Love Revealed December 2010 - Trip Report Part 1

When we arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, it felt a little bit like returning home. Seeing Loong and Gloria, the Jars Of Clay Cafe, Wesley Methodist Church (Nepal) and the Sophia Girls' Home reminded me of the story that God had started telling us only 6 months before. We were anxious to go straight to the Girls' Home to see the little darlings. Our experience with them on previous trips proved that they would take a while to warm up to us again. We were right. Most of the time was spent with Auntie Grace finalizing the programs that we would run. Our time was divided over the two weekends that we spent in Kathmandu.


SOPHIA GIRLS HOME

Interaction.
This was basically a time where we used arts and crafts to help us to bond with the girls. The girls were divided into 2 groups where they did either jewelry-making or drawing. Materials for jewelry-making were generously sponsored by Julie Ng, whereas colour pencils and sharpeners were sponsored by Ruey Jen and her friends. The purpose of these activities was to encourage their creativity and imagination.

Service.

In Mark 10:45, it say, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

We continued our service of Love to the girls by painting their stairwell. Conceptualized by Elissa, the tree represented the protection and providence of God, while the birds were a reference to the verse in Matthew 6:26 where Jesus reminds his disciples that they were more valuable than the birds that God feeds.

Ministry.
We spent time doing their evening devotions with them. Georgina spoke to them about their value because God made each of them in Jesus Christ. She referenced Ephesians 2:10, using it to remind them that they were loved greatly by God and that He was pleased with them simply because they are His creation.

We kept praying for them throughout the trip. I could sense that even in our conversations among the team members, we could not help but speak blessings over their lives.

Games, Gifts and Goodbyes.
On our second weekend at the home, we were supposed to have a programme of activities planned for the the girls. However, the girls used this opportunity to introduce their own games to us. These were games played with hands and with words. I still cannot be sure if they are better off without the kinds of toys that we grew up with.

We also introduced them to some of our own childhood games like "Mother Hen" and "London Bridge" which they thoroughly enjoyed. The fun and games may have made the goodbyes more painful, but it was definitely a great way to spend our final evening in Nepal.

Note:

With your generous gifts, we were able to purchase custom-made school bags for each of the girls at the home.