stories from afar...

i had nepali tea ... pretend tea that is ... with a four year old girl named mima. she is a beauty with big dark eyes and a smile that melts the hardest heart. we play ball. she teaches me nepali words and i teach her english. everytime she comes to the compound she rushes to our door and yells "didi" (big sister). she has been living with her aunt and uncle for 2 years now. her mother left her one day because she met a man who didn't want to live here and didn't want a child. her story is not unique. many children are left with other family members, on the street or at boarding schools so the parents can do whatever they want.

we have a wonderful lady that is teaching me how to cook nepali food named sarah. she was telling me a story about her last pregnancy - the doctors had told her to get rid of it because it was sure to be deformed. she told them no. they persisted and persisted right to the point of delivery but she stood her ground. born to her was the most amazing son who she named bikosh. yesterday i had the chance to play in his band. he is handsome, intelligent, plays at least 4 instruments and leads a group here. he is also our nepali tutor.

there is a teenager that visits us about once a week...he is dirty, part blind, barefoot, and has a huge scar across the one side of his head (we found out that he had surgery to take out part of his brain. the boys here call him half-brain). he is mocked, spit at, pushed and rod has decided to take him in. so we have snack time with him. we all sit outside in the sun and feed him his favorite - fanta and bread with honey. he gobbles it like he has not eaten since the last time he was here. he is our friend.