A special Nepali New Year wish for our ENG scholarship girls. We are so proud of each and every one of you. You are smart, strong, talented, brave, kind, beautiful, and fierce! We wish each of you an amazing new year!  

Happy Nepali 2073!!!! Wishing all our Nepali family/friends a great year ahead.   

  Taking a moment to breathe … And make a things to do list so I can sleep feeling like I’m on top of my game as a new day will come quickly! 
 

 Spent part of the day searching for traditional Nepalese kukuri knives for awards for the upcoming United Methodist Men clay shoot for Empower Nepali Girls -happening Father’s Day weekend! Part of the day teaching swimming lessons, part working on my classes, and checked in on a few orders. .,,not playing around, time here is moving fast, lots to accomplish!  
    
 

I will hopefully never forget the lesson I learned this week. I hope I will always take a moment, just one second, to utter thanks each time I look for something that “matches”.I have rolled this experience round and around in my mind. What seems like such a small thing says so much about values and privilege. 

Matching is a concept for those of us with options, choices, resources.It is a luxury not for those existing on necessities. I didn’t 

realize until I shopped for fabric for the playrooms, just never thought about it -Wow… I just never seem to fully wrap my arms around it all. Humbling that I STILL don’t really “get it” even as I try. I WILL be more aware, I WILL do more, I WILL give more because we are so blessed.   
    

Found plastic toy containers the right size & color. This  matching concept is crazy to the shop owners -a realization for me – “matching” is definitely a concept for those that can afford to “choose” items we “want” not dream of having minimum items of need for survival or existing) . We also purchased some cartoons for a few of the schools so the little one can watch and hear English and they may even have a movie time for all! Such simple things! Waiting on approvals now with fingers crossed!  
   

Walking home at dusk and an adorable boy with a big smiles walks up beside me and shyly says “namaste man”. I say namaste and his questions/comments/ pantomimes are as follows: 

What is your name? My name is Otis! Where are you from? Is it beautiful in America? My parents… ( sewing motions) yes tailors. In the square. Are you Christian? Me too! Jesus! He loves me! He loves you too mam!  My parents are waiting for me… Goodbye mam..,Don’t forget me! No Otis, I promise I will definitely not forget you. 

 Started the day with university visit and then on to order flooring for the schools, finalize furniture with the builder, and finally shopping for material for throw pillows for the kid’s resource rooms. Ended the day again around 8:00 crossing Kathmandu on a scooter  ( me, Babi, two backpacks, and two very large bags of fabric) to try and make it back to meet with the group actually sewing the pillows. My daddy will be proud of my measuring and calculating for flooring, lumber, furniture, etc.   

Public transportation during a festival is NOT , I repeat NOT, a good idea. Hopped in one of the small boxes designed to fit 8 with about 12 of my new best friends today and wound up on an hour long detour🚙  worked on flooring, carpentry, plastic containers, and a meeting a Little Moon School. Just making my way home after dark… Again, stinky, dusty, tired and very content. Thinking of renting a scooter..,,