Global "little" Brother

Our "bai," or, little brother, Nabin is a seven year old boy whose mother used to care for the house we lived in here in Nepal. He is a very special person and was a big motivation for us during the development of this project.

His family has nothing. They live in a house the size of a bathroom, but they make do and smile all the while. He is going to school, which is the most important thing, but a child in America could never imagine living his life. He has only a few toys, most used and dirty. He does have an electronic robot toy which he has worn out a million times over. He likes his robot, but mostly him and his little neighborhood buddies play with bricks, or stones and jump around on piles of dirt.

They come up with the most amazing inventions to entertain themselves, as TV and video games are not an option. One day we saw them pick up some used old plastic rope and tie it onto a brick and they hauled that brick around making designs in the sand for hours. It was so heart-warming. I guess kids are kids everywhere, but some are more fortunate than others. The innocence is pure love.

Anyway, he is part of our family so we decided to collect a few things to give him as presents. We shipped over a package and last week I delivered it to him at the old house. He had a heart attack when he saw the shiny micro-cars. I gave him one of those cars about a year ago, and while some kids may have lost it or thrown it out, it was still sitting on the table, dented, discolored and in all kinds of bad shape. When he saw three new cars to add to his collection he literally started jumping up and down (on a single bed, shared by three people).

His mom was almost in tears at his joy and her unspoken gratefulness brought tears to my eyes as well. He got a few warm jackets, jumpers, pants and a pair of shoes. The shoes are too big for him, but he put them on and pranced around the compound like a prince.

We included some chocolate-which ended up mostly on face- some eggs and bread- so he can have a hearty breakfast- and orange juice- because he never gets to drink it, but drank gallons of it at our house! He was thrilled to get a pack of crayons and a few coloring books and workbooks as well. Something tells me those crayons will get worn down to little nubs by the time his attention is lost.

Erika also printed out several pictures that we had taken while living there of Nabin and his family, friends, and sisters (the Global Daughters). They were the very first print photographs for Nabin so he was thrilled. He kept pointing to himself and Erika and laughing. "Erika sister! Erika sister!"

We really have love for this little boy and wish everything in the world that is sweet, happy and good for him and his family. We are so happy that he is getting an education and hope that we will be in the position in the future to make sure that he continues through high school, college, and beyond. He is a shining star, really. We are both better people for having met him and can't wait to see him grow up and share himself with the world.

We would like to thank the people that contributed generously to his package, our Global Sister and biggest supporter, Brianna and our close friend and favorite mama, Suzanne.

Thank you for putting an even bigger smile on Nabin's already bright face!

Playing with the new sticker workbook.

Licking chocolatey lips

Outside the house

yummy!

New digs!