Thursday, August 22, 2013

First Taste of India

India is a country much less decrepit than people in the Western world think. To America’s standards, yes, it’s a bit dirty and crowded, but health care is improving, industry is growing, and big cities are thriving. The public water may not be safe to drink, but they have a system for treating it and providing citizens with clean water. India as a whole is no longer a country that is in desperate need of “western civilization.”

But I don’t want to paint the wrong picture here. Though the image of a country with no infrastructure is false, the poverty and brokenness in this country is still heart-wrenching. It is one of the leading countries in sex-trafficking, and there are still many children on the streets. The poverty and population lead to starvation, with many people (mostly children) dying daily from lack of food. The big cities are nicer than you may expect, but the slums are worse than you can possibly imagine. The cost of living may seem cheap, but the average Indian family makes roughly the equivalent of $50-$100 per month. Christianity makes up 3% of the population’s religion, and the rest put their hope in false gods and idols.

Despite the difficulties about life here, despite their struggles and hardships, these people are gracious, friendly, hospitable, and incredibly generous. I have never felt so welcomed in my life than by complete strangers at the New Hope for Children’s Home. The children are beautiful and filled with joy, and the staff goes out of their way to serve. What they lack in English communication skills (though most of them know at least some English) they make up for with love, kindness, and humility. Although we came here to serve, at times it feels like we’re the ones being served, the ones being blessed. Tyler and I have fallen in love with the country and the people, and we’ve been here for a week. 

The children at the orphanage gave us a wonderful welcoming ceremony the evening we got there.

So what does a day in our lives look like over here? Well, we get up at 5:30 with the children for morning prayer and exercise time. The staff heard that we were “exercise people,” as they called us, and asked us to lead, so we do walking, jogging, stretching and calisthenics. The kids get washed up, have breakfast, and head to school, where they stay until 4:00 in the afternoon. Helping Hands India has a small Bible seminary student group, and they’ve given us a couple of those classes a day to teach. Devotion is at 9:00, and then we teach English at 9:30. We had no idea we could be capable of teaching English, but it seems that they're actually learning from us, and they seem to be improving. At 11:30, I teach first aid to the seminary students and the staff of the orphanage. We were also able to put together a first aid kit for the children’s home to have, so it’s cool that they are learning how to better take care of the children. 

After first aid is lunch, and then we have the rest of the afternoon off. We’ve been using it to plan the next day’s lessons, nap, blog, pray, walk around, or whatever else we feel like doing. When the children get home from school, they have a little bit of time to play before they start on their studies, so we play with them and then help them study until around 7:30 when we have evening devotions. So far all they want is for us to teach them songs and tell them Bible stories, but we really love observing what they usually do. They know a plethora of songs, from hymns and worship songs, to kids’ Bible songs, to songs in their language, and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. Hearing children singing is usually an automatic source of joy for many people, but children who have very few possessions and are singing with all their might to the God who loves and protects them is beyond moving. 

By the time we’re done with studies and devotions, it’s about 8:00 in the evening and time for dinner. Speaking of dinner, the food has been incredibly delicious and insanely spicy. They've even tried really hard to "tone it down" from the spice level they usually eat, and it's still hot! The days are very long, but more fulfilling than anything I’ve ever done in my life. The kids go to school on Saturdays as well, but only for a half-day. When they get home, they have the entire afternoon and evening to play (no studies on Saturday!). So you can imagine that makes for a very long day as well…running around non-stop for 5 hours will wear you out. Especially when you don’t have the energy of a 9-year-old. But it’s a blast! They laugh constantly and find joy in the simplest things. I taught the girls Duck-Duck-Goose, and they loved it and were content to play it for over a half an hour. Tyler played the children’s version of hide-and-seek for hours and he still doesn’t understand the rules. We also learned a game called Lock and Key, which is kind of like freeze tag, except you freeze yourself.

Please continue praying for us! We love it here, but each day it’s difficult to give ourselves wholly over to the Lord and His purpose for us here. It’s easy to want to be selfish and take time to ourselves, but we’re not here to rest. And don’t get me wrong, we are having a blast and loving the work we’re doing here. We just want God to bless these people as much as possible through us, and that means putting ourselves aside, serving humbly, and giving wholeheartedly. We love you all! Thanks again for all your support and prayers.

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