By Brook Birch, September 2008.
This last week our community had a week of prayer together. We met three times a day for an hour each to pray for unity and to seek God about where our community’s focus needs to turn. It was a really good time … kind of hard at times to push through the hours. But I feel like it really allowed God to speak. As we prayed this week I really tried to focus in and listen for anything God would have had to speak to us. As I didn’t feel anything real specific I tried to look back over the week and think about what I encountered outside with people and there seems to be a relative theme within that at least.
1) I spent a morning at the police station trying to figure out how to speak into a situation regarding a little baby that used to be in our children’s home. Over the course of the 1.5 hours I spent talking to the police I found out that Nepal actually has no laws whatsoever that would protect a child in the case of an abusive family situation (nor does it have laws to protect women). I am so used to American life that it is shocking to think there could be no legal way to have a child removed from a bad home situation.
2) I went to the maternity hospital twice this week with a 15-year-old friend who is very close to giving birth to her first child. So sad to watch such a young girl becoming a mother far too early on in life, with a husband who has no interest in working to support a family. When I asked the girl if she had anything ready for the baby, or had chosen a name she simply responded, “Oh no, my husband and I haven’t really even thought about this baby at all.” Which I interpreted as, “my husband hasn’t given any thought to this, and I’m terrified.”
3) On Thursday as I was crossing the bridge between Thamel and my house I saw a large crowd of police and people watching something. It looked at first like they were just staring at a wall so I asked a lady close by what was going on and she pointed to a pile of trash, and there lying on top was the tiny body of a dead infant. I was horrified to see something so terrible in a place I walk by 3 or 4 times every day. But I also know that this is common here in Kathmandu. A family can’t raise a child; there are so few other options, so… they throw the baby away in the trash piles that line the rivers.
4) On a positive note, the wife of one of our Nepali staff members found out that she is pregnant with her second child this week! Such an amazing contrast from the lives of those others around us who throw away their babies because they simply can’t take on having another mouth to feed.
So, at the end of the week to say the least the children of Nepal were heavy on my heart. I know that God has such a great plan for these children. So please pray with us for the children of Nepal.
Editor’s Note: We are thankful for the long history of service the Nepal community has provided for Nepal’s children in need. The Nepal community already operates a home for abandoned girls in a family home called Karuna Ghar that is parented by Gautam and Rekha Rai. Please pray that God would direct and enable the Nepal community to share love and care with other children in need.