Funny how two days can be so different. Yesterday, read Friday, was our last day with the children. We spent a good 5 hours with them and the staff/family. The sun was shining and it was a warm and peaceful day. We spent most of it outside playing soccer, throwing hackysacks and playing various games. It was glorious.
We also had a chance to talk more with the director and his family, explaining that we wanted to partner with and join them in providing for the children. We were very keen on explaining that we are not donors but partners and what the difference is...that we are not ATMs but involved and interested friends (brothers and sisters in Christ). We are investing for life, as well as our lives, and it was great to see and truly realize that we share the same vision.
To be honest we began our journey in doubt. Can these people be trusted? Are they telling the "truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" Are they just saying what we want to hear? You know, making us feel good so that they can have our money. We have met people like that.
There is much to tell but we are slowly starting to trust them. We now feel comfortable to leave and know that we share the same vision and purpose. We believe that when we return (as soon as possible) our partnership will be on the same correct path that it is today.
Let me share some examples of why this is:
First, we have a shared understanding of the need for financial transparency and accountability AND we have Bobby who has volunteered to verify all financial records, including receipts and also make sure that they money spent is appropriate and necessary. For those of you who wonder if we can trust Bobby, ask us for our reasons and we will be happy to tell you. They are many.
Second, the children are obviously loved and well taken care of by the whole family (KB and his wife Mina, his children Peter married to Laksmi, James married to Shittva and Paul). They are indeed poor but happy, and that doesn't just happen.
Third, there is no evidence of financial mismanagement and much evidence to the contrary. The family draw no salary. No one has an iPhone. There is no car or motorcycle. The director has the same clothes as he did when Laurie saw him 7 years ago.
Fourth, every little thing "adds up". When many different things, small and large, remain the same it eases our concerns. So when they say "A" one day, it is still "A" three days later. In short, there are no surprises.
To be sure, these are normal human beings we are dealing with and we understand that mistakes will be made...but we don't find any reasons to believe that they will occur out of wrong intentions or greed.
We went to bed smiling but we woke up with a sense of "we want to go home". I (Andreas) got the opportunity to preach in a church here in in Kathmandu. It was a privilege and we enjoyed visiting with the people and also enjoyed the lunch with the pastor's family. They were very gracious and shared their home with us.
Bobby's orphanage was close-by so we also got to spend some time with the kids there...adorable children. They are a testimony to the heart and mind of Bobby and we really enjoyed being with them. That was a great time.
Then it was time to go back to Thamel, the tourist part of Kathmandu where our hotel is. It is not a great place to be, unless you enjoy chaos and pollution (Our hotel sits off the main road a bit which helps). We met with another man with whom we had shared our vision and he told us his vision for the children in Nepal. It was good to make a new friend and we will continue to pray for each other.
We ended the day (Saturday) with some great Nepali food before we headed back to the hotel. To say that we are ready to go home is to put it mildly. We are in awe of what God has done during this trip (as well as how he had prepared everything before we got here) but we miss our boys deeply. Soon!
As we leave we fell confident that we are doing God's work, that we are on the right path and we can't wait to continue with him as he leads our future together with our new "family" in Nepal. There are many ways you can be a part of it too. Think about it.
From Kathmandu with love,
Andreas
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