Cold front moving in...

I'm sitting at my desk here in Nepal with Monique by my side. Every Saturday I am persistent in reminding her to update her blog... make sure she is letting her family and friends know she is okay! But I haven't once updated mine, thank you Monique for the encouragement to do so :)

Hmm, so what would my dear fans like to hear from me? Ha! We are three girls staying in a very large Nepali house and seriously, never a dull moment. Siam is my friend from India who graduated Bible college this past May and was sent here to Nepal to do her ministry. She has been faithful in going to our girls center downtown and building relationships with them. It was exciting to come back and see how close these girls have grown to Siam since I was last here in June.

Monique and I, although we can't be expressive through language, have been able to become friends with many of these girls as well. Each day is a challenge as we trust God to let His love be the motive and purpose for everything we are doing. It's difficult to see the hurt that the girls' experience and the way that they live. I'm starting to learn about holistic ministry and what it actually means... like what it means when I'm in the reality of it, or at least trying to figure it out. How do I find that balance of helping these girls through an inner transformation and at the same time helping to meet their physical needs? Some days the girls share their desires to leave their work and find a new life, then the very next day will be high off of drugs or busy with "customers". But the one lesson I'm learning over and over: God did not call us to be successful, but to be faithful.

There are so many stories and experiences I can share from the past several weeks, but Monique is SO good at keeping up with all those details I thought you could visit her blog: moniqueinindia.blogspot.com :)

I do want to share about one girl I've written about before, Saru. I met her back in March. I sat and had chai with her on several occasions planning out our downtown center and how she would bring in girls from the streets who are involved in sex work. She had the heart to help them as she knew it is a life they don't deserve; so many of them lured in from the villages with the promise of a good job. In May we lost touch when she took a job as a dancer at a bar. I recently found her again, 7 months pregnant, living in a small underground room with her two daughters and a man she calls her husband. She is hurting and lost, but I can still see that her heart is the same, loving and compassionate. All I can do now is show her I care and love her and her children. So if you remember, keep her in your prayers!

Well, it's Saturday now and Tuesday we will be heading back to Delhi until the new year since my visa here has expired. There Monique and I will work closely with our education programs and other ministries.

Okay, it's super cold here! (I don't think they know what insulation is..) I think I will head down to the kitchen for some hot tea!

Back to Southern Asia

So I'm really going to do my best to keep this thing updated this time around! I am back in Nepal. I arrived to India about 3 weeks ago. Joe (my brother-in-law) and Monique came with me. Joe was checking it out for future trips/students coming. Monique is here to stay! Well, for at least the next 5 months I am here :)

I took Joe and Monique around to see our different projects/ministries and introduced them to people we work with and partner with. After Joe left, we had a medical team come in for a week of clinics in our slum areas. They were amazing and such a blessing to the people. It was hard to see the tragic situations these people are living in, but so good to see the little bit of hope this team was able to give to them. Just a smile was enough to lift their spirits. In just 5 days they were able to see about 1000 people!

After the team left we decided it would be good for me and Monique to come up here to Nepal and work with the girls' center in downtown Kathmandu. A young Indian girl, Siam, has been here for a few months now working with these girls who are mostly prostitutes and we have come to join her. We are trying to build relationships and trust. It's hard to see their lives. They come to our center and have a lot of fun talking, playing, drawing... and then have to leave because they have customers. Please pray that we can build trust with these girls and help get them away from this life. Above all pray that Christ's love may be shown to them. They need Jesus. A spiritual transformation is the only hope they have. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing (well most of the time!), but I am trusting in God and in His timing and control.

That is mainly our focus for our time here in Nepal. We will be heading back to Delhi at the end of November for a month or two before we come back here. Hopefully in a couple of weeks we will be joining some of our staff on one of the Daughter Project campaigns along the Nepal/India Border.

On a different note, the weather is amazing in Nepal. Nice and cool compared to the hot and humid Delhi weather. And the mountains are beautiful! I will try to post some pictures soon!

Ok bye :)

back and forth!

Hey, it's been a while since I've updated this. I've been in the states since June and I will be heading back to India the end of september for a medical team we have coming to host clinics in our slum areas. It's been so nice to be home with friends and family, but I am really excited to get back to India and Nepal. I am happy to have 2 girls traveling with me this time. They have signed up to intern with Global Family.

Since I've been here I've been working on some things for our organization as well as hosting sponsorship parties. We had one last Saturday where we were able to get 4 children sponsored as well as other donations!!

Okie dokie, just wanted to give a quick update of what's going on... Bye!

Daughter Project Update

Hello everyone,

We want to thank you for supporting the Daughter Project... here is an update of what is going on!

The Daughter Project continues to progress, bringing awareness to Nepali families about child sexual abuse and trafficking with the help of Daughter Tool Kits. Many campaigns have been held along the border areas over the last couple of months by rescue teams showing videos and discussing the issues of abuse and trafficking. In a recent campaign, held in the town of Kapilvastu, a girl who had been a victim of sexual abuse was, for the first time, able to speak out about it.

Laxmi was sexually abused by her older cousin who offered to walk her home for 'protection'. Instead of protecting her, he forced himself upon her. She went to her mother for help, but her parents said to never tell anyone because it would be shameful in their society to do so. She went to the police, but they helped her cousin escape before they filed the report. She could find help nowhere and was left feeling guilt and shame about what had happened. After watching the Daughter film, she felt a responsibility to speak out to help prevent the same thing from happening to other children. She told her story to her community and was relieved by the support she received. Now, local women are coming together to help fight her case, making it possible for other girls to come forward as well.

Laxmi's story is very encouraging, but it also reminds us that so many girls, just like her, live in constant fear.

Please remember this project and the daughters.

Thank you,
Clark & Jennifer Jensen
Global Family Care Network

Nepal Tour (Part 2)

Janna's Tour of Nepal (Part 1)

Hey, thought I'd start taking videos of places that I go, give you all an idea of where I live. kind of fun eh?? Umm... ok, enjoy! :)

kids song and dance

I forgot to post this video... it's from the easter program. These are the 10 children from Bhaktapur I recently put up on the website to be sponsored :) http://www.myglobalfamily.org/

Girls Shelter

Hey! So I don't have any videos or pics this time... but coming soon :)

I just wanted to let you know about the new girls shelter we are about to open in downtown Kathmandu. We have been talking to a young girl in that area living mostly on the streets and working as a prostitute. Through weeks of couselling and getting to know her more, we have asked her to help us to help the other younger girls living on the streets as either prostitutes or beggars. This girl, Saru, has been very open and wants to help. We rented a large office space in the heart of downtown; a perfect location for the girls to come. It will be a place to come and learn, play games, make art, and share their problems with a counselor. We so far have two volunteers who will come to help teach and counsel. Once I get all the supplies the next couple of days we will begin to invite the girls to come in. Me and the two volunteers went today to plan everything out and to pray over the office space and surrounding area. While we were there, a young girl from the next door "Exotic Massage Center" came in to ask what we were doing. She now wants to come and learn during the class sessions. How exciting!! So please pray for my new friend Saru that as she helps us she will be more and more changed by the Love of Jesus. And pray for the girls who will be coming and for our volunteers. We are still looking for a full time staff person who can be there everyday.

So along with keeping up with my work for the Child Sponsorship program, I will be focussing on this project for the rest of my time here.

Ummm... ok, that's all for now!

Easter Fun

Today I travelled with my friend Shova to Bhaktapur to do an Easter program for the kids there. These are the children I have recently put on the website to be sponsored so be sure to check that out as well. I decided to do a video update this time, so enjoy!

Daughter Project Promo Video

Hey Everyone! Here is a video for Global Family's Daughter project. Enjoy! (made by Mike Thezier/ http://web.mac.com/mike.thezier

The Daughter Project

Hey! Just thought I'd give you a quick update and tell you about a project we have going on to help the trafficked girls of Nepal.

This past week we had our Family Care training, so our staff from India joined us here in Kathmandu. We went over everything Global Family is doing, why we do it, and what we want to get done. We have lots of new children to be sponsored now. I have entered them in on the website if you are interested. http://www.myglobalfamily.org/.

Next week I'll be visiting our children from Bhaktapur and hopefully I'll be able to do an Easter Program with them.

Ok, that's all that's going on for now. I've included what Jennifer Jensen has written about the Daughter Project below.

Talk to you all soon!!

Hello everyone!

The Daughter Project is underway here in Nepal. This is a project to prevent the trafficking and abuse of Nepali girls. Every year, it is reported that between 5000 to 7000 girls are trafficked from Nepal into Indian brothels. This project addresses the issue of human trafficking at its source. These four components give hope to girls and their families before it's too late:

1. Awareness - 9 outreach teams that target at risk communities work along the Nepal/India border to inform families about the dangers of child trafficking. This is done with the help of Daughter Tool Kits including CD's, flip charts, and 'hotline' cards in 9 different districts.
2. Rescue - In cooperation with local authorities, these outreach teams will rescue girls being trafficked. Reconciliation with family is the desired outcome, however, this is not always an option. In that case, we care for the girls in Rescue/Refuge centers while we find families who will take them in.
3. Family Care - Global Family has made a commitment to the long term care of up to 100 girls who are unable to return to their own families through the course of this campaign.
4. Business Training & Micro-Finance - The aim is to increase a family's monthly income by $8 which will enable them to keep their daughter(s) at home.

In 2009, we expect to bring awareness to hundreds of families, rescue over 300 girls, place 100 girls into our family care program, and help many families increase their monthly income through small business initiatives.

Please consider being a part of this project. It costs approximately $375 to rescue a child...our Daughter Project budget for 2009 is approximately $37,500. We need your help!

100% of your donation goes directly to the child, and all donations will be receipted for tax purposes.

Global Family Care Network
P.O. Box 1138
Toronto Dominion Center
Toronto, Ontario
M5K 1A0

Thank you for your partnership,
Clark & Jennifer Jensen
Global Family Care Network
http://www.myglobalfamily.org/

Well Adjusted

Hey! I just sent out a newsletter so I'm pasting it all below! Look for more updates soon :)

I arrived in Kathmandu Nepal on Tuesday March 17th where I was greeted by Clark and Jennifer Jensen (the kids were still in school) along with their intern Ricky. As Clark drove the truck away from the airport I was immediately immersed back into the Southeast Asian lifestyle; filled with traffic, noise, stray dogs, temples, busy street merchants, and lots, and I mean lots of pollution! Oh, and I didn't mention that there is power only 8 hours out of the day! Despite all of the craziness, I’m happy to finally be here.
I have my own room in the Jensen home. Clark and Jennifer have two friendly kids, Court, their 13 year old son and Charity, their 15 year old daughter. We have lots of fun together.

As most of you know, I am here working for Clark and Jennifer’s organization called Global Family. After a few days of adjusting to my new sleeping schedule (when it’s day there it’s night here!), I was ready to get back to work. This last week has been a lot of organizing and meeting the Nepali staff at the office. Now that I am settled into a routine I am ready for what lies ahead.

I have been given the responsibility to run the child sponsorship aspect of Global Family. In our Family Care system we place abused and abandoned children into a loving family. These children are each supported by a sponsor in the US or Canada. I keep track of the children who are sponsored and still need a sponsor. This week I am adding 20 new children to our website. These particular children come from the ragpickers slum, the poorest of areas in Delhi. They pick and sell trash for a living and cannot go to school. With our help they are able to attend school and get the care they need. If you are interested in sponsoring a child go to the website or you can email me for more info!

We have several things taking place in the weeks to come. I will of course be working on the sponsorships and website. In addition I get to spend time with the boys in the street kid program. They come to a Nepali couple’s home for a hot meal, shower, games, and to learn basic reading and writing so they can enter the government schools. The goal is to get them off the streets begging and picking trash, and into school and back with their parents if possible.
We also have a slum school we just started outside of Kathmandu. There are only 10 students but we are working to support more. This week will be my first visit to see those kids… I’m very excited!
Until my next newsletter, please continue to check my blog for updates or keep a look out for emails. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions: jmarabito@gmail.com

*In the first picture is Shobha and I, she is a very sweet girl who works in our office, the second picture is of Charity and I in our room

Back to Nepal

Once again I've let way too much time pass to update this thing! Since October, I have already gone home to the states and come back again. I went home on November 23rd and arrived back here in Nepal on March 17th.

I'm back working with Global Family (www.myglobalfamily.org). I will be travelling back and forth between Nepal, India, and the States. Since this is my first week here I am still adjusting time wise and getting settled in my new home with the Jensens. They have become my second family.

Anywho, in the next week I will have a better idea of what's going on and will update more. Until then, I am missing everyone! Please feel free to email me... I love emails!! :) jmarabito@gmail.com

Ok, bye for now!