Home Life

Bidan here is my unofficial sidekick: he follows me everywhere I go, offering to carry my backpack,throw away my trash, chew my food for me, etc. We constantly play this game where we make angry faces and ask each other, "Brother, why are you looking so serious?" The first person to crack a smile or laugh gets bodyslammed, or in my case, bearhugged. I like this picture because a) I was actually able to catch the ping pong ball in flight for once, and b) because Bidan's facial expression gives the impression that his life is in mortal danger if he doesn't complete this serve. Bidan, I love you little buddy!


Om Prakesh seems to have descended from one of two ethnic backgrounds: elvish, of the North Pole variety, or Marvin the Martian. He is the most excitable child I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Om Prakesh goes wild over just about anything and everything: Power Rangers, Rey Mysterio Jr., Nepal, America, global warming, giraffes, Noam Chomsky...you get the point. At first, I thought that Om might suffer from ADD, but I quickly realized that God has seen fit to award him with an overabundance of joy. He is in love with life! It's such a great feeling to play with Om, because his spirit forces you to come alive: I'm almost 25 years old, but Om makes me believe that there is a good possibility that I am, in fact, the Green Ranger.


Sushil and I got the opportunity to bond over an afternoon spent in town getting his glasses fixed: he had a run-in with a school bus that cracked one of the lenses, and I took him into Patan to see about getting it replaced after my ankle finally healed. Sushil and I both share the same prescription, so we've now taken to sharing the glasses whenever he's at home so that I can see the Himalayan mountains when it's clear in the morning. Sushil became a Christian seven years ago and was nearly disowned by his family in the process. Soon after Sushil's conversion, his sister accepted Jesus as well, and the two began to pray that their parents would recant their Hindu culture and join them as brothers and sisters in the Lord. After six years of constant prayer and tearful visits to home, Sushil's parents received Christ this last spring and have begun to share the gospel with the rest of their small village. CWC's ministry reaches outside the walls and the Kathmandu valley, all because Sushil remained faithful in his hope for the salvation of his family.

P.S. I'm really proud of how cool this picture turned out. In light of my pride post, feel free to e-buke for bragging about my l33t B&W photography skills. Rawr.


Look, I know how to hold a baby! We've been taking care of Rita here for the last month as she awaits the finalization of her adoption by a Spanish couple. I had honestly never held a baby before until this moment, but in the last few weeks, I've become somewhat of a professional. Rita almost never cries, and is always smiling and laughing; she sticks her tongue out a lot, which is a good sign, unless that tongue waggle is followed thereafter by a cascade of baby throw-up. I haven't mustered the courage to change a diaper yet, but there's hope for the future: Rina's baby is due in mid-February, meaning that I'll plenty of opportunities to practice my poo-wiping skills in the months to come. 

Boys Night Out II: The Revenge

OK, so these pictures are a little outdated, i.e. third week of November, but I could hoarde them all for myself, right? So I'm opening my heart, and my hard drive, and sharing some a little Nepali joy. Jason and I have taken two groups of the older boys out to dinner: Jason posted photos from our first Boys Night Out (the imfamous Lips Dance Restaurant Incident), so it's my duty and pleasure to bring you Boys Night Out Part Deux.

This time around, we hit up a little place called Jazoo's in Jalwalkhel, which is basically referred to as the "Whitie District" by the Nepali locals: the vast majority of the neighborhood's population is comprised of Westerners working for national NGOs, or Westerners pretending to work for national NGOs. I love meeting fellow crackers who refuse to tell what they're doing in Nepal or who they're here with, especially the ones who glance back and forth nervously when I engage them in personal conversation.

Anyway, Jazoo's right? Most of the boys, aged 13 to 15 this time around, spent more time in the bathroom trying to spike their hair up with water for Glamour Shots than they did around the table with Jason and I, but we had fun anyway. I was nursing my ankle pilo at the time, but a Coke and 4 extra-strength Tylenols gave me back my precious, precious smile. I tried to teach the boys how to play the Sculpture Game (if you've ever been a camp counselor before, well, you get the idea...), but alas, my puny mind games were no match for the Hindi music videos playing on TV. Jason smuggled in some brownies from the German bakery downstairs (it's called Makoo's...what's the deal with all the restaurants ending in -oo?) for dessert to satiate his sweettooth. Dinner for 15 guys was AGAIN under $50, so for those of you who are in need of financial planning, send me an email; we'll work a budget out for you.


From left to right, this is Sagar (a.k.a. Big Sugar), the Bear (complete with short-lived Ben Casey facial hair), Kumar, and Surya. Keep Sagar in your prayers: shortly after Jason and I arrived in Nepal, Sagar developed a nervous disorder in his right hand that kept him from being able to completely straighten out his fingers. When Rina took him to see a doctor, tests revealed that he is in the early stages of leprosy. He's received treatment that is impeding the spread of the disease, but leprosy is highly contagious via contact of skin or bodily fluids, so literally everybody in CWC (Jason and I included) could potentially contract it. I'm determined not to treat Sagar any differently, mainly because I still can't beat him at ping pong after three months, but it's scary to think of what could potentially happen to Sagar or any of the other orphans, and the question of quarantining a child in a leper colony is not one I'm ready to face.


Once again, left to right: Ghalsang, Prokash, and Roshan. Ghalsang, is without a doubt, the funniest kid in the hostel; he and Jason engage each other in rap battles on the walk to school, and he's mastered the art of competitive name-calling (Chimpanzee Brother is my favorite). Prokash is relatively quiet, but very physically affectionate when he's not busy at the dart board Jason and I bought at the Kathmandu Mall. On this particular night, I was really impressed with Prokash's kind spirit: he could've had anything off the menu, but he chose to eat momos (a really cheap Nepali snack--fried dumplings with meat inside them), and when they finally came, Prokash ate one and shared the rest with his friends. I got him another order and he did the same thing, refusing to eat part of anybody else's meal; what a servant's heart... As for Roshan, well, this is the most animated you'll ever see him, as he normally sleeps for 16 hours a day.


See, I told you Ghalsang was a goofball. Here, he unwittingly does his best "offensive Jerry Lewis" impression. The glasses were formerly filled with banana lassis, a sweet foamy drink that's really similar to a milkshake, save for the fact that it's made from curd. Mmmmm, sweet sweet curd... Just like mom used to never make. Ever.


Everybody wanted their picture taken with this fish tank, though I'm not really sure why. Ishor, pictured here, is actually 17, but missed out on the meal last time we took the older boys out, so Jason and I invited him along and let him order basically one of everything on the menu. Well, actually, Jason just told him that as a joke, but Ishor took him seriously and ate four plates of food. Ishor comes from a small village in the countryside, and according to what he told Jason, became a Christian after missionaries visiting his home cast out demons that had been wailing in the countryside.