I realize I "disappeared" from blogging in mid-December, and I apologize for not providing any more updates from Nepal. I'll try to give a brief summary of the last couple weeks there.
Towards the end of December our team traveled to Chitwan, Nepal to stay at 2 orphanages for 10 days total. We taught the kids skits, songs, team building activities, and messages about dreaming big and living out the plan God has for their lives. All of us bonded with our own group of kids; with 300 kids who all want to hold a finger and sit in your lap, we had an entourage 24/7. We spent Christmas at the orphanage and I realized how much I missed a traditional Christmas. Instead of Christmas trees and gifts with the family, we were woken at 4:30am to Christmas music blasting through the compound and we played with the kids all day. That night, after the special Christmas performances from the kids and an impromptu performance from our team, carolers came to our house and we had a rooftop dance party to "Jingle Bells." Christmas may have been very atypical, but it's one I will never forget. On our last day, our team rode elephants on a jungle safari and we spotted 2 rhinos! The bus ride back to Kathmandu was so pitiful. We were all crying from having to leave the kids to which we had bonded. I honestly wanted to adopt one little girl in particular. Overall, our time in Chitwan was amazing and a lovely respite from the city. Unfortunately, I think the kids shared some germs with me and as soon as we returned to Kathmandu I came down with what I think was the flu for about 6 days. This sickness took me by complete surprise because I almost never get sick and I take great pride in my strong immune system. Ha. After only 4 days of having been out of bed and "recovered," I had a relapse and was back in bed for another week. Even after returning to Las Vegas for debrief, I was still slightly sick. This lengthy illness (in addition to the lack of electricity) is why I neglected my blog and didn't do the best job at keeping in touch. I've completely recovered now and am back to my normal self. :)
I'm now home and am loving being back in the US and with my family, whom I haven't seen in 6 months. It's odd, and I never thought I would say this, but I actually miss Las Vegas. I think we all felt God's heart for the city and that placed an affection for the people in our hearts. After seeing how many opportunities there are for working with human trafficking in the city, the idea of returning there in the future is somewhat appealing. I am so thankful that I did this DTS: it was hard, but oh-so-good. I miss all 12 of the other DTS students; we were a strongly bonded group. God taught me so much more than I expected during that time and changed many of my attitudes. I wholeheartedly recommend a DTS to anyone who is interested, especially a DTS at the YWAM Vegas base.
Thank you so much to everyone who supported me, whether financially and/or in prayer. I know this is going to sound cheesy, but it's true: so many lives were touched through this DTS. My life, the other students, Vegas locals, tourists, Indian and Nepali street kids, women in a dance bar in Nepal, and so many others have been affected through this DTS and our outreach. I wish I could send out individual thank-you notes to all of you, but hopefully this blog post will suffice.
Now, everyone wants to know "What's next?" I wish I knew. For the next year and a half, I'll probably just work and save money, then, if God still leads, I will begin graduate school to earn a Masters in Social Work. My long-term vision is to work with human trafficking in the US and hopefully work at and then one day run a home for minor girls who have been trafficked. Life plans change frequently, so none of this is certain, but right now this is where I'm at.
My grand adventures in Las Vegas, India, and Nepal are now concluded, but who knows where God will lead me on my next great adventure? I can't wait to find out.
Towards the end of December our team traveled to Chitwan, Nepal to stay at 2 orphanages for 10 days total. We taught the kids skits, songs, team building activities, and messages about dreaming big and living out the plan God has for their lives. All of us bonded with our own group of kids; with 300 kids who all want to hold a finger and sit in your lap, we had an entourage 24/7. We spent Christmas at the orphanage and I realized how much I missed a traditional Christmas. Instead of Christmas trees and gifts with the family, we were woken at 4:30am to Christmas music blasting through the compound and we played with the kids all day. That night, after the special Christmas performances from the kids and an impromptu performance from our team, carolers came to our house and we had a rooftop dance party to "Jingle Bells." Christmas may have been very atypical, but it's one I will never forget. On our last day, our team rode elephants on a jungle safari and we spotted 2 rhinos! The bus ride back to Kathmandu was so pitiful. We were all crying from having to leave the kids to which we had bonded. I honestly wanted to adopt one little girl in particular. Overall, our time in Chitwan was amazing and a lovely respite from the city. Unfortunately, I think the kids shared some germs with me and as soon as we returned to Kathmandu I came down with what I think was the flu for about 6 days. This sickness took me by complete surprise because I almost never get sick and I take great pride in my strong immune system. Ha. After only 4 days of having been out of bed and "recovered," I had a relapse and was back in bed for another week. Even after returning to Las Vegas for debrief, I was still slightly sick. This lengthy illness (in addition to the lack of electricity) is why I neglected my blog and didn't do the best job at keeping in touch. I've completely recovered now and am back to my normal self. :)
I'm now home and am loving being back in the US and with my family, whom I haven't seen in 6 months. It's odd, and I never thought I would say this, but I actually miss Las Vegas. I think we all felt God's heart for the city and that placed an affection for the people in our hearts. After seeing how many opportunities there are for working with human trafficking in the city, the idea of returning there in the future is somewhat appealing. I am so thankful that I did this DTS: it was hard, but oh-so-good. I miss all 12 of the other DTS students; we were a strongly bonded group. God taught me so much more than I expected during that time and changed many of my attitudes. I wholeheartedly recommend a DTS to anyone who is interested, especially a DTS at the YWAM Vegas base.
Thank you so much to everyone who supported me, whether financially and/or in prayer. I know this is going to sound cheesy, but it's true: so many lives were touched through this DTS. My life, the other students, Vegas locals, tourists, Indian and Nepali street kids, women in a dance bar in Nepal, and so many others have been affected through this DTS and our outreach. I wish I could send out individual thank-you notes to all of you, but hopefully this blog post will suffice.
Now, everyone wants to know "What's next?" I wish I knew. For the next year and a half, I'll probably just work and save money, then, if God still leads, I will begin graduate school to earn a Masters in Social Work. My long-term vision is to work with human trafficking in the US and hopefully work at and then one day run a home for minor girls who have been trafficked. Life plans change frequently, so none of this is certain, but right now this is where I'm at.
My grand adventures in Las Vegas, India, and Nepal are now concluded, but who knows where God will lead me on my next great adventure? I can't wait to find out.
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