Outreach among the street kids - Tiny Hands Nepal

Tiny Hands Nepal organized a Christmas outreach program on 21st of December 2012 for the kids living in the street and the slum areas. The kids were given privileged to a day of good food and games. The kids were excited to be a part of the program.
The program constituted of games like hand ball, football, bursting the balloons, dance and music as well. The street kids were welcomed inside a party palace. As they entered, they were served with warm vegetable soup on a bowl. The hot soup on the bowl meant a lot for them on a cold morning. The small kids among them loved to start playing as they landed inside the premises. They were given small soft balls to spend time as they were asked to wait for others to come in.
The program started at 12pm. There were 140 kids from the streets and from slum areas. The kids were all excited to come to the program. The main objective of the program was that the kids get to enjoy at least a day of good food and fun. More over the kids got to hear that Jesus was born on that day for everyone of us. Jesus died on the cross for our sake so that no one would be destroyed but everyone would receive life in abundance. They got to hear how God was ready to send His son in the world to save everyone present there. And God loved them very much as said in John 3:16 in the Bible.

The program ended with ice cream, dance and some gifts like woolen caps and scarfs to keep them warm in winter. The kids were happy to receive the gifts. They had all had smiles on their faces.

Christmas 2012

What is Christmas?
The true meaning of Christmas is love. John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." The true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of this incredible act of love.

The real Christmas story is the story of God's becoming a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ. Why did God do such a thing? Because He loves us! Why was Christmas necessary? Because we needed a Savior! Why does God love us so much? Because He is love itself (1 John 4:8). Why do we celebrate Christmas each year? Out of gratitude for what God did for us, we remember His birth by giving each other gifts, worshiping Him, and being especially conscious of the poor and less fortunate.

The true meaning of Christmas is love. God loved His own and provided a way—the only Way—for us to spend eternity with Him. He gave His only Son to take our punishment for our sins. He paid the price in full, and we are free from condemnation when we accept that free gift of love. "But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).



Living Church had organized an outreach program on 25th of December 2012, in Khashi bazzar in Kalanki. There were lots of people who were gathered to hear the true meaning of Christmas. Pastor Ranjit shared a short testimony on how he came to know Jesus Christ and how he was delivered from drug addiction. The main objective of the outreach was to let the people in the neighborhood know Jesus. The whole program went very well. It was a successful program. Thanks to the organizing team!! Good job!!
for more pictures:

Hiking to Phulchowki

One of the nicest treks around the Valley is the hike to the top of the Godavari up to Phulchowki Mountain or vice versa. Phulchowki at about 9,050 ft (about 2, 800 meters) above sea level is the highest peak in the Valley. Godavari is at about 4,500 ft (about 1, 400 meters) above sea level. So, the difference in altitude between Phulchowki and Godavari is about 4,500 ft. We hope to see lots of birds and some small wild animals on the way in the morning.

We will be taking the traditional walking route. The route is a bit challenging. In some places it is steep climb. When we take the traditional route we will be crossing the road at several places so we can rest along the road if you are very tired. Also while climbing up we will stop at several places from where we can watch the majestic Himalayan mountain range spreading from the east to west of the northern part of the country.

At 9,050 ft above sea level some people may even get altitude sickness. Symptoms of an altitude sickness are strong headache and even vomiting.  In such a case you need to climb down as soon as possible, as the only remedy for an altitude sickness is to get to low altitude. Once you are at the lower altitude then the sickness disappears immediately.
The hike from Godavari to Phulchowki or vice versa is a fascinating way to spend a day at a nominal cost to enjoy the local culture, mountain vistas, flora and fauna in short all the elements of a longer trek, with the convenience of being in the Valley.

Hiking Story:

The participants left Kalanki at 7am. They had reached Godavari at 7:30am. They had to wait for another group on a jeep. They were buying some fruits and curds. They reached the spot at 8am. The group started the hike by walking along the road to Phulchowki.

While walking on the way, they wanted to experience some forest walk too. So they went inside the forest several times. Walking inside the forest was just amazing. They were expecting to meet some wild animals too. The participants made lots of noise while walking through the forest so that the wild animals would not attack them. There were 27 participants in all. The youngest was 10 years old.

Though walking through the forest was interesting, the group lost their way in the forest. They hiked up the hill and thought that they would reach the top easily but they were unable to hike up after hiking for some time. The hilltop was full of small bushes and the hill was also very very steep. 

Since the steep was difficult and the group had limited time they had to return to the base soon. As the time clicked 2pm, the hike participants were asked to turn back and hike back towards the base.

The hike was exciting as the participants got to experience the up hill, down hill, bushes, climbers, wild flowers, types of trees etc. They were able to experience rock climbing in some parts too. The participants fell down and slipped their foot too. But thank God there were no any severe injuries. The participants had some scratches from the bushes and thorns in the forest.

The best part for all the participant was walking throughout the forest and sliding through the forest.

It was very exciting for them though they were not able to make to the top of Phulchowki. But all the participants were very happy to have the forest experience. 

For some pictures

Let's hike Champadevi!! You can do it!!

 

About Champadevi:

Champadevi is one of the beautiful sites in the south of the Kathmandu valley, which is at the elevation of 2240m above sea-level. Many people visit this small hilltop just to enjoy the natural beauty and the nature itself. Visitors have a wonderful opportunity to explore the countryside with the authentic and traditional houses of its wonderful local culture and the warm hospitality of the local people, too. One can also enjoy the spectacular view of different Himalayan landscapes, including mountain ranges Langtang, Gauri Shankar, Jugal, Dorge Lakpa from the natural trails and the top of the Champadevi hill.

Start Point:  Satikhel, Bansbari (1680m)

Destination: Champadevi (2240m)

Distance: approx 5Kms

Difficulty level: Easy

Cost: Rs 300 per person

We provide:

-          Light Breakfast at around 8am: 2 eggs, 2 slice of bread and a cup of tea

-          Light meal at around 12pm: chiura (beaten rice) and alu (potatoes), maybe choila (buff meat)

-          Transportation fare (local bus)

-          First Aid care

To bring along:

-          Comfortable sport shoes (please no slippers)

-          Drinking water (at least 2 litres), snacks to eat

-          Some extra pocket money (at least Rs 100 - 200)

-          Optional: camera, binoculars, hat, sunscreen, etc

Itinerary:

07:00 am              Start our hike by getting on the bus from Balkhu to Satikhel

07:45 am              Start our hike to the Champadevi hill top (approx. 3 Hrs)

11:00 am              Rest and eat food (Please don't throw any of your garbage here!)

12:30 pm              Hike down to the foot of the hill (approx. 2 Hrs)

02:30 pm              Return by bus to Kathmandu

Terms and Conditions:

-          No participants younger than 10 years old

-          Participants younger than 16 years old must have their parents contact Santos.

-          Participants must reach Balkhu before 6:45am. The group will leave at exactly at 7:00am.

-          Participants must remain with the group to which they are assigned

-          Participants must conduct themselves in an orderly manner and act responsibly

-          We are not responsible for any lost or stolen items (cellphones, jewelry, etc)

Please reserve your place by contacting Santos by October 27, 2012.

About the Hike:

There were 21 participants in all. The youngest participant was only 10 years old. The hike started after getting all the food and water ready from Dallu, Pharping. The group took the short cut uphill to reach our first view of the Kathmandu valley. The team ascended uphill and downhill, on the stone stairs to reach to Champadevi. It was so fun to enjoy the natural beauty and also see what the life of people in that area was. There were few other hikers that we met on the way. They were mostly foreigners. There were about 10 people whom we met on the way. Other than that some people were carrying water to the top for the plants they had just planted few days ago. It was so inspiring to see them carry water to the top for watering the plants.

 Finally when whole team was on the top, the team had food and drinks to gain energy. Hopefully no one was hurt while climbing up. There was excitement in everyone's faces. They were all wondering,"What is up there?" There were other hills nearby, that were higher than Champadevi. But we had to stop our journey and return back. Otherwise we would not be according to our plan. After some dance, chants and jokes, the team hiked back to the main place that we had started from. 

  

For Pictures:

Photos of Let's hike Champadevi!!

Camp of Delightful Wonders, Kathmandu, 2012

Tiny Hands Nepal is one of the NGO that is actively involved in the area of children and women. I had this wonderful opportunity to be a part of a program that they had conducted for the children in Nepal. Tiny Hands has 9 children's homes in Nepal. The organization just organized a camped called Delightful Camp of Wonders, Kathmandu, 2012. The camp site was Anand Kuti Vidhyapeeth. It is one of the oldest schools in Kathmandu. This school was established in the year 1952 AD. The school was chosen just because of the infrastructure.

The Camp was highlighted with lots of fun stuff for the kids involved. About 130 kids had participated. Most of the kids are beautiful and talented in many different ways. Some like sports while some loved music. They were into so much of music, they sang and played instruments so well. I was so much blessed to be in the midst of these beautiful kids. I pray to God that they are able to see their purpose in life.





I personally was a counselor of a group of boys between 13 to 15 years of age. They were known as the Brown Bears. There were other groups like Elephants ( girls of age 5 to 7), Ducks (girls of age 8 and 9), Penguins( girls of age 10 to 12), Dolphins(age of girls 13 to 15), Giraffes (boys of age 5 to 7), Crocodiles(boys of age 8 and 9), Sharks ( boys of age 10 to 12) and finally Bears.

It was exiting to have all the children around, the whole time. Their sounds of excitement during the games and during their free time. There were lots of games which involved all the children. They were liked by the children as well as the counselors. There were around 10 counselors and couple of Junior Counselors that were looking after the kids in the camp. I always enjoyed when all the participants meaning volunteers, counselors and children were participating in games like Monster Hunt, Bible Smuggling, Barberians etc.

Here are some of the pictures of the camp. We ended the camp with a camp fire on the final night with the sharing of stories, testimonies and jokes among the counselors and the kids in the camp. Everyone enjoyed their stay at the camp.