On the 23rd of November 2010 I arrived at the Compassion home in the Kathmandu valley. I was greeted at the orphanage with a welcome sign made out of flowers and a necklace. When I arrived at the Compassion home there were 15 children aged between 7-16. Then there were also Dev and Maya’s (the couple that looked after all the children in the home), two children who were about 14months and 4 months old. In my second week we had a new addition to the family, when little five-year-old Madan joined the home.
During the school term in Nepal, our day would begin at about 6am, when we would get up and begin our day with a devotional. Each day a different child would run the devotional, and they would choose a couple of bible verses to read and songs to sing, and they would lead the prayer, this was a good way to begin our day. At 7:15am study time would begin, I would help the children with their homework, and this would go until 9am. At 10am, Madan and I would walk the children to school. While the children were at school I played with Madan and sometimes Sneha (the 14 month old). They are a lot of fun. Madan and I would go for walks and explore Manamaiju (the village we are living in together). I also helped to teach Madan English. The children would arrive home from school just after 4, then we would play soccer or volleyball or play some other game. I would help with study again in the afternoon. In the evening sometimes they would have to study again, so I would help again. However when they did not have to do study I would spend time with the children doing other things, such as dancing with the boys or talking with the girls.
In my third week here the children were into exams so I helped them study for these, most of them worked pretty hard for this, and some days we were studying for 6 hours.
Christmas time was also a new experience for me. In the build up to Christmas we made Christmas cards. Also for several nights we went around to different church members houses and sang Christmas carols and danced. Dancing and singing under the stars is a lot of fun. On Christmas day I helped to prepare food for lunch then we attended church where there was singing and dancing, and then we all had a meal together. Nepali people love spicy food, so beware if you ever eat a curry in Nepal it is likely to have several chillis in it. In the afternoon I gave the children some gifts, it was such a joyous experience, and they were excited and very grateful.
Holidays came around, but the study still wasn’t over. So I would help them with their study. However we also had a lot of free time to play soccer, badminton, uno, connect four and do other activities. The girls tried to teach me how to knit, they are all very clever and made hats and headbands, however I was not at the same skill level and they had to keep fixing my mistakes. The children also enjoyed it when I taught them how to use the computer.
While I was in Nepal I was lucky enough to be able to visit many places in Kathmandu. In my second week in Nepal Dev, the children and I visited Monkey temple, this was an enjoyable trip for all of us. I also visited the Royal Palace and rode an elephant at the zoo. Several times I went to Thamel, which is one of the main tourist shopping places in Kathmandu. One day I took 6 of the girls to Thamel for the day.
I also attended two weddings during my stay, one in Dhading and one in Pokhara, and in my first week I went with some of the children on their school picnic to Nawabuddha, I also helped to prepare some of the food we were to take to this.
In my eighth week Dev took me on the motorbike to see some of Nepal. This trip lasted 6 days. We first went to Hetauda; this was an eye opening experience as I saw the condition some people live in. I then travelled to Chitwan National park and was privileged enough to ride an elephant. From there we went to Gorkha and travelled on maybe the worst rode I have ever been on, however the village we stayed in had very friendly people. I played with some children before they went to school, and had a line of children just watching me play.
Pokhara was the next stop. Pokhara was filled with beautiful views and natural beauty such as the caves, mountains, a lake and a river. Dev’s friends were nice and showed us around some of the caves, one of which had about 4000 bats in it, we also went to look out points and to a waterfall, called Devi’s fall. I helped to make momo (one of the foods they eat in Nepal) while I was there. I enjoyed meeting the people who helped run the churches whom were part of the Glorious church Nepal group, they were very hospitable and friendly.
When I arrived back in Kathmandu, it felt like I was coming home as the first thing I got when I walked in the gate was a hug from Madan, and then questions about how my trip was.
My stay here has been full of other new experiences, such as having rice nearly every meal, washing my clothes by hand, having no hot water and having power go off for 53 hours each week, however I was able to cope with these, and there is nothing too great that God can’t help you with.
Because of the people I have met here it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Being here is like being in one big family. The church community is also really nice, and there is a real “do it yourself” attitude here. For several days we helped to move dirt from the old church to the new church, and boy did we get dirty.
For me the highlight of my trip here has been getting to know and spend time with all the children, they are amazing.The home is filled with love, caring, kindness and lots of fun.
Dev and Maya are also really lovely and are really good step in parents for the children, and have been really good hosts for me, they are caring and kind. They have two cute children, Sneha who is about 14 months and Assis who is about 4 months. Sneha provides us with plenty of entertainment and is always enthusiastic at devotions by shouting Amen. The girls enjoy being mini mums for the two little ones.
God is truly good and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to come to the Compassion home. During my stay here the main responsibilities I had were helping the children with their study and spending time with the children. My goal was to make them feel loved and valued. I wanted to show God’s love in a practical way. There were difficulties over here, but there is nothing too big for God to handle.
I will miss singing and dancing with the boys, they liked to sing Justin Bieber, and they were great dancers. I will miss reading with Madan and Prashmsa, and playing “butterfly butterfly”. I will miss hanging out with the girls at night time in their room and having discussions. I will miss skipping and playing monkey with the younger children. I will miss Dev and Maya, and their kindness to me. I will miss seeing and spending time with the 16 new brothers and sisters I made while I was over in Nepal.
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.”