Maybe several beats. In the village that we visited we were all thrust into a situation not unlike what we have seen in the past - an entire community whose very lives have been rocked to their humble cores. Houses and buildings fallen to the ground, homes and families displaced. On the side of the mountain we came into their lives in a real time of need, and in this particular case - it feels as though if we had not arrived they would have all perished into hopelessness. This mission was of the utmost importance, and in the end, we were able to bring more than we have been able to do in the past. Supplies distributed, food and care given, homes rebuilt with roofs of tin, art therapy for the young ones, a doctor’s care for all who were in need. Everything we could carry with us was given out. By the end of the day we all felt as though this village had been carried from the very brink of disaster, to the edge and back again.
While food and supplies have been the staple of relief efforts, our team has begun to seek new ways of bringing aid, and with this idea we have focused on the children. Art therapy to help to ease the trauma they have endured has been a resounding success and has quickly become a most important piece of what we do. This village was full of children, literally everywhere. Our amazing and extremely hardworking medical team was busy from the moment we arrived providing care and medicine to them all. One extreme case continues to stay in my mind, unable to chase it away from my thoughts, running over and over in my memory. A burn accident, on such a small baby, her cries touching my heart in a way that will not quickly fade away. She was so incredibly brave when our doctor had to carefully pull the charred skin from her hand to separate her tiny fingers. The line outside continued the entire day - normally we stay three hours or so, but in this case we stayed more than six to allow everyone to see the doctor. Under a makeshift tent made of tarps we had the most successful art therapy session to date - the children having the time to draw and play together with our team, getting a snack and a drink during the hottest part of the day, then settling back in for more. We constructed an entire home for an extreme case where three girls had lost their parents and were living without a shred of shelter, or any belongings to speak of.
The ride home from a mission I have so many emotions running through my mind, playing the day’s events over and over, trying to comprehend just what exactly it is we are doing here. It’s sometimes difficult to put into words; heavy emotions and vivid images of a world so different from the one I come from. These people have so very little, living even before the disaster in conditions that are oftentimes difficult to understand and hard to handle for the strongest of us. Their lives are so basic, their needs so basic - but their spirits are overwhelmingly powerful and determined. These children, these crowds of children were so incredible, so strong and joyful. Despite their situation, what they have endured, they are bright eyed and instill in my heart an enduring sense of joy. Mixed with the powerful images of their surroundings they bring with them such unbelievable strength - strength that makes me question my life and how I see the world around me. We arrived in a village with nothing and upon leaving it feels as though they have been given the greatest gift we could possibly bring, starting with nothing their faces at the end of the day showed hope and life as though we had quite literally given them the world. We brought them basic supplies and they insisted on treating us all to a meal - where in the world can you find this kind of kindness and heart? What contentment and happiness from so little. What amazing gratitude and humility. I wish that some day I would be able to live my life with only a sliver of this kind of outlook. So content with the most basic of supplies. To be able to smile the way they do, to be able to laugh and sing and dance the way they do, to find joy the way they do. To be brave and strong the way they are. The Nepali people are so strong - they have endured so much, and in light of this they are still happier and more warm and inviting than anyone you will ever meet with any amount of stuff in their lives. Especially the children. They have given me something I will forever cherish, something that will continue to touch my very soul everyday. In their shining eyes I have seen such a powerful message of hope. In their magnetic smiles and sweet dispositions I have seen true heart and soul. In their faces I have seen such inquisitiveness, curiosity and mature personality. In their environment I have seen such suffering - and yet I do not see this in their faces as they beam back at me. Instead I see hope and life. I thought it was we who were bringing hope and supplies - but it is they who have given me more than I could ever give them. These missions have changed my life, changed the way I see this world. But it is the children, especially the children, who have inspired me to look deep within - and it is they who have changed me forever.
While food and supplies have been the staple of relief efforts, our team has begun to seek new ways of bringing aid, and with this idea we have focused on the children. Art therapy to help to ease the trauma they have endured has been a resounding success and has quickly become a most important piece of what we do. This village was full of children, literally everywhere. Our amazing and extremely hardworking medical team was busy from the moment we arrived providing care and medicine to them all. One extreme case continues to stay in my mind, unable to chase it away from my thoughts, running over and over in my memory. A burn accident, on such a small baby, her cries touching my heart in a way that will not quickly fade away. She was so incredibly brave when our doctor had to carefully pull the charred skin from her hand to separate her tiny fingers. The line outside continued the entire day - normally we stay three hours or so, but in this case we stayed more than six to allow everyone to see the doctor. Under a makeshift tent made of tarps we had the most successful art therapy session to date - the children having the time to draw and play together with our team, getting a snack and a drink during the hottest part of the day, then settling back in for more. We constructed an entire home for an extreme case where three girls had lost their parents and were living without a shred of shelter, or any belongings to speak of.
The ride home from a mission I have so many emotions running through my mind, playing the day’s events over and over, trying to comprehend just what exactly it is we are doing here. It’s sometimes difficult to put into words; heavy emotions and vivid images of a world so different from the one I come from. These people have so very little, living even before the disaster in conditions that are oftentimes difficult to understand and hard to handle for the strongest of us. Their lives are so basic, their needs so basic - but their spirits are overwhelmingly powerful and determined. These children, these crowds of children were so incredible, so strong and joyful. Despite their situation, what they have endured, they are bright eyed and instill in my heart an enduring sense of joy. Mixed with the powerful images of their surroundings they bring with them such unbelievable strength - strength that makes me question my life and how I see the world around me. We arrived in a village with nothing and upon leaving it feels as though they have been given the greatest gift we could possibly bring, starting with nothing their faces at the end of the day showed hope and life as though we had quite literally given them the world. We brought them basic supplies and they insisted on treating us all to a meal - where in the world can you find this kind of kindness and heart? What contentment and happiness from so little. What amazing gratitude and humility. I wish that some day I would be able to live my life with only a sliver of this kind of outlook. So content with the most basic of supplies. To be able to smile the way they do, to be able to laugh and sing and dance the way they do, to find joy the way they do. To be brave and strong the way they are. The Nepali people are so strong - they have endured so much, and in light of this they are still happier and more warm and inviting than anyone you will ever meet with any amount of stuff in their lives. Especially the children. They have given me something I will forever cherish, something that will continue to touch my very soul everyday. In their shining eyes I have seen such a powerful message of hope. In their magnetic smiles and sweet dispositions I have seen true heart and soul. In their faces I have seen such inquisitiveness, curiosity and mature personality. In their environment I have seen such suffering - and yet I do not see this in their faces as they beam back at me. Instead I see hope and life. I thought it was we who were bringing hope and supplies - but it is they who have given me more than I could ever give them. These missions have changed my life, changed the way I see this world. But it is the children, especially the children, who have inspired me to look deep within - and it is they who have changed me forever.
