Hello again!
I made it back to Kathmandu from the border safe and sound! Thank you to everyone who was praying for me in the past few days. It is amazing to hear how some of you were called to pray for me at the exact time I needed it. The Lord truly has gone with me on this trip.
bhairahawa.
The border town we spend one night and two days in was the dustiest place I've ever seen... Definitely not a place tourists choose to pass their time. It was apparent that white girls were quite an attraction, we were stared at pretty much nonstop while we sat in the hotel lobby. It was extremely hot and there was no air conditioning, but plenty of mosquitoes to keep us company.
There was a mosquito that seemed to be hovering around my face in my room last night, but - amazingly - thank God, I didn't find any bites this morning! Pretty amazing, since I had no bug repellant or even a sheet on the bed to cover me! Plus, there was an open hole in the window!
Yesterday at the border I literally got the point of just feeling overwhelmed by the trash and the dirt. I had a terrible headache, I was congested and could not find a place of relief from the smells and the harshness. But, God is good. There is literally a team of YOU praying for me - Amazing! By the end of the night, my mood and my physical body were feeling very much improved.
Sarah and I laughed a lot and I got to hear such a cool story from Sangeeta who travelled with us from Kathmandu as our interpreter and guide. She is awesome, she is only 22, and so much fun. Here's the story:
Before she was born, her mother and father were Hindu, every morning faithfully her father would get up early and perform his worship ritual worshipping the Hindu god of strength.
He had the idols image set up in a "frame". One day the "plate" with the image of the idol fell and broke. Her father was deep in thought the entire day and the next morning he did not rise to perform his act of worship. This was so uncharacteristic it prompted Sangeeta's mother to ask her father why he was not getting up! He said he had been thinking, "How could a god who could not save himself; save his own leg from being broken; how could he save me?".
This experience totally shattered her father's Hindu faith and he went for a while being unreligious, until someone introduced him to Jesus. Sangeeta was born and raised in a Christian home... a rare thing here in Nepal.
trafficking.
At the border we were confronted with children begging for food (sadly most of this is not legit), and the actuality of human trafficking taking place at the bus stations in which we were standing.
On the plane ride over I read a booklet full of stories of victims and traffickers. Most of the traffickers were married men 20,30 or 4o's. They trafficked girls for money. Some expressed no remorse for what they had done...
Most of the girls in the book were coerced to travel to India with these men on promises of love/marriage or just a good job. Many of the women are "married" and then trafficked by their husbands.
The entire industry runs on lies. It's no wonder that it's evil. The traffickers and everyone involved speak a web of lies - the devil's native language.
According to these stories, these girls who are trafficked into India are forced to have sex with multiple men for as little as $0.62 a DAY. Seriously?
It has got to be one of the biggest injustices of mankind today.
None of these girls have any idea that they are being trafficked... or even what that is or how it works... Lies and deception.
This NPO I am here with is trying to get these girls before they cross the border and lose not only their human identification, but their dignity, innocence and freedom.
We got to see the safe house in the area for girls who are intercepted before they cross the border to India. There were several girls there and several staff members. One of the staff there is only 21 years old. She is one of the main people bringing the traffickers to justice. She is a prosecutor with legal training and has seen multiple traffickers sentenced for their crimes. She stands under 5 feet tall, but she is not afraid, just passionate for justice.
We also saw the border monitoring staff in action. We got to see them question a girl traveling alone with a man. Their story did not add up at all and they kept changing the facts the more they were questioned. It was fishy, but they didn't have absolute evidence of trafficking, so they took a report and sent them home warning them not to try to cross the border again.
Yesterday, they also intercepted a young couple legitimately running away together to India.
The caste system has been done away with on paper, but it is still very alive in the hearts of the people here, especially the elder generation. This couple was unequally matched according to their castes and the girls parents would not accept the man as their son-in-law. Consequently, they couple had chosen to run away because the girl was being forced into marriage with another man. Sadly, when the home's staff called the girls family, they said they had already performed a death ceremony for their daughter, she is dead to them and they want nothing to do with her...
She was also housed in the girls shelter last night.
video.
It has been very cool to be here while the film crew from the states is shooting 4 new videos for Tiny Hands. Makes me want to get into videography more! One of the guys is a SCAD graduate too! The film crew have been interviewing girls, staff and children, it has been a great thing to see and great to have them around. I cannot wait to see the videos they are going to produce.
Glad to be back from the border and my time left here is short. These people and this city has become endearing in a strange way.
Jesus.
It is very interesting to me that we spend a lot of time and energy thinking and strategizing about how to approach different cultures. For instance, this organization tries to do a lot of their work through nationals who understand the culture, instead of having westerners coming in and essentially changing the culture by simply doing things as seem right to us.
This is a tough issue and a very valid point.
However, last night I was reminded of how the gospel message is somehow so universal.
Sangeeta's Father could not except an idol who could not save himself, yet now he worships Jesus who choose not to "save himself" for the people of the world.
The fact that the story of Jesus is so cross-cutural blows me away! Jesus wasn't "black" or "white" and His Love is what every person needs.
There are so many questions, so many angles, so many problems here (and everywhere) that are all intricately woven together... no issue can be dealt with quickly or on the surface.
People have a lot of questions and they reason out what is the best possible solution.
Reality is that the answer is people need Jesus. They have a god of wealth and a god of strength etc, etc but there is no change of heart-no real solution except through Jesus.
There is a lot to think about from this trip. All the processing has only just begun. What a wonderful experience.
I am so thankful for the Lord on this trip. I haven't gotten to read the word every day, but wow, reading it here... the only way I can describe it is it is so LIFE-GIVING. It's like cold water.
lessons.
Also, there was a day this week where I was really fighting being frustrated with people (a.k.a. someone) and feeling so internally agitated. You know when you tell yourself, "It's really not a big deal!", but yet you just churn on the inside??
Well, going on this trip, I have realized how many things in life and relationally are just DISTRACTIONS. I think it's one of satan's biggest ploys-distractions along with fear. It's subtle until you look for it.
In my frustration/offense towards people, I realized that if I turned my "churning" into prayer, I wasn't letting the devil win. What I do with a situation is my choice.
God turned my attitude around and I was actually able to talk to the same person about a spiritual issue they asked me about. God resolved both of the issues. People are hard to understand and often hard to love. This concept is HARD, even still now, but what a freeing way to learn to live...
adios.
It's raining here in Kathmandu tonight, maybe monsoon season is starting early?
I desperately need a shower-2 days worth of dust and dirt typing over here!
The next 2 days are going to be filled with more sightseeing, eating and final questions and discussion with THI president and staff... good times.
Then flying and more flying.
This has been long catching you up on the full last couple of days.
Photos/videos to come - thanks for your patience - there are a few thousand photos!
THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS - WOW, WOW, WOW!
"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.They have ears,
but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
All you Israelites, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield.
House of Aaron, trust in the LORD— he is their help and shield.
You who fear him, trust in the Lord - he is their help and shield.
The LORD remembers us and will bless us:He will bless his people Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike."
Psalm 115:1-13
