The Mendok Project: Dezember 2011

Dienstag, 20. Dezember 2011

Little is Much

I had promised the fifth graders that I would show them pictures from Nepal, if they would work really good these last weeks and we would get through with our topics. They had been just great and so today it was the day: stories and pictures from Ms Ehring in Nepal. Peter* kept asking for the story I had told while overseeing those put in detention (at the end they all planed to forget their homework to be put in detention...).

Besides all the adventure pics and adventure story I wanted them to know why we are doing what we are doing. That God loves each and every single human being so much, that He does everything, to show this one human being His love. And that this is the reason for me to save money and try to get as often to Nepal as I can. To give this love further to the people there.
When class was finished, Miriam* stood up. She is a small, tiny girl where you can't be sure if she always gets what you're saying. But today she was very attentive and asked many questions. There she was standing in front of me, looking at me with big eyes behind thick glasses, stretching out her hand towards me. "You got something for me?" I asked her and she nodded and put what she held in her hand into mine. "Oh", I said, "is this for Nepal?" And Miriam just nodded. I would have loved to hug her, but something like that she doesn't like so much. Can you imagine, that this girl gave me all the change she had with her in school for the people in Nepal?! That blew my mind. I put the 3x 50 cent in my Nepal box and I can't help it, I have to think the whole day about 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes... it was enough for all and they even had leftovers...
God bless little Miriam!

*names changed

why we are doing what we are doing

Through experiencing love in action we wish that the people in Mustang will get to know the one who motivates us in everything we are doing: Jesus.
We want to do this by deepening existing friendships and establishing new ones. This wouldn't be possible without visits on a regular base. These visits include time in Lupra school and to accompany children, who need medical treatment.
More infos you find in Romans 10:14 and Romans 15:21b.

What we are trying to do may be just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. Mother Teresa

how it all started

While visiting schools and providing dental care in August 2010 we got to know Mendok. She is a student at Lupra school, a small mountain village laying about 10.000 ft altitude. The eleven year old suffered of a cleft palate, taken care of just rudimental when she was a baby. With the "Menok Project" we could accompany her to the Sushma Koirala Hospital in Sankhu near Kathmandu, where she had two necessary surgeries til now.
In fall 2011 we not only accompanied her, but went to Lupra school with a team to help with the teaching. This trip also brought us in contact with a small church in Sangala, a village close by to Kathmandu.
In April 2012 we were able to get Mendok to Kathmandu again where she had a final orthodontic treatment. A new task occured with Kunsang, a ten-year-old girl that also lives at Lupra School. As an infant she had heart surgery and actually needs check-up half a year. For this she has to go to Pokhara which is, depending on the means of transport, a one- or two-day-travel. We could help her with one first check-up this April and hope to find a lasting solution with the "Mendok Project" for Kunsang.
We also plan other travels for the coming year.
The travel expenses and helps are covered partly by ourselves, partly by donations.

for whom - people in Mustang

In Mustang, known for a long time as the "forbidden kingdom", most of the people living there are from the Thakali or the Gurung tribe. Mustang borders Tibet in the north. The old salt trade route winds its way down next to the Kali Gandiki, a river that craved over the centuries the world's longest and widest gorge into a fascinating mountain range. The Thakali and Gurung are both counted among the ethnical Tibetan people group; religion and believe systems have their origin in the TibetanBbuddhism and aligned close to it. At the same time the Thakali and the Gurung are counted among the so called unreached people groups, who do not or hardly know about the Gospel. Mustang is parted into Upper and Lower Mustang; Lower Mustang is well known for the Anapurna circuit and hosts many tourists. Going to Upper Mustang you will need an expensive permit. Also most of the Thakali and the Gurung just speek their own tribal language.