Love finds a way. I hope when these kids stare into my eyes they see my soul and they feel a moment of pure love. 

Our eyes tell the stories of happiness, pain, joy, hope, desperation and defeat. These children have the most beautiful deep eyes that tell stories no child should know. This unspoken pain is what keeps me asking and keeps me coming back. The children often look directly into your eyes and say “don’t forget me” as a plea for help as we depart.  There is no way to erase the impact of those moments. 

Two hours sqatting next to a shaded wall sharing time with the “Moms Club” nothing compares to the connection and support that is made through the effort to communicate our hearts. The eye contact is so intense and the curiosity so raw and rare. Beautiful souls. We live in such vastly different worlds and these ladies have my full respect, admiration, and love. I feel so honored to spend time with them. 

Sitting on the floor at Little Moon listening to our girls update us about their levels of study. They are so very brave & beautiful! I am so proud of each and every one of them and I love them all! They inspire me in ways I can’t begin to describe. Some of these girls are SO young, live far away from their families, work for their keep, are responsible for themselves and caring for others, and manage to excel in school. It really puts so many things into perspective. 

Things are definitely getting interesting this week. Elections are on Sunday and the fervor of politics is tising. Impromptu rallies, speeches and marches all over the country. The schools and government offices are all closed until after election is over for security precaution. Travel around the city is very difficult due to rallies spilling into the roads. It is really interesting and exciting to see a country that was in such chaos 10 years ago develop a democracy and struggle with humanitarian issues of governance and leadership. It will be a quiet rest of the week for me. These are what voting ballots look like here. 

One of the many gifts that spending time in Nepal has given me is the gift of small joys. An awareness and purposeful appreciation of moments throughout an otherwise hard day that makes my soul smile. A few examples today have been the feeling of warm water on my skin, a baby’s smile, kind eye contact from a stranger, melted Hershey kisses found in the bottom of a backpack, and stunning Shasta daisies at the market. Oh yeah, and a groaning, rusted convection oven! #it’sthelittlethings

SO exciting! This rusty convection oven is a major upgrade to visits past and I actually made peanut butter blossoms today! It reminded me of my easy bake oven when I was little except this one sounds like it is gonna explode any moment. I can only bake 5 at a time and used foil on the rack. When there is a will there is a way! Thankful for the Hershey kisses I had in the bottom of my backpack! Now, a French press cup of coffee and I’m ready to check final grades for all my courses. #feelingsoaccomplished

This is what making groceries looks like on market day. It’s always a gamble as to whether the eggs will make it home unbroken in the plastic bag! Living on the edge… eggplant, carrots, scallion, fresh bread ( little dusty), cheese & fresh eggs. planB=omelette

I left my apartment early this morning to walk to market about 3 miles away and I ran across this Nepali Women’s Friendship Run. Of course I had to stop and talk with the girls and stay to support!