They call a strike. Thus, today everything was closed. The taxis stood still and the shops were shut. Actually, it was rather nice. No, well less, pollution and noise made for a rather pleasant day. The weather was nice and warm and it was just nice to walk around with our friend Bobby to experience more of the city, more of Nepal. A country takes a long time to soak in.
It is good to take some time away from the intense situation that we are in. It reminds me of Jesus's life in some respects. We know that he had lots to do but he didn't seem stressed. Similarly, we don't look stressed and we don't literally run around...but there is an huge amount of thinking and praying and planning going on inside.
Every day is full of both adventure and seriousness. Today Bobby took us to The Dream Gardens, a place with real grass(!) in Kathmandu. It was like a park with walls and it was quiet and peaceful...amazing! It was a good place to sit down and rest and think long thoughts. Every meal is a great time to process and talk about what we have thought about while we were walking and watching Kathmandu. At the same time we both made an effort not to dig through all the details of what this partnership with Light for Nations will entail. It was a day of processing.
Tomorrow we will visit places and hotels in Kathmandu that we hope will be suitable for future teams to use. Kathmandu is a hard place just to throw yourself into. People will need a place that looks like home, or as close to it as possible, after a crazy day in Kathmandu (not to mention after the emotional effects of visiting with the orphanage/kids). We will also see some of the sights on our way to visiting the hotel and place where we stayed when we came to pick up Samuel 7 years ago. We also hope to prepare the things, or just get the things, we want to provide for the orphanage.
Thursday we travel to Nagarkot which is supposed to be a really tranquil and beautiful place up in the mountains. We will spend the night and watch the sunrise over the Himalayan mountains. This is the time when we hope to find a good amount of time to pray and listen to God and also to put some things down on paper as to what an agreement with Light for Nations would look like. Bobby will come with us and be of much help, as usual. Friday afternoon we go back to the orphanage and meet with KB (the director).
We are tired after a day of much walking and many impressions but we are so very excited to be living our vision...to actually be in it. This is what we had been talking about and thinking about for so long and now it is here, right where we are...and it is happening. It really is.
Until next time,
Andreas
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Light For Nations
This city is such a contradiction. It is surrounded by mountains, the Himalayas (not just any mountains), which are incredibly beautiful. Yet, the air is full of pollution. It has some of the most beautiful people that I have ever seen and yet the city is run down and FULL of trash. You see people in their colorful clothing with sparkles going to eat or party, next to a child that is more than filthy and huffs just to survive the hopelessness. The air can smell of sweet incense, dirty animals, smog, and sweat all at the same time. There is a cacophony of sounds that start from sun up and don't stop until midnight or so. It is almost as if you can see heaven and hell in one moment.
Today we spent another day talking to the head of the children's home, playing with the kids, and looking into the possible future. It is amazing to me that God has brought us to this possible future. One that we have dreamed of for so long and yet thought that it was so far away. NOTHING is impossible for our God. How many of us truly believe and live that sentiment? I know it has taken me a long time to actually believe and trust that, but it is true.
The family that runs this home have done so for 14 years. They have scraped by but have continued to believe that Jesus would take care of their every need. Their faith has been tested more than most of us Westerners think possible. I wonder just how many children have a future and a hope because of this family and their faith in Jesus. I am in awe that they have continued all these years.
Today we also found out just how hard it has become for this family and how they are doing everything...including knocking door to door to survive. In the next few months if something does not change many of these children have to be sent back to the families that cannot provide for them and sent them to Kathmandu in the first place. These children will not get the chance to go to school or play or even eat one meal a day. They will be made to work and beg and other things that we simply don't want to fathom. Yes, children...all have to contribute when you are simple scraping by and surviving.
We are still working out and praying about the partnering agreement with Light for Nations children's home, but we refuse to let them simply scrap by and beg. We cannot call ourselves God's children, let alone human if we ignore their need.
Yes, there are millions in need, but we are looking at these 30 children and the family that has given their lives to provide...without taking for themselves.
We also met another pastor here in Kathmandu. He is a good friend of Bobby's and another man that will be praying on how or if to join this lifetime adventure of building families here in Nepal. As we meet and network with more like minded people the dream becomes more of a reality. We are incredibly humbled by what we are experiencing. Everyday I fall more and more in love with these people who show grace in some of the worst situations.
Dream with us, pray with us, join the adventure that God has lead us on....
Blessings,
Laurie
Today we spent another day talking to the head of the children's home, playing with the kids, and looking into the possible future. It is amazing to me that God has brought us to this possible future. One that we have dreamed of for so long and yet thought that it was so far away. NOTHING is impossible for our God. How many of us truly believe and live that sentiment? I know it has taken me a long time to actually believe and trust that, but it is true.
The family that runs this home have done so for 14 years. They have scraped by but have continued to believe that Jesus would take care of their every need. Their faith has been tested more than most of us Westerners think possible. I wonder just how many children have a future and a hope because of this family and their faith in Jesus. I am in awe that they have continued all these years.
Today we also found out just how hard it has become for this family and how they are doing everything...including knocking door to door to survive. In the next few months if something does not change many of these children have to be sent back to the families that cannot provide for them and sent them to Kathmandu in the first place. These children will not get the chance to go to school or play or even eat one meal a day. They will be made to work and beg and other things that we simply don't want to fathom. Yes, children...all have to contribute when you are simple scraping by and surviving.
We are still working out and praying about the partnering agreement with Light for Nations children's home, but we refuse to let them simply scrap by and beg. We cannot call ourselves God's children, let alone human if we ignore their need.
Yes, there are millions in need, but we are looking at these 30 children and the family that has given their lives to provide...without taking for themselves.
We also met another pastor here in Kathmandu. He is a good friend of Bobby's and another man that will be praying on how or if to join this lifetime adventure of building families here in Nepal. As we meet and network with more like minded people the dream becomes more of a reality. We are incredibly humbled by what we are experiencing. Everyday I fall more and more in love with these people who show grace in some of the worst situations.
Dream with us, pray with us, join the adventure that God has lead us on....
Blessings,
Laurie
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Sunday
Today was a day when we visited some people who run a girl's home, sort of, and made some very good friends. It is a privilege that only Christians have, to meet a brother and a sister who share the same vision for the children of Nepal event though they have never met before. What a joy it was to meet the Rai family today! I pray that we will meet then soon again.
Our very good friend Bobby took care of us all day long, guiding us and taking us to the Monkey temple for some beautiful vistas of the city. Then we walked through the city to get back to the hotel. Then, rather bravely I think, we ventured out into the darkness of the bustling city to find a good restaurant that we had been to yesterday...and we found it! Impressed with ourselves.
Tomorrow we meet with another new friend we've never met before and we will also get some time with the kids at the orphanage! Fun! We are also hoping to continue the talks we've started with the director and board to see how we can work together in the future. May the Lord bless and guide our time and talk. It is because of God that we are here and it is only Him that can make these things happen.
Maybe we can post some pictures tomorrow. Until then, we will rest and rest in God.
/Andreas
Our very good friend Bobby took care of us all day long, guiding us and taking us to the Monkey temple for some beautiful vistas of the city. Then we walked through the city to get back to the hotel. Then, rather bravely I think, we ventured out into the darkness of the bustling city to find a good restaurant that we had been to yesterday...and we found it! Impressed with ourselves.
Tomorrow we meet with another new friend we've never met before and we will also get some time with the kids at the orphanage! Fun! We are also hoping to continue the talks we've started with the director and board to see how we can work together in the future. May the Lord bless and guide our time and talk. It is because of God that we are here and it is only Him that can make these things happen.
Maybe we can post some pictures tomorrow. Until then, we will rest and rest in God.
/Andreas
Saturday, February 16, 2013
WOW
The first day and we are so excited,about what the day held. I have seen my Swedish husband more excited today than he has been in a long time. (for those of you who know Swedes, you know that they are quite reserved and don't show emotions often).
We met with the orphanage that we have been thinking of partnering with and fell instantly in love with the children. They have obviously taken good care of them. They are happy and well socialized kids. All but one are in school and say they like it (I am sure that at least some of them don't, but don't want to say so at this point).
We have started to talk about the future and what it can hold, so far so good...but we must pray and talk again. We want to make sure we are following and not getting caught up in the moment. We will be going back Monday to play with the kids and talk some more.
I miss my boys terribly, but know we are supposed to be right where we are. Please continue to pray for us and all that must be decided this week.
A new adventure has begun, join us!
God's blessings to all,
Laurie (will post pics when I can)
We met with the orphanage that we have been thinking of partnering with and fell instantly in love with the children. They have obviously taken good care of them. They are happy and well socialized kids. All but one are in school and say they like it (I am sure that at least some of them don't, but don't want to say so at this point).
We have started to talk about the future and what it can hold, so far so good...but we must pray and talk again. We want to make sure we are following and not getting caught up in the moment. We will be going back Monday to play with the kids and talk some more.
I miss my boys terribly, but know we are supposed to be right where we are. Please continue to pray for us and all that must be decided this week.
A new adventure has begun, join us!
God's blessings to all,
Laurie (will post pics when I can)
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The day after tomorrow
The day is finally here when we no longer count the days but use words instead, such as "the day after tomorrow". That is what it is now, the D-day of departure. Clearly, there are so many emotions and feelings going on right now, too many to describe. We are simply so very excited to actually go and do this, to actually work on our dream.
It seems like it is so far away, still, you know, to actually be able to see a child saved from the steets or worse. It seems so far fetched, here in the rich Nordic countries, to imagine that a child could actually live on a street corner or under a bridge or much worse. But, we all know that it is true, which makes for a lot of interesting thoughts when it comes to what we do with what we know. How does knowledge affect us?
We will try to keep you informed as we go about setting up this orphanage in Nepal. This first trip has as its goal of actually finding a proper place to have the orphanage, with whom we should partner, setting up a local board of directors and make some headway in preparing for getting the orphanage up and running under the premises that we want.
It is a dauting task and it gets bigger the closer we get...but we serve a God that is able to handle it. Amazing, we know, that it is not up to us but to Him. That will have to be the final word on this blog before we travel to Nepal on Thursday.
Stay tuned for pictures and updates!
Andreas
It seems like it is so far away, still, you know, to actually be able to see a child saved from the steets or worse. It seems so far fetched, here in the rich Nordic countries, to imagine that a child could actually live on a street corner or under a bridge or much worse. But, we all know that it is true, which makes for a lot of interesting thoughts when it comes to what we do with what we know. How does knowledge affect us?
We will try to keep you informed as we go about setting up this orphanage in Nepal. This first trip has as its goal of actually finding a proper place to have the orphanage, with whom we should partner, setting up a local board of directors and make some headway in preparing for getting the orphanage up and running under the premises that we want.
It is a dauting task and it gets bigger the closer we get...but we serve a God that is able to handle it. Amazing, we know, that it is not up to us but to Him. That will have to be the final word on this blog before we travel to Nepal on Thursday.
Stay tuned for pictures and updates!
Andreas
Monday, January 7, 2013
38 days...
It is a new year and with the holidays behind us we look forward to the event of the year...as far as we can tell. To say that we are getting more and more excited by every day that passes is an understatement.
In some ways, there really aren't that many things that have changed concerning our trip to Nepal, in the sense that something dramatically has happened or changed. This is a time of waiting and praying, planning and networking. In some ways, it feels like the quiet before the storm.
However, it hasn't been completely quiet. We got word from our contact in early December that an orphanage in southern Nepal might be of interest to us. It had been in a state of disrepair and had actually not been "active" for some time, although it was a registered orphanage. As you might imagine, there are some pretty substabtial benefits of "taking over" an already existing orphanage compared to registering a brand new one. The government/congress of Nepal is struggling mightily right now and we know from experience that when the government struggles everything else kind of comes to a standstill.
When we looked up the area of this orphanage we found that it was right by a river with huge crocodiles (that sometimes waited by popular paths to pounce on little children, etc.!) as well as king cobras and other unpleasant things. We know that this project will have its fair share of unexpected twists and turns, but we hadn't expected to have to protect "our" children from crocodile attacks. As it turned out, this orphanage ended up not being a very good idea and we decided against investigating it further.
A few weeks ago we got contacted by Bobby about another orphanage south of Kathmandu. The orphanage director contacted Bobby, who is an old friend, because he had seen a substantial amount of supporters drop their support due to their desire to run the orphanage as Christians. Since Nepal is mainly Hindu/Buddhist, this is not hard to believe. Laurie actually remember visiting this orphanage back in 2007 when she went to Nepal with her old employer to set up an adoption program. She remembers the children being happy, social and overall doing pretty well, although she also remembers the orphanage being very poor.
We are cautiously optimistic about this opportunity and will meet with them during our trip. We also asked Bobby to make sure that they had enough support for food and heat during the winter. Bobby responded that food was probably ok but heat was a big issue.
Sitting in warm houses with plenty to eat during the Christmas season we felt we couldn't ignore their plight irregardless of whether or not we will work with them in the future. We provided Bobby with enough money to buy them all (20 children) warm blankets since heaters are useless without electricity, which is more often than not the case.
We are also in contact with two churches in Kathmandu and I will preach at one of them (and possibly teach their pastors, time allowing). As I have said above, it is all about networking and finding the best partners for our project. Our days in Nepal are filling up quickly which is exactly what we want. No need to sight-see this time around, although a little trip to Pokhara would be a dream.
We want to, once again, thank all of you of at this early state of our journey encourage us to continue moving forward with our vision and our dream. We are humbled by your generosity and kindness and we look forward to this new year with much confidence and excitement.
/Andreas
In some ways, there really aren't that many things that have changed concerning our trip to Nepal, in the sense that something dramatically has happened or changed. This is a time of waiting and praying, planning and networking. In some ways, it feels like the quiet before the storm.
However, it hasn't been completely quiet. We got word from our contact in early December that an orphanage in southern Nepal might be of interest to us. It had been in a state of disrepair and had actually not been "active" for some time, although it was a registered orphanage. As you might imagine, there are some pretty substabtial benefits of "taking over" an already existing orphanage compared to registering a brand new one. The government/congress of Nepal is struggling mightily right now and we know from experience that when the government struggles everything else kind of comes to a standstill.
When we looked up the area of this orphanage we found that it was right by a river with huge crocodiles (that sometimes waited by popular paths to pounce on little children, etc.!) as well as king cobras and other unpleasant things. We know that this project will have its fair share of unexpected twists and turns, but we hadn't expected to have to protect "our" children from crocodile attacks. As it turned out, this orphanage ended up not being a very good idea and we decided against investigating it further.
A few weeks ago we got contacted by Bobby about another orphanage south of Kathmandu. The orphanage director contacted Bobby, who is an old friend, because he had seen a substantial amount of supporters drop their support due to their desire to run the orphanage as Christians. Since Nepal is mainly Hindu/Buddhist, this is not hard to believe. Laurie actually remember visiting this orphanage back in 2007 when she went to Nepal with her old employer to set up an adoption program. She remembers the children being happy, social and overall doing pretty well, although she also remembers the orphanage being very poor.
We are cautiously optimistic about this opportunity and will meet with them during our trip. We also asked Bobby to make sure that they had enough support for food and heat during the winter. Bobby responded that food was probably ok but heat was a big issue.
Sitting in warm houses with plenty to eat during the Christmas season we felt we couldn't ignore their plight irregardless of whether or not we will work with them in the future. We provided Bobby with enough money to buy them all (20 children) warm blankets since heaters are useless without electricity, which is more often than not the case.
We are also in contact with two churches in Kathmandu and I will preach at one of them (and possibly teach their pastors, time allowing). As I have said above, it is all about networking and finding the best partners for our project. Our days in Nepal are filling up quickly which is exactly what we want. No need to sight-see this time around, although a little trip to Pokhara would be a dream.
We want to, once again, thank all of you of at this early state of our journey encourage us to continue moving forward with our vision and our dream. We are humbled by your generosity and kindness and we look forward to this new year with much confidence and excitement.
/Andreas
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The waiting
Dear friends,
It is the time of advent and Christmas and as such it is a time of waiting. Often we tend to be frustrated when we have to wait for something, whether it is waiting in line at the grocery store, being stuck in traffic or perhaps waiting for those cute little symbols on our computers that tell us that whatever we wanted to do is not quite ready. We have to wait and we are not good at it.
This year we have a different type of waiting before us. We are waiting to go to Nepal and start the orphanage that we have dreamt about for over 7 years. That inevitably puts the children, who are waiting for a home and some love and some hope, in perspective. We don't know who they are or even where they are, but we know that they are there. Lots of them. Waiting.
We have made some really good connections with several churches in Nepal and we are excited to work with them. I am invited to preach the day after we arrive, which in itself will be rather interesting. If my memory serves me right I do remember being rather, ahem, tired the day after travelling for two days. I am looking forward to it, though. It is something I will chalk up to "things I never thought I would do".
Laurie is working with her connections all over the world to do what she does best (well, one f the things), networking. That is the stage we are in right now, networking. If you have ever thought about helping people/children in need but never knew how, this is for you. You can help from your home by praying for us or supporting us financially...or you can come to Nepal and install a playground or put in some windows or whatever. This last thing, however, will take place further down the line. It might be a while until we can have teams, or people, come to Nepal and help...but it will happen. You will have you chance.
So, enjoy the advent and Christmas season. Enjoy the waiting...because good things do come to those who wait, and thanks...for waiting with us. It makes the waiting a little shorter and there are plenty of reasons for that to happen.
Merry Christmas and if we don't write before then, A Happy New Year!
Andreas and Laurie Kjernald
It is the time of advent and Christmas and as such it is a time of waiting. Often we tend to be frustrated when we have to wait for something, whether it is waiting in line at the grocery store, being stuck in traffic or perhaps waiting for those cute little symbols on our computers that tell us that whatever we wanted to do is not quite ready. We have to wait and we are not good at it.
This year we have a different type of waiting before us. We are waiting to go to Nepal and start the orphanage that we have dreamt about for over 7 years. That inevitably puts the children, who are waiting for a home and some love and some hope, in perspective. We don't know who they are or even where they are, but we know that they are there. Lots of them. Waiting.
We have made some really good connections with several churches in Nepal and we are excited to work with them. I am invited to preach the day after we arrive, which in itself will be rather interesting. If my memory serves me right I do remember being rather, ahem, tired the day after travelling for two days. I am looking forward to it, though. It is something I will chalk up to "things I never thought I would do".
Laurie is working with her connections all over the world to do what she does best (well, one f the things), networking. That is the stage we are in right now, networking. If you have ever thought about helping people/children in need but never knew how, this is for you. You can help from your home by praying for us or supporting us financially...or you can come to Nepal and install a playground or put in some windows or whatever. This last thing, however, will take place further down the line. It might be a while until we can have teams, or people, come to Nepal and help...but it will happen. You will have you chance.
So, enjoy the advent and Christmas season. Enjoy the waiting...because good things do come to those who wait, and thanks...for waiting with us. It makes the waiting a little shorter and there are plenty of reasons for that to happen.
Merry Christmas and if we don't write before then, A Happy New Year!
Andreas and Laurie Kjernald
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