Everest. It’s the first (and usually the only) thing that people think about when they hear about Nepal. No one ever thinks about the millions of people who are homeless, or the millions of women and children who are forced into prostitution here. Or maybe it’s that they just don’t know. I can’t say I blame them. I didn’t know either. Not until Asha Nepal.
Asha Nepal is a home/orphanage here in Nepal for women and children rescued from sex trafficking. But it’s also more than that. For the women and children who live there it truly is a new life. A life that’s infinitely better than the one they left behind. A life that I was so blessed to be a part of this month.
For four weeks I had the privilege of living with the ten boys there who happen to call Asha Nepal their home. For four weeks we ate together, played together, studied together, laughed together, cried together, and when the weather was good we even slept outside together under the stars. We became more than just friends. We were brothers. At 12am on September 20th, I woke up to my brothers standing along side my bed singing me happy birthday….all ten of them. The older boys had even woken up the younger ones to make sure they were all there. And to top it off they even bought me a birthday cake, chips, ice cream, and soda. All of it with their own money. We stayed up till 3am just talking, laughing, and having a great time. They even skipped school that day so they could spend it with me on my birthday. I ended up buying over 60 pounds of meat and we had a huge feast that night with everyone. I found out later that I was the first world racer to celebrate my birthday with the children. All of the previous teams that had birthdays always celebrated as teams and never included the kids. How sad. The other teams sure missed out on a lot of fun.
I never thought coming into Nepal that this would happen. I was expecting just another month of ministry and then I would leave. It would be a little sad, sure, but nothing I haven’t faced before. Nothing I couldn’t handle. It’s funny how things work out. Saying goodbye to those boys was the hardest thing I’ve done on the race, if not my entire life. To grow so close together in such a short period of time was so unexpected. I feel like my work there isn’t finished. I know I’m suppose to go back. Which is why I need your help. I would like to go back in March for a couple of months and I need support. Money for the flight and things for the boys (toys, games, soccer balls, supplies, etc.). Anything you could give would be great. A little sacrifice will make a huge difference in the lives of these children. If you would like to support me you can send money to me through Paypal. My email address is [email protected]. If you can’t send money, prayers are always accepted as well. And as always I will be sure to keep you guys updated on my adventures. Next up is China. I have a feeling it's going to be EPIC!!!
