Dear friends,
As some of you may know, this January I went to Nepal alone for 5 weeks to volunteer mainly at an orphanage, a school and at a factory >run by a Singaporean lady, which employs destitute, abused and widowed women. This Singaporean lady is my friend Josephine who went to Nepal 10 years ago to become a missionary. One day Josephine met a Nepali woman, Dilu, who had her face poured on with acid by her alcohlic husband. From the limited Nepali Josephine knew at that time, Josephine understood only 3 words, "God... dream .... sewing-shop". Josephine thought that Dilu was trying to tell her that she wanted to open a sewing shop. With the little money that Josephine had at the time, she eventually helped Dilu to open a sewing shop. It was not until many years later when Josephine started to head the sewing shop that Josephine realised that Dilu was actually trying to say, "God gave me a dream. He said that in 3 days time, you would open a sewing shop and I would work for you." From that day some 10 yrs ago, Josephine has been providing employment for many of such women, giving them shelter from abusive husbands, and money to earn a living. Once when I was in Nepal, one of Josephine's workers fell ill with a lung infection. She went to visit her personally and bought her antibiotics and vitamins and prayed with her to give her some emotional and spiritual support. I was shocked when I went into this sick woman's "house" because it was not a "house". This sick woman lived in a room, which houses a bed, a kitchen stove on the floor and a small study table. The room was shared by her and her 2 sons. Ventilation was so bad that her germs were probably spreading to her children. These conditions are considered good by Nepali standards.
Josephine has 2 factories, one selling handmade soap and paper products, one selling nepali ethnic craft products. Most of her customers are Europeans supporting the fair trade system.
Nepal is not doing well now. Recently, they are having many riots and many innocent people are killed. There is curfew everyday and the people cannot go out or they will be shot on sight. Many injuries are sustained in the head. Food prices have risen five times, there is no oil, no doctors and no banks open. While I was in Nepal, 1 man was shot on sight within 5 minutes of my vicinity because he broke the curfew. He was only a university student. Four weeks into my stay there, there was also a bomb blast 8 minutes away from the orphanage I stayed at.
Today, I received an email from Josephine that she has been imprisoned. On one hand, she tells me she is happy for the Nepalis because they are finally putting up protests to demand for a corruption-free government. On the other hand, freedom and democracy have a price to pay.
There is very little we can do to help them now. But I would like to ask your help in 2 areas. One is to please pray for Nepal and their situation, as well as to pray for a breakthrough in their government. Please help to pray for a clean and righteous leader to step up, the people's safety and God's protection upon them, because Nepal is forcing every family to put out one family member to participate in the demonstrations, which will certainly put them in danger. People shot with rubber bullets die because no doctors can provide service. Please also help to pray for more food and commodities to reach nepal as the roads are blocked off now. I don't know how long more this will continue, but according to the orphanage that I stayed at, they only have enough food for the orphans for another month or so. After that one month, I don't know how they will eat as food is scarce and expensive. Secondly, I would like to ask for your help in helping me support and publicise a book that I will hopefully be publishing sometime in July. I am painting and writing a picture book now, and the money raised will go to child sponsorship programs and student sponsorship programs for third world children, epsecially those in the Nepali orphanage where I was at. Some of the girls wer raped when young, have mentally unstable or very poor parents, or were simply abandoned at a young age. Many of them, however, realise that they have been picked up from the streets and given a new lease of life by God's grace and so many of them top their class. The books will be mainly sold in christian communities and churches, but a small number will be sold in bookstores. If we get more publicity, they may be sold more widely. If you could help, please let me know so when the book is out, I can pass you a few copies to help me sell to people you know. And if you happen to know anyone who may have contacts with journalists or magazine writers, please let me know as well... My hope is to raise awareness and money for the plight of these children in third world countries.
Thank you for your prayer and help. Please forward/ circulate this message to friends and people you know... The people, especially the prayerful christians in Nepal, are waiting for a breakthrough and a political change for the better.
Take care and God bless you all.
Love and prayer, waijia
well, somebody actually forwarded me this mail.. thought it would help more if i post it on my blog.. =)
