Dear Friends and Family,
What a summer it has been! This Spring I sent you a letter asking for support for my upcoming trip to Kathmandu, Nepal. I was so blessed by the support I received from you all. For those of you who have been praying for my team, thank you! Words truly can’t describe the Lord’s provision these past two months, but I’m going to try anyhow.
Kevin, Chris and I spent two months in Kathmandu, Nepal. When we left, the future was a total mystery, but God orchestrated each of our days perfectly. We ended up working mainly with King’s Kids Nepal, a ministry of YWAM. To keep it short and sweet: we spent our days dwelling with the street kids of Kathmandu.
There are between five and six thousand children on the streets of Kathmandu, driven to the streets for a number of reasons, including poverty, broken or nonexistent families, and the desire for freedom. We had the opportunity to get to know between 30 and 40 of these kids. Our challenge during our two months was to become more than just another group of tourists to them. One thing we learned was that tourists are a major factor keeping kids on the street, by giving them food, clothes, and money. When the kids have all their physical needs provided for by strangers, there is no reason for them to seek long-term help from the many non-profit organizations in Kathmandu that exist solely to help them. This provision, combined with the addictive nature of street life, makes successful rescue and rehabilitation of street kids very rare.
Our goal in spending time with the kids was to build a relationship with them that was based around mutual love and respect rather than material things like money or food. We also sought to connect the boys we knew with our friends at YWAM, so they would have a resource when we left should they choose to leave the street. Needless to say, we fell madly in love with the group of misfit boys and girls we spent our days with. Our mornings were spent with our YWAM friends, playing soccer and volleyball and talking to the kids. Our nights were spent on the streets near our hotel with a group of boys that we became very close with. Despite the language and cultural barriers, we shared countless special moments with the kids, many of them through the universal language of laughter. Chris was able to reconnect with some boys he knew last year, and Kevin and I quickly understood what made him want to come back: these kids are amazing! Despite their conditioning by the streets, which forces them to be hard, we were able to see part of who each of the kids truly are, and they are good. If I could sum up what we learned about them in one word, it would be just that: They are good kids who never had a chance.
And so we have come home, changed because of the incredible love the Lord has given us for the children who have become our family, and changed most deeply because of the love they showed to us. We’ve also come home with a heart for the incredible friends we made who are currently doing long-term work in Kathmandu. Please keep them in your prayers. We worked most closely with Dilip and Rina and the rest of their YWAM staff members, who have more than 15 years experience on the streets between them. Their heart for the kids is inspiring. They have many plans for the future, but they still need funds. I am currently selling scarves to raise money for their ministry. If you need some great stocking stuffers, they’re going for $10 each!
We also spent a lot of time with our good friends from Tiny Hands International. They were an invaluable support for us as we wrestled with the big issues of street life, and we got to see firsthand the incredible work they are doing. Please consider supporting this organization that provides hope for abandoned children, street kids, and trafficked women in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. While in Pokhara, we visited one of their children’s homes and were so encouraged by the love the children were receiving. We also met the founder of Art Beat Nepal and helped run a camp for Young Life, a Christian organization that reaches out to high school kids who aren’t typically reached by the church. The director, Hom, and the volunteer staff members became good friends, and the impact of their ministry was evident in the incredible kids there.
Lastly, we visited our friend Pastor Ranjit Kunwar at Princess Beads Nepal. Princess Beads employs women who are at-risk or who have been rescued from trafficking or prostitution by running a thriving bead-making business. Through this work, the women are able to attend school and support themselves and their families. Pastor Ranjit is an great man with a powerful testimony who has also opened a successful home for twenty street boys, which is almost unheard of. This ministry is worthy of support, and Ranjit is currently looking for business connections in the U.S. in order to expand their ministry. Please pray about this!
There are dedicated people all over Kathmandu working hard to combat poverty, prostitution, oppression, homelessness, and the exploitation of women and children—too many to name. Please pray for their work, and pray that the many NGOs in Nepal would be working together in a way that would powerfully change the structures and systems they seek to change. And please pray for the street kids, that they would live long lives filled with love and purpose, and that the systemic issues that drive children to the streets would be broken apart.
This short letter truly doesn’t do justice to the rich, dynamic, awe-inspiring characters of the boys and girls we got to know this summer, but I wanted to share a little bit of our experience with you as a Thank You, for praying for us and supporting us in this journey. If you’d like to know more I would love to share with you! Feel free to contact me via email or phone. You can also catch up on our blog at www.nepalresource11.blogspot.com I’m excited to see where God takes this new passion I’ve been given, and I’d love to share that journey with you. Please also consider visiting the websites of these ministries:
www.kingskidsnepal.com and http://vimeo.com/5514271 (<to see some of our kids!)
With all my love and thanks,
Sarah Sanders
Here's some pictures that won't be included in the letters I send out (sorry y'all, color ink is expensive!!!)
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| Dilip showing some of the boys a magic trick. The little ham in the middle is our friend Vijay :) |
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| These kids have homes but they spend their days on the street selling postcards for extra income. We became great friends with them and called them the "Fruit Babies" because they all have fruit nicknames! |
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| A group picture with most of the boys on our very last day. We had just said our goodbyes, so our eyes are red from crying! |
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| Kathmandu!! We will miss you. Until next time... |
