Clouds seemed sprinkled across the pure blue sky.

The trip is winding down. The sun if finally out, plants are beginning to grow, dogs bark and cows are mooing in the fields around us as we hear roosters in the morning calling to the sun…WAKE UP…

Last week we went to Pokhara to check on the work CFH has been working on there.

Majestic sparsely snow-capped mountains peeked thru the feathery clouds in a blue blue sky, I am finally on the way to Pokhara. The mountains are not as covered with snow as in previous years. The weather has changed here, glaciers are melting, snow has not fallen and one can see dark rock where once all one could see was snow. But still they are wonderful and many are still covered in white caps.I was happy as it was if they were finally saying hello! I had not seen them since arriving as they were always covered by a mist…so allusive this trip. The winding road thru the mountains has been improved in spots and so the trip was less bumpy in a local bus that turned out quite well. The journey is still around 7 hrs but so different than the trips I took in the beginning of this trip, of mini buses, trucs and motorcycles.

And so we visited Mercy Childrens in Pokhara last week. This home is under the scrutiny of the government as all homes are in Nepal at the moment. Demands to “improve” are costly but we have been able to provide. Last year they were informed they would have to move the girls upstairs into the roof accommodations (not an issue) but then demanded that ceilings be put into the rooms, (we complied). Then they were told that a storage room for the kitchen must be built outside the kitch (we complied) then a study hall with desks and chairs (we complied). We hope they are satisfied. This family run style home never has had more than 10 children. These children come from villages where there is little or no education or were street children. MCH sends them to private school and they have excelled. It is a terrible thing to waste the mind of children who are the future of Nepal. Two boys from the home have graduated and are earning degrees as Lab Technician and a Sociologist. One boy is in seminary and working for Ywam. CFH has been blessed to be a part of their great work with children.

The children are fantastic to be around, cheerful, clean, industrious and courteous. Love accomplishes so much. We sat one night and made Water Buffalo Momos ( some vegetable ones, too) with the children, hrs of work but such a wonderful time of fellowship, singing songs and laughing. They were delicious as we were hungry after 4 hours of rolling balls of dough, then rolling it out into flat circles, then stuffing and crimping, then steaming!! I finally made a “C” momo just to manage 7 at one time..hehehe…

Lakeside in Pokhara is a place to rest. Coffee by the lake, a cool breeze blowing and the mountains that finally showed their faces was a special treat and retreat for a few hours. Small blue boats linger in the lake as a cow tries to invade the sitting area. We met with Bikash Rana who organized our first relief project with his wife for lunch. We enjoyed our time of fellowship, good food and laughter.

We also visited another home for children run by a wonderful group of people who also work at the borders between Nepal and India to stop child trafficking. We loved visiting and talking to the Nepali people who are the managers and the school principal. It was wonderful to see the progress from when I was there a year ago. We are sending donated seeds to them to grow in their gardens.

Home again to Kathmandu. The cold is finally gone and I am content not to sleep in a hat and freeze each time I take a bucket bath or get up in the morning to make coffee. We have had a couple of meetings and have finalized the Chicken Ranch which will provide income to one or two families. The contract was signed with many smiles yesterday and a toast of milk tea. About 150 chickens will be purchased next month and we are praying they all survive and do well for 45 days until they can be sold.

Yesterday we also finalized and purchased 14 goats ( one was purchased earlier) for 4 widows in the village of Kutal in Dhading. This is a breeding program in which no goats will be eaten or sold for one year so that the herds can increase. A local teacher managed the program, took contracts and purchased the goats. Each woman got three goats, one large female and two smaller one. The teacher also received for his family three goats for his services. We also are finishing the elementary school in Kutal. Villagers built the three foot walls but could not afford the wood for the upper portion and so CFH purchased the wood and labor to finish the project.

In Babare, Dolakha we received pictures of the tables being made for the school we will rebuild. These too are for the elementary children. Round tables and chairs, rugs and padding will be placed in the temporary buildings until the fall when the school project can be implemented ( government approval is needed) by From the Ground Up. WE are also supplying white boards for 6 of the classrooms.

Your continued help has made this work possible; CFH thanks you as the people of Nepal do. Next year the hope is to have completed pictures of the school, goat breeding program babies, and the completion of many other projects large and small.

Blessings to you as your have blessed others
In His Name
Pam