NEPAL | Dungdunge
In the middle of our trek, we were able to stop by Reuban’s father’s house in Dungdunge village. Reuban and his family moved here when he was just ten, which has given him a great passion for the people in the area. We stayed two nights in the village, and we got to spend our day hiking to the different family’s homes to visit and pray. All the houses were made from some sort of bamboo or grass with a thatch roof or a tin roof if they were lucky. Most of the families had a few children running around in stained and holey clothing that was a few sizes too small which Reuban said he had bought for the children a year ago, and they had never been able to buy anything else to replace them. Each family had plots of land all over the mountains which took an incredible amount of manpower to plant and harvest the crops.
Reuban’s heart though was for the children. Because there is no vehicle transportation to this village and no school, the kids ages 3 and up would have to walk three hours to get to school one way. Along that journey they would cross countless rivers and mountains. Reuban said that the kids were not strong enough to walk that far with anything but the clothes on their back, so they had no books, backpack, or school supplies.
On my way out of this village, my team was able to make this same trek that these school children made. Besides the intensity of the trek to get to their schools the rivers that needed to be crossed are not small. Several came up to my upper thigh and one was even at my waist. A scary thought, to see 3 even 5 year olds crossing a river like this, and this time of year is even considered the dry season and in the wet season, they are faster, deeper, and wider. Several times Reuban mentioned children being swept away by the current. Can you even imagine the dilemma of wanting to give your children an education but knew that it might cost their lives?
Well in light of all this, Reuban wants to start a school in the village. He has already gotten a committee of people to be in charge seeing as he lives in Kathmandu and would not be able to handle everything. He has also gotten a family to donate a piece of their property which has the skeleton of a small building already on it. Close to a water source and a near by church it seems to be the perfect location. Besides being able to ensure both life and education, because the school would not be a government run school they would be able to teach about Jesus.
Reuban has an incredible vision for this school including getting a local school book maker to donate books. He has approximated that he would need around $5,000 USD to get the school up and running and he is confident that the Lord will provide. These are the things he wants to do with the school:
Roof
Walls
Desks
Uniforms
Two Teachers
Outhouse
Playground
I also know that the Lord will provide in his timing and according to his will.
