Message

This is not just a house ? it is your home.

It has already been 19 years since Jhamtse Gatsal was founded. Many children have grown up and left the community. As mentioned before, 95% of them go on to university. Some have become very successful, with a few becoming teachers at highly respected schools. Some wish to return to the community and the school, but Genla, the principal, says, “Do not come back.”

Yet even so, some still want to return ? not for refuge, but to contribute to Jhamtse Gatsal.

We once discussed the difference between a home and a house. Genla said,

A house is protection from rain or cold. A home is the place where someone is waiting for you. A house is a structure of walls and a roof that separates humans from their environment. A home is a connection ? to family, to society.

These two words are similar, but their implications are entirely different.

The society of Jhamtse Gatsal is not just a house ? it is a home. It is not only about shelter, but about connection.

One former student said, “This is the place I can always call for help.”

This echoes the words of Pastor Tomoshi Okuda:

“Standing on one’s own feet does not mean being self-sufficient. Humans cannot live alone. The ability to ask for help is the foundation of true independence.”

That is exactly what is happening here. People return to this home when they need help. They come seeking connection.

As long as these children are connected, they can go anywhere.

This is a place that provides and teaches freedom, not confinement.

They are free to go wherever they wish.

And when they return, it is not out of need ? but out of a desire to find a someone waiting for them.

Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community