young Life in Pokhara. Turns out he was down in the lobby of the hotel! Oh hey, Hom. So Kevin jumped out of bed and went downstairs to meet with him and talk about possibly heading to Pokhara for a week or so to help out with Young Life. He was only able to stay for a little while but it was long enough to know that we like him a whole lot!
After breakfast we decided to head to Rhatna Park, a place that Chris' team spent time at last year with a man named Dilip, hanging out with the street kids that gathered there. The walk was incredible because we got to get out of the more tourist-y part of Kathmandu and into the real nitty gritty! We almost made it to Rhatna Park, but God had better plans for us, because we ran into Dilip on the way!! Turns out he was headed toward our hotel to drop in on us-- how awesome is that?
So we went to lunch with Dilip, but not just any lunch. First of all, on the way there an old man reached for my hand and for some reason I gave it to him, and he tried to kiss me. So, that was a great memory. Thank God for my bodyguards, Kevin and Chris, who helped pry him off of me. Secondly, we had been asking around about a restaurant called New Dish on New Road, which is owned by mine and Kevin's host from last year in Darjeeling, SuLee, and his wife Usha. We found it! SuLee is in Darjeeling right now, but we asked for Usha, because we had heard LOADS of great things about her but we didn't get to meet her last year. Well, guess what? All those great things we heard were true! She was awesome and she told us to come back anytime, even if we had no money, and eat. Sooooo nice!
Over lunch Dilip filled us in on his street kids ministry (he is so great, I love him!) and then we headed home. Since we'd had such full day already, we decided to go chill out at a coffee shop in Thamel and do some reading/blogging. Well, God was not done with us yet. While at Himalayan Java, Chris was taking some pictures off the balcony and spotted Krishna, a boy he'd become close with last year while doing the street kids ministry. Chris and Krishna's hearts were knitted together by the Lord last year, a true miracle, and today was the first time Chris had seen him since last summer. Kevin and I watched as Chris darted down the stairs and across the street to embrace Krishna: a beautiful end to a perfect day!
I'm sure that today was a preview of what the next two months hold: precious moments, amazing sights, important relationships, and divine appointments straight from the Lord! I think I speak for the three of us when I say that today brought us so much joy! Not only did we get a better idea of what these two months will look like by talking to Hom and Dilip, but we renewed several connections that are precious to each of us. God definitely treated us today, and we are thankful.
We love you all! We'll be posting some pictures on here soon.
-Sarah, Chris, and Kevin
Today was... how do I describe it?... PERFECT.
We've been in Kathmandu for 3 days and so far we have just been familiarizing ourselves with our surroundings. Exploring Thamel, the tourist-y type area near our hotel, meeting with friends and connections in the area, and yesterday we visited Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, which is a 15 minute walk from where we are staying (Favorite memory from Swayambhunath: Kevin made best friends with a little boy, maybe a year old, who loooooved him!!). Kathmandu is incredible, filled with so many sights and sounds and people. Everyone we've met is so friendly and hospitable, including the lovely people working at the hotel.
So far our time has been chocked full of divine appointments, and today topped it! A couple days ago we ran into Emily, who has worked with APU students at Tiny Hands in previous years, and she treated us to some iced tea at a nearby cafe. Turned out her and a friend also working with Tiny Hands were staying at our hotel, so we spent some time with them and met the head of Tiny Hands International, John, and had dinner at his place last night followed by a few rounds of Mafia (in which Chris died almost every single round and Kevin falsely accused me of being Mafia twice!). Emily, Courtney, John, and John's girlfriend Aksha are some of the nicest people! We look forward to many more games of Mafia with them. :)
This morning started with a random phone call to Kevin and Chris' room. On the line was Hom, a man Kevin has been in contact with who works with Young Life in Pokhara. Turns out he was down in the lobby of the hotel! Oh hey, Hom. So Kevin jumped out of bed and went downstairs to meet with him and talk about possibly heading to Pokhara for a week or so to help out with Young Life. He was only able to stay for a little while but it was long enough to know that we like him a whole lot!
After breakfast we decided to head to Rhatna Park, a place that Chris' team spent time at last year with a man named Dilip, hanging out with the street kids that gathered there. The walk was incredible because we got to get out of the more tourist-y part of Kathmandu and into the real nitty gritty! We almost made it to Rhatna Park, but God had better plans for us, because we ran into Dilip on the way!! Turns out he was headed toward our hotel to drop in on us-- how awesome is that?
So we went to lunch with Dilip, but not just any lunch. First of all, on the way there an old man reached for my hand and for some reason I gave it to him, and he tried to kiss me. So, that was a great memory. Thank God for my bodyguards, Kevin and Chris, who helped pry him off of me. Secondly, we had been asking around about a restaurant called New Dish on New Road, which is owned by mine and Kevin's host from last year in Darjeeling, SuLee, and his wife Usha. We found it! SuLee is in Darjeeling right now, but we asked for Usha, because we had heard LOADS of great things about her but we didn't get to meet her last year. Well, guess what? All those great things we heard were true! She was awesome and she told us to come back anytime, even if we had no money, and eat. Sooooo nice!
Over lunch Dilip filled us in on his street kids ministry (he is so great, I love him!) and then we headed home. Since we'd had such full day already, we decided to go chill out at a coffee shop in Thamel and do some reading/blogging. Well, God was not done with us yet. While at Himalayan Java, Chris was taking some pictures off the balcony and spotted Krishna, a boy he'd become close with last year while doing the street kids ministry. Chris and Krishna's hearts were knitted together by the Lord last year, a true miracle, and today was the first time Chris had seen him since last summer. Kevin and I watched as Chris darted down the stairs and across the street to embrace Krishna: a beautiful end to a perfect day!
I'm sure that today was a preview of what the next two months hold: precious moments, amazing sights, important relationships, and divine appointments straight from the Lord! I think I speak for the three of us when I say that today brought us so much joy! Not only did we get a better idea of what these two months will look like by talking to Hom and Dilip, but we renewed several connections that are precious to each of us. God definitely treated us today, and we are thankful.
We love you all! We'll be posting some pictures on here soon.
-Sarah, Chris, and Kevin
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