Difficult Roads and Beautiful Destinations

*National Highway 10 between Darjeeling and Kalimpong*

The road from Darjeeling to Kalimpong is famously winding, with numerous turns and bends as it traverses the Himalayan foothills. The NH10, which connects the two towns, is approximately 31 miles and has over 100 hairpin bends and sharp curves.

This winding nature adds to the scenic beauty of the route, offering stunning views of the surrounding tea gardens, rivers, and mountains, but it also requires skilled driving and can be challenging during foggy or rainy conditions.

As we drove this road, headed back from a two-day leaders’ retreat in Darjeeling to Kalimpong, our home in the India, I noticed a sign about 90 turns in:

“DIFFICULT ROADS OFTEN LEAD TO BEAUTIFUL DESTINATIONS”

Ain’t that the truth.

Our organization’s fifteen year journey in India has been, thus far, one with as many steep turns, unexpected obstacles, treacherous cliffs — and breathtaking vistas – as the NH10.

And as our beleaguered Mahindra Bolero creaked its axles into Kalimpong, I found myself once again overwhelmed by the beauty of what God has created in this remote town in the rolling foothills of the majestic HImalayas.

We arrived late afternoon, and after checking into our hotel, we all decided to take the rest of the day to relax. But about 15 minutes after arriving, Pastor Amber sent me a message: “Reverend John, can you please have dinner at the Kalimpong 1 home tonight? The kids are eager to see you.”

I mean, that’s a no brainer. So we unpacked a little and then headed over to the Kalimpong 1 home and enjoyed not only a delicious dinner, but hours and hours of games and songs with the KP1 boys and the parents from all six of our Kalimpong homes.

*Me and Susma, one of our first Asia’s Hope India graduates*

This morning after breakfast we got to spend a little time with Susma, one of our very first Asia’s Hope India kids. When she graduated from high school, we provided her a full-ride college scholarship, and she earned a degree in Hospitality Management. She now works at the prestigious Himalayan Resort in Kalimpong. We’ve known and loved this young woman for most of her life, and we are so proud of her.

We then spent the rest of the day — including lunch and dinner — with the kids and staff of our Kalimpong 2 and Kalimpong 3 homes. And I can’t tell you just what a difference a year makes.

On my last visit, we were still coping with recent, painful changes in the staffing of our KP2 home, and at some level it felt like the kids at that home were doing okay, but still in a bit of crisis mode. But today, they’re thriving. Navin and Yogita, the new parents, have built a remarkable rapport with the kids over the last year, and the home is really full of joy. Some of the older girls speak excellent English, and I was able to talk freely with them about their feelings about the staff transition and the new leadership in the home. It’s truly going better than any of us could have hoped for.

Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this update and the pictures I’ve included. I’m sure I’ll have more soon. Kori and I are heading out with some of the girls to the Gorkha Haat, a local farmers’ market. And we plan on eating and laughing our way through the whole day. And then it’s back to the homes for dinner, games and dancing.

Beautiful destinations indeed.