Bieber Fever

Bieber fever has swept Nepal. We see Justin Bieber on posters, hear the kids singing his songs, and pass by shops blasting his music. As Stephen would say, "Only YOU can prevent Bieber fever". I think we can all agree that somehow the lyrics "Baby, baby, baby, oh!" now provide us with a sense of home. Afterall, cheeseburgers have come to mean fried cheese patties on a bun (yak cheese no less), a chocolate malt order will provide you with a hot chocolate, and you better be sure your milkshake mentions ice cream or it will only be a flavored milk. We've definitely had our share of adventures and laughs at the culture difference and the American influence.

For the past couple days we have been without internet, so I (Taylor) will attempt to catch you up with our ever busy schedule... The last 3 mornings have entailed some hard labor at the Mother Teresa home in Pashupati. We washed floors, dishes, and clothes, changed beds, sanded our hearts out of about a million metal framed beds, and painted those same beds... pretty much anything the Sisters told us to do. It's hard work and they don't mess around. We all looked forward to the mango juice boxes with Mickey on the front after hours in the hot sun.

Monday afternoon we visited another children's home with 9 boys rescued from the streets, ranging in age from 3 to 17. They were amazing, but loved to rough house and push each other down to get to the volleyball we brought. They also showed their soft side, as Angela befriended one of the quieter boys and a couple of the them showed us their drawing skills. The children home's always lift our spirits, giving us hope amidst the brokenness of the country, and refresh our energy.

Yesterday afternoon, we visited a coffee shop that provides jobs to underprivileged men and women and had one of the best meals, complete with a delicious chocolate cake for dessert. I think we will be back there again, both for the food and to learn more about their mission. After the marvelous lunch, we joined in a weekly prayer meeting including people from many different organizations. It was truly amazing to see such a great example of the global church in one room and have the opportunity to prayer together. From there we split into groups, where one team headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest, and the other visited another, newer children's home. The kids were so shy and we were tentative of how it would go at first, but as we headed down to the open field, they slowly came out of their shells. There were 2 younger girls in particular that just clung to me by the end. I loved seeing them warm up to me and pull me around to play games. Although we were so tired, the children had no concept of this, climbing all over Chris to play "car", and playing games, including relay races, tag, and one entailing trying to step on each other's feet with me, Stephen, and Eddy. All in all, we couldn't help but find joy in interacting with the children.

I will leave you with this, as there is much more to come... We are all learning so much and can't wait to see what is next on the schedule each day. I just have to say that every member on this team is wonderful. Thank you so much for all your support! Please keep up with the prayers. They are much appreciated. Love to you all!