If not you, then who?

"For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'" (Deuteronomy 15:11 ESV)


Normally I'm not a shameless promotion kind of person, but when it comes to my kids, "shameless promotion" is my middle name.

In the last month or so, we have received 14 new children from all across Nepal. They all have different stories, different hurts and heartaches, different smiles. And each one of them is so precious to us.

But with new kids comes new costs. We have more hungry mouths to feed, more sweet heads to shelter. Out of the 14 new kids we have, only 5 of them have been sponsored. That means we have 9 left who have yet to get sponsors.

Here are 5 of our kiddos who need sponsors. From left to right: Sabita, Prem, Jeewan, Khem, and Bharpur.

This is Khem! He is our newest little boy, he's 5 years old. He arrived this past week from the Everest region. Social services brought him to us.

 

This is Manisha! She is 3 years old. She lives at our campus with her mom and older brother. She has been with us for a while, but still needs a sponsor!

Now that I have inundated you with cute faces, I have a very serious question to ask.

Would you consider sponsoring a child? 

We have full sponsorships and half sponsorships available. Not only for the kids in the pictures, but for numerous others that God has brought to us. I want to answer any and all of your questions about our kids who need sponsors, what being a sponsor entails, how to go about the process, and anything else you want answered.

This ministry provides food, a safe place to live, private schooling, and more Jesus than could be imagined. It's so important for us to help these children. For us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. But we need sponsors so that we can continue to do this. 

Would you pray and ask God if you should sponsor one of our children? 

I know this is a big commitment, but consider this...

If not you, then who?

Finding rest.

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." (Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV)

Before I begin this post, I have to admit something to you all. The last few weeks I have been dealing with Culture Shock. Basically, what that means is I have hit the phase of living in Kathmandu where I just can't handle being here.

With culture shock comes feelings of depression, frustration and despondency. And I just couldn't seem to shake it, no matter what I tried. 

It impacted my life in a lot of ways. It made me irritable with just about everyone. I became much quieter and I didn't want to leave my flat to go do anything.

It also effected my relationship with Christ. I can't tell you how many times in the last month I have read my Bible (or not read it) and come away feeling more empty that before. I didn't understand anything God was trying to tell me. I wasn't even understanding whether or not he was trying to tell me anything. It seemed to me like he was some distant figure who was watching me struggle, and who had no interest in coming to my rescue.

I don't care you who you are... That's hard.

A few weeks ago, my roommate and I had planned a short weekend get away to a town in Nepal about 6 hours away called Pokhara. I'm convinced that it couldn't have come at a better time.

I dedicated my weekend to spending time in the Word, spending time talking with Jesus, and trying to remember how to have fun. I knew I needed a time to rest and rejuvenate, but I'm not sure that I realized just how badly I needed it.

When we hopped off the public transportation on Friday, we were met with this view. Already I could begin to feel my spirits lift! There's something about being from Washington and seeing the water that causes instant revival. Rolling hills surrounded the lake and were covered in green trees. Not quite like home, but I'll take it.

 First thing Saturday morning we rented a scooter from a local store and went exploring out in the hills. My roommate had ridden before, but it was my first time. As I wobbled and swerved our way down the roads, we laughed and screamed and garnered a lot of attention from the locals. Just remembering to laugh was some of the greatest medicine for my heart.

After several hours up in the hills, we rode out to a lake and rented a boat. We rowed our way, quite slowly, to the middle, and jumped in! People stared and laughed at the two white girls swimming around in the murky lake, but the cool water was so refreshing in the hot sun. After we had spent time in the water, I spent some MUCH needed time with Jesus. Reading through 1 Corinthians, then starting Isaiah, looking out over the water from our rowboat, with the hills in the background. Listening to giggles and laughter from other boats, and singing along to our Christian music mix. Now THAT is what I call refreshing.

 

This woman right here is one of the only reasons that I'm still standing on two feet. She has been a listening ear, an encouraging heart and a joke cracker at just the right moment. I loved spending this weekend away getting to know her better, talking about Jesus and laughing at the ridiculous situations we found ourselves in.

I'm so incredibly thankful to be here. To be in Nepal. I KNOW that this is where I'm supposed to be. And I know that culture shock, and everything involved in it, is a struggle I will need to battle through. And one that Christ will be victorious in. 

But I am also incredibly thankful for opportunity to get away and regroup. To take time for me, to address the spiritual needs I have and to remind myself who I am in Christ, what He has done for me, and why exactly He has me here.

The strength to be weak.

"Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed." (Psalm 28:6-8 ESV)


It's hard to believe, but this past week marked seven months of living in Nepal! It's unreal how quickly the time has flown, and how, at the same time, it seemed like the slowest seven months of my life.

A million things were running through my mind to post about in this week's blog... But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I need to take time and reflect on what has happened since I've been here. What I've experienced, who has impacted me, the lessons I've learned.

Let me start by saying that the biggest lesson I have learned since being here is this...

I am not as strong as I once thought I was.

I used to think that I could handle anything God threw my way. That no matter what situation I found myself in, I was strong enough to tough it out. It was to the point where I didn't rely on God. Where I found self-sufficiency to be my safety net.

Living here, God has given me no shortage of opportunities to learn the lesson that, in fact, I am not strong enough to handle most of the things that are placed in my life.

I don't have the strength to survive living in Nepal. To show grace, love and kindness to everyone I meet.

I don't have the strength to not judge those who post on Facebook  and complain about the small inconveniences of their days. Not when I know so many people, when I've seen so many faces of those who barely have enough money to feed their families each day.

And I didn't have the strength to be the person who ripped a young girl out of the arms of her guardian. I didn't.

I don't.

But praise God that He does. That He did. That He always will.

Praise God that self-sufficiency is not something He requires of us. Because I can't do it.

In a million ways I wish that I could have learned that lesson an easier way. And in a million more ways I wouldn't trade each and every experience, each and every person, for anything in this world.

I wouldn't trade the tears that I've cried. I wouldn't trade the laughter I've heard. Nor would I trade the looks on the faces of my kids when they see me at campus. Not the relationships I've formed. Not the heartache I've felt. Not the simple joys of living here.

I wouldn't give up the hard days when I just wanted to quit. When I wanted to give up and fly home. Not even those times when I didn't have power for over 12 hours and my patience was stretched to it's max.

Not the time when I sat in the dirt on a sidewalk with a beggar child while he ate an orange and let me practice my Nepali with him.

Not the day that an old woman threatened my girls with a stick and rock because they were talking about Jesus.

I wouldn't trade the countless times I've felt welcomed by our widows, on days when, quite honestly, I didn't want to be at campus.

And I would NEVER trade the struggles I've had with God. The wrestling I've done. The selfish, impulsive nature that seems to flourish whenever I'm upset at something.

God blessed me with each one of these situations. Each one of these people. No matter how hard, how frustrating, how many tears I cried, or how many smiles I shared. I'm thankful.

I get that this is all easy for me to say in retrospect, but I'm learning to say these things amidst the storm itself. When I feel like God is being silent. When I don't understand why it had to be ME. When I feel inadequate. When I'm not sure that my presence here in Nepal is actually making an impact.

THOSE are the times I'm most thankful for. They are the moments when I'm forced to remember that I'm not strong enough. That I don't have the ability to be self-sufficient.

When I realize that I am desperate for my Jesus. For THE Jesus.

As hard as these last seven months have been, no one could convince me to exchange them for anything in this world. And I CANNOT wait to see what the next five months will bring. What challenges I will be given. How God will answer my cries of desperation. Who He will bring in my path. And How He will use me to bring Him glory throughout it all.

Because I know that my God is for me. I know that He will never forsake me when I'm weak. When I mess up. When I would rather trust my own intuition than His will for me. And I know that some how, in some way, He is using my messed up, turned around, sinful, redeemed life for His glory.

Thank you for being a part of my journey. For loving on me when I needed it most, even if you didn't realize that that's what you were doing. For praying for me. For sending me letters and packages to remind me of home. For supporting me while I try to live in the will of God.

I couldn't do this without you.

New chapters come with new challenges.

"Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." (Luke 12:48b ESV)


What an exciting few weeks I've had! My parents came to visit for 8 days over Easter, which also happened to be my birthday. I loved showing them around my home and getting to experience everything with fresh eyes! I was sad to have them leave, but life must go on.

And go on it did!

My time here has been fruitful. I have grown immensely in my faith as I have seen God at work in my life, the lives of my friends and the lives of my kids. And every time I get to a point where I am content with what is going on, He likes to throw another challenge into my pot. Just to keep things interesting.

And my newest challenge is a big one.

The ministry I work with started our very own school the last week of April. That way all of our kids could attend the same school, we could cut costs for tuition, and offer sound, Godly schooling for our kids, as well as some from the community.

About a month back, Pastor Samuel, the Nepali national who runs our children's home, asked me what classes I would like to teach at the new school... I was a caught just a bit off guard. I'm not a teacher. And I don't have the time to try and pretend like I am.

So, I told him that if the school could supply me with a VISA, sign me up! But as of yet, they don't have the government clearance to do that. And unfortunately, I just don't have time to juggle that with the rest of my responsibilities.

But he was having none of it.

So again, about two weeks later, Samuel asked me what classes I could teach. Highly recommending that I teach English to the older kids.

I made sure he knew I have zero qualifications. But to him, speaking English as my mother tongue is all the qualification that I need!

So early April 28th, I found myself at our new school. In a classroom. Facing twelve 6th graders. Armed with some blank printer paper.

All of a sudden, I became a teacher.

Now, I teach English to grades 5-8. I get each class for one 45-minute period on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

With no curriculum, and basically no clue what I'm doing, I'm positive that I have never enjoyed something so much.

I get to spend extra time with my kids each week! What more could a girl want?

After much research, talking with good friends who are REAL teachers and spending a lot of time talking with Jesus... I think I just might be able to do this.

The first day of classes, I walked into the 8th grade classroom and was met with some confused stares. And almost in unison they all said, "Megan sister, what are you doing here?"

In the vein of being honest, I simply replied, "I have no idea! You'll have to help me figure that out."

In all of my classes this first week, we laughed, learned, played games and endured those awkward silences that I'm sure teachers have nightmares about.

And I loved every. Single. Second.

That being said... any teachers out there... tips, tricks and fun classroom games are most appreciated!