Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

The past few days Michael and I have been hanging out in a touristy area of Kathmandu, resting, seeking the Lord on behalf of ouR squad, planning for debrief that takes place in a couple of weeks, and working on getting a visa for one of our squad members. We are surrounded by backpackers from all around the world, nice restaurants, European-inspired bakeries and coffee houses, lots and lots of souvenir shops, Nepalese profiting from the tourism industry, and flashy lights and signs as far as the eye can see.

It would be pretty easy to overlook what I’ve discovered to be the treasure of the city….

…kids working on the streets.

Yesterday we were walking to lunch when an adorable little girl ran up to us and offered us some of the postcards she was selling. We politely refused and walked into this cute Italian restaurant. From where we were seated we could see her walking around on the street approaching tourists. It’s hard to just sit and enjoy your food when there are 10 year olds working in your line of sight. We decided when we were finished we’d buy her something to eat. We did just that. For her, her sister, and their two friends. We sat down with them on the street corner and talked and laughed while they ate. What beautiful gems. Precious daughters of the King.

 
 

We learned that they are 10 to 12 years old. They go to school, but sell postcards to earn extra money to help their families. Their parents sell fruits and vegetables for a living. They all got their noses pierced when they were 3. They recommended I get mine done too. At one point one of the little girls took a tiny pair of earrings out of her bag and put them in my ears. Within a few minutes time it was like I had acquired 4 new little sisters, or daughters. They were snuggled up against me, playing with my hair. After an hour or so of hanging out we parted ways. I walked away with a very full heart. How had I fallen in love with these precious girls in a few short minutes?

 
 
This evening we were walking down the street and a little boy carrying a garbage bag as big as he is tall approached me. He asked me for food. I didn’t have anything to give him, but realized we were approaching a bakery. I invited him in to pick out something to eat. He picked a cinnamon roll and an orange Fanta. As he ate we sat down with him. His name is Rockel. He’s 10 years old. Speaks fantastic English. He started telling us his story. He picks up garbage on the streets every night – he gets paid 1 rupee (about 1.5 cents) per kg of trash. His Dad does the same thing, during the day. Rockel goes to school during the day and works at night, until 1 or 2 AM. He shared with us how he had been so hungry and asking his mother that day where he would get food. Then we came along and gave him food. The joy on his face was incredible. It wrecked me.
 

In Tanzania I was trying to get rid of things to lessen the weight of my pack. I wanted to get rid of my Keen sandals that I hardly wear, but felt like I should keep them until Nepal. As we sat on the curb I noticed Rockel’s worn, dirty, plastic sandals. I compared our shoe sizes…the same…so I walked back to the hostel and grabbed my Keen’s. They fit Rockel perfectly!

As the minutes went by, 3 more of Rockel’s friends that collect garbage came by. We bought food for all of them and had a great time hanging out, laughing, talking, and Michael helped them break down boxes that a store owner gave them.
 

I don’t even really know exactly the depth of what God is teaching me in the past few days, but I know this….we haven’t done anything crazy out of the ordinary…but…stop….listen….love….provide for a couple basic needs….and love some more. The world is so hungry for love. And it truly is more blessed to give than to receive. There’s only one source of the love that fills my heart….God is that love (1 John 4:8)….let’s just take a few moments to stop and let it pour out of us onto those around us everyday. It really is so simple.