Sorry friends, this is going to be a long blog post because Nepal had so many beautiful moments worthy of writing down. So i hope you’re sitting down 🙂
We started off Nepal with debrief. All 42 of us took over a hostel call Alobar. It was a peaceful place full of plants and free spirited travelers and trekkers. For a week we adventured around the markets, tried new foods, rested, and got to know the people from all around the world staying at Alobar. At the end of debrief we said our tearful goodbyes to friends on other teams and headed off to meet our ministry hosts. This was the first time anyone was separated since India was all squad month. My team stayed in a house with one other team and it was quite the experience. We had to shop and cook for ourselves, learn how to live in close quarters with many roommates, etc. I loved it. I can think of so many great memories of worshipping together on the rooftop over looking the city, jamming out to music and cooking together, piling on mattresses and watching movies together in the basement, or all sitting around our little coffee table and laughing at our failed attempt at making momo’s. It was a beautiful community that will always bring a smile to my face.
As for ministry- We worked with Agape ministries led by Brian Williams and his wife Ruth. The first week we worked along side a YWAM group staying with Brian and his family. His family had opened up their home to about 20 women, children, and babies who didn’t have a home and were saved off the streets. We set up a little bible camp for them from 10-4 everyday with a lesson, discussion, and games. After the YWAM team left we continued to make friendships with the whole family. I loved hearing their testimonies and getting to know their stories. We spent a lot of time with them teaching English, helping with homework, and getting to know them. They have a very special place in my heart and I would love to go back and visit them someday. The next week we visited slums morning and evening and went on prayer walks and interacted with the children and led bible lessons and taught songs. The third week we did something a little different. We had the amazing opportunity to go into cabin restaurants and dance bars where girls often got taken advantage of and felt stuck working there because they don’t have any other way to make money. We went in and made relationships with them and gave them an opportunity to leave through Agape’s partnership with different job searching programs. One girl made a particular impression on me. Her name was Sanju, I met her in a dance bar. We started talking, and soon she opened up to me about how badly she wanted to leave and how she didn’t like working there but she had to send money home to her family. She talked about her dreams of opening up a beauty salon and starting a family, but she said no men wanted to marry her since she worked there. It broke my heart. So I got her number down and we met for coffee the next day. I got to pray with her, share some things the Lord put on my heart for her, and give her some numbers of people who could help her. Even though I wasn’t able to see the fruit or if she was able to get out, I pray that I at least showed her that there was another way and that she wasn’t stuck in her current situation. Please keep Sanju in your prayers!!
So that pretty much sums up my time in Nepal. It was an amazing country that I am in love with and hope to visit again soon. Also, I am still $1700 away from my fundraising goal and I have less than a month left to have it all in. If you would like to help me make my deadline coming up click the donate button above! Thank you so so much for reading and being a part of this journey with me 🙂
