Sorry I haven't written to update you on the end of our trip! I unfortunately caught a bacterial infection 2 days before we left, and was so sick on our last day I couldn't leave the house, or the bathroom to be exact. I was sick on the plane ride back as well, and am still recovering and slowly building up my stomach once again, still eating mainly applesauce and saltines. Thank you for your prayers, for those of you who heard about my sickness. God is good, and at least I was able to sleep most of the plane ride back!
Our last week in India was the best, by far. Our stay at the ashram was amazing, and really opened our eyes to a lot of what is going on in India, and around the world. The ashram is called a rehabilitation center for the destitute, and it is and so much more. While we were there, we got to do VBS with about 25 kids each day, which was hilarious and so fun. That ran from about 9 until 1 in the mornings, and then the afternoons we helped out around the ashram, or sat around and chatted with the people there. A family from New Zealand is volunteering there for 6 months, so we got to play with their three adorable, accent-laden lads a lot that week.
One of the most touching and heartbreaking circumstances I witnessed at the ashram were three babies that were brought in by a lady and her 9 year old daughter from a nearby slum community. One was 2, another 1 1/2 and the third was 9 months. All 3 looked about 6 months old, and had swollen bellies and skinny arms and legs. The older two were the granddaughters of the woman, and their mothers had basically left them to be cared for by her. They were around 16, and had jobs at the factory. The 9 year old and 9 month old were her children, and the 9 year old was basically a mother to all 3 of the babies as well. She was so hardened by her life circumstances that it took us a few days to get her to open up at all. The poor babies were fed food, but didn't keep much of it down. The 2 year old was eventually put on an IV so she could hold in foods and liquids. It was so sad to see them, but it made my heart long to help them, and children and women like them.
There is so much more to say, but I am short on time, Thanks for your prayers and support! I will tell you more when I see you! Pictures to come!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Off to the Ashram
Annemarie, Abby & I are off to stay in an ashram this upcoming week to do VBS. It is about 2 hours away from where we are currently staying, so instead of going back and forth everyday, we are going to stay up there. We visited last week, and it is amazing. They are doing so much there to help people recover from accidents, help cope with disabilities, and much more. I am glad we get to stay there and be a part of their ministry. I ask f or your payers for our safety traveling there and back (Delhi driving is insane!) and also for continued support and enthusiasm while we are there working with the children. My prayer is that God would use us to tell the children about Him in a fun and joyful way!
This weekend has been nice and relaxed! On Friday, we hung out here with Allison. She made us chicken enchiladas, which is quite a feat here in this place where many ingredients are hard to track down! We watched a movie and took it easy. Then yesterday Annemarie and I went shopping for souvenirs for our families, which was fun, despite the fact that neither of us like shopping! We almost got everyone we needed, but have a few more to get. We went and saw a movie in the afternoon. The movie theaters where we went were amazing, and way nicer than in the US! They have assigned seating, which was really weird, but cool! The seats also recline so you can be almost laying down watching the movie. And it only cost 200 Rs, which is about $4. We saw Bride Wars, which has been out for a while in the States but recently released here. It was a weird experience watching an American movie surrounded by people who live here in India. I'm sure they were expecting Annemarie and I to break out into fighting and then be completely emotion, just like the girls in the movie :-) It was a fun experience, though!
This weekend has been nice and relaxed! On Friday, we hung out here with Allison. She made us chicken enchiladas, which is quite a feat here in this place where many ingredients are hard to track down! We watched a movie and took it easy. Then yesterday Annemarie and I went shopping for souvenirs for our families, which was fun, despite the fact that neither of us like shopping! We almost got everyone we needed, but have a few more to get. We went and saw a movie in the afternoon. The movie theaters where we went were amazing, and way nicer than in the US! They have assigned seating, which was really weird, but cool! The seats also recline so you can be almost laying down watching the movie. And it only cost 200 Rs, which is about $4. We saw Bride Wars, which has been out for a while in the States but recently released here. It was a weird experience watching an American movie surrounded by people who live here in India. I'm sure they were expecting Annemarie and I to break out into fighting and then be completely emotion, just like the girls in the movie :-) It was a fun experience, though!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Vacation Bible School
Annemarie and I have been doing VBS this week, and will also be doing it next week. This week, we are working with Bobby and Elaine, who work with Hindus here in Delhi. They set us up doing a VBS with the children in the neighborhood they used to live in. Since Monday, we have been going for a few hours to work with them in the afternoon. The first day I was a bit intimidated, since we had no idea how old the children were or what facilities we would be working in. We took an auto to Bobby's house, which took about 45 minutes. Allison came with us the first day. Bobby told us a bit about where we were going, but said he did not know how many children would be there, or what the faciltiies would be like. We prayed with him and Elaine and then head over. On the way, we picked up a translator, who also knows Hindi children's songs. Her name is Sweetie, and she definitely lives up to that! She has been such a help to us this week, both in translating, and just being a sweet person to be around. The first day, we had around 7 kids. We played a few games with them, sang songs, told the story of Noah, and then had a snack. It was fun, but we had thought the children would be younger. We were a bit unprepared, and had to scramble to think of games, since most of the children were older boys. Then we took an auto back home, which took about an hour or more, due to traffic.
Tuesday went much better than the first day! Annemarie and I went over to Bobby's house early for lunch, which was excellent. It was good to get to talk to them more, and find out more about their ministry. They both grew up in California, so that was fun to talk about as well! We headed over to VBS around 4, and there were about double the kids, which was great! We did the same rundown as the first day, but this time I told the story of David and Goliath.
Yesterday's VBS was a bit smaller, due to thr afternoon rain that we got. We did have balloons, though, and made balloon animals for the kids, which they loved! Before VBS yesterday, we had a long trek out to the ashram where we will be staying next week. The ashram is a place of refuge for people who have suffered accidents, or have mental or physical deformities. It was a bit intimidating being there, but when we started meeting people and talking to them, I felt much more comfortable. We also got to meet about 15 of the kids we will be doing VBS with next week, which was fun. They are adorable! Annemarie, Abby and I will be staying there for 4 nights next week, and doing 5 days of VBS. We ate lunch there, and got to talk to a few of the foreigners who work there. There is a family there from New Zealand with 3 cute boys, so I am excited to play with them next week, since they are some of the few children that speak English.
Today, Annemarie was not feeling well. She has been having an upset stomach lately, and today we went out to lunch with Abby and Allison, and then were going to head out to VBS. But after lunch, she felt pretty sick, so Allison said she would go in her place. Allison and I headed out to VBS, which went well. It was a little more low key today, and the children seemed more settled into the routine of how things go. I am sad that tomorrow is our last day to play with these kids. They have been fun, and are very respectful! My prayer is that God has used us to touch the children, and that they will remember the stories and the songs that we have sung with them.
Tonight when Allison and I got home, the power was out, which is typical for India! Abby and Annemarie were playing speed scrabble, so we joined in. We had a blast sitting in the dark, with Allison's headlamp on the fan above us so we could all see. We laughed and sweated until the power came on. I am so thankful that we have gotten to stay with and get to know these girls. They are awesome, and I am going to be sad when we have to leave! I will just have to make the most of our time with them until then!
I ask for your prayers for Annemarie and her health. If you could pray that she begins to feel back to normal soon. Also, for preventative for the future. We both have had a bit of sensitive stomachs over here, flaring up at different times. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday went much better than the first day! Annemarie and I went over to Bobby's house early for lunch, which was excellent. It was good to get to talk to them more, and find out more about their ministry. They both grew up in California, so that was fun to talk about as well! We headed over to VBS around 4, and there were about double the kids, which was great! We did the same rundown as the first day, but this time I told the story of David and Goliath.
Yesterday's VBS was a bit smaller, due to thr afternoon rain that we got. We did have balloons, though, and made balloon animals for the kids, which they loved! Before VBS yesterday, we had a long trek out to the ashram where we will be staying next week. The ashram is a place of refuge for people who have suffered accidents, or have mental or physical deformities. It was a bit intimidating being there, but when we started meeting people and talking to them, I felt much more comfortable. We also got to meet about 15 of the kids we will be doing VBS with next week, which was fun. They are adorable! Annemarie, Abby and I will be staying there for 4 nights next week, and doing 5 days of VBS. We ate lunch there, and got to talk to a few of the foreigners who work there. There is a family there from New Zealand with 3 cute boys, so I am excited to play with them next week, since they are some of the few children that speak English.
Today, Annemarie was not feeling well. She has been having an upset stomach lately, and today we went out to lunch with Abby and Allison, and then were going to head out to VBS. But after lunch, she felt pretty sick, so Allison said she would go in her place. Allison and I headed out to VBS, which went well. It was a little more low key today, and the children seemed more settled into the routine of how things go. I am sad that tomorrow is our last day to play with these kids. They have been fun, and are very respectful! My prayer is that God has used us to touch the children, and that they will remember the stories and the songs that we have sung with them.
Tonight when Allison and I got home, the power was out, which is typical for India! Abby and Annemarie were playing speed scrabble, so we joined in. We had a blast sitting in the dark, with Allison's headlamp on the fan above us so we could all see. We laughed and sweated until the power came on. I am so thankful that we have gotten to stay with and get to know these girls. They are awesome, and I am going to be sad when we have to leave! I will just have to make the most of our time with them until then!
I ask for your prayers for Annemarie and her health. If you could pray that she begins to feel back to normal soon. Also, for preventative for the future. We both have had a bit of sensitive stomachs over here, flaring up at different times. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Children, In Many Settings!
We finished up our time of talking to Muslims on Thursday evening with attending a night at the mosque where they have musical and worship events. My group basically walked around the mosque and observed what was going on. We tried to talk to a few women, but they seemed a bit preoccupied with the events going on around them, which made it difficult. As we were walking around the market surrounding the mosque, I began to feel extremely uncomfortable. Since arriving here, I have become accustomed with men staring openly at us, simply because we are white. But at this market, I felt it was a bit more extreme than that. Men were walking closer than necessary to us, and one girl in my group got grabbed by a man, which freaked her out. Needless to say, we did not stay long at the market, and went back to meet up with the rest of the group for dinner back at their house. I don't know why I felt more freaked out, but I took it as a sign from God, and was praying for our safety the entire time we were there and driving back home. Thankfully, nothing happened and the feeling went away quickly.
Yesterday was a fun day. We didn't have anything scheduled to do until 4:30, so Annemarie and I decided to go buy some snacks and take them to beggar children around this market place, Janpath. We bought little packs of crackers and cookies and headed out around 12:30 to the market. On the way, we were approached in our auto by a few children, and were able to give them the food. One little girl grabbed the cookies, gave us a smile, and ran back to the sidewalk to share with her friends. A little boy, on the other hand, grabbed the cookies and ran off to hide, pushing the other boys who ran up to him out of the way. I thought it was an accurate portrayal of boys and girls! At the market, we decided to go to a restaurant that I had gone to earlier that week and really enjoyed. Apparently it is an extremely popular restaurant, and there was a long line outside. We put our name on the list, and began trying to talk to women around us. One younger woman was especially friendly, and we started a conversation naturally. A few minutes later, the waiter called our name, and the girl and her mother bid us farewell, with recommendations on what to order. As soon as we walked away, I felt like I should have asked them to sit with us. I told this to Annemarie, and then we decided it was too late now. Not 5 minutes later, we saw the girl and her mom walking around, appearing to be looking for an open table. I felt this was a sign from God to ask them, like He was giving us a second chance. So Annemarie hopped up and asked them if they would join us, and they accepted. We had a great lunch with them. We talked to them about their family, schooling, growing up, food (of course), and slightly about religion. They were both Hindu, and we shared that we were followers of Christ. Unfortunately, we were not able to get much deeper into a conversation, but it was still a great time. After lunch, we headed to the guest house to meet up with the ECBC team.
Once we got there, we all piled into a lady's car(literally piled- I think there were 14 of us in a explorer-like car). We then drove about 30 minutes to a park near a slum community, where we were greeted immediately by about 20 running children. Most of them barely had enough clothing to cover them, and were extremely dirty, but we greeted them with open arms, which they jumped in to! We played games, sang songs, and loved on them for the next 2 hours, and it was tiring, but amazing. By the end, we were all literally dripping from sweat, but I was so touched by the children and their need for love. They were sad to see us leave, and we were sad as well. Thankfully, the people we went with work with the children regularly, as well as their families, and often provide food, water and medications they may need. It was so fun, and we all wished we could do similar things everyday!
Today was a more relaxed day, but greatly convicting and heartwrenching. We all watched a movie this morning telling about children in prostitution in India. The movie was fictional, but it still left a distinct picture in my mind. Allison gave us some facts afterwards that were astounding. There are an estimated 1.3 million children currently involved in prostitution, and probably double the amount of women. Hearing that made me feel greatful for my life, but also like my heart was being torn out for those children. After that, we took a drive in a cab to the red light dictrict here in Delhi, and although we had to stay in the car, we could see many of the women peering out at the street through their barred windows. All we could do was pray for them, and for now that is enough. I pray that God will bring people into their lives to remove them from their situations, and if He desires for me to help with this type of ministry someday, I pray I will be willing and strong enough too. I am thankful that He opened my eyes to it today.
Yesterday was a fun day. We didn't have anything scheduled to do until 4:30, so Annemarie and I decided to go buy some snacks and take them to beggar children around this market place, Janpath. We bought little packs of crackers and cookies and headed out around 12:30 to the market. On the way, we were approached in our auto by a few children, and were able to give them the food. One little girl grabbed the cookies, gave us a smile, and ran back to the sidewalk to share with her friends. A little boy, on the other hand, grabbed the cookies and ran off to hide, pushing the other boys who ran up to him out of the way. I thought it was an accurate portrayal of boys and girls! At the market, we decided to go to a restaurant that I had gone to earlier that week and really enjoyed. Apparently it is an extremely popular restaurant, and there was a long line outside. We put our name on the list, and began trying to talk to women around us. One younger woman was especially friendly, and we started a conversation naturally. A few minutes later, the waiter called our name, and the girl and her mother bid us farewell, with recommendations on what to order. As soon as we walked away, I felt like I should have asked them to sit with us. I told this to Annemarie, and then we decided it was too late now. Not 5 minutes later, we saw the girl and her mom walking around, appearing to be looking for an open table. I felt this was a sign from God to ask them, like He was giving us a second chance. So Annemarie hopped up and asked them if they would join us, and they accepted. We had a great lunch with them. We talked to them about their family, schooling, growing up, food (of course), and slightly about religion. They were both Hindu, and we shared that we were followers of Christ. Unfortunately, we were not able to get much deeper into a conversation, but it was still a great time. After lunch, we headed to the guest house to meet up with the ECBC team.
Once we got there, we all piled into a lady's car(literally piled- I think there were 14 of us in a explorer-like car). We then drove about 30 minutes to a park near a slum community, where we were greeted immediately by about 20 running children. Most of them barely had enough clothing to cover them, and were extremely dirty, but we greeted them with open arms, which they jumped in to! We played games, sang songs, and loved on them for the next 2 hours, and it was tiring, but amazing. By the end, we were all literally dripping from sweat, but I was so touched by the children and their need for love. They were sad to see us leave, and we were sad as well. Thankfully, the people we went with work with the children regularly, as well as their families, and often provide food, water and medications they may need. It was so fun, and we all wished we could do similar things everyday!
Today was a more relaxed day, but greatly convicting and heartwrenching. We all watched a movie this morning telling about children in prostitution in India. The movie was fictional, but it still left a distinct picture in my mind. Allison gave us some facts afterwards that were astounding. There are an estimated 1.3 million children currently involved in prostitution, and probably double the amount of women. Hearing that made me feel greatful for my life, but also like my heart was being torn out for those children. After that, we took a drive in a cab to the red light dictrict here in Delhi, and although we had to stay in the car, we could see many of the women peering out at the street through their barred windows. All we could do was pray for them, and for now that is enough. I pray that God will bring people into their lives to remove them from their situations, and if He desires for me to help with this type of ministry someday, I pray I will be willing and strong enough too. I am thankful that He opened my eyes to it today.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hospitality and Mehndi
These last few days have been crazy, but great! On Monday, we joined with a team of volunteers here from East Cooper Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and we will be working with them all week. On Monday, we had a day of fun and exploring Delhi, while getting to share with the people we encountered. I was in a group all day with two girls from the ECBC team, Amanda and Paige, and we had a great day. We got to talk to a pilot from Miami, and she walked around with us for a bit, and then we got to share the Gospel with a shopkeeper, and give him a New Testament. After running around and completing various tasks and finding information, we met the other 4 teams at these beautiful gardens called the Loti Gardens. There are ancient ruins there of beautiful temples, and we had time to walk around and take pictures there.
Annemarie & I got to play frisbee with a girl & her brother & then talk to her aboutfamily, school and faith. She has been raised Catholic, which is uncommon for this area, and shared with us a bit about why she is, and how all of her family members are as well. After sharing, we walked about 2 minutes through the Gardens to a beatiful, upscale restaurant where we were having dinner. It was one of the most beatiful restaurants I have ever eaten at, complete with an outdoor patio with lanterns, lounging furniture, and flowers. We ate a delicious Italian meal (which was roughly $10 American dollards!)then headed home. It was a great day, and I really got to know the ECBC team members well.
Yesterday was another busy day. We had to be up and at the house where the team is staying by 8:30, and that meant we had to leave here to catch an auto rickshaw by 8:15. Once there, we had a Bible study together, and then two missionaries, Paul and Aaron came and taught us about Muslims, and strategies to use to evangelize to them. We had about 2 hours of instrution, along with practicing telling our testimonies. Then we were split up into teams, and given locations where we were going to go to try and speak and share with Muslim women. My team, which had Abby (who I live with), Chafin and Cami, was assigned to a mosque in Mohrauli. We decided the best time to go would be around 4, when the head had subsided some. We had the afternoon free, in which Annemarie and I watched Jaws (so good...) and then headed out. We had to wear the full Indian suits, as well as dupatas (scarfs that cover our heads) since we were going to the mosque. We took an auto there, and then got out and walked around. We had only been there about 15 minutes when we met and began talking to a young woman, Heena, who spoke English. She answered the questions we had about the mosque, and then invited us to her house. We accepted, since it is extremely common inIndian culture, particularly with foreigners, and followed her about 5 minutes to her house.
We were invited to a downstairs bedroom by her mother and aunt, who immediately began chatting with us and asking us questions about where we were from, what we were doing in Delhi, and if we were Muslim. Then other family members started to come rolling in, and kept on coming. We met about 20 other members of Heena's family, all who live in the same house, which is quite wide-spread. There were two adorable little babies that Chafin and I got to hold for a long time, which was so fun. Heena brought us cold soda first, and then after about a half an hour, they asked to take picutres with us, because we were so tall and blonde. We were then invited upstairs, where there was AC, and served cake and ice cream, which we nibbled on while about 15 of the relatives, mostly children just watched us. We did get to have an extensive talk with Heena's aunt about her faith, and ask her and her husband questions about what they believe about their own religion and about Jesus. Cami got to share her testimony, which was awesome. The family then gave us 2 bracelets each, and Heena asked if we wanted henna done on our hands. I was so excited, since I have always wanted it, and so we all got one hand done in beatiful henna. By that time, we had been there about 2 1/2 hours, and said we should be going. They invited us to stay for dinner (of course!) but we refused, and made our escape, after I got Heena's phone number. They invited us back anytime! (Oh yeah, another name for henna is Mehndi- hence the title of the blog :-)
Being here in India, especially yesterday with Heena's family, has shown me how friendly and hospitable the people are. They will invite anyone in, even if they just met you, and caiter to your every whim, and more! I have never experienced such a trust anywhere, and I love it. They are also very open to talk about their religion, since it is such a huge part of life here, although most are well-versed and strong in what they believe. They listen respectfully, but from what I have seen do not seem too willing to think in the way we suggest.
I am excited to be working with and talking to Muslims, which we did again today and wil do tomorrow. They are so convinced that there are rituals and methods that make you saved by allah, and I feel like we have a common ground to build on and talk about. Although my group did not have a very succesful time today talking to the very few women we could find on a Muslim university campus, I know tomorrow is a new day, and I will pray that God will send us more people to talk to and share with.
Annemarie & I got to play frisbee with a girl & her brother & then talk to her aboutfamily, school and faith. She has been raised Catholic, which is uncommon for this area, and shared with us a bit about why she is, and how all of her family members are as well. After sharing, we walked about 2 minutes through the Gardens to a beatiful, upscale restaurant where we were having dinner. It was one of the most beatiful restaurants I have ever eaten at, complete with an outdoor patio with lanterns, lounging furniture, and flowers. We ate a delicious Italian meal (which was roughly $10 American dollards!)then headed home. It was a great day, and I really got to know the ECBC team members well.
Yesterday was another busy day. We had to be up and at the house where the team is staying by 8:30, and that meant we had to leave here to catch an auto rickshaw by 8:15. Once there, we had a Bible study together, and then two missionaries, Paul and Aaron came and taught us about Muslims, and strategies to use to evangelize to them. We had about 2 hours of instrution, along with practicing telling our testimonies. Then we were split up into teams, and given locations where we were going to go to try and speak and share with Muslim women. My team, which had Abby (who I live with), Chafin and Cami, was assigned to a mosque in Mohrauli. We decided the best time to go would be around 4, when the head had subsided some. We had the afternoon free, in which Annemarie and I watched Jaws (so good...) and then headed out. We had to wear the full Indian suits, as well as dupatas (scarfs that cover our heads) since we were going to the mosque. We took an auto there, and then got out and walked around. We had only been there about 15 minutes when we met and began talking to a young woman, Heena, who spoke English. She answered the questions we had about the mosque, and then invited us to her house. We accepted, since it is extremely common inIndian culture, particularly with foreigners, and followed her about 5 minutes to her house.
We were invited to a downstairs bedroom by her mother and aunt, who immediately began chatting with us and asking us questions about where we were from, what we were doing in Delhi, and if we were Muslim. Then other family members started to come rolling in, and kept on coming. We met about 20 other members of Heena's family, all who live in the same house, which is quite wide-spread. There were two adorable little babies that Chafin and I got to hold for a long time, which was so fun. Heena brought us cold soda first, and then after about a half an hour, they asked to take picutres with us, because we were so tall and blonde. We were then invited upstairs, where there was AC, and served cake and ice cream, which we nibbled on while about 15 of the relatives, mostly children just watched us. We did get to have an extensive talk with Heena's aunt about her faith, and ask her and her husband questions about what they believe about their own religion and about Jesus. Cami got to share her testimony, which was awesome. The family then gave us 2 bracelets each, and Heena asked if we wanted henna done on our hands. I was so excited, since I have always wanted it, and so we all got one hand done in beatiful henna. By that time, we had been there about 2 1/2 hours, and said we should be going. They invited us to stay for dinner (of course!) but we refused, and made our escape, after I got Heena's phone number. They invited us back anytime! (Oh yeah, another name for henna is Mehndi- hence the title of the blog :-)
Being here in India, especially yesterday with Heena's family, has shown me how friendly and hospitable the people are. They will invite anyone in, even if they just met you, and caiter to your every whim, and more! I have never experienced such a trust anywhere, and I love it. They are also very open to talk about their religion, since it is such a huge part of life here, although most are well-versed and strong in what they believe. They listen respectfully, but from what I have seen do not seem too willing to think in the way we suggest.
I am excited to be working with and talking to Muslims, which we did again today and wil do tomorrow. They are so convinced that there are rituals and methods that make you saved by allah, and I feel like we have a common ground to build on and talk about. Although my group did not have a very succesful time today talking to the very few women we could find on a Muslim university campus, I know tomorrow is a new day, and I will pray that God will send us more people to talk to and share with.
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