Sanctuary Home...The Blog

Updates!

2008-02-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone!

Just a couple of quick updates. First, some wonderful news!

We got our FCRA number! If you don't know what that is, an FCRA number is the Indian government's equivalent to our U.S. 501(c)(3) number. Basically, this grants us official non-profit status in India! We have been working toward this goal and asking for your prayers concerning this matter for the past 18 months, and it has finally happened! This was a very difficult process, and at times the outcome looked uncertain, but we are thankful to God that this roadblock was eliminated. This will allow us to send money straight to Isaac and Sanctuary Home without being taxed and without incurring suspicion from the government. Up to now we've had to be careful about how much money we send and to whom, causing everyone a lot of stress, but finally we have been approved for Indian Non-Profit Status! Thank you, God, and thanks to all of you for your prayers!

Second update: For those of you who have been trying to order photos from Flickr but have been unable, we have resolved the issue that was making that impossible. From now on, if you would like to order Sanctuary Home photos on Flickr, all you need to do is go to your Flickr account and add Sanctuary Home as your contact. We will receive an e-mail letting us know that you added us, and then we will add you, also. After that, it's smooth sailing! If you do not have a Flickr account, it is very easy to create one (and free!!), and we will be happy to walk you through any questions or problems you may have.

We have a new Flickr URL, also! http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanctuaryhome/ Hopefully this will make it even easier for you to remember our website and come see our photos!

Let me know if you have any problems with any of this.

Peace,
Grace
grace@sanctuaryhome.org

Post-India Reflections

2008-01-14T11:37:00.000-08:00

By Grace

First of all, the nights of VBS that Amanda missed were fabulous. The kids got to do a little talent show one of the nights and they took turns singing songs, doing tricks and generally showing off. I was excited to see Anusha get up there and sing all by herself, especially since she just came to SH a few months ago. Akhil sang a song all by himself, and even though we couldn't really hear him, he just looked adorable, hugging himself while he smiled and sang. Naga Prasad and one of the other boys (I couldn't tell who it was through all the makeup) dressed up as girls with dresses and wigs and everything and did a really cute song and dance with groups of the SH girls.

The kids also did their rendition of The Prodigal Son, complete with awesome fake mustaches, vigorous yelling and pointing, and blind pigs. Let me explain: Some of the younger boys were recruited to be the pigs that the prodigal son looks after, but nobody cut holes in the masks for them to see through, so they just kind of slowly crawled across the stage, reaching their hands out in front of them to make sure they didn't hit anything. There was also one plate that the pigs were supposed to be eating from, but since they couldn't see where the plate was, they just kind of snuffed around wherever they happened to be. This was also just about the most Scripturally accurate children's play we'd ever seen. There was a girl who danced and took the prodigal son's money, the boys had empty bottles they pretended to imbibe from, and at the end two kids pretended to be the pigs who were slaughtered for the feast and another kid used a stick to pretend to kill them. Jana let out a sharp half-squeal, half-laugh at that one. They did such a good job, though. We could all tell that they had worked very hard at practicing, and it was obvious that Rajanikanth had put in a ton of work helping them. It was great to see them present something that they felt so proud of.

Leaving those kids was so incredibly hard. All of the team was crying when we had to say goodbye, and most of the SH girls as well as some of the SH boys were crying pretty hard when we pulled away. I thought that we'd be the only ones crying, but it was kind of nice to see that they were as upset at us leaving as we were. I wasn't sure that we'd mean as much to them as they meant to us, but it was obvious that they didn't want us to leave. I'd become so close to those kids and to the Palaparthi family that it felt wrong leaving with the rest of the team when it came time to get on the plane. I really felt like I was supposed to be saying goodbye to the team and so I could head back to Tenali with my Indian family. This was reinforced even further when I got back to Abilene. When our team pulled up at the church building everyone had someone there to greet them, and most were being reunited with their family. I wasn't sad or lonely, really, but it just made it even clearer to me that while most people on the team had concrete reasons and relationships that were pulling them back to Abilene, I didn't, and the most immediate relationships I felt a connection to were the ones back in Tenali. I have a family in California who loves me and whom I love very, very much, and I know they would have loved to have been there to greet me, but without them there in Abilene my life has seemed fuzzy and vague.

Life in Tenali really was something completely extraordinary and completely... other. On Sunday, Amanda, Jana and I just sat for a minute after class and talked about our re-entry into American life and how strange it's been. I mean, for two weeks I didn't have keys! I didn't drive a car, I didn't do laundry, I didn't have a cell phone or a laptop... and I had 75 younger brothers and sisters! When we tried to talk about the fact that the trip only lasted two weeks, Jana's eyes got big and she said "There is no way that was only two weeks. No way." She didn't say it in disbelief, either. She said it as a fact. That trip did not last two weeks. It lasted a whole other lifetime. I still dream about India and my family there and wake up a little confused as to where I am and where my Indian family has gone.

It's really been hard to talk about this trip. It's just been too big. Not even in terms of all we did (and we did a lot), but just in terms of the experience. The experience was too big. It feels like I'm diminishing or downplaying our time there by putting it into words. Especially when all the words I could use are completely trite and generally without meaning. "It changed my life." "I came back a different person." "I fell in love with the people there." "It opened my eyes." "It gave me a whole new perspective on my life." All true, but all inadequate. It doesn't... it's not enough! It just isn't enough. I think one of the hardest parts of being back in the States is going back through the pictures of the kids from before they joined SH. Seeing Ch. Gopi standing outside a grass hut with no shirt and a solemn face, seeing Naga Prasad drying fish to sell, seeing Bhaskar standing alone with his large, other-worldly eyes and a shaved head... These are my kids! I want to reach through the picture and pull them away from all that. I want to hug them. Seeing Elizabeth's picture now, with that far-away, empty look in her eyes just kills me. (By the way, from everything I can tell, Elizabeth is a smart, bright, active, normal and healthy girl with a smile that could flatten boys from a mile away. I think she was probably traumatized and possibly under-socialized when she got to SH, but she looks bright and beautiful now.) I never realized how much of my time in the States is spent by myself, but after being with a big team and a big Indian family and 75 beautiful, boisterous, brilliant children for one lifetime, it's very jarring to come back to this lifetime.

I never knew that I would be called to India. I always thought I was better suited to a cooler clime, but God knows best and I'm kinda dense, so I'm gonna go with it. I told the kids and the Palaparthi family when I left that I was going to put a jar on my desk to start saving up money so I could go back as soon as I can, and after I finish my grad work I would really like to spend time doing a long-term mission there. I can learn Telugu, teach the kids English, and help mediate between the Indian team and the American team. I know this is big, and I know it's rather fast to state my intention for such a big commitment, but if God is at all willing, I've got the desire and I've gotta go. I say this knowing that God knows better than I do (as I said, he's God and I'm dense) and that things may change according to what he wants me to do, but this just feels right.

My heart officially has an India-shaped hole.

Our Photos

2008-01-13T16:43:00.001-08:00

Our team is currently in the process of uploading our photos to flickr. You should be able to see them with this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22715495@N04/. They are not in any order and most do not yet have descriptions, but if you're yearning to see them, go ahead! In the coming days, they will slowly be organized and manageable, but for now, we're just trying to get them online. Thanks for looking!

VBS

2008-01-11T13:46:00.002-08:00

We had four nights of VBS, which was more of an assembly with participation. I missed the last two nights (sick), but from what I heard, they were just as wonderful as the first two. Jana was the director, and she assigned parts to all of our team members. The stories were: The Fiery Furnace, Jesus Calms the Storm, Joshua and the Wall of Jericho, and The Big Catch. Ellen did a fabulous translating job each evening. First, Ellen would read the story from the Bible in Telugu, and many of the children would follow along. Next, Jana would tell the story (dramatically) in her own words, with Ellen translating. Then parts would be assigned to the team members and a number of the kids, and finally we would all act it out. The kids loved it! We also did some singing, with the kids leading Telugu songs and a couple of English songs with motions that we had taught them. The last night, Cynthia led VBS since Jana was sick. Even on the nights I missed, I could hear the children singing and clapping from next door. I think VBS had a big impact on them, and I know they won't forget it. On the third night, the kids did their program for us, the story of the Prodigal Son. Please, someone else on the team, blog about this! I heard a little about some blind pigs that were particularly entertaining and I am so sorry to have missed it.

Saturday

2008-01-11T13:46:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning, we visited the first slum area, one of the same places we visited last year. I've already written about the boy who was so sick, and I am happy to share that someone has offered to sponsor him and take care of his medical expenses. Thank you! (The other children are still available...) The people in the first slum area were very kind and orderly, lining up and taking turns. Grace wrote about our very different second slum experience, so I will skip that. In addition to handing out food, we went into a little church in the first slum area, and we were told that their prayer request is to have a slab for their dirt floor and plaster for their rough concrete walls. I wish we could make that happen, but there are so, so many needs. We were honored to be taken into their church and treated so well. It is humbling to be the go-between, and often there is no explaining that all of you back home are the real providers of these gifts. Thank you. Everyone does understand that the ultimate giver is God.

Later in the day, several of us (Isaac, Mary, Anil, Ray, Charles, Jana, Amanda) went to purchase the refrigerator for SH. The appliance store was interesting, mostly because most of the products were small by our standards and in lovely bright colors. (Who wouldn't love to have a cute little orange fridge?) After a very long decision making process involving Charles, Ray, Isaac, and multiple salesmen, the fridge was selected. For reasons I didn't understand, we left then for another store, and returned later to pay for the fridge. We went a few doors down to select and purchase a huge metal safe/file cabinet for Isaac's SH use. He previously had a closet stuffed full of SH papers and documents, and there was no real good way to keep them organized in there. In the future, he would like to have a desk and an office chair for SH use as well – we just don't have the money for that yet. The furniture in his home is minimal, and there isn't any place to work on SH paperwork. They have two beds, a dining table and four chairs...and that's about it. A desk would be really useful, and I'm sure we'll help with that eventually. After we chose a safe/file cabinet, we headed back to the appliance store. On the way, we noticed a fascinating contraption painted bright blue and yellow and surrounded by heaps of sugar cane. There was a woman feeding the sugar cane stalks through the machine and selling little cups of sugar cane water. We took some photos and tried the drink – it was delicious! (Deceptive, though, since it had to be the culprit in the food poisoning we experienced.) Back at the appliance store, completely unaware that we were harboring some nasty little germ, we looked at other items while we waited. Mary explained that SH also needed a super sized grinder. Since we don't really grind our own food in the US, it was hard to understand what we were even talking about. Mary showed us some small grinders and explained that the various women working at SH were currently doing the grinding by hand, and that it was difficult and time consuming. I remembered seeing Mary's grinder, a huge stone with a round bowl area in the middle, where she would put the grain (wheat, rice, corn, dhal). It has to be pounded down and ground finely, and doing it by hand means pounding with another big stone, or a large piece of wood. I can see how it wouldn't be easy, but would suit a family of four just fine, but I guess grinding for so many people would be very difficult and time consuming. I just took it for granted that if they used wheat or rice powder they would be able to buy it in the already ground form. The grinder they needed was about $200, and one of our team members decided to buy it for them on the spot. It was a wonderful gift! I can't remember which day each item was delivered (by bicycle rickshaw), but we had special ribbon cutting ceremonies and prayers for the new refrigerator as well as the grinder. It was an honor for the person who got to plug in each appliance and flip the switch to turn it on. People opened and closed the fridge and freezer doors, marveling at the blessings God is providing. They also passed out candies to celebrate the occasion. It was a big deal! The joy and excitement over the addition of these appliances to SH reminds me to be thankful for things I take for granted.

Friday

2008-01-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

On Friday, we learned that Isaac' uncle had passed away the night before. He was 75 years old and had worked up until ten days before his death. He was also Isaac's brother-in-law, since he married Isaac's older sister. We were in the home of this family on our last visit and remember them fondly. Isaac and Mary had risen very early on Friday to make a brief trip to Vijayawada to be with the family during this time. Because of this, we rearranged our plans a bit, which was no problem at all, and decided to spend our shopping day in Vijayawada on Friday instead of later in the week. That way, Isaac could leave us to be guided by others and he would be free to spend time with his sister in her grief. First, though, we would visit her and see the body and the family. Mary had already gone to work and we waited while she tried to arrange a change in her days off. We finally left Tenali around lunch time, and when we arrived in Vijawayada, we went straight to a little restaurant called Sweet Magic. It was delicious and cheap, as usual. While we ate, there was a brief power outage, and we sat with our food for a few minutes until the generator came on. We are always offered “water” or “cooling water.” Cooling water is very slightly chilled, but still an improvement. I am craving a big glass of ice water at this point! With small refrigerators, frequent power outages, and not many people who care for cold drinks, there isn't really anything truly cold to be had. Not a complaint – just an observation.

Once we finished lunch, we went directly to Isaac's sister's house, where many people were gathered and a tent or awning had been erected in front of the house. Under this awning was the body of Isaac's uncle, laid in a simple wooden coffin which I saw later had a plain cross on the top. The coffin was open, and he looked very peaceful, most of his body covered in a sheet, multiple garlands of flowers around his neck. I remember that he still had his glasses on. I wasn't sure exactly what was expected of me, but I tried to pay attention and act appropriately. Virginia didn't want to see the body, so she stayed back. There were so many people around mourning this man that it wasn't like the experience of an American funeral home where people file quietly past the casket. This was more like a crowd of mourners, family members and church members, gathered for the burial. I don't think there was any embalming, which I assume is why the body was buried the same afternoon. We had deliberately put away our cameras, not knowing if we would offend, but several of the family members took photos to remember. After viewing the body, we sat for a few minutes in the church building, which was a few doors down. They brought the coffin there and set it up on two plastic chairs, gathered around, and prayed. Soon after that, and after a little hand shaking and condolences, we headed back to the car. Isaac stayed. As we drove away, we witnessed the coffin being carried on the shoulders of some of the men, leading a procession to the burial. As they walked, mourners threw flower petals on the now closed coffin, and I couldn't help but think of the flower petals that had been thrown for us with such joy.

Still Recovering

2008-01-11T06:38:00.000-08:00

Hello! Sorry I dropped the ball on the blog. After I posted about being sick, I thought it was over, but I was not fully recovered yet - and I still don't feel back at 100%. All of us made it safely home last night to Abilene; now we're just dealing with the jetlag. I do have some posts that I wrote when I didn't have internet access, and I will post them now. I will be posting about the rest of what we did on the trip, so even though we're home, the blog isn't quite finished. If you've been reading, don't stop yet! -Amanda

Ray's Top 10 List

2008-01-07T04:17:00.000-08:00

Written by Ray.
Now that we only have about 3 days left in India, I've been reflecting on things that I will and will not miss.

Top ten things that I will miss about India:

Motorcycle rides through busy streets (so exhilarating)
Hot Indian Tea in the morning
Great service and hospitality everywhere we go
Having children wave at you when they see you looking at them while they're squatting on the ground
Loose-skinned oranges
Playing cricket
Affordable medical care
Rajanikanth's cooking
Lack of isolation (people here have to live in community with others; I like that)
All of the smiling and laughing Sanctuary Home children

Top ten things that I will not miss about India:

The lack of ice (for cold drinks)
Power outages
Dirt (it's everywhere)
Having water with every meal (even though water is healthier than the other things that I would be drinking)
The daily sound of vomiting (it's either one of our team members, or one of the neighbors)
The smell of sewage
Watching where you step (anyplace there is ground, there is a bathroom)
Mosquitoes
Standing water in the bathroom
The constant noises (from beeping in the streets to amplified speakers when when I'm trying to get to sleep)

Even though there are inconveniences and annoyances here, I wouldn't change anything. The people here are wonderful and hardworking. They enjoy life and take nothing for granted.

Not a Bad Place to Be Sick

2008-01-07T01:28:00.000-08:00

Monday 3pm, written by Amanda. You may have been wondering what happened to us since there have been no new posts for over 24 hours now. It's been a little crazy here. Apparently we had no business trying that sugar cane water on the street yesterday! It was delicious, but there was something bad in it, and Ray, Jana, and myself really suffered from it. Charles drank some too, but he didn't get nearly as sick. It started with me about this time yesterday, and as the evening and night wore on, Jana and Ray were sick too. After some attempts at home treatment, I was taken to the doctor for two injections and several prescriptions. I was told that since it was night time on a Sunday, I would have to go to a more expensive doctor. The consultation, injections, and medications totaled about $10, so I was fine with that cost! You can't beat that. Diagnosis: food poisoning. I don't think I've ever felt that sick. In addition to the vomiting, my whole abdomen hurt so bad, front and back. I ached so much. I don't know that I've ever moaned from pain for two hours before. Instead of feeling sorry for us, please know that this isn't a bad place to get sick! While I have never been so sick before, I have also never been cared for so well. We were blessed so much by our hosts ministering to us.

Mary prayed over me, and although I didn't understand her Telugu words, the emotion in her voice was comforting. Isaac, Mary, Ellen, and Rajanikanth made trips to the pharmacy for us, brought us anything they thought would help, and did it all with so much care. My back was hurting so bad, and Mary and Ellen came in with a basin of hot water mixed with antiseptic, soaked towels in it, and applied them to my back over and over. I can't tell you how much that simple treatment helped! After that, I was able to sleep. Once the pain had lessened and the medicines had started to work, they still watched over me. Isaac slept on the dining room floor with just a sheet in order to be available should anyone need anything. I was awakened shortly after midnight and given coconut water (naturally anti-diarrheal) mixed with electrolyte powder. Rajanikanth was sitting on the floor chopping the tops off of coconuts, and they also woke Ray to drink some. Rajanikanth said that they had been to many shops, but all were closed since it was so late, and that these coconuts had come from their own place. I clarified this in the morning, and Rajanikanth himself had climbed a tree in the middle of the night so we could have coconut water.

Jana kept saying if you have to get sick, this is the place to be. I would never have though that being sick in the midst of so many people would be bearable; when I am sick I want to be left to my misery. But this has totally changed my attitude. The Palaparthi family honestly care deep down, honestly feel that we are family, and I continue to be so moved by that attitude of love. I almost feel blessed by the experience. It will definitely help me be a better caretaker the next time anyone in my own family is sick.

Ta-Daaaaa!!

2008-01-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

By Grace

I MILKED A WATER BUFFALO TODAY!

Okay, admittedly I was not very good at it, but I did it! I figured the water buffaloes would be totally used to people and I could just waltz up to one and try milking it while laughing and with a gaggle of people around. Wrong! The poor thing was so skittish. While watching the woman feed and prepare the water buffalo, I had the revelation that I would try to be very calm when I was milking it. I turned to Emily to share my very wise and impressive foresight, and she just looked at me like I was a very stupid sort of person and said, "Well, yeah. You always want to be calm when you're down around a cow's legs."

Well. Pardon me.

My moment of genius thus shattered, I proceeded to very clumsily attempt to milk the poor thing. I'd never even seen a cow milked in person, much less actually done it, so I had no idea what I was doing. In fact, the first time I even touched a cow was last fall at the Abilene Fair, and I nearly lost it because I was so nervous and it was so big. They look a lot smaller when you're driving past them on the highway.

Oh, but first. I had decided that this morning I would wear jeans since we were getting up early and I thought it would be very difficult to milk a water buffalo in a punjabi or, heaven forbid, a skirt. However, nobody in that area wears pants -- not even the men -- so the water buffalo was so freaked out at the sight of my jeans that they had to grab some material and wrap it around me. My wrapping in place, I walked around to the back side of the water buffalo and sidled up next to the woman who usually milks it.

I was TERRIBLE. They had been telling me to just kind of squeeze and run my thumb and forefinger down the udder thing and milk would come out, but it totally didn't. I could feel the milk rushing back up past my fingers, and besides creeping me out, I knew that couldn't be comfortable for the water buffalo. The lady tried to show me, but I don't speak Telugu, she doesn't speak English, and I was nervous. In the end I had to pinch, pull and smash the poor, tender-looking little appendage to get any milk out, and all I could think was that it looked very painful, and I wasn't producing much milk. I think the water buffalo was quite annoyed with me because she kept swishing her tail and smacking me in the face, but hey, turnabout is fair play. Some video, some pictures, and an interesting encounter feeding a goat that ended in it trying to head butt me, and we were done. The family, members at Isaac's church, asked us to pray before we left and I noticed that they had written over their doorpost "God is Love." I thought that was very sweet and meaningful, more so than any of the store-bought signs in America.

As we were riding the auto-rickshaw back (Cynthia and I got to ride on the motorcycle with Rajanikanth on the way out there), we stopped at a Hindu temple. Bryce, Cynthia, Rajanikanth, the auto-rickshaw driver, another SH helper and I all got out and walked around inside. It was very interesting, and they had a recording of a chant playing over and over while an older man and two boys played drums and sang. I did my best to be respectful of these people and their beliefs, but the idols were just so dead looking to me. I couldn't understand how someone could actually think this statue could help them. As we were leaving, Rajanikanth said it best: "They are human creations." And that was that!

While I'm here, let me tell you a little bit about yesterday's slum experiences. The morning experience was wonderful, just a line of patient, hungry children waiting for their turn to get their food and have their picture taken. The afternoon, however, was a completely different ball of wax, and I think it's primarily because of the addition of adults to the mix. No one would stay in line, everyone was pushing, several people were hitting each other, and when you tried to give out food you were bombarded by hands on every side. When I was handing out the food I finally had to stick both hands up in the air and yell "HEY!" in my best coach voice. They gave me a little room after that, but not for very long. I think the thing that bothered me the most was that the old people and the children were being hit and pushed out of the way by the grown-ups because they wanted their food first. I got so angry at that! I wasn't angry necessarily at them, but at human nature and at how cruel we can be to each other. If the morning was blissful tranquility, this was an angry mob.

I also just got so angry because we went to two slums right near each other, and tons of people from the first slum followed us over to the second slum and tried to get more. I saw one little boy from the first slum line up again and get food, only to have it snatched from his hands by an adult, who then shoved him back to the front to get more. The people that did get caught trying to get seconds didn't seem sorry or scared that they wouldn't get enough food for their families -- they were laughing!! They thought they were trying to pull a good one over on the people who had come to help. It made me sorry I'd even brought them food. I talked to Emily about it and she encouraged me to realize that I have no idea what their situation is like, and I know she's right, but I just wanted to snatch the food back from every pushing, selfish adult and give it to the kids and old people. I mean, in our home, if you push and hit to get something, that gets things taken away from you. It's just not okay. Oh, and the only help we had from the slum people was from a drunk guy who was physically fighting with a couple women and another guy who had a stick and kept hitting at the people's feet to get them to move back. Isaac, God bless him, yanked the stick out of his hands and clearly promised to hit the man himself if he did that again.

It definitely wasn't my favorite experience of the trip, but I think it was important, too. I guess those people were just extremely hungry, but it sure felt a lot like they were looking out for number 1. I truly hope that I don't sound harsh or uncompassionate, but I think that it is a very difficult thing to understand what it is to not have your basic needs met. I mean, we haven't even had a chance to get hungry before a meal since we've been here because Rajanikanth and the Palaparthis have been feeding us so much and so (!!) well. I'm trying to understand, but I see the ugliness of the mob and it hardens my heart. I think it helps me understand even more how amazing Jesus was that he could pray and forgive and love the mob that crucified him while I became bitter and hard-hearted when I got pushed a little.

I've been having such a fabulous time here, but I'm ready to come home, I think. I could live at SH for the rest of my life, but the rest of India is a little stressful for me. Plus, we're all dying for some pizza.

Peace and love...

More Sponsors Needed

2008-01-05T02:54:00.000-08:00

As we expected, more children have been identified as very good candidates for SH. We accepted the first three on the spot: Swathi, Mouneka, and Lakshmi, because we had sponsors waiting. Since then, we have been asked about five more. I'll share what I know about them at this point, and I'm praying that someone reading this blog will want to sponsor. I wish I could sponsor them all. In case you don't know, sponsorship of a child is $30 per month, tax deductible. We also request a one time additional donation of $50 the first month (to total $80) to cover the start up costs of school uniforms, personal toiletries, a sleeping mat, school books, etc. The $30 per month pays for food and recurring expenses for that child. Here are the children.

Raj Mahendra - His father died in a truck accident, and his mother is wasting away from some lung disease, although we were told it wasn't TB. He is currently a dish washer and hasn't been to school for a long time due to poverty. He very much wants to study. I was shocked to learn that he is about 15 years old because he is so small. Isaac says he has had very poor nutrition. Even though this boy is already 15, providing him with a few years of education can still make a very big difference in his future.

Kavitha and Surekha- They are both girls from the tent area, or some of the 'outside people.' Shortly after I blogged about how much I appreciated being sheilded from requests that had not been pre-screened, I was cornered by two women and their daughters from the tent area. They were emphatically pointing to the girls, and then to SH, and saying 'school.' I think it must have been difficult for them to approach us, but they must see it as a chance that cannot be passed up since their daughters' entire futures are at stake.

Kavitha - Her father left them and her mother is a fruit seller with several children, as is so common. She is 14 and would very much like to go back to school, which she had to stop once her father left. Her mother cannot afford to feed all of her children, and certainly doesn't have enough money to send them to school.

Surekha - Her father is a drunk and abuses both Surekha and her mother. Due to poverty, Surekha no longer attends school. Her father is tired of feeding her and is ready to put her to work as a dish washer in a restaurant. At age 12, she will soon be working for a meager living with no hope of a better future. I asked Isaac if the fathers of these girls would cause trouble and take the girls out if their mothers admitted them. He said that these girls are both in situations where their fathers want to be rid of them, and he said there is no chance of trouble from the fathers.

When we were asking Isaac about the two tent girls last night, he mentioned two other girls he has in mind. He described them as two beautiful, sweet, neat girls that he would be happy to admit. They are sisters from an area church. Their grandmother has been requesting admittance for them for several months. Isaac called yesterday, and this morning the grandmother and the preacher (Isaac's friend), brought them to meet us and have their photos taken. I could tell that their hair had been fixed with great care for the occasion, and they did make a good impression. The grandmother knows the importance of making arrangements for them since she is old and impoverished. I know she must be wondering what will become of them once she is gone.

Priyanka, age 13, and Ratnadeeptha, age 14 - First of all, the younger sister is taller. Their father was also a drunk, and one night while returning home, very drunk, he fell off a boat and drowned in one of the canals. After this, their mother cared for them for six months, and then she left them. No one knows where she went. I don't know how long ago that was. Since then, their grandmother has cared for them, but she can't earn enough to feed them, much less send them to school. The older sister, Ratnadeeptha, has some problem with her lip and her speech. Isaac says it causes a problem for her because she can't speak clearly. We were wondering if she might have a cleft palate, but there is no way we'll know until she is sponsored and is evaluated by a doctor. If you are interested in sponsoring Ratnadeeptha, there is a good chance she will have some additional medical expenses at some point.

There is one other boy that I don't have a photo of. We saw him in the slum area this morning, and Rajanikanth took me to him specifically. I couldn't say how old he is, but he is about the size of my ten year old daughter. He clearly has a number of health problems. He was found abandoned in a train station, and Rajanikanth has been visiting him regularly and trying to help with the little money he can give. Rajanikanth turned the boys head so I could see a large amount of pus in his ear and a very swollen jaw. He also had unhealed sores on his leg and a slightly misshapen chest. I was told that he suffers from fits and falling down, and when Rajanikanth gave him 10 rupees (about 25 cents), he had trouble getting the money into the tattered pocket of his filthy shirt. I asked who was caring for him now, and learned that the preacher at the slum church was helping him some. This isn't some outside preacher who walks over from the middle class area, but a tribal man in the midst of his own, also very poor. I asked how we could help, and the first step is to get him to a hospital for evaluation and treatment, which I think will do wonders for him. Then he will be evaluated for entry into SH if he is a good candidate. We might not be equipped to help him if he is mentally retarded or has something serious and contagious, but we will try to get him whatever help he needs. It was hard to tell what his mental state is - his physical problems are so big right now that they must be addressed as soon as possible in order to save his life. I really think that infection of his jaw and ear are life threatening. I asked to see him again later, so we could get a good photo to post here, but I was told, "All he knows is food. We gave him the 10 rupees, and he has gone to buy something to eat."

If anyone reading this is interested in helping in any way, please let us know via email, amanda@sanctuaryhome.org. Please pray for these kids and the many more that will not have this chance.

Beautiful Disaster

2008-01-04T23:42:00.000-08:00

by Cynthia

I didn't know what today would hold for me. Those of you who know me know that I am a very emotional person. I think that a lot of these photographs portray that...actually, I think that all of my photography shown of this blog portrays that. That is why I mainly shoot faces, because I like to show what people are feeling. Rarely do I shoot anything besides people. These photographs are special to me, and while they can't even compare to being there with us, I hope that somehow you can see into their eyes and understand what we are seeing everyday...and how because of it, we will be forever changed. I see a SH child and I see a very loved child and I love them also. But then I see a slum child and I see a child who, when you look into their eyes, may not know love, but is intimately intertwined with grief and pain and hunger, and that makes me love them more, and want to show them the love of a Father that they may not even know that they have. So if you rushed through these pictures, please go back and look at them a little closer and pray for these children.

When we arrived, I was surprised at how clean everything looked. I got out and was not shy about going up to the children and taking their picture. I walked around the crowd and the couple houses right by where we were handing out food. Ray and I found out that the ladies in the first house were drying out smoking tobacco. As I continued to walk among the children, there were mixed reactions. Some of the smaller ones were crying, but some (even worse) had that blank, endless look in their eye like the world had no meanilng to them. Others, however, were smiling and laughing. There was one girl who continued to follow me around; I think she shook my hand about thirty times! I even saw one boy, probably six, share part of his bread with his younger sister when she had finished hers (okay, I admit it, I cried a little then).

As I watched 200 people, mostly children, recieve food, I realized just how blessed I am, and how little it takes to feed so many people. As I was looking around, I had the song Beautiful Disaster playing in my head...and it was very appropriate, in my mind, of what our world is and has come to. Isaac would like to continue doing this work by going out one day a week to the slum and handing out food. This benefits everyone there, but mostly the many children who live there. For between $150-200 a visit an entire slum area can be feed!!! If anyone is interested in this, please contact Amanda.

We are visiting another slum later this afternoon, and I can't wait to share more stories with you. And I am definitely going to be more mindful of my eating habits as I return to the US. Shalom.

Dum Dums Save

2008-01-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

There was an anonymous donation (from my wife Diana) that has brought new life back to team India. For several days our energy level kept falling and we could find nothing to help us out. Then out of the blue an angel appeared (Amanda). She asked for something sweet to eat that might increase her blood sugar, since there is no sugar in what we eat. We looked everywhere for something with sugar, but nothing could be found. Then all of a sudden I remembered the anonymous donation of dum dum suckers for the children. With a quick calculation we realized we had many more dum dums than we needed. As soon as we began to eat the candies our energy level was substantially better. So along with our daily vitamins and malaria medication, we include a dum dum for our health and well being. Many thanks for your generous donation!
And by the way, "nanu ninnu premisthu nannu!"

-Charles

Holy Cow

2008-01-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

Today we went shopping in Vijayawada, a city of about 700,000, an hour or so from Tenali. We went to buy gifts for our loved ones back home and a few for ourselves. Nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary. In front of one of the places we stopped, I stood to observe the traffic. This very heavy traffic consists of people walking, auto rickshaws, motorcycles, bicycles, giant buses, and even an automobile once in a while. All are going different speeds, honking, not out of anger like in the U.S., but to signal something like passing or you are in the way. And there are no street lights, stop signs or signals of any kind, much less a policeman. But this isn't the weird part yet. That came when a Brama cow came strolling down the road (of course obeying all the traffic rules) only to "park" himself between a couple of motorcycles in front of a small shop. He stood there as if waiting for something, so I kept watching! In a short time, the shop attendant came forward with a bowl full of something to give to the Brama cow!! I continued to watch and saw the Brama cow "back out" into very heavy traffic. He wandered slowly down the road only to disappear into the chaos of the street.

-Charles

Day 7: Morning

2008-01-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

Friday, noon. Written by Amanda. We've had a change of plans today. Last night, Isaac's uncle passed away, and we are moving some things around to accomodate his family. He was a follower of Christ, 75 years old, and working up until just ten days ago. The family lives in Vijayawada, a drive of about 40 minutes from here. Mary has gone to work, but is getting her day off changed. When she gets back, we'll all go to Vijayawada to see the family and view the body and give condolences. Then we'll have our shopping day today since we'll already be there. VBS will be postponed a night. We'll have lunch in Vijayawada and stay there until evening. Please pray for Isaac's family, especially with the strain of dealing with a death and burial and hosting so many guests all at the same time.

This morning a sort of traveling salesman came by selling lace. It is all handmade by widows here locally, and he kept telling us, "Dirt Cheap!". I wouldn't say dirt cheap, but it was definitely very reasonable. I think we wanted to buy from him also because he was so entertaining to interact with. He said he was 82 years old.

More interesting news from this morning: another new child came today. Her situation is similar to Mounika's. Her name is Lakshmi, and she doesn't know her age. Her mother is a fairly young widow with four children, and a member of a nearby church. The preacher at their church brought them to request admittance. The mother is in ill health and earns a little money by selling fruit at the side of a road, but as is so common here, it isn't enough to feed all four children and herself since there is no income from a husband. The girl she brought, her youngest, is maybe 11 - the mother doesn't know either. We were told that she suffers from "lack of blood" and I wondered if it might be anemia. She also has very rough, scaly skin, and the opinion of the Indians is that it's the result of poor nutrition. Who knows. Anyway, she has been admitted and already has a sponsor: the mother of one of our team members. We don't want to take on an unlimited number of children, but it is so hard for us to turn them away. I know Isaac and Rajanikanth are sort of pre-screening and do not let any requests reach us unless they already approve. I can't imagine how many children they have to say 'no' to on a daily basis. I appreciate the fact that they have not put us in that position.

Bryce and the Shortest Widow

2008-01-03T21:28:00.001-08:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

2008-01-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

The past couple days have been both wonderful and horrifying. The hospital was unlike anything I'd ever experienced, and I was one of the team members that Amanda talked about as weeping from the very beginning. The first people we saw were final stage patients, just lying on cots, contorted in pain, dried vomit still on their lips. I just couldn't stop myself from sobbing. One man asked me to pray over him, and I did, but I was crying the whole time. I wasn't able to compose myself with Randy's other-worldly, purposeful kindness. Through every room and every ward I just cried and cried.

Until we got to the Burn Ward. At first Ellen, Issac and Mary's oldest daughter, said we would not go in there because it was too much to see, but as soon as she told me it was the burn ward something deep inside switched and my game face came on. I knew I could do it and I knew I needed to do it. She protested, reminding me that I'd been crying the whole time, but I said "Yeah, but it'll be okay." After that it was like I was in a protective bubble. I walked up to the room and saw Ray turn back almost immediately after going in. In some deep down part of me I was a little afraid, but more than that I was just aware that whatever was around the corner was completely beyond anything I'd ever experienced or imagined. I turned the corner and came in the room just as Amanda had to turn and leave, hand over her mouth. The smell was intense. The first thought I had was that this poor boy must still be smouldering. It smelled like he was still on fire, and I wanted to put it out. My second though was just one word: Auschwitz. I'd read about the smell of burning flesh and how you never forget it, and that experience will stay with me forever. I didn't cry, though. I was okay with it, somehow. I took a couple pictures, knowing that for some reason that it was important, though I don't think anyone else will ever see them. I don't even want to describe what I saw because it was too graphic. At the same time I felt horrible that this poor, innocent boy should be rendered so revolting that he would have to come with a graphic content advisory. I was completely fine until I laid my hand on his wailing mother and tried to pray for her. I lost it then. I couldn't speak, I couldn't even make words in my head, I just let my heart cry out to God.

I want, or maybe need, to tell you more about my experience with the hospital, but if it is too difficult for you to read, then please don't. Just writing it down and sending it out into the ether makes me feel better. When we came back from the hospital the entire team seemed in shock. I was running on auto-pilot and didn't really cry the rest of the time we were in the hospital. It had been hard before the burn victim, but after that I just wanted to leave. I've realized that no one asked the boy's name. We've always just referred to him as "The Burn Victim" or "That Boy." I think it was too much to add a name to the face. Randy is a missionary nurse and took a look at the pictures afterward (he was occupied elsewhere at the time). He told us that he expected that boy to die within hours, hopefully that night. That gave us all some measure of peace.

Once I got back to the house and I knew I was "safe" I immediately broke down. I had a good cry and felt a little better, but I still felt like I was carrying something toxic in my camera. I felt that I had taken the pictures for a reason, but at the same time I could not imagine what on earth that could be or who on earth I could show the pictures to. I don't even think I can show you guys. I just don't want to expose anyone to it. But again, I felt terrible that this boy should be hidden as though he was shameful. I don't know if he was responsible for the fire or not, but he did not deserve that, and he didn't deserve to be turned into a monster. I was afraid to look through my old pictures because I didn't want to come across them before, but just like getting back on the beam after falling down, I forced myself to look at them this morning. They were terrible, but actually not as terrible as they had become in my imagination. Just goes to show that the light is always better than the darkness, because God is light and in Him is no darkness. It is always better to expose things to the light of truth and knowledge than to let them fester in the darkness. Once again I was okay looking at the pictures. I have no earthly idea why.

Last night our team came back with hearts shattered, and for the first time we glided past each other without speaking. I was afraid our team had been splintered from the pain, but after a rousing dinner and a team devo last night I'm feeling much more relieved and we seem to be stronger and soothed by one another. Amanda thought that God was nowhere in that room, but Jana had an emotional and physical bubble around her that allowed her to minister to them. Ray felt that he had failed by leaving the room so quickly, but Ray leaving acted as a warning to me and is part of what enabled me to walk into that room without flinching.

In better news, yesterday we took all the kids to the beach. Although I got car sick there and back, today I feel great and yesterday was so much fun. I got to teach Ellen and Jony (pronounced Joanie) how to swim in the freaking Bay of Bengal. The kids were so much fun and had a fabulous time jumping over the waves, just like we did growing up in California. We played a rousing game of volleyball and some of the kids made sandcastles that were cones with crosses on the front. I asked the kids what they were, and heard both "house" and "church." To them their house is their church, so it makes wonderful sense!

Two quick pictures of Isaac with the kids:
The first was the other morning when the girls did my hair. I stumbled across Isaac sitting on a cot in one of the rooms, a gaggle of girls surrounding him, laughing and looking at him adoringly. He was giving out lotion for the girls to use on their faces, but he would put it on his finger then get the girls to lean in one by one and playfully dab it on their cheeks and nose. The second just happened this afternoon. The kids went to school this morning and Amanda came across Isaac sitting with the kids on the steps, lovingly asking them what they learned in school today. You cannot really imagine that SH is a family until you see it. I mean, what family has 71 children that are all loved and cared for like a true son or daughter? These people, though, are amazing. Mary is a beautiful mother hen (even over us younger team girls), and Isaac is a compassionate, intelligent and much-beloved father. Sometimes it is hard to read Isaac, but he has an amazing heart and once you get to know him and hear about some of the things that he has done for people you know that this man has a heart of absolute gold.

We love you and feel your prayers while we are here.

Peace and love,
Grace

Cynthia's Photos

2008-01-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

Praveen B.
Rebekha
Swathi
Prabhakar & Samson

Pavan
Babblu
Teja
Pravallika & Anusha

Nagavijay
Pravallika
Chamondeswari
Babblu & Teja P.

Devaraj

Day 6: Widows Conference

2008-01-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

Written by Amanda. This morning we could sleep in a bit, although that isn't easy to do with so many sounds in such close proximity. Still, it was nice that the widows conference didn't start until 11am. Actually, the widows and preachers who brought them started arriving much earlier, and they were gathered and singing well before we went over there. This year more widows were present than last year, and one of them proudly showed me her Abilene bag, still in great condition. Something we would use for a day and then throw in the trash has been useful to this woman for a year and more. Several of them showed me their saris, the ones we gave them last year, which have become pretty tattered. I recognized many of their faces. We gave them greetings from Ruth and Isaac asked me to tell about the work process Ruth went through, and the donors who contributed to the widows' support. If any one who is reading this is interested in supporting a widow, it's only $10 per month and it is money so well spent. Some of these old women are so in need. It's hard to believe that they can lift a bag of rice. I was very humbled when several of the oldest and most stooped widows bent over to touch my feet when I gave them the sari and rice. I felt completely unworthy. But I'm skipping ahead to the afternoon portion. In the morning, we were all seated on the stage and took turns speaking. Isaac was the main guy, of course, and led the program. Bryce gave greetings and shared a scripture. Cynthia, Emily, and Grace each shared a brief message with the women. Randy gave a very good message honoring Isaac's late father, Brother P. John, whose death anniversary is today. With so many other things happening today, there was no way they could have a separate memorial service, which they normally do every year. Isaac asked several of us to include some words about his father in the messages we gave. Randy had no idea what Isaac expected of him until he was actually called up to speak, but he did an amazing job, and gave his message that sounded as if he had planned it out perfectly to memorialize Isaac's father. When he sat down, I was complimenting him and such a job well done, and he finally said that he had no idea, it was completely impromptu, and “It wasn't me,” smiling. God put the words in his mouth today. Isaac asked Virginia to give her greetings, and he helped her with what to say. I was so proud of her and the widows clearly enjoyed her. Ray spoke briefly, and then I gave my sermon, and then Jana and Charles gave theirs. It all worked out to fill the amount of time exactly, and everyone did a great job. After all the speaking, we went to Isaac's house (just next door) for lunch, and the widows were served their lunch under a large tent in the SH play area outside. Last year, they were served in the unfinished SH building, but when we raised the money to complete that building for SH, Isaac agreed that it would be living and sleeping quarters for the children only. The tables for the widows could have been set up in the children's common area, but I was glad to see that our agreement was honored and there was no question of using that space for other things. Cynthia walked around among the widows as they had their meal, taking photos.

After lunch, we had the rice and saris distribution. This year there were no group photos, which made the whole thing much smoother and quicker. Still, it was enjoyable mayhem! Isaac called up the group of widows from each congregation, and they lined up at the front to accept a sari and bag of rice, thank us, and return to their seat. Our team took turns doing the actual handing out to the women. Seeing a couple of them with severe cleft lips reminded me that although medical care here is cheap by American standards, it is still far beyond the reach of most people. Have you ever seen a person in the US with an actual cleft lip? I haven't, because it's always fixed during infancy. We live in such a prosperous society. I can't imagine a person living with that defect for so many years, and it isn't even anything but an appearance issue. Cynthia got a fabulous photo of Bryce, out tallest team member, standing next to the shortest widow, who is shorter than Virginia. My favorite part of the sari distribution was the widows who wanted to trade for a different color. Isaac handed out the saris by giving them to the team member who happened to be distributing. Most of the widows, especially early on, just took whatever was given to them. As the program progressed, though, the number of widows who requested a different color grew. He would hand out a blue one, and the widow receiving would shake her head and point to a green one instead. Isaac exchanged some, but then started to get frustrated because once a few widows had done this, more and more tried it. There was also laughter, and I loved knowing that women all over the world, regardless of economic status, are essentially the same. At one point, the men at the sari table took the remaining stack of saris and put them on the floor behind the table so the women would quit asking for a different one. Even so, the very next woman said something as she was handed a brown sari, because Isaac took it back with a sigh and gave her a green one instead. As the widows were leaving, Anil joked that they were all headed to the shops to exchange their saris. For some reason, the fact that these little old stooped and wizened creatures care whether they get a brown or a green sari means a lot to me.

Once the program was over, Isaac talked to two younger women, ages 26 and 27, who were widows as well as HIV patients. He gave them two saris each instead of one, and some money. One of them has two children who had come to SH for two days a while back, but then she had taken them back out. She was asking again if her boys, ages 7 and 10, could join. They explained to her that she would have to make up her mind because it isn't set up to be something they can go in and out of. I asked if her boys would get a second chance, and was told it was depend on her decision. She stood to the side for some time, and her face looked like she would not be able to make any kind of decision with a happy heart. How could she? She is terminally ill, and keeping her children with her puts them more at risk, and I'm sure she has difficulty feeding them. But who can give up their children? I am amazed at the tough decisions so many people here have faced with great courage.

After the widows conference, we headed back to Isaac's house for some rest before the VBS. I noticed that Isaac was sitting in a doorway on the ground, SH children gathered around them. He was asking Akhil what he had learned at school today. How amazing! Isaac had just spent hours working hard, controlling a crowd, overseeing a meal for 250 people, hosting a large group of international guests, and instead of retiring to a private place for some rest, he was asking an insignificant child about which letter of the alphabet he had learned. As I've said before – this is an amazing family.

VBS was fabulous. We did our final planning, directed by Jana, at 5pm. Ellen (Isaac's oldest daughter) was an invaluable help in so many ways, especially with translating. At 6pm, the children were assembled and ready. Many of the tent children had come as well, and Isaac told me later that the food prepared on these four VBS nights would include enough to feed the tent children as well. Our team was delighted to be able to sit on the floor, surrounded by the SH children. Tonight we learned the story of the fiery furnace. First, it was read from the Bible. Next, Jana told the story in her own words. Finally, the children took part in a reenactment of the story. I am too tired to write all the details, but the best part (in my opinion) was the joy with which the children waved their little strips of red, orange, and yellow crepe paper when the fiery furnace blazed hotter. Jana was amazing with the children and the direction of VBS. I am certain that it was a big success, that the children enjoyed it, learned from it, and got the message that they are special to us and to God. We have been so eagerly anticipating the VBS, because it is almost pure fun with the children. The children of SH are the main reason we are here, although many other things are on our agenda.

And now to catch up on the photos for the blog...

Day 5 : Surya Lanka Beach

2008-01-03T09:53:00.000-08:00

On the picnic day, we drove about an hour and a half southeast to the coast. Before we left in our rental SUVs, we were able to see the children piling onto a large bus for their trip. They were crowded in but there were no complaints. We could tell they were so extremely excited. I heard that one of our team members – I think Charles – was up at 6:30, and was greeted by a small child, dressed and ready, his bag with dry clothes already slung over his shoulder. (They didn't leave for several more hours.) I'm sure the children who went last year conveyed that this would be the most fun day of the year for them. Since our last trip, there are over thirty new children, and many of them had never seen the ocean before. We are so thankful to those who donated the money to pay for this special experience for the SH kids. It isn't only fun for them, but it tells them that they're special enough to be included in something like this. It isn't just a day to play and enjoy, but it is money and time and effort expended for them. That message is priceless. Along the way, each vehicle stopped at least once to alleviate car sickness. Eventually we arrived, no one ill, and Isaac rented a room for us to change and shower off in. There were two beds, in case anyone wanted to rest after lunch, but I didn't think there was much chance of that if it meant missing out on watching the kids play.

Last year, I video taped almost the entire beach experience. When I got home, I watched the video, but it didn't do it any kind of justice. This year, I decided that a little taping would be enough. After capturing the kids running into the water with absolute glee, and wading out a bit to record close ups of ecstatic little faces and squeals of delight, I put the camera away and played. It was wonderful! I told Jana later that I hadn't intended to get half as wet as I did. I ended up wading almost to my waist, and later I spent a lot of time sitting in the more shallow water, surrounded by little girls who were inspecting and approving my henna, my toenail polish, laughing, and singing songs. It made my day that they wanted to sit with me. Some of the girls who always seemed to be near me were Pravallika, Rebekha, Chamondeswari, Priyanka, and the new girl, Swathi. Swathi would NOT let go of my hand when we were in the water – she had never experienced anything like that, and I can understand her fear, although she was OK holding on to me. She still laughed a lot and enjoyed herself. The newest girl, Mouneka, came the morning we went to the beach, and she was included with the whole group. How exciting for her to visit the beach on her first day! I was amazed at how well she fit in with other girls her age right from the start. They were very welcoming to her.

While we were in the water, the dhobi, who dropped everything to accompany Jeevanbabu, had been watching him play and tending to him without getting near the water or the rest of our group. I had been so surprised to see him get off the bus when we arrived, but he was there in the group photos at the beginning. Last year he didn't go, and this year they were planning to leave him again. Isaac said he would be afraid of the water, and that he would cause problems because he is so small and would have to be watched so closely. Before we left, we saw Jeevanbabu wailing and crying, and were told it was because he couldn't go. Isaac could see our sad faces at this, and asked me what I thought should be done. I said he should have a special treat since he couldn't go, meaning an ice cream or a toy car or something. I was so glad later that my words were misinterpreted! I could see that after my suggestion, an adult said something to the little boy the immediately calmed him down. Apparently, Isaac got on his cell phone and asked the bus driver to pull over and wait. Jeevanbabu and the dhobi (washer woman) were put on an autorickshaw and caught up to the bus on the outskirts of Tenali, and that was that! No wonder he stopped crying.

After a time in the water, our group had lunch under a large circular pavilion with a beautiful view of the ocean, and then we walked a short distance to the pavilion filled with the SH children enjoying huge plates of rice and lemon chicken. After lunch, the children played on the beach. A volleyball net had been set up, and some of our team played, too. Several of the younger children made sand castles or caught little crabs in the sand. A group of boys and young men – not all with our group – and Virginia (!) played cricket right at the water's edge. We learned how to play kabaddi! You draw a square on the ground and divide it in half, into two rectangles. About five people are on each side, in two teams. One team member jumps into the opposing team's area and chants “kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi” as they exhale. They have to tag one of the opposite team members and then run back to their own side. As soon as they tag someone, though, the opposing team members try to tackle them and prevent them from returning to their own side. It's very interesting! Many of the children played, and some of our team members. The very best part was when Isaac played! I am so thrilled to see again and again how Isaac is much more of a father to the children than an overseer or administrator. He is amazing. I can tell by the looks on the children's faces that they adore him. We had a breakthrough moment on the beach regarding Jeevanbabu. Last year, we could only make him cry and he never let us get near him. Ray threw a soccer ball with him for a few minutes, but even then, Jeevanbabu never smiled. I think everyone on the team knew that Cynthia was the only one of us who might be able to interact with him. Still, I was thrilled to look over at her tossing a ball with him on the beach, and he seemed to be smiling, and not afraid of her. (He has not willingly let any of us near him yet on this trip). Soon after this, Jeevanbabu started talking animatedly to Cynthia and calling her Aunty! And he let her hold him. Cynthia has an amazing way with children, and now that she's broken the ice with Jeevanbabu, he seems less afraid of the rest of us.

After awhile, we loaded up and headed back. Jana followed the children to the bus, where she distributed butterscotch candies to all of the kids. She told them they were from her son, Brenden. As she handed out each candy, each child would shout out, “Thank you to Brenden!” The ride home was long, because we were all exhausted. But it was a good kind of exhausted, and somehow we made it through the hair-raising portion of the drive once it was dark outside – much, much scarier than driving in India during the day.

After a bit of rest and a late supper, the team met on Isaac's roof. It was so nice and cool. We brought our blankets and looked at the beautiful stars, and listened to all the everyday sounds of Indian life around us. Cynthia had a scripture to share with the group, which was so meaningful. We sang songs, and then talked about how we were all doing. We're at the midpoint of the trip, and it was really good to have a group discussion about where we all are emotionally, coping with living even a short time in such a different culture than our own, and praying for each other. It was a very special time. We are all so thankful to be here and I think the team is working so well together, helping each other, and sharing each other's joys and burdens. We have really seen God at work in our group dynamics, as well as in the work we are participating in here.

More from Day 4: Mouneka

2008-01-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

Written by Amanda. Something I forgot about Day 4: Just before we left the church dedication to return to Tenali, Isaac called me over to meet a woman and her four children. They are church members at this new little church. The woman is alone because her husband left her, and she is having a lot of trouble feeding her four kids. The oldest one is a girl, maybe 12 years old, named Mouneka. She has been asking for several months if Isaac would admit her oldest child to SH. He has been putting her off, and told her that now we were here, it was the best time to ask. Isaac said that soon she will drop the education for her kids if she keeps all four of them. She won't be able to pay for both education and food for much longer. I asked Isaac if he thought this was a good match for SH, and he said yes, he thought we should admit the girl. Since I trust his judgment so much, I immediately agreed. Then he started talking to the woman in Telugu, and I asked what he was saying. He was telling her about the 18 years, and that it would be a long-term decision, and she would be agreeing to leave her daughter in SH until her education was complete. During this exchange, I was watching Mouneka's face. She was standing just between her mother and Isaac. I wondered if the mother would have a tough decision about which child to send, and if the child would be upset to leave siblings. As Mouneka listened, her eyes lit up with excitement and she was clearly thrilled at the prospect of this opportunity. The look on her face erased any question I had about her feelings in the matter. She tried to contain her pleasure, but I could still see it there. I understand that SH is not merely an orphanage to house and feed poor children. It is an amazing opportunity and an open door to a bright future. It is the possibility for a very different future for an entire family. It is a wonderful extended family to be a part of, and people here realize that. It isn't “those poor kids with no real home;” it's more like “those lucky kids with hope.”

I was explaining to some of the team members that a child like Mouneka is more difficult to justify admitting to SH when looking for a sponsor. Jana said that Mouneka's admittance would result in not one, but four children getting an education, since the woman would be able to continue both feeding and paying for school (paying for uniform and books for public school, that is). She said that Mouneka's spoinsor should be someone who realized the importance of education. Of course, God has already taken care of this because the next person on our waiting list is a teacher himself.

Jeevanbabu

2008-01-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

By Cynthia

I was not sure exactly what to expect from Jeevanbabu when I came to India. He is the smallest child at Sanctuary Home, so I was automatically drawn to him when I saw his name and age on the list. Ray and Amanda told me that he did not like people very much, that he tended to cry and draw away. Although I tend to be an optimist and don't let what people say deter me, I still was not sure if I would be able to reach out to him during this trip.

Yesterday we went to the beach with all of the children. In the morning we played in the water, but after lunch we played games in the sand. I had been walking along the shore with Swathi, a new girl, along the shore, but she decided to build a sand castle. As I was walking back up towards the majority of the group, a ball rolled to me. I grabbed it and as I looked to see where it came from, I realized that Jeebanbabu had been playing with it, so I rolled it back to him. A huge grin came over his face and he rolled it back to me, and thus a game began. I cannot express how excited I was! After a while I threw it to him and he caught it, so I clapped and said "yay, Jeevanbabu!", and he got so excited that he started laughing and clapping. This, the boy who usually wears an expressionless face. After that, much clapping and cheering occurred on both our ends. Our interaction did not end there. After ball, we found an old paper plate and transported sand from one side of the wall to the other. Then we played in the sand. Then we filled up an old water bottle with sand repeatedly and dumped it out. After that a few other boys helped us pile up sand and then we set him on it and then shovel it from under him so he would slowly fall down. He was laughing and speaking to me in Telugu and calling me auntie. I wish so badly that I could understand what he was saying to me! At one point he even let me hold him and sat in my lap at another point. He completely made my day!

Then today, I was taking pictures for the widows conference, which was wonderful...widows and orphans both really speak to me. Then, there he was, with a worker from Sanctuary Home. I smiled and waved, and he grinned at me. My heart melted! But I was called to go to lunch. However, I returned just after lunch, and saw him sitting on the steps. I sat next to him and he smiled at me. I took a picture of him and showed it to him. The children love it when you do this; all of them gather when you have a camera, but Jeevanbabu is never able to do this because he has never come to us. He got so excited to see himself! I took a couple more pictures for him before some more boys showed up, and then we took some group shots. He followed me around with a couple other boys as I prayed for widows and took pictures. Then I played with him, tickling him and making silly noises, and he was laughing and wiggling so hard that I thought the other boy holding him might fall over!!!

Jeevanbabu still is not comfortable with me without the other children; he needs to see that they like me and are smiling and having fun with me in order to have fun with me, I think. But it takes steps to get somewhere, and I feel like God is at work everywhere here at Sanctuary Home, but particularly in Jeevanbabu. I love all the children here, but Jeevanbabu has a very special place in my heart. I keep joking that I want to take him home and that he would fit in my carry-on! Please pray for all the children at Sanctuary Home, but also say a special prayer for Jeevanbabu tonight.

Reflections on the Hospital Visit

2008-01-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

Written by Ray.
For me, yesterday's hospital visit was overwhelming. I was sad, scared, and angry all at the same time. I was sad for the patients and their suffering. I was scared to see what conditions people can be in. And I was angry that God would allow it to happen. I know that there are worse things that happen in the world than what I saw yesterday, but for me this was truly horrific, like a horror movie come to life. And there wasn't anything that I could do to make a meaningful difference. I was overcome with all these emotions at once.
When we returned home, everyone on the team was extremely solemn. Virginia laid on her bed and cried and I tried to comfort her. We talked about pain and suffering. We talked about how unfair the world is sometimes. We talked about how much our family has to be thankful for. Still, nothing made either of us feel much better. Then, a thought popped into my mind that seemed to give us a little comfort. The thought was this: We're looking at the middle of a story, but the story is far from over. For those patients who will only live a few more long painful days, their story hasn't ended yet. And even death is not the end of their story.

Virginia's New Year's Experience

2008-01-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

New Year's Celebration, written by Virginia. That was my most memorable New Year ever! We stayed in church from 11:30 to 12:30, and at the end Mom (Amanda) cut the cake and we all got a piece. After we all shook hands and said "Happy New Year". But after that we went and walked on a path to a big area where they had a big star made out of paper. But what made me uncomfortable was that everybody said "Happy New Year" and shook our hands. (The shaking hands made me nervous.) We went to several other places like this, the last place we went there was a HUGE paper star. I mean Bryce was close to the two bottom points of the star, it was just Huge. It was exciting and tiring, especially since we get up at 8:00am tomorrow.

Hospital Follow-Up

2008-01-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

I am glad that I wrote the hospital post when I did. Last night our team (not Virginia, who was asleep) talked a lot about it, and the feelings of intense emotional turmoil are already past. I can think about it now without freaking out. You are probably wondering about Virginia at the hospital: she was with an adult at all times, we were so careful that her hands were sanitized often and that she didn't touch anything she didn't have to. She didn't touch any of the patients at the hospital, following my direction. She didn't see any of the worst patients, but she was still really sad when we got home and she and Ray talked and processed about if for awhile. When I was thinking about it later, I was thinking that God was nowhere in that burn patient's room. Nowhere. But when the team talked about it I changed my mind. Remember how I wrote about the smell? It really was the worst smell ever, and it was so very strong. Those of us who didn't go in, but stayed in the hall, still smelled it and remembered it. Jana was the first to enter the room, and she was in the longest. When she read my post, she was shaking her head, saying "I never smelled anything." She had also pointed out that the two of us (she and I) most likely to weep over something sad were the two who entered that awful room, and how amazed she was to have been in there that long with no tears. I didn't know it, but Grace went in, and she put her hand on the mother's shoulder and prayed for them. Jana (even before she knew about the smell) felt that an angel was with her in that room, and that she was somehow given the ability to keep an encouraging stance until after she left the room. I guess God was there after all. I have to think that we did some good encouraging them. When we got back, Charles took up a collection for the man's family. Randy thinks he won't survive long, but if so, it will help, and if not, it will help his family.

Day 4 Photos

2008-01-01T08:23:00.001-08:00

Day 4: Th Hospital (or The Problem of Suffering Like Never Seen Before)

2008-01-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

Day 4, 7:00pm. Written by Amanda. Today we took food to distribute to a government hospital. In India, hospitals operate differently. Patients get a bed in the hospital, but their families are responsible for caring for them and bringing them food. They do get some medical care, but it is minimal compared to what we expect in the US. The hospital we visited today requires patients to pay about 40 % of the fee, and the patients are all very poor. Paying the fees is a big struggle for them. We took each patient two bananas and two eggs. That is the official description. My actual experience was more intense.

We arrived at a big building and started going room to room, always under Isaac's direction. The first couple of patients looked pretty bad, old women – I think – contorted uncomfortably in their beds. We would go to the large boxes, get the predetermined two bananas and two boiled eggs, lay them carefully on the patients' beds, and move on. The plan was to not touch anyone and use our hand sanitizer liberally. We used tons of hand sanitizer, but the part about not touching people went out the window. Immediately, Randy (accurately described by Jana as an angel) started touching people when he handed out the food. He held their hands, stroked their heads, and prayed over so many of them. Isaac seemed uncomfortable with this, and we explained that Randy is a nurse by trade and has traveled to many places in the world to conduct medical camps. I don't know if Isaac was OK with it at this point, or if he realized that there was no point in protesting. Randy was clearly in his element. At first, I hid behind my video camera and was able to control my tears, although I would have liked to cry about these suffering people with no food and no one to help them. I was proud of myself, because I saw a couple of the team members weeping right from the start. I told myself that I had been emotional on the last trip, but now I was more experienced and mature. I wasn't going to cry. Part of the reason I didn't want to cry was because it isn't about me. It's about those patients we're giving the food to. If anyone should be crying, it's them. Crying would make people worry about me and ask if I was OK. I didn't want to detract from the people we were there to serve. I guess I knew that once I put down the video camera and handed out some food, that would all fly out the window and I would cry.

The next stage for me was the ward with orthopedic patients, maybe 25 people in a room in beds all lined up. I knew I had to do it, so I gave the camera to Bryce and took some bananas and eggs. I had made up my mind to pray over and hold the hand of whomever I gave the food to, because I was afraid of doing that and I wanted to get it over with. I approached an old woman with her leg in traction, held in place with a pin, her other leg bowed pretty seriously. I put my hand on her shoulder and prayed for her. Another woman was with her and started telling me something after I prayed. Ellen came over to help me, and said that the woman was asking for some money because she has nothing and needs some support. I knew that she wasn't more in need that half of the other patients, and there was no way I could give her money without having to give money to a hundred others. I wasn't prepared for that. When I watched Randy, I wished I could be like him – touching and praying and really giving comfort and hope. But when I prayed over the woman, I felt horrible. Who am I to ask any special intervention on her behalf? It felt like a drop in the bucket, if that much, and I felt lousy for giving her such a small gift of two bananas and two eggs. It sucked. And I had to shake my head about the money and move on to the next room.

The next stage was where time stopped and everything came crashing down, and in the course of about ten seconds. I revisited my personal explanations for the problem of pain and suffering, and found them completely lacking. I don't feel like there are any good explanations out there. Back home, it's a neat little package that has to do with sin being in the world, and I can accept that when I hear about something bad. I had prepared the team earlier in the trip by letting them know that we would be going into some rooms with “final stage” patients, as Isaac put it. Apparently, knowing ahead of time isn't preparation enough. I don't know how anything could prepare me enough. And I don't think repeated exposure would help. I was with Jana, who had the allotted food for one patient, and I had the video camera. I was just going to follow her into one of these rooms and get it on tape, and then leave, a little sadder. We got to the end of this long hall and turned into the last room. Jana went in before me, and I wanted to pull her back and keep her away from him. I might have seen her tense for a second, but then she didn't flinch, and I think she put on a smile, determined to encourage. I wanted to grab her hand when she laid the bananas and eggs next to him on the bed, because I was so afraid my friend would be contaminated. The young man was sitting on the foot of the bed. I'm sure he couldn't lay down because the open burn wounds almost completely covering his upper body would have hurt so much more. His skin had come off and he was infected. At first, I thought he had some kind of growth all over him, because it was black, blue, green, yellow. I didn't feel a lot better when I heard the words “burn victim”, but at least then I knew it wasn't contagious. All of this happened in a couple of seconds, which was about how long it took to smell him. It was a revolting, sickening, horrible pungent smell, so rotten, and it filled the stuffy room completely. I have never smelled anything so bad. The fact that it was a living human being made it so much worse. I never want to again, and I never want to see the footage I took or the photos taken by Anil. After a very short time, I shoved my way through the people crowding the door, because I couldn't stay there without showing him that the very smell and sight of him was so offensive as to make me sick. I felt terrible at leaving Jana in there. I lost it. I couldn't stop seeing him and smelling that awful smell, so I put the end of my punjabi shawl over my face, trying to block out the smell, hide my tears, and keep the others from seeing me hyperventilate. I was ashamed at having fallen apart, especially when I could hear the man's mother weeping in the room. I could still smell it, even as we were leaving the hospital. Jana said later that Isaac had given the woman some money to help care for him. I put my video camera away and thought “I'm done with this.” I didn't care to go in any more rooms or hand out any more food. It was absolute suffering, and there was no answer. I am so thankful that my young daughter was kept away from the final stage rooms.

It wasn't lost on me that the rest of the team, particularly the younger members, were now holding it together quite well. I had thought highly of myself at the start! I kept telling myself, “It's not about me.” I stayed in the hall then, recovering (as if it were about me), but then I saw a baby through one of the windows. I took a deep breath and went into the room, and was told it wasn't full of sick babies, but of new mothers and tiny newborns. This room was full of joy, and the poor mothers received the bananas and eggs with smiles. It doesn't feel like any kind of happy ending; more like a band-aid on a spurting artery. Still, I'm glad it wasn't all horror.

So why does God let people suffer?

Day 4 - Church Dedication

2008-01-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

Day 4, 9:05pm. Written by Amanda. After four short hours of sleep, we were up early to go to a church dedication immediately after breakfast. It was a pretty long and draining day. The drive was over an hour, on fairly winding and sometimes bumpy roads. The scenery was great – rice paddies, water buffalo, Hindu temples, laborers. About ¾ of the way there, we pulled over (again) to get some air and stretch our legs. We stopped on a small road between towns, rice paddies on either side and widely spaced huts in what would be considered the ditch by the side of the road. The people living in these huts are workers in the rice paddies. We stopped very near one of these huts, and approached it to look at the variety of puppies and chickens running around. All of a sudden I had a brilliant idea: I wanted to leave the laborer a surprise gift for New Year's Day. He was out working in the field at the time. I asked Mary if it would be OK, and went to the car for a 500 rupee note. It's about the equivalent of $12 for me, but for an American working full time for minimum wage, it would be like $500. I had asked the salaries of the people working in the fields here, and was told it was something like 10 bags of rice per year. The salary I've heard in the past for rice paddy workers is $1 per day. Anyway, while I was getting the money out of the car, Mary actually called the man, because she had misunderstood that I wanted it to be a surprise. Instead of giving him the money, I asked Mary to ask him if I could look in his house. He did the head bobble (meaning yes) and raised up the thin fabric that half obscuring the doorway. I use the term doorway pretty loosely here; the hut was a very small area surrounded by sticks and dried palm leaves, with a palm leaf roof. The worker himself was tall and thin, gray headed, lanky, and looked like he might do better walking with a cane. I went into his little house and looked around. I took the lids off of two pots, but they were filled with water, so I finally decided to leave the money among his little pile of dirty dishes, inside a cup. When I exited, he was looking at me kind of quizzically. I guess he knows by now why I wanted to check it out.

The church dedication was just like the church dedication last year, and also much like the many gospel meetings we attended last time. This one was very near an inlet of the Bay of Bengal, and we viewed boats and fishermen with nets while we listened to Bryce and Randy speak. They did an excellent job. Before we ever went in to sit down, I asked Mary if there was a toilet around, and all of the girls trekked behind the church building and through some sand to a little enclosure with a dried palm leaf door. The floor of this toilet was some slate stones and some dirt. There was no actual toilet. We had a little female council to decide what was the best plan of action. Emily went first, and after awhile, we heard her asking for help – she had lost the drawstring to her punjabi dress. As soon as the word was out, she had multiple Indian women around her, raising up her shirt and working at her waist on re-threading the drawstring. A picture says it all. Emily was very embarrassed, but the rest of us (girls) were very entertained by it all.

During the preaching part, a drunk showed up and was causing trouble, and I think he was given 10 rupees just to get rid of him. The thought seemed to be that he would go buy some more alcohol for himself. After the service, I cut the ribbon on the new building, which is already too tiny to hold all of the members. Then they served us lunch – I was pretty anxious about it, since it was served on a sort of pressed leaf and consisted of rice, dal, and chicken. Isaac asked us to please eat a little. It was delicious! Soon it was time head back to SH and get ready for the medical hospital. No one got sick from the food – great newsl.

New Years Eve Celebration

2008-01-01T08:14:00.000-08:00

(by Amanda) We were back in the church assembly area by 11:30. It was like a church service in many respects, but seemed more formal. Everying was wearing their best, and the SH children had on their new clothes from earlier in the day. The lights were on and the stage area was surprisingly bright – uncomfortably so. We were lined up in chairs behind the pulpit again. Jana, Cynthia, Grace, Emily, and I had all been dressed up in Mary's beautiful saris and wore fresh jasmine in our hair. Charles and Ray each gave a sermon, one right after the other. While Charles preached, the clock turned to midnight, and fireworks went off in the background. Although there was a slight breeze, it was pretty hot up there under the lights and wearing the voluminous saris. What a challenge to stay awake! It was draining. A number of people in the audience were nodding off, but we thought it might be frowned on for an honored guest to do likewise. The church building was hung with multicolored lights in long strands all around the edges. Skipping ahead – finally, it was over. Next we cut a New Year's cake and everyone got a tiny piece. About two hundred people shook our hands and said Happy New Year.

Anil took us downstairs to look at the nativity scene set up in SH, made by the children. Afterwards, he and Rajanikanth took us down several Tenali streets through a neighborhood to see the colorful rice patterns done on the ground outside so many front doors. We heard many more voices call, “Happy New Year!” and shook lots of hands, and yes, used lots of hand sanitizer. It was after 3am when we got to sleep...

Day 3: The Marathon

2007-12-31T08:09:00.000-08:00

Day 3, New Year's Eve, 9:40pm. Written by Amanda.

This morning we had another late breakfast. We were supposed to be up and eating at 8:30, but it happened later than that. The Indian view of time is much less exact than the American view. We were supposed to start the gift distribution at 9am, but it was closer to 10am. The attitude towards late starts, and everything else for that matter, is "no problem." It is such a relaxing way to live life! After breakfast and getting all ready to go do the gift program, we girls were adorned with lengths of jasmine flowers in our hair. They smelled so sweet. This little addition made us all feel special, and a bit more Indian.

The presentation was a true marathon. The children were assembled in the church area on the second floor, just above their living quarters. The boys sat in rows on the left, the girls on the right. Before we really got down to business, each of us spoke briefly to the children. WHen it was my turn, I also told the children about Mason Myrtle, a 13 year old in Virginia who spent time fundraising for them last summer. I showed the craft Mason made to sell, and explained that he had provided money for some of their sports equipment. When I showed his photo, their faces lit up with excitement. They were so pleased to know that someone their own age could do so much.

Despite efforts at organization, the gift distribution was a little crazy. There was a box of Bibles next to Isaac, which were given to the forty children who are old enough for the responsibility and can also read (Telugu, not English). Each child was given two new outfits. One of these was actually given to them on Christmas Day. As Isaac called each name, the staff members at left would find the child's gift of clothing, which was in labeled plastic bags. He would check his Bible list to see if the child needed a Bible. A few of our team members would thumb through the cards from the sponsors, add a picture drawn by a child from Highland, and present all the items to the child. Then the child would turn to the camera and recite after Isaac: "I am thankful to Jana and Richard Beck. Ta-ta Jana and Richard!" This was done for each sponsor. Bryce got it all on video, and Jana took individual photos as the children came up. The other team members mingled among the waiting children, talking, taking photos, making faces, giving high fives. It would have been much more efficient to have had an assembly line with multiple adults moving the children through the line, but the children need the recognition and encouragement the individual attention gives them. For that matter, Sanctuary Home could operate like an assembly line, but it is the opposite: a family. I doubt if I can make you truly believe that, because seventy children in one family is insane. Yet that's exactly how it is. Maybe it's a little insane at times, but this amazing group of children and adults really do operate as a family. You just have to see it to believe it.

After lunch and rest, we drifted next door back to the children. We can't seem to rest when we're supposed to, or at least not for long, because the children are so appealing. We can't stand to miss out on what the kids are doing. Some of them were gathered in the shade between Isaac's house and SH, and I asked them to sing for us. This didn't translate, so I found Ellen, who is always a huge help in any translation. She directed them and kept them in line as they clamored to perform next. I can imagine that they were saying, "My turn! Me next!" They sang several songs with dancing, and it was wonderful. Their joyful faces when they performed showed how much they enjoyed pleasing us. We clapped enthusiastically after each song.

The medical camp was later in the day. We took two vehicles to an average looking area. I had expected a real slum, since those were the people who would benefit from the free clinic. Isaac explained that there were several large slum areas nearby, but that the doctors would not come if the camp itself was in the middle of a slum. The people walked, but they didn't have to go far. It was Isaac's first time to organize such an event, and he was clearly pleased that it was such a success. The doctors, five different specialists, volunteered their time from 2pm until 6pm, and they had to turn people away at the end. We saw several people with serious medical conditions. I particularly remember a little boy with a badly misshapen chest from tuberculosis. There were also many very elderly people, hobbling in with walking sticks. Still, they wanted their pictures taken. These poor, poor people, with no money for medical care, clothes that are seriously tattered, obviously difficult day to day lives - it amazes me when I see joy on their faces. We had flowers in our hair, and so did they. I guess you don't have to be rich to be happy. No matter how poor you are, you can wear flowers in your hair. Poor doesn't equal sadness. Why would it?

After a while at the medical camp, the ladies and gents (as Isaac puts it) in our party went separate ways. The guys rode in one of the vehicles to a sports store, where they purchased some cricket bats to keep and some to give to the kids. They'll have to blog about that experience since I wasn't with them. The girls had a fabulous time from the moment we stuffed into the other SUV and headed for the punjabi dress store. The driver was playing some Indian modern music, and I can't really describe the feeling of driving down the packed streets with the Indian music, drinking sweet lassis. Jony had arrived from her university, and she did some Indian dance moves in the back seat, which Virginia copied quite well. The punjabi dress shop had room for a very few people, and there were many more packed in than was comfortable. We took turns at the counter choosing outfits. They kept bringing out more and more, and they either weren't the right size or weren't pretty to us. Finally, after a really long time, each of us was satisfied with one outfit. I'll post photos after tomorrow, when we wear them. Next, we went to a little trinket shop and Jana bought hair clips for the SH girls, and we got henna and bangles for ourselves.

Now I MUST get next door for the New Year's assembly - like a church service - which I will blog about in the morning. You can feel the excitement and Mary has dressed us all up in her beautiful saris!

India: The "Real" World

2007-12-31T05:34:00.000-08:00

Posted by Ray:
Yesterday I realized why I like India so much. Everything here just seems more "real" than in America. I remember Linda Egle telling us that after being in India, America seems very sterile. In India there are more colors on display, more sounds, more smells. People don't spend a lot of effort trying to put on personas. They are who they are. Everyone seems more genuine. If you're interested in what a stranger is doing, you just go and look over his shoulder. If you are doing something peculiar, a crowd will stop to watch you. If you need to empty your bladder, you just stop and do it (although I haven't tried this yet).
Everyone here is part of the community. People's lives and daily routines overlap so much here. America very much values its privacy. We tend to live in isolation from strangers, and even from our neighbors. Issac's house is about six feet from the neighbor's house. You hear your neighbors and strangers before you ever get out of bed in the morning. Standing in front of your house, people come by with their water buffalos, some are selling produce, others are delivering products. But there is a certain sense that you're all in this together.
Isaac has a very nice house by local standards, but it seems that it is always open to guests. He has a pump for a well and occasionally the homeless people that are nearby will come to get water to drink. Isaac and his family are extremely hospitable and are always sharing of what they have. His family will refuse to sleep in beds if visitors are staying in his house. Last year they slept on the floor of their main room and gave their beds to us. They also had about 15 girls sleeping in the main room as well.
Isaac's family as well as the children of Sanctuary Home have gone out of their way to welcome us and make us feel comfortable. I think we have all learned what it means to be a good host by being here.

Day... something

2007-12-30T22:41:00.000-08:00

Written by Emily and Grace.

It's hard to tell which day of the week it is, much less which day of our trip it is, so I'll leave that to Amanda to sort out. It feels like we've already been here... forever! Life in Abilene seems distant and vague compared to the amazing cacophony of sights, smells and sounds of India! Life in Hyderabad was a little bit of sensory overload, but now we have settled into a sweetly... simple, relaxed, vibrant, etc. way of life. It's difficult to explain India in words! It's so unique and beautiful.

For me (Grace), my favorite thing so far happened this morning. I woke up early, around 6 or 6:30, and wandered outside in my pajamas while it was still cool. All the kids were already up and were busy bathing and doing their hair. I wanted to just watch some of the girls fix their beautiful hair, but once I got near they wanted to do mine, too. They have some smoothing oil they use on their thick hair, and not understanding my flimsy Hall hair they slathered a ton on top of my head, too! Now it kind of looks like I haven't bathed in a month or so, but it's cute. They took great pains combing my hair and putting it into two pigtails, and let me attempt braiding one of the girls' long hair. Unfortunately, I am not as adept as they are at making those tight, beautiful, even braids, and my handiwork quickly fell apart. Yesterday the girls also painted my toenails and the nails on my left hand. Because they use their right hand for eating (the left hand is used for the other end), they don't paint the nails on their right hand so they don't end up munching on nail polish. Although I don't usually have my nails painted, I enjoyed having them paint my hand a shocking bright pink and my toes a glittery gold color. I came to pour my love out on them, but I've never been so doted on in my life! They are truly beautiful children, inside and out.

I also got to hug my first SH kid this morning! Up to now the team has desperately wanted to hug the kids, but as we are still somewhat strangers to them and hugs are not as common an expression of affection here as they are back home, we've restrained ourselves. This morning, though, I couldn't hold back any longer and indulged in several big squeezes of the younger boys and the girls. They seemed a little unsure of what they were supposed to do while I was hugging them, but they understood I meant well. I also enjoyed a brief encounter with Jeevanbabu, the youngest of the SH kids. Jeevanbabu is very, very shy and squeals anytime one of the other kids tries to bring him near us, but this morning I sat very still near him and slowly inched closer while he wasn't looking. Finally I ended up very near him and was able to say good morning and pat his elbow. He allowed the contact for a second, then turned his head and pulled in his arm. It was completely endearing!

During the late morning we presented gifts to the children and each said a few words of greetings to the kids. I knew before I even got up that I was going to cry, but for those of you that know me, you know that is hardly a rare event. I stood up and managed to get out "I'm SO excited to be here!" before bursting into tears. Isaac seemed a bit confused as to why I was crying, and kindly said "Take it easy, take it easy." I pulled myself together (kinda) and managed to get through the rest of my greeting, tears pouring down my face the whole time. They were all very sweet and some of the girls later encouraged me not to cry. We don't have much language communication, but it's amazing how much you can connect and "speak" without a single word. They are all so very dear to me, and I love how they look out for each other and help parent one another. If you ever wanted a picture of a loving Christian commune like the first-century church, look no further than the kids of SH.

I guess it's my turn now (Emily). I've been trying to think about what exactly to write about here and I just can't seem to find the words to express what it's like. The hospitality that we have received from the people here is something I have never experienced before. Coming into this trip I expected to be the one serving them but that is not the case. I have been brought to a whole new level and understanding of what humility is. Isaac and Mary and their daughters are the most gracious and caring people I have ever met. I still don't know quite how to express it but once we do the medical camp later this afternoon I will have plenty more things to say.

But!!! I met the boy that I have been sponsoring for over a year now! It was so amazing to meet him face to face after looking at his picture for so long and praying for him. His name is Navakiran. He is 17 years old (and only as tall as I am) and he is in 11th grade which they call 'college.' Their college levels are more specific than ours in the US are. They pick something that they like and go into more detailed studies. He has chosen physics, math and chemistry. I talked with him for a while, using Isaac's daughter Ellen as a translator, and he told me that he wants to go into engineering when he qualifies for the University after 12th grade. It was a little awkward at first because unfortunately both he and I are VERY shy. But I did get a couple of pictures with him that I will definitely cherish.

The best thing so far has most definitely been the smiles on the children's faces. I cannot even express how much joy I feel in my heart when I see their eyes light up when we make funny faces at them or when they give us high-fives. They had no idea what to do the first time we raised up our hands in the air to them but once we showed them what to do they all wanted high-fives all the time! Even when they're up on the second floor of the orphanage and we're down below in Isaac's garden they gather around and give us 'air high-fives.'

That's about it for now, but we will definitely have some more writing to do once we've gotten out and about in Tenali.

Until then....peace and love

Shemily and Gracie Lou-Who

Rhythym of Life

2007-12-30T19:10:00.001-08:00

(This is Cynthia)

Shh-whack! Shh-whack! Shh-whack! Shh-whack! As I sat outside writing in my journal this morning, Shanti is out back washing the laundry. Shh-whack! There is a rhythym of life here in India. It is everywhere. As the clothing hits the large stone--whack--Shanti makes a loud "shh" noise simultaneously. Ray told me that he asked Isaac why she makes that noise, and he was told that she makes it for encouragement. That is lovely.

Yesterday afternoon I sat on the steps of Sanctuary Home with many children for a little over half an hour. They were all chatting away, but I have no clue what about. There was a lull to their words, and it was soothing. They sat there stroking my hair, pulling on my curls, up and down, up and down. Grace and Bryce were playing badmitton with some more children on the road in front of us, making a beat as they hit the birdie back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

I don't doubt that there is a rhythym to my life back in the U.S. as well...I just think that I am moving too fast there to hear it.

Colors of India

2007-12-30T17:06:00.000-08:00

Written by Jana:
I have done a lot of travelling in my life, but this is the first time I have ever needed a passport. So, I am experiencing a lot of firsts.

-first international flight
-first time away from my husband and children for this long
-first sleeper car train ride
-first time being where you"can't drink the water"

There are things that are not a first because of my growing -up in Dallas with parents who were church planters and basically missionaries to Cambodian refugees in the Dallas area. Things that are not a first...

-sitting through a long church service not in my language
-being treated with great respect just for showing up
-receiving great hospitality and generosity from those with little
-crossing the language barrier to communicate in very meaningful ways

I am realizing just how much my childhood has prepared me for this trip.

Another thing that strikes me is "all the colors of India". I have always been drawn to multi-colored things. My room was decorated with parrots as a child and my current kitchen and family room are what I call a "color explosion". So, I am in visual heaven here. The colors of India are everywhere. In the sari shop stacked on the walls. In the streets with all of the fruit and cloths for sale. And everywhere you look there are women dressed in beautiful fabrics. Many have sparkles and embellishments that take my breath away. Church yesterday was a feast for my eyes. We were seated on the elevated pulpit area as honored guests, so I could look out over all of the congregation. I was so thankful that it was appropriate to take pictures (I removed my flash). Colors everywhere. Against the backdrop of poverty and dirt roads and bare feet and hungry faces and make-shift houses and over-crowded buses...there is a sea of color refusing to be supressed or held back. Mixed with the poverty of this nation is a beauty and sparkle of fabric that seems almost like a refusal to stop the celebration of life. Situation and circumstance cannot keep these people for participating in beauty.

May this lesson follow me home.

Virginia's Experiences

2007-12-30T16:54:00.000-08:00

Written by Virginia. Yesterday after church was kind of a rest day, so when the kids went out to play we decided to go play with them. I played badminton with several of them and they're all pretty good at it. But cricket was REALLY fun. And even when I got out, they insisted that I keep playing. In cricket, you stand at the three sticks, and somebody at the other side throws you the ball. Like most sports, you have to hit it with the cricket bat, and you want it to go far enough in any direction that you can run to the other side while your teammate runs to the three sticks. And sometimes if it's long enough, you'll get to run two times. You get out if you miss a hit and one of the three sticks gets knocked down, or if you're running and the throw is not long enough and somebody catches it and hits the three sticks or the log on the other side of the field. Just the boys play, but they still let me play. Another game that the girls play: you all get ina circle and then one would start out with a soccer ball and toss it to the person to your left. Another game I saw the boys playing was like volleyball, but different. On the steps going down from Isaac's gate, some boys were on the steps and some were farther out. The boys on the steps would throw the ball to the boys farthest out, and the middle boys would try to catch it, a lot like monkey in the middle.

What I noticed with a lot of them is that they're shorter than the kids in the US. One of the boys, Prabhakar, who is 13, is as tall as me and I am 10. And then Malathi, who is 14, is a little bit shorter than I am. But in the US, I'm one of the shortest in my class.

Day 3 Photos

2007-12-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

Day 3

2007-12-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

Day 3, Sunday. 1:00pm. Written by Amanda. This morning we awakened to the sounds of Tenali, which were much nicer than those of Hyderbad. No honking, that is. Isaac's house is on the outskirts, in an area that feels like the country more than the city. It's northeast of the railway station. We slept well under high speed fans, and it was quite comfortable. This morning was hazy and humid, and we enjoyed walking up to the roof to survey the surrounding area. There seemed to be children popping up everywhere, hoping to be photographed, repeating their names for us as we struggled to remember who was who. We had a late breakfast, made by Rajanikanth. He is an amazing cook! The main menu item this morning was toast covered in egg, which sounds bland, but it was delicious and moist. After breakfast and showers, we were ushered next door and up stairs to join the worship service already in progress. Virginia asked to sit with the SH girls, and I got some good photos of her. The rest of us were seated behind the pulpit area in plastic chairs. After many Telugu songs, we were asked to sing a song, so we sang We Shall Assemble. I guess it went OK. No one booed us. We took photos and video of the church members singing and listening, and a little of Isaac speaking. Randy gave the sermon, and he did an excellent job. While sitting on the warm stage, not understanding much of what is said, and with open walls and a great view of the area, it was sometimes difficult to stay focused. To our right were tall palm trees reaching up above the second floor and our eye level. I couldn't help but videotape the interesting black and white birds perching there. In the field across the road, some young men played cricket, pigs foraged through trash, and a few people herded their water buffaloes. There was a light breeze and it was just so beautiful. Then I looked to the left, to Isaac's roof next door, and saw the just washed clothes Cynthia had been wearing yesterday. She was sitting by me, so I quietly asked her if she had given the dhobi the clothes to wash. She shook her head. She had left the clothes on the floor. Alarm bells in my head started ringing, because I had also left my clothes on the floor. Before our trip, we had advised the team members to bring about four changes of clothes and have them washed here. We also warned that if you didn't want you underwear on display, make sure to bring fourteen pairs. Any clothes they wash end up drying in prominent locations on the roof, and the very front of the house has a metal railing which is perfect (in the dhobi's opinion) for drying small things like underwear. I was mortified that my underwear would be hung up to dry in full view of the congregation and the rest of the team, right in the middle of church. I kept my eyes on the washer woman as she hung up the remaining clothes in her bucket, and was relieved to see that mine had not been washed. Ray's underwear did get displayed, but fortunately he didn't care.

10:45pm. After church, we stayed around for a few minutes in the worship area and made attempts at communication with the church members. Several of them, especially older widows, came up to ask us to pray for them. This is humbling and uncomfortable for me – who am I to pray for them in any special way? But that was expected, so we complied. Randy knew what he was doing and looked at ease as he prayed over a young couple with a little boy. An old widow came up to me and kept touching her forehead, and I asked Randy what I was supposed to do. She wanted me to put my hand on her head and say a prayer, so I did, although it felt really weird. Jana told me later that and old woman had approached her in a similar way, but that she started by trying to get Jana to cover her head with the long piece of her sari, and Jana couldn't reach it, despite trying. The woman apparently gave up in disgust and turned to another team member! We laughed together later at our own ineptitude.

Lunch was mutton curry, which was actually good. It doesn't sound good to me, but I was pleasantly surprised. Did I mention that Rajanikanth is an excellent cook? Just as we finished eating, Rajanikanth called me aside to tell me about two children who had come to ask for admittance to Sanctuary Home. After hearing about them, I was taken outside to meet them. The first child, a girl of six named Swathi, had been a orphan since infancy. A former nurse had taken her in and was still caring for her, but the nurse's grown son had been abusing the girl and had even tried to choke her to death in order to protect his own inheritance. We brough some neosporin for her infected elbow, injured during a play time fall. The second child, a boy named Raj Mahendra, had been brough by his mother. He is ten. He used to go to school, but his mother (a widow) had become ill, so he had started working in a bicycle shop. She cried as Rajanikanth explained the situation. Both children were welcomed and accepted, and they will come in another day or so. So we are now back to 70 children.

The children and several of our team members played games: cricket, badminton, volleyball, and more. Virginia really joined in and played hard, loving every minute. She can hit the cricket ball well already! At one point, we looked up to see Tirumalarao shimmying up on of the coconut trees. It was amazing and I think the parents in the group were pretty nervous about him falling. Once at the top. From somewhere he produced a machete and started hacking coconuts, which fell one by one, each missing the hands of the waiting boys below. Later, we were all served some coconut milk. Tirumalarao made it down safely, I am happy to say. I should also point out that Naga Prasad climbed another palm tree, possibly just to demonstrate his tree-climbing ability.

Other activities that I don't have time to detail since I am falling asleep: taking long naps this afternoon, kids monkeying around to see themselves in our cameras, homemade sweet lassi and samosas, an informal tour of the new Sanctuary Home building (more on that one later), geckos on the walls, strange growths on Elizabeth's neck, status of the FCRA number, and the upcoming needs of SH (more on that one too).

Tomorrow will be very busy – time to fall into bed again so we'll be prepared. The photos I'm loading for Day 3 were taken by Jana.

Photos From Days 1 and 2

2007-12-30T02:36:00.000-08:00

Day 2

2007-12-29T15:07:00.001-08:00

Day 2: Saturday morning, 9am. Written by Amanda. After a few hours of sleep, we awoke to the unforgettable cacophony that is Hyderabad. It was the same sound we awoke to in Chennai last time, so I guess it's just the sound of an Indian city. Our wake up time was 9am, but at 7:30 I just couldn't stay in bed any longer. Now we're dressed (Ray, Virginia, and me) and waiting to be told where to go for breakfast. We've opened the window in our hotel room to better experience the city morning (sounds and smells) and it is fabulous. An endless stream of autorickshaws, scooters and motorcycles, buses, and a multitude of people on foot are great entertainment for us. Across the busy street is a tiny tea shop where a small crowd of men is gathered and a worker is dipping hot milk from a barrel. A few stooped women are sweeping the street with two Indian brooms each. Every lane here is an HOV lane. Motorcycles are weighed down with a family of four, and there is no counting how many people can squeeze into an autorickshaw. The car we like best is the Ambassador. They're used as taxis here and we really like the looks of them. I can't believe we're finally here again. Everyone is so friendly and hospitable, and we're not even in Tenali yet. It will be a great day.

Saturday evening, 7:40pm. Around 10am we all met in the hotel restaurant for a buffet breakfast, a medley of Indian and American foods. I think everyone was able to eat something that appealed to them. We were all served watermelon juice, and most of us drank it. After the meal, we drank Indian tea, or milk tea, which was wonderful. That's a flavor we have definitely missed. We mentioned that it is made with water buffalo milk, and also that twice a day a milk woman brings fresh water buffalo milk to Isaac's house. For some reason Grace burst out with, “COOL!! Can I milk one?” I have no idea if Isaac and Mary think she is joking or serious, but I will definitely have my camera ready in case Grace milks a water buffalo. After breakfast, we were meant to retire to our rooms for more rest, but I'm not sure if anyone was able to actually sleep. I think most of us ended up glued to the windows watching a sort of political rally/funeral procession in the street below. Yesterday, a popular political leader expired (died) due to heart problems, and his casket was carried down the street on the back of a big truck covered with fresh flower garlands and mourners, for lack of a better word. There was no wailing that I noticed, but many shouts of “Amarahe J.P.R.!” (Long live J.P.R.) Amarahe is pronounced om-odd-uh-HAY. J.P.R. Were his initials. There were lots of people marching and riding motorcycles, waving Indian flags and large pictures of the late politician. There were even marching drummers. It was fascinating. I believe Isaac said he was a member of the legislature, but I could be wrong.

After breakfast, we headed to some official looking place to exchange our money. Virginia even exchanged her $49 that she has been saving. I brought the SH money for January with me instead of wiring it. Several thousand dollars equals so many rupees that you have to be given a sack to carry it out. Getting it into my purse was impossible. As soon as we reached the hotel, we counted it out and handed it off to Isaac for safekeeping. The exchange rate last time was about 44, but now is only 38. The value of the dollar against the rupee has fallen so much that it is making a $400 difference in our monthly SH expenses. We'll have to address those issues when return, and I plan to do a financial report in January so everyone will know exact details. We are so thankful for those who have made Sanctuary Home possible through their generous donations. So many people halfway across the world from each other have come together in such an amazing way to make this all happen. I wish all of the SH supporters could be here with us to share in this experience. We'll definitely be doing another video, and uploading tons of photos once we get back to Texas.

Around 12:30, we started getting ready to go to lunch. Cynthia was feeling very sick, and asked to stay at the hotel in bed. There was much fussing and hovering over her, but she was a good sport. Isaac went out to a pharmacy to get her some medicine. He returned with three types of tablets: vomiting prevention, stomach pain, and fever. I think she only took the stomach pain medicine, and fortunately she felt much better pretty quickly. When we left for lunch, we left her Isaac's phone number and extra water, and Isaac posted Anil and another guy outside her door for the entire time we were gone. We are being cared for very well. If she didn't feel better by 4pm, the plan (Isaac and Mary's plan) was to take her to the doctor. Once we got to the hotel lobby, I suggested that we have a prayer for Cynthia before leaving. I had waited until we were all gathered in the lobby, not wanting to disturb her further. Still, Isaac immediately said, “Sister, we must go to the room to pray over her.” I didn't bother protesting, but I did manage to get into Cynthia's room first to explain and apologize. Finally, we left and she could rest. Since her parents are probably reading this, I will skip ahead to say that when we came back to check on her after lunch, she said she was feeling much better but preferred to rest some more instead of joining the group for a brief shopping excursion. She continued to improve, and before we left to board the train this evening, she bought a cheese sandwich and seemed in much better spirits.

Lunch was at a Chinese restaurant. I was baffled at the choice, but it turned out to be excellent. The food was amazing. Have you ever had honey chicken? Wow! I need that recipe. Isaac ordered a variety of dishes for us all to share, which is the norm for restaurants here. We even had ice cream for dessert. The restaurant was just wonderful, and none of the food was spicy. I heard several comments that it was the best Chinese food ever had. After lunch and checking on Cynthia, we drove to a small shopping center. The first store was very high end with absolutely fabulous intricate clothing and saris. I was eyeing a ridiculous but beautiful rhinestone studded black and silver seventies style suit with a big collar for my 2 year old son, then got out my calculator and realized it was $75. When I asked Mary how much the saris were, she said, “too much.” And that was that. Then we went next door to a handicrafts market and feasted our eyes and some serious artisanship. There were huge and intricately carved statues of various Hindu gods, detailed paintings, big pieces of furniture with ivory inlay, and on and on. I can't even describe this stuff. One of the tables was $18,000+ and looked like it was actually worth that price. We did take photos, and I'm sure they'll end up on the website sooner or later. Another part of the store was more reasonable and contained smaller craft items. Several of us bought a few things, but we will be visiting a similar store in Vijayawada with lower prices, so we refrained at least a bit.

After another brief rest and the relief of seeing Cynthia recovered, we packed up our suitcases and headed to the train station. It seemed like there were a lot more beggars in Chennai than in the part of Hyderabad we've seen. I expected to be crying after walking through the train station, but I just didn't see them this time. One of our rental cars in Hyderabad is the same car and driver as on the last trip, so he has a car full of our luggage and is now driving to Tenali. We are all in a nice sleeper car now, with upper and lower bunks, plenty of space to move around, and the added bonus of not having to find space to stow our luggage. We've had our snacks and plenty of bottled water. Half of the team is already asleep. It's not 8:15pm; the train arrives at 1am. Soon we will see the Sanctuary Home children!

4:06am. I guess this is technically Day 3 now, but I'll leave it under Day 2 since we haven't slept a full night yet. The train trip was great. Soon after our departure, we shared some snacks and fruit, and then I think we all slept well, some of us for a four hour stretch or more. Isaac was kind enough to buy me a sweet lassi (my favorite drink, like vanilla yogurt with sugar) from a vendor on the train before I went to sleep. I wasn't going to ask since I thought it was unsafe to eat or drink the stuff sold on trains, but these were sealed up so I guess it was OK. It was delicious! Around 1am, we were all awakened to prepare for the Tenali station. They don't wait very long for you to exit, so once we were close, we all crowded into the little area between cars and jumped off as soon as the train stopped. This time, the SH children were waiting for us. We were greeted by 68 smiling little faces, lots of camera flashes, large banners announcing our arrival, garlands, and thousands of marigold petals, which we were liberally showered with at every moment. The ground was covered with orange petals by the time we left, and the whole place smelled sweet. The children were laughing and waving, waiting for us to look at them and smile some more. This time Jeevanbabu was there at the front of their two neatly formed lines. He wasn't smiling, but he didn't cry or run away. A new boy, Bhaskar, is almost as tiny, and he was bashful when Isaac introduced him, a very solemn face and large dark eyes. It was a thrill to see them again, especially the ones we remember and who remember us. It's hard to believe that there are over twenty more children we haven't met. Rajanikanth was there, as were several other helpers. Our luggage had already arrived safely in the rental vehicle and was piled in Isaac's front room waiting for us.

I'll skip over details now in the interest of getting some sleep. We were served a 2:30am meal of chicken curry, chupatis, and boiled eggs. Dessert was delicious little sweet bananas that you peel from the bottom. The four guys are now sleeping on their mats on Isaac's floor in a common room. The three college girls have one room, and Jana, Virginia and I have the other. Isaac and his family are sleeping in the back room at SH. Everything has been wonderful.

Day 1

2007-12-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

Day 1 of the India Trip. Written by Amanda. (Since we now have multiple authors, we will be identifying ourselves before we write.) I'm not sure what to put for a date and time because it's so confusing at this point. We left Abilene this morning between 9 and 10am, after standing in the very chilly morning air while much luggage stuffing took place. Bryce's dad Greg led a prayer for the group and we were glad to have a small number of friends and relatives there to send us off with good wishes and blessings. Cynthia's parents were kind enough to drive a church van that we somehow all fit into. Although it was cramped, it was enjoyable – one of the shortest trips to DFW I can remember, just because we were all sharing each others company and being excited together. The only team member not with us was Grace, who was flying from California (where her parents live) to meet up with us in Frankfurt. Our first flight was delayed an hour and we had plenty of time to get a few last minute travel items at the airport at have a meal together at Bennigan's. Virginia enjoyed exploring the sculptures in Terminal D. Eventually we boarded our flight and had an uneventful first flight. It was just under nine hours long (I thought it would be ten). A few of us were able to sleep, but not much. Virginia was the only one who could actually lay down; seated between Ray and me, she put her head on one of us and her feet on the other and curled up. The airline is Lufthansa, so we are already hearing languages besides English, which is fun at the beginning of a trip. We slept, we read, we watched the in-flight movies, watches our own movies, played travel games, etc. Just a typical flight, but long. We landed in Frankfurt to fog and grayness, but this time we fortunate enough to have an actual gate to debark at instead of a tram outdoors. We expected an hour layover, but since the second flight was delayed as well, we ended up with about two hours to wait. It seemed like less. Several of us noticed that the Germans all seem thin when compared to Americans. They also have an air of aloofness about them> At one point Emily approached an information desk, but the woman working there looked so unhelpful, Emily changed her mind and walked away without asking anything. After much fruitless searching for arrival information, since we were trying to connect with Grace, she came smiling into the gate area where we were ready to board the next plane. Now we are all successfully on our final step before we reach India. We're dog tired but giddy at the same time. We've just eaten lunch and have about five hours to go. In Abilene, it's 7:40am. In Frankfurt, it's 2:40pm. In Hyderabad, it's 7:10pm. I've already got my watch on India time.

We made it off the second flight with no problems. We arrived in Hyderabad not too long after midnight local time. Once off the plane and through immigration, we waited and waited for our luggage. The last piece was one of ours with a hard shell that we had been afraid would pop open during the journey. We couldn't find any luggage straps, so at the last minute before checking the suitcase, we made a special team effort to find a couple of donated neckties to tie around it. When that last piece of luggage came into sight on the conveyor belt, complete with the two brightly colored ties, we all cheered. All of our bags had arrived! Considering there are ten of us with multiple bags each going to the opposite side of the globe, that's a big deal. We are thankful that nothing was lost.

From inside the baggage claim room, we could see Isaac and his entourage waiting and occasionally waving in the crowded waiting room just on the other side of customs. Once we finally made it through (again with no problems at all), Isaac, Mary, Anil, Daniel, and a number of porters led us to the vehicles. They piled our luggage on top of a little square white van, no tie downs, and we squeezed into a little car and an SUV. Isaac and Mary were with the team, but the other Indians all rode in the little white van. Oh, I almost forgot! Of course we had a garlanding ceremony, in which each team member was presented with a garland and we were all photographed. Randy led us in a group prayer, after which we proceeded to the hotel. Hotel Harsha (you can actually find it on Google Maps!) was closer than I expected, and I am happy to say that we are all in our rooms trying to get some sleep in real beds at long last. It is 3:30am, so I think it would be wise for me to do the same. I know tomorrow will be amazing.

Only Four Days!

2007-12-23T20:16:00.000-08:00

So I'm pretty sure I read somewhere in the many emails that we need to introduce ourselves in our first post. My name is Cynthia and I'm a junior at ACU studying Ministry to Families and Children and Missions. I want to do inner-city/community ministry, but I have a heart for international missions! I go to Highland but I also spend a lot of time at Freedom Fellowship, especially with the youth. I am so excited to be a part of this team; I have dreamed of going to India for years and am excited that it is finally becoming a reality!

To be honest, I am not sure what I am expecting to occur on this trip. I led a team to an orphanage in Romania last spring break and we had a blast, but I know this will be a completely different experience. I am much more nervous about going to India than any other place I've traveled; it will be the farthest east that I've ever been. To be honest, I don't feel very informed about the Indian culture. My girls at Freedom have warned me about accepting goats from strange men so that I won't end up with an unwanted husband (it happened in a video on u-tube).

I am so thankful that as I am leaving, I have so much love and support backing me. On Wednesday my Freedom family gathered to pray over me and give their love. It was such a blessing to know how often our team is being lifted to the Lord in prayer. I know that so many of you reading this are also praying for us, and I am so thankful for that. We don't know what the Lord will do, but we do know that he will be doing great things not only for our hosts but also in each of us. I, for one, am ready to be shaken and to grow.

Many blessings to you and your family this Christmas!

Getting Ready To Go Again

2007-12-04T20:35:00.001-08:00

I guess I should start updating this blog again - we leave for India in just over three weeks. So much has happened since the last trip, the first trip, and if you've kept up with the monthly newsletters, you probably know most of it. Sanctuary Home is thriving and growing; God has been very good to us both on the US side and the India side. We are so thankful. It's hard to believe that Sanctuary Home has come so far, from so little in the beginning.

Over the past year, we have grown to seventy children, and decided that would be the limit, at least for the foreseeable future. However, I would not be surprised if we didn't meet another Dilip, or Levi, on this trip, and I don't see us turning them away. How could we? A few of the original SH kids have left for one reason or another. Jhansi, as many of you know, was married off some months ago, which was completely out of our control. She is fifteen - maybe sixteen by now - and her mother returned to claim her. We could not prevent the marriage; legally the mother has that right, and no amount of persuading did any good. As a result of what happened with Jhansi, we came up with an agreement that any surviving relative of an SH child would be required to sign before we accepted the child. The agreement explained the purpose of SH and our intention to help the children complete their education, and served to bring all of these things into the open so there would be no misunderstandings later. The intention is to prevent fifteen year old girls from having to marry, or to keep some long-lost uncle from taking out his eleven year old nephew to work in a shop. Of course it isn't legally binding, but it's the best we could do. Since the agreement came into being, Isaac has tracked down the relatives of the children already in SH, and most of them have signed with no problem. Unfortunately, two of them weren't so lucky. We have a number of children who were brought to SH by some relative who said they were too poor to feed them, and taking many factors into account, these kids were admitted. There certainly are many such legitimate cases in India. Two of these relatives, both aged grandparents, refused to sign the agreement. In addition, they started thinking about how useful that child could be to care for them in their old age. After two months of unsuccessful attempts at persuasion, there is nothing more we can do. Both Buddu and Nagababu are leaving SH. I pray that their lives will be good. If you remember Buddu, she is the girl who was blind from birth, and while at SH received surgery to give her sight. She has spent the past year learning what it's like to see, to read, and catching up in school and socially. Now she will probably be much like a house servant until her grandparent marries her off. Without her sight, Buddu would not have been of any use - now that she can see, she can work. This makes me desperately sad, but at the same time I guess I've grown somewhat used to these things. I am trying to dwell on the fact that there were only two problems out of sixty-eight. That's a good percentage!

Yesterday I did laundry, and I kept thinking that I will only do laundry three more times before we go again. When I last bought milk, I noticed that it wouldn't expire until we were gone. I keep remembering the rush of intense emotion I felt when we first saw the children at the Tenali train station, late that first night, and the dim station lights outlining their little barefooted legs as they jogged toward us. They will be meeting us at the train station again. In three and a half weeks.

Art Connections

2007-02-01T11:42:00.000-08:00

By Ruth Jackson

On Jan. 8th, our last day in Tenali, Kishore and I met with the children to finish the fabric mural of Daniel. Kishore, Mary’s youngest brother, is a very good artist. He helped a lot with our art projects. He gave me a small embossed picture he did with his fingernail. He brought his sketch pad to show me his work. He likes to draw portraits of people, like I do. We became good friends; I’m going to send him some drawing books and art supplies. Jayrao and Kishore wrote the scripture in their language (Telugu) on the cloth murals. I took The Creation, Daniel and the Lions’ Den, Jacob’s Ladder, and Jesus the Good Shepherd, all on separate lengths of material. Their language is very beautiful written – all graceful curves and swirls. We had taken a small CD player and some CDs. The player had batteries in it. I brought three Bible story books that had CDs of the stories and several recorded songs. Kishore and I took this CD player to be used with the Daniel story. We did some of the songs with actions. The children are so cute and they learn so easily. We sang ‘I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart…’ We also sang ‘Climb Up the Mountain.’

Joany is also a very good artist. We painted a flower picture together. We showed our respective pictures to some of the others and asked who they thought did which picture. Jayrao picked Joany’s as mine. Joany was so tickled. I would like to take Joany home with me. She is precious and so beautiful – as all the girls are. Esther helped out on coloring the fabric mural of Jesus. She was in school so much of the time that we didn’t get to know her so well. She did have fun coloring the scene. Ellen and I became very close as she was my roommate, and we made the “not so good” dumplings together. I fell in love with all these girls as I did with the rest of the family and the children of Sanctuary Home.

Jeevanbabu Update

2007-02-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

Remember the boy at SH who was thought to have HIV? He doesn't! We are so thankful for this good news. As it turns out, he was never tested. Our original information sheet said that he didn't have it, but then when we asked about him while in India, we were told that he was actually HIV positive. In preparation for our next board meeting, I was collecting all of the information possible about him, planning to research how to deal with his disease. One of the questions we asked was about his testing. We were told that he had not been tested, but that his parents had died from AIDS when he was very young. It was assumed (and still is) that his mother didn't take precautions when he was a baby. Mothers in India breastfeed; for poor people, that is of course the only option. Since the boy is only four years old, it was also assumed that his parents both had the disease before he was born. Still, we were surprised that Jeevanbabu had never been tested, and asked that it be done. A few days later, we received a call with the good news. He is HIV negative. I am thrilled for this boy, for several reasons. First of all, he has a future! I will never forget meeting Sunita, the eleven year old girl, near death with AIDS. That won't happen to Jeevanbabu, but it happens to so many children in this world. It's not something I ever thought about before I went to India. Another reason I'm glad for the negative test result is because of myself. What do I know about HIV, about treating children with HIV? Nothing. I am ill-equipped to research and make any kind of decision. The issue will likely come up again at some point (it's inevitable), but I hope we'll be better prepared for it the next time.

Several people we shared the good news with were really shocked that Jeevanbabu hadn't been tested. We are struggling to understand health care in India. They have hospitals, but I think they're not like our hospitals; perhaps they're some combination of clinic and doctor's office. Prescriptions can be purchased and medical testing ordered with no doctor's prescription. They use the same medical terms we do, but in different ways. Some words I have recently been confused about are: infection, septic, dull, fainting, and falling down. Using one of these words in a slightly different way can give a wrong impression. Regarding the diagnosis without the test, I was asking a doctor friend here in the US. He said something very interesting: "When treatment is unavailable, diagnosis becomes much less important."

Finally Home

2007-01-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

We made it to Abilene after a long day of travelling. We arrived at the Abilene airport 30 hours after we had arrived at the Chennai airport. The second flight ended up being 12 hours and 15 minutes, and we did miss our last flight, which was from Dallas to Abilene. Our layover had been two hours, but the flight was an hour late, and we just couldn't get through immigration, customs, rechecking baggage, checking in, and the security line in one hour - not to mention getting to another terminal. Fortunately there was a flight leaving for Abilene just 55 minutes after the one we missed. It was short and sweet, and we were so glad to be home, and have really enjoyed hugging our kids this evening.

Thanks so much to all of you who have prayed for Sanctuary Home, and for us on this trip. Nothing went wrong, and our expectations were far exceeded in many ways. This isn't the end of the blog. I have lots of photos to share, as well as more to say (as usual) about India.

But for now, I am going to sleep in my own bed.

Back in Chennai, Going Home

2007-01-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2007

The train ride didn't seem like it lasted 6+ hours; there was plenty to see, and we chatted, had snacks, and took turns sitting with each other. Vendors kept coming through the cabin, and we had fun later imitating their voices as they called, "tomato soup-soup!" or "tea, tea, chai, chai!." Ester was more lively; she had thought until the night before that she wouldn't be able to come with everyone else to Chennai. The train station didn't seem near as exotic or crowded as before; I guess we're getting used to the pace here. Somehow it's both faster and slower. Once we had accounted for all nine pieces of luggage, plus the hand bags, plus Isaac's family's luggage, we headed out into the mayhem that is Chennai. We saw Isaac really haggle for the first time with luggage carriers, and later, with taxi drivers. It was really amusing to see the luggage carriers hoist our huge suitcases on top of their heads, balancing perfectly. Each one of our bags has wheels - but most of them were carried the Indian way. Our group and luggage fit into two rounded little vans, and we laughed at Ray, who's head was holding up the ceiling of the vehicle. He was wedged in. The hotel was the same one we had stayed in at the beginning of our trip, the Royal Regency. Soon we were checking in, and then we went to the hotel restaurant for lunch. There was a problem with the rooms, and we had to rent one additional; they would only allow three persons per room. It was no problem, though. Mary's Chennai cousin and his friend showed up, and they acted as helpers and tour guides for the next 24 hours.

Lunch was interesting: Isaac ordered for all of us, and we were a bit confused. People here keep trying to make us eat more and more food, and we only want a little most of the time. This seems even more true at a restaurant. So we ate, and ate, and ate. I was hoping to go home thinner, not fatter! After lunch, the waiter brought out a little tray with sugar-coated fennel seek (I think), which is the Indian breath mint. You're supposed to pour a tiny spoonfull into your hand, and then throw them in your mouth. They're all experts; it's no problem for them. But it's a lot harder than it looks! Ray did a pretty good job, but Ruth and I just couldn't get it. We tried it at every meal, being instructed by Isaac's family, and it turned out to be great entertainment. Once I choked on some of the little seeds when I was too successful throwing them in my mouth, but Ruth was the funniest when she threw some into her eye. We laughed so hard, and kept trying.

After some rest, we went out shopping, this time just for fun. We were taken to a mall called Spencer's, and it was really interesting. There were lots of people from other countries, and we saw more white people than we had seen in the total past two weeks. Several times, while out with Mary or Isaac, the Indian they were talking to would ask a question, and our hosts would answer, "America." I was always surprised, thinking it was obvious where we were from. Even at the mall, I expected other white people to be from the U.S., and then I would hear them speaking French, or German, or hear an Australian accent. This mall also had a Subway restaurant, but with two sides: veg and non-veg. I noticed one of the sandwiches was made with lamb pepperoni. Mmm. In addition to the familiar stores (there were a few), there were lots of Indian handicraft stores, and also a store that was liks a small Indian Wal-Mart. We bought a book: Learn Telugu in 30 Days. On the next trip, I want to know what everyone is saying. The mall trip was pretty much a shopping paradise. There was an entire group of people asking me where I wanted to go, and they refused to let me carry any of my own bags. Even better, it was like everything was on sale, because the prices were so low! Isaac was bargaining with one shop owner over the final price of some clothes. I told him that the price there was only 10% of the price I would pay in the U.S. I didn't need it bargained for. Still, he cut me a small deal. The stores in the mall are doing a great business: the prices are higher there than in a normal Indian bazaar, but for the foreigners who patronize the mall (and who don't know how to bargain), they're still getting a great deal. I told Isaac, "You teach me how to preach, and I'll teach you how to shop." From our conversations, it seems like Mary and her daughters are like me, and they enjoy shopping, but Isaac is like Ray, and considers it more of a chore.

We didn't take too long, and after the mall, we all went back to a place we had eaten before, the Blue Diamond Hotel. By the way, I found out that a hotel is a restaurant, but it may or may not have rooms to stay in. The Blue Diamond was really good, and Ruth treated everyone: 10 adults (or was it 12?) for less than $30. We were still full from lunch, and tried to get away with ordering less, but somehow we still ended up very full by the time the meal was over.

Back at the hotel, we looked forward to a restful night and sightseeing the next day. Isaac was suggesting some places we could go, and I looked them up on the internet in the lobby. We planned breakfast in the hotel restaurant for 8:30, and each retired to our rooms. The Indian baths had been fine, but it was so nice to have a hot shower. After being cooled with fans, quite comfortably, at Isaac's house, the hotel felt chilly. The marble floors were freezing! We turned the A/C in our room off. The traffic had been busy that day (and would be the next), but our second impressions of Chennai were different. When we first arrived, it seemed like there were few cars and lots of scooters, bikes, rickshaws, and ox carts. It also seemed very loud with the incessant beeping. On the second visit, it seemed like there were a lot of cars, and the beeping wasn't near as noticeable as before. There was a lot of pollution and fumes on the street. The second impressions were compared with the places we had recently been: Tenali and VIjayawada. I guess we won't see any ox carts on the roads in Abilene. The beeping didn't keep us awake this time, and the next morning we were refreshed and ready to explore Chennai.

January 10, 2007

We ate again in the Royal Regency, and I ordered a sweet lassi. I need to get a recipe for that stuff; it's delicious. Ray says it's just yogurt and sugar, and I'm afraid he's right. (I also ordered one with lunch and dinner.) As soon as we were all ready, we left the hotel in our newly rented vehicle: a 10 seater! It was only about $60 (I think) to rent it for the whole day, including the driver, the gas, and 150 km. It was like a bus, and it was nice to have a more elevated view of the road. We had 10 people in our party at one point, but only 10 people in a 10 seater vehicle was a ridiculous waste of space for the Indians, so more were invited to pile in with us. Our group included Ray, Ruth, and me, Isaac, Mary, Ellen, Jony, Esther, Anil Kumar, Jayrao, the cousin, the cousin's friend, and Mary's father (who lives in Chennai). I think I have that straight - there might have been others I'm forgetting!

First, we went to San Thome Basilica. It's a gothic church built over the tomb of St. Thomas, and there are also relics on display. It was my first visit to a place with a holy relic to see, and I found it very, very interesting. The church was beautiful, as well as the chapel over the tomb, and there was a small museum with artifacts from the site's past. (It feels strange to walk through a museum barefooted, but we all did, leaving our chappels at the door to the chapel - ha ha). The basilica is located at the southern tip of Marina Beach (2nd longest beach in the world), which was hit by the tsunami in 2004. The basilica, however, was untouched. I think of the apostles working in the Middle East, not India, and it seemed somewhat out of place there. In a Hindu nation, in a Tamil-speaking state, the basilica stood out as we viewed the Portuguese and Latin inscriptions and Gothic architecture. The inside of the basilica was stunning, and we all removed our shoes and sat down at the back. There were a number of other people there praying, and I did the same. I doubt if I'll have that opportunity again. It was very memorable.

Next, we piled back into the vehicle and headed to The Golden Beach, Maalmalapuram. (I probably have that name wrong, but I can't get to the info at the moment to check it.) It was a drive of at least an hour south along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. An Indian archaeological site, it was once an ancient seaport. The big attraction is a series of five temples carved out of one stone. They're huge and fabulous, and I'm so glad we went to see them. I wish I could remember all of the details to write them here. Each temple was made in a different style, representing different parts of India, because people from all of those areas once traded at that port. I THINK they were carved in the 8th or 9th centuries, but I can't remember. They were unfinished, due to a war. Next to the temples that are mostly finished are several huge stones, which were meant to be carved as well. It was interesting to see the uncarved rocks and the intricate temples side by side. The entrance to the site was 10 rupees for Indians and 250 rupees for foreigners. We hired a guide for 100 rupees, and he did a great job. At some point we also saw - I think - the second largest bas relief carving in the world, after Angkor Wat in Cambodia. (I might also have that spelling wrong, and it bothers me.) The whole site was very close to the beach, but higher up above the sea level. I'll upload photos once we get home.

During our trip to the Golden Beach, we passed many little carving and handicraft stalls, and were confronted by a number of high-pressure salesmen. One man kept hounding Ray, and Ray kep saying no. Isaac was telling the man to go, and the man emphatically told Ray, "Don't listen to Indians!" Of course, the man was an Indian himself. Isaac thought this was really funny, and explained that the sellers there do much better when foreigners are on their own. Our Indian friends, on the other hand, refused to pay high prices. One item I wanted to buy cost 450 rupees, and Isaac started bargaining. I would have been OK paying the 450 rupees, but Isaac kept shaking his head. He said, "we will give 300," and that was that. The seller took 300 for the item.

After we left the Golden Beach, we headed back to Chennai to visit St. Thomas' Mount, which is different that the San Thome Basilica. The drive was very long, and the A/C had quit working. We would get hot and open the windows, then start coughing from the fumes and close the windows, and then get hot again. It was possibly the most uncomfortable time of the whole trip to India. Still, there was lots to look at on the way, and the driver turned on the radio and we enjoyed the Indian music. I filmed some areas destroyed by the tsunami, still not rebuilt. We saw several city buses along the way, so full of people that they were hanging out the doors and the buses were leaning heavily to one side. On second thought, maybe we were traveling in comfort.

We got to St. Thomas' Mount just before dusk; it's the place he was martyred. The Mount really is a mount, and it was quite a climb! I think there were 135 steps, and some fairly steep slopes, too. Halfway up, there were two women and a little girl, a toddler, sitting by the side of the steps, begging. They were smiling, and I didn't realize that they were begging until we came back down. Isaac put some money in her cup, and I did, too. I think if I lived in India, I would have to budget an amount to give to people in need every month - and as Ray said, we'd give it all out within the first two days. It's a lot different than seeing a man on a street corner with a sign, like in Abilene. I'm still shocked to see tiny children in this situation along with their parent, and even moreso to see children the age of my own daughter who are completely on their own. It's sad when I see a child here who has a job, because I know they're not getting an education, and I don't think kids should have to work for a living. Then again, the kids here with jobs aren't begging on the streets. It's a different world. At the top of the Mount, we looked out at the lights of Chennai, and it was breathtaking. We saw the airport, where we would be in a few more hours. We were already counting the hours until we would get home and see our own kids. We have missed them so much.

The ride back to the hotel was also long and hot, and once there, we took showers and changed into clean clothes before supper. We said goodbye to the Chennai cousin and his friend, and thanked them for their help. Supper at the hotel was good, but subdued. We would miss each other, and we were all thinking about saying goodbye. Before long, we were ready to go to the airport. The traffic wasn't as bad since it was 11:30pm (the flight left at 1:50am), and we got there around midnight. Outside, we said goodbye to Anil Kumar and Jayrao, and the Palaparthis came inside with us. Soon, though, we had to proceed through a checkpoint, and they couldn't follow. We hugged and cried, and thanked each other. They want us to come again, and bring our children and my parents and sisters, who they've also known long distance for many years now. We want to work on getting Isaac to the US for a visit. I'm certain this has only been the first of many visits back and forth, and it's only the beginning of a lifelong partnership in the work for Sanctuary Home.

January11, 2007: Flying Home

The security at the Chennai airport wasn't as stringent as it was at Frankfurt and Dallas, and we easily got our luggage checked and found the gate where we were supposed to be. It wasn't all easy, though, because it was a different system, and we didn't understand it. Something Ray was carrying separately (a souvenir cricket bat) wasn't allowed as a carryon, but we didn't know this until we were well past the baggage check point. Ray had to go back, which was a hassle, and we hope the bat will arrive at the right place and intact. I felt uncomfortable while standing in line, because an American man was fussing at an Indian man for cutting in line - we haven't heard much of this in the past two weeks. The attitude we've encountered again and again is, "No problem." We all three hope to adopt this attitude ourselves, and continue with it even when we're back home. In fact, Ray is doing a great job with it! He was singled out several times for screening, returning the bat, and other small annoyances at the airport and on the plane - and he didn't complain at all.

The flight from Chennai to Frankfurt was great for me, because I was able to sleep for almost the entire nine hours. Ruth, unfortunately, couldn't get comfortable, and stayed awake. I think Ray slept well. We had a three hour layover in Frankfurt, and we had to go through a lot of additional security because the flight was to the USA. We looked around at the airport for awhile, and couldn't resist eating something at McDonald's. Those fries were so good! I felt nervous to drink from a straw without wiping it with antibacterial stuff first, because we've been so careful the past two weeks. I really thought we would get sick, and I suppose we're not totally in the clear for a few more days, but it's great that we were all mostly healthy while there. Again, Isaac and his family took such good care of us.

By the time we finished going through security, it was past time to board the second flight, so we boarded the plane as some of the last passengers, and didn't have to wait in line. We had a great view of Frankfurt, but then saw only clouds, and that's the view now as I'm typing. We're somewhere over the North Sea, and unfortunately, we will miss our flight to Abilene. This flight was supposed to be 11 hours and 25 minutes long, but will be longer due to very high winds over the North Atlantic. We're taking a detour even farther north, and will land in Dallas at the time we originally would have landed in Abilene. I hope we can get a flight to Abilene this evening, because I think we'll be too worn out to drive. We'll get home, one way or another.

Last Days in Tenali

2007-01-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

Time is very different here, and people are very patient. When we got home, the widows had arrived and were waiting. I thought we would go right over and conduct the second shortened widows meeting, but instead, we went into Isaac's house for awhile first. We rested, took our time, and then went over to see the widows. No one is put out when they have to wait. This is so different that it surprises me every day. The second meeting was much shorter than the first; Ruth and I each greeted them, we distributed the sarees, rice, and Abilene bags, and took a photo. That was about it. They also were served a meal, but that had been earlier in the day. Since I'm writing this over twenty-four hours later, I might not be getting all of my facts straight.

We rested some more that afternoon, and that evening, we went to Sudhapalli. It was our last speaking engagement! Ray got to rest for a change, and he only gave his greetings (talked for about two minutes). Ruth was given a choice, and she also did greetings. I preached a sermon! It's kind of fun, until you notice that half of your audience is asleep. Everything we spoke about was complimented by Isaac, and sometimes other people as well, but I wonder if he would tell us if it was boring or no good. It has crossed my mind that he's not translating, but changing to make what we're saying better! I'm sure that's not the case, but I still think about it sometimes. The church at Sudhapalli seemed kind of remote since it wasn't on a main road, but a bumpy dirt road. Isaac didn't know the population of the village. Their building was a permanent construction, though, and bigger than most we had been in (still smaller than any church I've been in back in the US). We recognized the preacher from other places we'd been; he seems very nice. They garlanded us and gave a gift of coconut milk and sweet lassi. Ruth and I didn't feel like eating any more, because we had just eaten and every meal here is huge. We eat as much as we can, and then they want us to eat more. So we declined, but Ray and Isaac had some. A man was standing just outside the open door of the church building hacking at something with a big knife, and shortly Ray and Isaac were each given a large coconut with the top chopped off and a hole with a straw down in the milk. I had a little taste, and it was better that I expected. The sweet lassi was a packaged, chilled, yogurt drink, and I asked if we could just take them home for later. I think I ended up drinking three of them! They were delicious, much like a thinner version of vanilla flavored yogurt like we have back at home. Mary and Rajanikanth were surprised when I told them my usual breakfast back home is one small container of vanilla yogurt.

When Ruth stood up to give her greetings, one young woman (a widow) sitting in the middle held up her Abilene bag with a big smile, and showed some artwork she had done with the supplies from Ruth. They were beautiful! After the meeting, Ruth took a photo of the two of them with their art, and the woman gave her drawings to Ruth.

As we left the church at Sudhapalli, we were led across the road to meet an old man sitting on a porch of a thatched shed. Maybe it was concrete; it was dark, and I'm not sure. He couldn't really speak to us, and I don't know if he was aware of us. He was 95 years old, and had been the preacher at Sudhapalli for many years. He smelled very bad. This stood out to me, because I expected all of India to smell bad, but it was really just on a few short occasions. Isaac told Ray to pray for this old preacher, and he did. We were home very late that night, and went straight to bed.

January 8, 2007

Our last day in Tenali! We woke early, as usual, because of the sounds around us. Peoples' lives here overlap in so many ways. I'm used to clear ownership: this is my room, my house, my car, my lane to drive in, my rights, my animal, my airspace. You're making too much noise to suit me; I'll call the police to tell you to turn down your music. That's my goat, or my cow, and they will stay within my own fenced area. It's different in India! We were explaining this to Isaac, and told him that although we live with my parents, we even have an agreement that they don't come in the basement (our part of the house) without asking us first. Privacy is so valuable to us. It hasn't been a burden to live differently for the past two weeks, but a valuable learning experience. So much is shared. If people at home infringe on our property or our comfort, we're angry. But the attitude of India is "no problem."

On the 8th we had plans to tie up loose ends. There were a number of things we had listed after some discussion the previous night. I think we accomplished almost everything in our plans. Of utmost importance were interviews with the kids. We had been observing them for the past week and a half, but we wanted to ask them some questions as well. Rajanikanth, Isaac, and Ellen each helped with translation. We asked each child: what is your age and grade, what subject do you like in school, what do you enjoy playing in your free time, what can we pray for you, and is there anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself. Some of the kids volunteered information, but most had to be prompted. It was like multiple choice in some of the cases! I have absolutely no indication that the kids are afraid to speak, or that there is any problem with most of them. We also asked additional questions of some of them, including details about their personalities (we asked the adults) and any problems. I took good notes and all of this will be written up in a readable format and given to the sponsors. I hope to meet with many of the sponsors in person as well. We had to wait until late in the evening to interview the last two, Sony and Malathi. They're both in seventh class, which is an important year. Although Isaac had told the children to take a holiday that day, these two girls asked if they could go to school. Isaac explained that they were afraid the principal of the school would say, "I will remember you!" if they miss too much. They don't want to be singled out as slackers. We were impressed with them. All of these kids really like school, and their education is very valuable to them.

Speaking of school, I think I finally have it figured out. There are free public school from grades one through ten. There are also private school that cost extra, but not a lot extra by American standards. After tenth grade is college for two years, and then university. After tenth grade, everything is private and tuition must be paid. This year I think one SH boy is in tenth class; he will be the first to go to college if there are funds. Isaac will provide details later about the cost. Months ago, when we discussed the amount of money needed to sponsor a child, Isaac encouraged us to make the total by $35 per month, because this would allow the kids to attend a private school, which is much better than the public schools here. We decided against that, because we thought $35 was too much to ask, and that public schools would be sufficient. I still don't have a good grasp on the differences between them here, and I don't know just how much better the private schools are. In fifth, seventh, and tenth class, the students are more challenged. Those years are very important, and the students work very hard. Isaac's youngest daughter is in tenth class, and we hardly saw her. Even though we were only sending enough for public school, Isaac took it upon himself to improve the education of the kids in fifth, seventh, and tenth classes. I was very confused about all of this until Isaac and Ellen helped me understand. It's also not a big deal to switch between schools. So the less important grades (of SH kids) go to public schools, and the important grades go to private schools. Isaac is paying the extra out of his own pocket. We are so impressed that he hasn't asked us for every penny, but that he also pours his own resources into this mission. We thought that because there are so many SH kids, Isaac and Mary would be somewhat distant from them, but that's not true at all. They treat them like their own children - all of them.

While I interviewed the kids, Ray taped a little. Ruth took great photographs (portrait photos) of each child, and I think you'll all be amazed at the difference between those original photos and the new ones. The biggest changes are the smiles! Ruth also had the kids do some more artwork for her notecards. She'll put the artist's photo on the back of the card, too. The photos and art were done in a timely fashion, but the interviews took so long that we had to do two sessions, with a break for lunch for the kids. For some of the interviews, Ray was sitting with us, and he would "weigh" the child first by hoisting them in the air (most of the boys; we talked to the girls later). This really helped to break the ice and put a smile on their faces. Although the kids were always around, smiling, laughing, and playing, and saying a few English phrases to us, they were somewhat uncomfortable when put on the spot for the interview. Only a few were talkative. Now I understand why many of the sponsor letters were so similar. They all respond with the Telugu word for "everything's good." How about food? Good. Health? Good. Friends? Good. A few of the memorable comments: "There is no beating here." "We are never hungry here." "I am grateful because without SH I would be living on the street with no food." We want to know what their hobbies are and their personalities, and things we value in our own children. They want us to know that they finally have enough food! Their basic needs are being met in such a good way. Only a few had special prayer requests. Only one said who his best friend was. None had complaints. Not to worry, though; Isaac shared the complaints with us that they tell him occasionally. He knows we don't expect the kids to be perfect, and if there's a problem, we want to know. I just don't think there are many problems.

I found it very interesting that several of the children said, "There is good discipline here." I made sure that wasn't something lost in translation. They like the structure of an adult instructing them and teaching them to obey. Wow. Isaac told us of one incident of dispbedience that happened early on. Five of the boys (he had them all stand before us with sheepish grins) sneaked away to swim in the canal. I found this out because Isaac told me they were good swimmers. I asked where they went swimming, and then was told the story. By the way, the canals are filled with disgusting water and plenty of waste - you could get seriously ill from bathing or drinking that water. The other children told Isaac where the boys had gone, and he went to get them, and he punished them. I asked how he punished them, and it's just a twist of the ear or a pinch, but mostly it's verbal reprimands. He explained why they shouldn't go off alone or without permission, and what was expected of them at SH. All were very repentant and promised never to do it again. When they stood before us, they all had sheeping little grins, and they collectively shook their heads and waved their hands back and forth, "never again!" They are good boys. I can't remember which boys were the culprits, except for Mahesh. He is the tallest boy, and I think he's the oldest.

After the first session of interviews, we prepared to go on a short outing to a government sponsored children's home and then to Mary's workplace. Isaac and Mary had told us a little about the children's home ahead of time, but I wasn't really clear on what it was until we were there. I was told that we would meet an important woman, and that she would ask us for financial help. "Sister, you must answer wisely." I asked what I should say, and Isaac explained: "Say, 'maybe'." Oh! We should neither commit ourselves, nor deny the request. I was kind of nervous, because I didn't know who this woman was exactly, and I was worried about doing something that would make Isaac and Mary look bad. But it was no problem. We went by autorickshaw (Ruth, Mary, Ellen, and me) to a big facility (by Indian standards) for charity work, specifically, housing and helping HIV and AIDS female patients. They also help street girls, girls who were sold into brothels (little girls!), mothers who are destitute, and orphaned girls. I had also been told that we would meet one girl was was "ready to die" and that it would be good to give 500 rupees for her.

The facility receives government funds, but is run by Catholic nuns, and the important woman was a Sister who knows Mary very well. When Mary's own mother died (she was a teenager), this woman took Mary under her wing, and even gave her a very good job at the JMJ College (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) as her personal assistant. At the time, the Sister was the principal there. Since then, she has retired from the principal job to manage the charity, which is very close by. That explained a lot. She and the other Sister spoke English quite well, so no translation was needed. We were shown around a little, and the work was explained to us, and we were asked to help. They want monthly money in order to send the girls there to private schools, because the public schools are insufficient. Again, I have no concept of the levels of education provided in any of the schools, and I don' t know what impact it has on a student's future if they graduate from one or the other. I said that we would pray about it; maybe. It is true that I'll pray about it, and if God wants to help them through us, then He will. But my expectation is that He will continue to direct us to expand and work with the SH organization. We're in His hands. The most memorable part of the visit to this home was meeting Sunita.

How does it feel to have someone take your photo as a remembrance because you'll die soon? Sunita knows. She was a frail, small girl, eleven years old. She has had HIV from birth, and is now in the final stages, even though she is getting treatment. She has lost most of her hearing, she can't sleep well, she has trouble breathing. She has a lung infection, and the nun said that usually happens last, and then death soon follows. Sunita stood before us, staring at us calmly. I don't know if she is resigned to her life being so short. I don't know if she cries about the tragedy of it. How do you explain to a child that they will never grow up? Before we left, Sunita was given two bags to present to Ruth and me, made by the girls at the home. I asked if I could take her photo, and then turned the camera around for her to see the result on the display screen, like the children always want us to do. I was rewarded with a smile. I know it's a very small thing, but I was glad I made her smile. I took another photo of Sunita's smile. I did give the 500 rupees to the sister on Sunita's behalf. I will always treasure the little bag, and I will never forget her. Life isn't fair.

We said goodbye to the Sisters at the HIV girls home, and took the autorickshaw to the JMJ college. Mary showed us around the campus, which is big and very nice. It's for girls only. She showed us her office, the library, the gardens, and we saw peacocks. Some of the students are locals, and some stay in hostels (dorms, I think) if they're not from Tenali. Mary is the personal assistant to the principal. She had told me before that she thinks often of quitting her job to take better care of the SH children, but that they need the income. I want to emphasize again how much the Palaparthis pour their own resources of every kind into providing for the children. It's not just a job - it's their life. We Americans aren't the only ones contributing funds.

While we ran a couple of errands, Ray was having the time of his life. He had taken the video camera and was riding through the streets of Tenali on the back of a motorcycle. Anil Kumar was driving. He took Ray through the fish market. Ray told me that he saw a silver Gandhi boy, too. He got it all on tape, and I haven't seen it yet, so I'll have to write about that later. Our errands included exchanging some clothes I bought two days back. I had two Punjabi outfits that were too tight around the sleeves and bodice. Unfortunately, they didn't have the same thing in a larger size, and I had to start the selection process again. There was only one larger size, XL, and there wasn't near as much to choose from. This is because the Indian girls and women who wear Punjabi dress are young, unmarried, students for the most part. They're all small. Then there's the height issue. I don't think I saw any other female taller than myself the entire time we were there. (For that matter, we hardly saw any white people, either. We did meet three or four Americans in the handicraft store, and they were from Oklahoma and Tennessee; they were there with a preacher Isaac knows, and I think they're doing something similar to us, but in a different area. There were also a couple of buses of white people in Tenali who were with Harvest India. We didn't get to speak to them, and Isaac doesn't know any of them personally, only that they do a lot of work there. But back to my errands: next, we went to a little shop with some foods and spices. I don't know what the name of the shop was; they seemed to have a variety of items. I bought tea (like Mary serves), sugar (in little square crystals), fennel coated in brightly covered sugar, and elachi (some spice Mary puts in her tea). Did I mention that there were four of us in the autorickshaw, in addition to the driver? Two could fit comfortably. The three older women sat on the seat, and Ellen perched on the bar separating the driver from the passengers. But it was the Indian way, "no problem."

Once we returned, we finished the interviews with the kids. Then we got to work: we attempted to prepare a southern American meal for our hosts. Ruth, Ellen, Mary, Rajanikanth, and I squeezed into the kitchen. Fortunately, the power returned soon after we started. Rajanikanth's hobby is cooking, and he was very interested to learn from us. I think it was a poor representation, because it was such a different way of cooking for us. Still, we had fun, and overall, we were successful. Most of our food tasted that way it was supposed to. We made fried chicken, which was delicious. The mashed potatoes also turned out really well. The dumplings were below average, probably because we had to use brown wheat flour and peanut oil. It was a new recipe for us; at home we just buy biscuits and boil them in chicken broth. I also made homamade bread, which was a challenge because there was no oven. We used an improvised Dutch oven, and it turned out OK. Again, the peanut oil was used instead of olive oil. It was a little more moist than usual, and the bottom was blackened, but we cut off that bit and there was still plenty to go around. The grand finale was fried apple pie, and although the finished product wasn't pretty, the taste was good. They said it was all delicious, they loved it, and the cleaned their plates. I'm suspicious! We were glad to serve them for a change, and when Rajanikanth said no more, we gave him another serving anyway.

After supper, we were in for a special treat. The children had been working on a skit for us for at least a month, and it was finally time to perform. They had been running around for hours with glitter and makeup on, giggling at each other, getting their costumes ready. We had no idea how special and amazing it would be! It was definitely a highlight of the trip, and it will absolutely be on the DVD. I taped it all; you'll love it. The story was about the birth of Christ, and many of the children had parts. Jansi was Joseph, and Reetu was Mary. They were great. This might sound strange, but Manova did an excellent (and extremely funny) job in the part of Satan. The best, though, hands down, were the sheep. (They say "sheeps.") Babblu and Pavan were dressed in just their shorts, and they had homemade paper sheep faces on. They said their lines (baa!) with great enthusiasm, and when they said them, they wiggled. They really sounded just like sheep. I laughed so hard I cried - along with everyone else - and the little boys were very pleased with themselves. It was beyond description, and you'll just have to see the video for yourself.

More evidence of the Indian "no problem" attitude: the evening of the skit, there was a huge gathering of people for a gospel meeting of come sort in the field across from Isaac's house. These people had come in with a lot of money, and over the past few days had been constructing a platform and putting up lights, like in a stadium. I have to explain that in India, churches broadcast themselves to those around them. I wondered why the small churches we visited had little portable sound systems. The preachers would speak into the microphone, but I wouldn't hear it amplified in the building. (I'm a little slow sometimes.) The sound is broadcast from speakers OUTSIDE on the church buildings, so the whole neighborhood everything! I'm glad I didn't know this until after I got comfortable with speaking before the churches. So anyway, this huge meeting was going on just across the street, and it was extremely loud, and we couldn't hear much of the skit (except the sheeps!). That level of noise would not have been permitted in the US because people not attending the meeting would have been inconvenienced. But I didn't see one person complaining or even mentioning the noise. They joyfully performed their skit, and fortunately it needed no explanation - the nativity story is universal for Christians. I can't wait to show everyone the photos and video of the skit. It was fabulous. The parts I remember: Divya and Chamondeswari were angels. All of the children chanted "shanti, shanti, shanti" while the angels came onto the stage; it means "peace." Prabhakar was one of the shepherds. Mahesh was King Herod's guard. King Herod was the only adult part, played by Anil. Levi, Malathi, and Ramya were the dancers and singers. Rajesh was one of the wise men. I'll record the info after I watch the video again; there were a lot of parts to remember.

After the skit, Isaac called us up to "give some compliments" to the actors. They were well-deserved, and I told them they might all grow up to be actors and actresses, because they were very talented. Just after the skit, we said good night and went back to Isaac's house to pack. (The skit was performed at the church building.) We finished the last two things on our list: looking at the SH account books (perfectly kept, by the way), and taking video of how Mary makes tea. There was a knock at the door, and we were delighted to see D. Moses, our old friend! Several years ago, when we lived in New York, we got a call from Moses. We had never met before, but he was a friend of Isaac's. He ended up taking the bus to see us, he preached at our church, and we really enjoyed each other's company. We were deeply honored to know the trouble he went to in order to see us. He had been traveling recently, and his cousin Sam was with him. They had left Moses' home in Hyderabad that morning at 10am, and traveled all day to see us. It was already after 10pm when they arrived. They had about thirty minutes with us, and then they had to get on a bus and go back to Hyderabad to meet an American friend coming in the next day. Would you travel an entire day to see someone for thirty minutes?! No problem. Moses is such a nice man, and he even brought us some gifts. We were so glad to see him again.

It was late when we finally packed our things, and I answered a couple of emails from dear friends. I'll be sad to leave India, but glad to be home. I will greatly enjoy sharing my experiences. Ruth had an empty suitcase (thank goodness!) and we filled it with things to take back home. We left several things there: our towels and pillowcases, tissues, hand sanitizer, all the birthday gifts to the kids, the extra oil pastels, and the excess granola bars and crackers. At about 11:30, I zipped up the last suitcase and went to bed.

January 9, 2007, on the train to Chennai 9:30am.

We got up this morming at about 4:30am, and left the house at about 5:45am to go to the Tenali train station. Our luggage was taken ahead of time by some of the men: Jayrao, Anil Kumar, and others. Water was heated for baths, and Rajanikanth made his delicions oatmeal. Ray and I polished off the last of the sweet lassi. It was chilly when we bathed, and I remembered that we were fortunate to have hot water. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but water for bathing is heated on the stove top for the adults living in the house: Isaac, Mary, and their daughters. The SH children don't have their bath water heated; it would take all day long, so it's logistically impossible. Although this weather has been quite comfortable to us, the people here are cold. It seems funny to see them in sweaters and caps, because we're warm. Isaac will be investigating the purchase of a hot water heater, and I assume this will be posted on the website with the cost. It's a need here, but something we take for granted at home. I think I'd consider it a great hardship if I had to take my daily shower outdoors with cold water, even in the winter. Back to the weather - I thought it would be hot the whole time, but this morning it was cool, and even bathing with the hot water made me shiver.

The children came into the courtyard, dressed and smiling, to see us off. Ray prayed for the group, and I cried. I'll miss them so much. When we left Abilene, I cried a little, because I would miss my kids. Still, I knew I'd see them again in two weeks. But it might be a year or more before we see these children again! I'm sure I'll cry again at the airport when we say goodbye to Isaac's family. I need to learn how to turn those tears off; I'm starting to embarrass myself.

At the train station, we met up with the other guys and our luggage. Isaac pointed out a street boy to us, just a little boy wearing shorts, about eight years old, sitting on a bench at the station, swinging his legs that didn't reach the ground. I said a silent prayer for him, and also for the person asleep on the ground, obviously someone with no other place to go. Mahesh and Rajesh had come to the station to help, and I was glad to see their smiling faces. Isaac's wife and daughters looked beautiful, Mary with her white saree with little blue flowers, and the girls in their Punjabi dresses. Esther seemed a little more lively than usual; I have been assured that she's normally more outgoing, but is a little shy because we're here. It's hard to remember how young they are; they seem like responsible young adults. Too soon, the train arrived, and we all rushed to get on before it started moving again. It's a good thing we have so much help, or I'm sure half of our luggage would still be on the platform. This time we had reserved seats in a non-sleeping car. It's somewhat like a plane, but more spacious. There are three seats on one side and two on the other, and an aisle down the middle. There's a luggage rack on the top, and the seats are vinyl and cushy, very comfortable. The seats recline some (more than on a plane) and the leg room is better than a plane. There are also little drop down trays. The aisle is covered with that bright green fake grass like you see on some porches in the US; this strikes me funny. There are windows along the sides, but they're thick and dirty, and we can't see out of them very well. There is A/C, and it's comfortable in here. Vendors keep coming by selling coffee, tea, tomato soup, and something we've just discovered is a boiled egg coated in batter and deep fried. I bought some tea for myself for 4 rupees, and drank it. Isaac and Mary were asleep, or they would have done it themselves, but I was pleased to have accomplished that little task on my own. Ray struck up a conversation with his Indian neighbor, and they've been chatting away for about an hour. Now the seats next to Isaac are open, and Ray is moving up to talk with him. I think Isaac might be worried that this other guy is bothering Ray - but I assure you, Ray was the conversation instigator!

One more thing about the train: this time I visited the Western bathroom. I lifted the lid, and I was impressed with the efficiency of the drainage system. It's simply a hole open to the underside of the train, and you can see the tracks speeding by below. Ah, India. Now it's 10:10 - I've been typing for three hours - and we'll arrive in Chennai at 1pm.

2007-01-07T05:34:00.000-08:00

2007-01-07T05:05:00.000-08:00

Saturday & Sunday

2007-01-07T03:52:00.000-08:00

January 7, 2007 10:10am, on the road to Morampudi

Yesterday was a long day, so I didn't get around to the blog. I'm trying to catch up now during this drive - again, if I can keep from feeling carsick. I'm sitting in the middle and I have the A/C pointed on my face, so I feel pretty good at the moment. Ruth is to my left, enjoying the view of the canal and the flowers, and Ray is to my right, finalizing his short talk for this morning. I think he's growing weary of speaking to all these people, and it makes him (all of us, really) uncomfortable that we're seen as experts in the Bible. We're just regular Christians, like everyone else, not experts. But it's part of this kind of trip, so we're doing our best. They have worked so hard to make us comfortable in every way.

Yesterday morning we did some shopping in Tenali, then rested at home, then shopped in Vijayawada, then attended a gospel meeting in Vijayawada. In Tenali, we went first to the sewing machine shop. Isaac had invited his tailor to accompany and advise us, and he was very helpful. This shop (like most of the shops) was tiny - barely room for a few customers to sit or stand, the shop owner to sit, and the merchandise (not a large quantity) to be stacked along the walls. It's so different that in America. So many things are squeezed into a small space - shops are tiny, houses are very close together, streets have no open space, and autorickshaws can be so full of people that it reminds me of clowns in a mini-car at a circus. Indians probably wouldn't understand why that's funny - it isn't unusual at all. The sewing machine shop we went to sold treadle machines made by Usha. There were a number of models to choose from, and I think we got the second cheapest, the Tailor model. They are all black metal with gold lions painted on them. The cost a little more than we expected, about $70 each, but it included that sewing table top and accessories. They'll be really good for learning to sew, and with the frequent power outages, treadle will be better. Kumari, the SH housemother, knows how to sew and will be the teacher. Both the boys and girls will learn this skill, which will save them one day from the extremely difficult life of doing field labor or something equally backbreaking. Perhaps some will get a higher education and get even better jobs than tailoring. Even so, it will be really good to have that to fall back on. The Usha machines can also be repaired at this same shop should the need arise. We purchased three machines for now, thanks to donations back home (THANKS!!), and additional machines, electric machines, or specialty machines can be purchased later. Some of the donated money will also be used to purchase the supplies they'll need to learn on: fabric, thread, scissors, etc.

After the sewing machine shop, we went to purchase new sarees for Kumari and Victoria. Isaac explained that it would be appropriate to give them new clothes as a gift. We gave money for new clothes to Anil and Rajanikanth, but the sarees we chose ourselves. Actually, Ellen did most of the choosing, with her father's approval. She knew what to buy. I personally can't tell just by looking how durable, fashionable, or expensive a saree is. I can tell the color, but that's about it! I can also distinguish between silk and cotton. Kumari and Victoria each got a brightly colored silk saree. The silk ones are cheaper and less durable, but worn by all of the younger women who are married. Unmarried women all wear Punjabi clothes, and start wearing sarees once they're married. Ruth wondered if it was OK for her to wear a Punjabi outfit, since as an Indian she would be wearing a cotton saree. She was told, "Ah, no problem, Sister." (My own sister Rebecca has asked me to come home with a perfect imitation of Indians speaking English, and I'm working on it!)

From there, we did some personal shopping. We didn't buy any Christmas presents for our families, but planned to get souvenirs instead for them. So I can't blog about that now - I'd like to keep the gifts a surprise. I'll try to give an overview, though. At the clothing store, we had the same experience as before: lots of employees, not much space, and you can't really look for yourself. I did buy a little outfit for Edward (don't tell him), and it took a long time for them to figure out what I was looking for. First, I told them his age, but that he was a big boy. So they looked at clothes for a three year old. First they brought out jeans and button down shirts. I said no, because you can buy the same thing in the US; I wanted something that looked Indian. They kept bringing me clothes that looked American to me. I pointed to a shirt displayed on the wall, a short-sleeved blue embroidered exotic-looking short. One of the employees was standing on the counter, pulling down the boxes his female coworker told him to get. All of the clothes for sale are stacked in boxes on shelves, not displayed on hangers. Next they brought out some long-sleeved button down shirts and long pants, and they were a little closer. Again, I pointed to the shirt on the wall. I emphasized the short sleeves. Isaac explained that if I bought a short sleeved shirt, it would come with shorts, not long pants. I said that was good, and then finally, we looked at what I wanted. It was very frustrating! I explained that the cold months in Abilene are few, but the hot months are many. Finally, I found a little pair of shorts and an Indian-looking short sleeved cotton shirt for Edward. Some things here are more efficient (the baths) and some are less ehen fficient (the shopping). But fortunately, I'm an expert shopper, and I can handle the difficulty. We had a list of people to buy for, and a list of items we wanted, and we were very successful. They took me to a shop to buy a Milton Tuf-Puf. This is a really cool container made of plastic and metal, Indian made, to store hot food. We are served every meal from Mary's Milton Tuf-Puf, and it keeps the food warm for a really long time. When they took oatmeal for us to eat one one of the day trips, we were amazed that it didn't have to be reheated after several hours in the container. They call this a Milton, pronounced "MEEL-tone". The tag says, "It's a Milton miracle!" After a morning of shopping - very enjoyable - we returned to Isaac's house for lunch and a rest. Soon Mary was home; she only worked a half day because it was Saturday.

It's hard to make myself take a nap, but I did that day. So did Ray and Ruth, and when we woke up, it was about time to leave. That afternoon, we planned to shop in Vijayawada, and then attend a gospel meeting there. Isaac asked to see my list, to see what else I needed to buy in the way of souvenirs. I explained that I didn't have specific things in mind - I tried to convey the concept of browsing. I guess he understood, because he said we would go to an Indian handicrafts store. We got all ready to go, went out into the courtyard, and were told the sewing machines would now be coming. So we waited. Soon, the gate opened, and two men carrying a very heavy sewing machine and table brought it in and up onto the porch. It had arrived via rickshaw, a bicycle with a passenger cart attached to the back. I guess it's more of a tricycle that holds several people. For a few weeks, the sewing machines will be located in Isaac's house, moved to an open room for work, and stored when not in use. He will finish one of the rooms next door (currently all concrete) to be a sewing room, and that will be their eventual location.

Also while we were in the courtyard, we were introduced to another little boy who wanted to join SH. I don't remember what his name was. I may have the story straight, or I may not have understood correctly. I think he is originally from near Chennai, and somehow his mother brought him by train to Vijayawada and left him there at the train station. He had returned once to his mother's house, but she rejected him and would not feed him. I don't know why. He ended up back in Vijawayada, and a man who works there but lives in Tenali has been trying to help the boy. The boy stays in Tenali during the day while the man works in Vijayawada. He brought the boy to SH. Because he isn't the boy's legal guardian and not related to him, it would be illegal for SH to take him in. If the boy's mother brings him, then SH could accept him. So I don't know what will happen to him. Apparently Babblu was trying to help him and told him he could stay. They were bargaining, I think! Babblu is so cute. The first time the SH people saw him, they found him using the bathroom at SH, and said, "Who are you?" Then he told his story. I would guess he's about nine years old. They also gave him something to eat at that time. After being told that we couldn't accept him under these circumstances, he asked Babblu, "If you're not going to feed me, could I at least sleep here?" Isaac translated this, and it was funny that the other little boy thought Babblu was some sort of an authority. It's hard to laugh, though, in a hard situation. You have to be careful not to focus to closely on the suffering and unfairness, and remind yourself that if I spend hours in my room crying over these kids, I won't be focusing on helping the ones I can actually do something for. I think Isaac did give the little boy some money, and I think his mother will be informed that she can bring him - but I don't know how they'll contact her.

Soon we were on the road to Vijayawada. The previous day, we had seen a little monkey on the way home from the beach, and we expressed surprise. We didn't think there were any monkeys in this part of India. So on this trip to Vijayawada, we took an alternate route through an area where monkeys live. They call the monkeys "koti", pronounced "ko-TEE". When we asked what kind of monkeys they were, Isaac laughed, and told us, "They are Indian monkeys, the kind with a tail!" We'll have to look up the species when we get home. There was some concern as to whether the monkeys would still be out by the time we got there; they're best seen in the daytime, and it was evening. But we were privileged to see a number of them, playing and jumping, and we got some good photos. They were small and light brown, with red faces. We enjoyed them very much. There are also tigers and cobras in this part of India, but we haven't seen any. I guess that's a good thing!

In Vijayawada, the handicrafts store was great, exactly what we needed. At that store, we finished most of our planned shopping. We found excellent gifts for almost everyone on our list. The store is a co-op, with a number of Indian artisans selling their items there. There isn't any bargaining, which is what we prefer anyway. I can't give all the details of this store just yet! We spent at least one and a half hours there. We went all through the store, made notes, converted rupees into dollars with a calculator, and then started making decisions. I was worried that Isaac and his family were bored out of their minds, but when we left, Isaac complimented me on my patience. How funny! I'm a pretty impatient person. Maybe he means I took my time and chose well instead of hastily? I'm not sure. There are a lot of instances where we're not clear on the meaning, and it goes both ways. Fortunately the language barrier problems have been more entertaining than frustrating.

After our tiring but satisfying shopping experience in Vijayawada, we went on to the gospel meeting. Often, we're not exactly sure where we're going, how long it will take to get there, or what the situation is. We don't worry because we trust Isaac so much. At this congregation, I recognized Isaac's older sister, Marthamma. She is so appealing: an older woman, bigger than most of the Indian women we've met, with white hair, and always smiling. She makes me want to hug her every time I see her. Her son is the preacher at the congregation we visited. He's missing an arm from an accident about twelve years ago. I noticed that he shook Ray's hand with his left hand, and later Isaac was saying that he was unable to do other work (besides preaching). Still, I suppose because I was tired, I didn't even notice that his arm was missing. Ray mentioned it in the car on the way home, and I was surprised. It was obvious to everyone but me, I guess. The church building was much like the other church buildings we've seen; this one was a permanent structure rather than a grass hut or a tent. I like these the best; they're cool and comfortable, and also very lovely. Ray, Ruth, and I all gave a short lesson. I don't know what sometimes it's only Ray and sometimes it's all three of us. We just stand up and speak when Isaac tells us to.

After church, we went a few houses down to the preacher's house. It was up a steep set of stairs, and the front room was barely big enough to fit a table and six chairs. It was cool and comfortable, like most of the places we've been. We were served the usual: bananas, loose skinned oranges, and a boiled egg. I was eyeing Isaac's plate of rice and curry of some sort, and I asked if I could try it. They're hesitant to let us eat their food because they're afraid it will hurt us. But he did let me have some, and it was delicious. It was about as hot as I could comfortably tolerate. I asked if I could also try some green mushy stuff, and Isaac said no, both because it was too hot and also because it was not prepared with bottled water. It was a cold chutney or some kind. The curry water had been boiled, so it was OK. They brought out cokes for us, too. Ruth has to explain every evening that she doesn't want to drink coke before bed because the caffeine will keep her awake. They still offer it to her. After we ate, we were asked to pray for the house and the family, as usual. The lady at the clothing shop also asked me to pray for her once we were done shopping. If white people come here, everyone knows they're Christians. After supper, I asked to take a family photo. As with most things, they honored my wishes right away, and soon they were gathered in front of me, posing. The family was the father, mother, two daughters, and one son. The kids are elementary school ages. Unfortunately, the little boy was asleep, and they tried to wake him up, and propped him against his parents. He didn't wake up soon enough, though, and he fell into the door and bumped his head. He started to cry, and they were trying to get him to smile, and I felt really bad about it! The second everyone was standing still, I snapped the photo and thanked them. I was surprised that the boy didn't cry more.

An hour later, we were home. It's hard to sleep in a car full of people, especially when the road is winding and bumpy. I did keep my eyes closed, though, because driving at night is a lot more harrowing than driving during the day. I prefer to see the danger rather than imagine it! Speaking of danger, Ruth scraped her arm on a rusty nail sticking out of the wall of the church building, and has a nasty little cut now. We have all had tetanus shots, but we'll watch it for infection. None of us thought to bring anything like neosporin or band-aids, but I think we can go to the pharmacy and get pretty much anything we want - without a prescription. At the house, the girls were all asleep, including Johny and Esther. Isaac, Mary, and Ellen were in bed within about five minutes, but Ray and I took longer, checking email, laying out clothes, washing our faces, etc. It surprised me how quickly Isaac's family went to bed. They just lay down on the floor (basically) and went to sleep. By the way, they're sleeping on cots (usually) or the floor (last night) in the dining room in order to accomodate us. They've provided an incredible level of hospitality.

January 7, 2007

This morning I was awakened by the next door neighbor vomiting again - a lot. Someone over there is either very sick or pregnant. It sounds really disgusting, but it just blends in with all of the other sounds. Not many things here are private, and now I've seen enough people who are naked, vomiting, bathing, and relieving themselves in public, that it doesn't seem out of place here. (Not Isaac's family, just people by the side of the road or out in fields, who don't have a private house.)

We had the privilege of successfully using the webcam this morning to talk with my family and our kids, and it was so good to see them. Virginia is counting down the days. We miss them a lot. We looked around to see which of the children were near, and we were able to put a few of the girls on camera to say hi, and we asked Malathi to sing. There is one song she sings (everybody sings it, I guess) in Telugu that is just beautiful, almost haunting. It will definitely be on the video. We enjoyed sitting down to breakfast with the sounds of the Sunday school children singing next door. They sing a lot here, and we really like it. We didn't attend the Tenali church for worship this morning (Sunday), but left around 10am to visit another place.

We drove about half an hour to Banumpundi (that's how it sounded to me), and once we arrived, I had a very memorable experience. I dreaded asking the question, but knew it would be several hours until we were back home. "Toilet?" I had to ask Isaac since neither Mary mor Ellen had come with us. "I will ask, Sister," he replied. After a minute, he told me to go with an older woman much shorter than me. Anil followed us - making sure I got back to where I was supposed to be, I guess. Ruth, Ray, and Isaac went into the church building. I walked with the woman about three houses down the little street, and follower her into a small house with low ceilings and doors. I walked straight back through three rooms, and in the third room was a man on a cot watching TV. Past the third room was a back courtyard, and in the courtyard were two bathroom stalls. They were made of concrete and the doors reacher to the ground. I peeked inside, unsure if that was the right place. It was about four feet by four feet, but I didn't even see an Indian toilet - no hole in the ground. Maybe the other one had a hole? I'll bet it did. The splashed water on the floor to clean it, and put a small bucket full of water in the corner. I was carrying my brown bag, which is fairly heavy with the cameras and notebook and Bible inside. The woman asked me a question in Telugu, and I shook my head. The last thing I wanted to do was go get Isaac for translation! She asked me again, and held up her hand. I tried really hard to understand - what could she be asking me? Then it hit me - she was holding up her fingers: one, two? I suppose it's a universal symbol, and thank goodness! I held up one finger, and she motioned me into the little toilet room without any kind of toilet. I locked the door and took off my bag...but there was no where to hang it, and the floor was completely wet. I held it in my teeth! I'll stop there with the play by play, and just finish up by saying all of my clothes were dry when I emerged. It was a strange experience, and I apologize for the detail, but it was too interesting to pass up.

I followed Anil back to the church building where the others were seated at the front. Next, we were all garlanded and photographed, and then Ray spoke. Ruth and I gave our greetings. Or maybe we gave our greetings at the next place? We've done this so many times now that I am having trouble remembering what we did at which place. After this worship service, we drove twenty minutes to Vijayawada to another congregation, where Isaac's brother-in-law is the preacher. At this place, we did the same thing, and Ray really got on a roll with his lesson! He has done such a good job. Then we went to the preacher's house for lunch. Isaac's second sister (Yesudiamma?) was our hostess. She is so jolly! She's a big woman, always smiling, and I think Isaac was trying to tell us that he is her favorite brother. She and the other house members fed us SO much food, and it was really hard to say no. We would say no, and they would give it to us anyway. It was all good, there was just too much. And then, once we had finished the rice, curry, sambar, chupattis (fabulous flat bread), and little flat fried cakes that tasted like potato but are made with some kind of lentil flour (I think) - then we were expected to eat bananas, apples, and oranges for dessert. Enough! It was twice as much food as I wanted. The curry had chunks of liver in it, and I tried one, but then left the rest. The flavor was really good, just not the chunks of liver. It also had chicken meat.

Ruth asked if she could take the hostess' photo for a painting, and of course she said yes. Ruth posed her in the front doorway of her home, a small white building with stairs and doors made of cotton curtains with a flower print. Next, she wanted a family photo, and she asked the family to stand on the front steps. However, they wanted her to take the photo inside the house. One of the men shook his head and said, "No, inside is better; this not good area, Sister." He pointed to a tree and some construction down the street. I wasn't sure if they thought it wasn't safe (it looked fine to me) or if they thought the setting inside the house would make a nicer photo. Personally, I think outside would have been better, but it was no big deal. Ruth took the photo inside.

Now we're on the way home. It's 3:35pm. When we get back, we'll have a shortened version of the widows meeting for the ones who missed the date before, then we'll rest, then we attend a gospel meeting in Sudapalli tonight. I don't mind going to all the different places for the gospel meetings, but I will be glad when the one tonight is over, because it is the last one, and then we can relax a bit. The gospel meetings are a bit different that what I've seen in the U.S. It's just like a regular church assembly that isn't on a Sunday morning. The people present are all or mostly Christians, and they just come to hear someone new speak. We don't speak for a long time. We're not trying to convert anyone to anything, just sharing some story or lesson.

Looks like we're back home, where the widows are waiting, so I'll sign off.

Surya Lanka Beach

2007-01-05T09:35:00.000-08:00

January 5, 2007 10:15am, driving to Surya Lanka seashore

If I can avoid getting carsick, I'll finish the report from yesterday now. We're still in Tenali, but all piled into the vehicle headed for the seashore. It will be about a two hour trip. The kids have traveled by bus and are already on their way. We didn't have to leave at the same time; our vehicle is faster. Isaac arranged the bus rental for the kids yesterday, and the total was $150. He asked if we could help some, and after some discussion, Ray, Ruth, me, and Isaac decided to each pay for one fourth of the cost. This is a large bus containing all of the children, and it will be rented for a full day. The gas and driver are also included. Accompanying the kids on the bus are Rajanikanth, Ellen, Kumari and her daughter, Victoria, and an older man who has been asked to come as a helper today. I didn't see Kishore and Anilkumar get on, but I'm sure they'll be there, probably along with several other adults. While at the beach, we have been asked to each speak to the children for about 15 minutes, giving a moral lesson. We should instruct them on how to act, encourage them to be obedient and dutiful, etc. They don't seem to need a lot of instruction to me, but of course we're happy to do this. At the beach, there will be no bathing suits. Generally, the people don't know how to swim, and bathing suits would be very immodest here anyway. The kids are wearing their uniforms, which only go down to the knees, and the adults will also only wade in a little bit. Isaac said some of the staff members will go in about up to their knees and hold a rope to prevent the children from going out too far. They are very excited and most of them have never seen the ocean. We're excited, too!

Back to yesterday's report: during the second part of the widows' meeting, which was rather tedious because of the way everything was distributed and all of the obligatory photos, we stayed up on the stage and took turns giving the gifts. There was a separate photo taken with each group of widows, according to which congregations they were from. After this was all over, we returned to the house for a much needed rest. It's very calming to be in Isaac's home. There's no air conditioning, but every room has a ceiling fan and high ceilings, and the marble floors are very cool. They lay down in the afternoons on the marble floors for a short rest. There are also large windows in each room with screens, and when there's a breeze, it's very nice. The power was out when we went back - very common - but it was not much of a problem since it was still plenty light outside. An hour or so later, it did get dark and some candles were lit, but soon after dark the power returned. There is a hand water pump in the front courtyard, and a motor next to it. When the power is on, the motor comes on periodically to pump water into a small water tower on the roof. If the power is out for awhile, the water in the tank gets used up and none of the faucets work. Still, you can just go into the front courtyard and pump it up yourself with the hand pump. There is no water heater; water is heated on the stove. The stove in Mary's kitchen consists of two gas burners; there is a gas pipeline coming into the kitchen, and it's attached to the stove, but the stove itself just sits atop the counter; it isn't built in. It's like a camping stove.

I rested for a few minutes, but I could hear children playing outside, and it was too appealing. I couldn't resist. I'll rest when I get back to Texas. I took my camera and headed out to watch them. We were concerned about the schedule before we arrived, because it didn't seem like there was much time scheduled to be with the kids. Like so many things, Isaac planned it perfectly, and we didn't understand until we got here. The kids are always around, except when they're in school, and we are seeing quite a bit of them. Most of them were outside playing in the road (that's not bad at all) or in the field. They proudly showed me the silly faces Ray had taught them the day before. Some of the boys demonstrated a trick of their own: the eye pop. They got these little yellow unopened flowers from a tree, and hit them against their foreheads. They make a little popping sound. I tried it, and finally got the hang of it, and then I was given many little flowers to do because each child wanted to be part of the fun. Finally I said enough, and started taking photos of the kids. They loved it; it was also like a game. They crowded in front of my and said "Mommy! Mommy!" to get my attention, then I took the photo, and then they laughed at seeing themselves on my digital display. They got sillier and sillier, and had a great time putting horns on each other - the equivalent of rabbit ears. The child having his or her photo taken didn't want horns, but invariably someone behind them would sneak their little fingers up anyway. They they started posing for me - with a flower, watering a plant, pumping water, doing the splits (Babblu), and on and on. I took so many photos! During the photo game, children were also jumping rope, playing badminton, and the boys in the field were playing cricket. Anil Kumar was in the field with them, and Jeevanbabu was with him. He's more toddler than child, and isn't part of many of the children's activities. I think he's too young for school - but I don't have that detail yet. The dhobi spends a lot of time caring for him. The children were also doing chores around us. I don't know how each child decided whether to play or work, but they seem to have no problem knowing what they need to be doing. Some kids will be jumping rope, or stringing flowers together to be hair ornaments, and others will be carrying a bucket of water to wash clothes, or putting away folded clothes, or taking care of personal things like brushing teeth or taking cough syrup. I don't know how the system works, but they're smiling, whether they're playing or working. I noticed the new girl, Levi, putting away clothes. Mary told me that she didn't need to do that, but she had insisted. She knew her way around and where to put the clothes because she has experience working in the house. So this little girl, who had been living in a bad situation before this, had been employed occasionally to do some extra work at the Palaparthi's. Don't think child labor or cruelty - thing of a little girl grateful to do some light chores and be rewarded with a little money in order to eat. It's very common here, and very different from the few children in SH who were formerly slaves. Levi was too poor for school and needed food, and wanted to work. It's difficult to describe the situation.

Jansi started singing a song for us, and did a dance. Then she started another song, and many of the children ran over to join her. They sang for us, and we sang for them. They've enjoyed learning My God Is So Big, and they know all of the motions and some of the words. Most of the songs they know are in Telugu, but they also know a few in English. They sing everything with great enthusiasm. Pavan especially sings joyfully and makes me laugh every time. He is precious, and adorable missing some of his baby teeth.

Speaking of teeth - I called home on Isaac's cell phone, and got news of a minor accident back home. Edward was running, and ran right into the piano. He hit so hard that one of his upper front teeth was pushed up into his gum. There was a lot of blood, which was very upsetting to Virginia (can't stand the sight of blood), but my sister and her husband happened to be there. They took Virginia home with them for the night while my parents did what they could for Edward. They ended up going to an oral surgeon, even though it was after hours, and he numbed the spot and then used an instrument to position the tooth in the socket. In a couple of months, if the tooth doesn't die, it shoud reerupt. There's a fifty-fifty chance that he'll just lost his tooth. I don't care about the tooth, as long as Edward is OK. Mom said the best anisthetic for him was his Sesame Street alphabet video, which they've watched over and over. Edward is now doing much better, he just has a swollen face and a gap in his teeth. It's a challenge to keep him safe, and I know that the same thing would have occured had we been home - still, I wish I could hug him myself.

Later, I was shown a boy eating, and told that it was Dilip, the orphan from the slum area. He was given a big plate of rice and told to return the next day. I think later today he will return and be formally accepted into SH. What great news!

On that good note, I'll end this entry. The car is weaving and the road is bumpy - I think several of us are starting to feel a bit sick. This happens to the Indians too, and someone shouts, "Vomiting sensation!", and the car is quickly pulled to the side for the affected person to jump out.

More to come after the beach...

January 5, 2007 10:10pm, Isaac's house

I meant to get to bed tonight by 10pm, but I guess that won't happen. I'm just starting this, and I'm afraid that I'll forget too much if I don't record it all now.

We arrived at the beach after about two hours of travel. We were stuffed into the car: the driver and Isaac in the front, Ray, Ruth, and myself in the middle, and Mary, Johny, and Mary's two sisters in the back. On the way home, Ellen also squeezed into the back. The beach we went to, Surya Lanka, was an Indian resort. It was really interesting to see how Indians vacation - or at least how Indians fortunate enough to live above the poverty level vacation. The resort was a group of white buildings enclosed by a nice fence, right on the beach. You could rent rooms with fans (they didn't work) and cots and some lockers, much like a dormitory on a church retreat. The changing rooms and bathrooms were in separate buildings. Once we arrived, Isaac rented a room for us, although I don't think we really needed it. Still, it was nice, and several of us did take advantage of the cots and "took some rest" after lunch. For many of the children, it was the first trip to the beach. I can't describe how much they enjoyed it!

Soon after we arrived and rented the room, we walked out to the beach, and the children appeared not long after that. The big red bus would return for them at 4:30. They lined up, smallest to tallest, and marched out onto the beach. The little boys all took off their shirts, but the girls went in fully dressed. Devaraj had a hard time keeping his shorts pulled up, and I think he would have liked to remove them altogether. It was really cute. The chaperones waded out to about waist level with a long rope, and kept the children on the shallow side of it. It felt really strange to get in the water with a long denim skirt and button down shirt on, but all of the adults, both women and men, kept all of their clothes on. The kids splashed and played and had a wonderful time. They enjoyed jumping the waves and all of the normal things children do at the beach. Devaraj was afraid of water more than a few inches deep, so he stayed on the shore and played in the sand most of the time. A few of the girls collected tiny little shells, but most played in the water. I think all of the children got completely wet, and I wondered how long their clothes would take to dry. As it turns out, they had all brought another set of clothes to change into after they played in the water. Several of the women did the same thing, but I enjoyed my wet skirt; it kept me very comfortably cool and had just about dried by the time we left.

Isaac rolled up his pants to the knee and stood at the edge of the water, keeping a very close watch and occasionally calling one child or another to come back to shallower water. Of course, Ray went in as deep as anyone and had a great time playing with the kids. Anil Kumar was one of the guys holding up the rope, and he was wearing a black t-shirt. One of the kids had rubbed brown mud from the beach on his shirt, and Ray tried to rub it off for him - later Ray said it was just like washing a water buffalo; we have seen many people washing their black water buffalo in the canals. At one point, I lost my sunglasses, but soon Isaac found them by walking around and stepping on them (they were in the water). Several of the kids (and adults) found hermit crabs in the same way, and they brought them to show us and have their picture taken.

The beach was brown and smooth, with hardly any shells, and not crowded although there were other people enjoying the place. The dry part of the sand had a lot of goat droppings, and we saw goats among the thatched houses of the people who live on the beach. We also saw cows and chickens - not typical beach scenery for us. Oh, before I forget - we also saw a mongoose (sounds like moon-geese in Telugu) and a monkey (koti) today, while driving. Isaac also says that tigers and cobras do live in this part of India, but not elephants. To see elephants, you must go to the zoo (he pronounces it JOO) or the circus - just like in America. Back to the beach: the people who live near here are fishermen, and there were completely disgusting piles of dead fish on the beach. They also had them hung on rods to dry, and we saw women sitting among the piles of fish, sorting them. Most of the fish were small and silver. I'm not sure what kind they were. Before we left, we saw men bringing in the fishing nets for the day, and there were lots of boats on the water.

After playing, the children were corralled and directed to a covered and raised pavilion, where a tarp was laid out. They cleaned the sand from their feet by wiping them on a burlap bag, used as a mat. After changing into dry clothes and combing hair, the children were all seated in rows on the tarp under the pavilion, and Isaac asked the three of us to each teach them a moral lesson. We talked to them about being obedient, about the opportunity they have, about the good they can do for others, and other similar things. When we would get to a part about being obedient, they would all raise their hands, and Isaac said, "They are showing you that they are eager and ready to do this." Raising a hand during the lesson means, "I will! I will!" They are such good children.

After the lesson, they ate lunch. A large vat of rice and a small vat of something curry-smelling had been prepared at SH and brought for the kids, and they ate off of paper plates. Later, they were each given a snack (also homemade before we left) as they prepared to leave on the bus. As usual, there was someone there asking for their child to be admitted to Sanctuary Home. This one was a woman - she had a Bible with her, I think - who was old and suffering from a heart condition. She's already had a heart attack. The little boy she brought was her grandson, and his mother had died from a brain tumor, and the father had left. The woman fished for a living, but apparently was having some difficulty giving him good care. She must have also been wondering what would become of him after she died. We didn't accept him today - it seems like the other five we did already accept were in greater need - but his photo and information was taken for future consideration. So I guess that's another sponsor we need to find at some point. I so wish we could help them all!

After the children started eating, we Americans were led back to the rooms to be fed our sterile, safe, bland food. By Indian standards, that is - everything they serve us tastes good to us. We had oatmeal, mango jelly, a boiled egg, and sprite. Later we had bananas. After we ate, we could lay down and rest, but I asked if I could go watch the kids instead. They were concerned that the heat and sun would harm me, but I assured them that the weather was very nice - about 78 and breezy, I think - and that it gets much hotter in Texas in the summer. Plus, I was still wearing my cool wet denim skirt! Ellen walked with me, and I spent time filming the kids playing in the sand, running races (organized by Rajanikanth) and singing - and of course, making faces for the camera.

Soon, it was time to go, and we had the priviledge of praying for their safe trip home and distributing the snacks once they were on the bus. The trip back was uneventful - or at least, we're becoming used to the constant game of chicken that they call driving. We got home around 6:30, changed clothes and rested, and had a late supper. At one point we were called out onto the front porch to see the new children that had come. They also called Levi in, since she's new, too. She always has a sheepish grin on her face. The kids were lined up for a photo, and they wanted to show us their "luggage" - personal items filling about half of one plastic grocery bag. It's amazing to compare what we Americans own to their meager belongings. The mother with tuberculosis brought her two boys, and I cried for her as she left. She thanked us, and I know it was a good decision because of the chance her boys will have now, but I know it must still have been a difficult decision. Giving up your children, even to help them, must take a lot of joy out of one's life. The best comfort is knowing that she'll see them again once this life is over. I have no idea how long she'll live, but I think her condition is pretty hopeless. physically speaking. The boys never cried or clung to their mother. She just gave them a long look, turned, and left. Is she lying on the ground of her pathetic home right now, wondering about them? I can't imagine her feelings. I will be praying for her.

Pictures #2

2007-01-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

Picture 1 - Almost all of the infants that we've seen so far have on eye makeup.

Picture 2 - Our host had arranged to have all of the children from the orphanage show up at the train station when we arrived. They all greeted us and sang to us (it was midnight).

Picture 3 - These are the people living across from our host's house. They are considered the "outside people" as many in this area of India are.

India #4

2007-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

January 4th, 2007 5:45pm

This morning we awoke early, as usual, because of the sounds all around us. Mary dressed me up in a beautiful light purple saree, because today was the widows' meeting. She also had me wear a matching necklace and earrings, and with my new toe rings and anklets, I felt very fancy (from the fabric and jewelry), somewhat uncomfortable (because the stomach shows and the saree doesn't feel secure to me), and very honored that she is taking care to help me do what is appropriate here. We didn't seem about to eat breakfast anytime soon, so we had a snack, and then we were told we would visit the slum area.

This was a different slum area. The people were more spread out, but the living conditions were worse. This is their life: find a spot in the pasture and gather what branches, trash, and semi-useful discarded items you can to form a place to sleep or get out of the rain. During the day, walk around and collect plastic trash to sell to the recycling center. That's it. With that income - if you find a decent amount of recyclables - you might be able to feed yourself. You don't have much hope of earning enough to feed children as well. They can't go to school because you have no money for the items they would need. Besides, they can also help you look for trash. Hopefully they won't get sick, because you have no money to get any medicine for them.

I want you to know that before I came here, I really thought that the TV commericals and what we see in the Western world of these things were exaggerations. They're not! People really do live this way, and even after reading about it, seeing photos, and having others describe it to me, I don't think I really believed it was that bad. Now I know. And I've only seen a small slice of it. At this point, I think it would be good to go home and sell of the 85% of my posessions that are frivilous, luxurious, and useless to me. I don't need four TVs, three computers, three video game consoles, multiple stereos - and on and on. But here, a little bit of money (by American standards) could literally save a life - or several.

In the slum area, we distributed more food prepared by Rajanikanth. He's an excellent cook! He does live at SH, by the way. He is 26, not married, Mary's younger brother, and we are so impressed with him. When the children are at SH, he is often there, but he is also at Isaac's house a lot. Victoria seems to always be at SH, Rajanikanth goes back and forth. I believe Kumari is also always at SH, and she spends a lot of time caring for Jeevanbabu. He seems to be a high-maintenance boy, and he cries a lot. I don't know if he is temperamental, hurting in some way, afraid of something, or what. I plan to find out, though.

The food distributed was boiled eggs and bread rolls. At this place we were almost mobbed by people with outstretched hands and metal plates. After the food was handed out, Isaac called us over to see a woman who was requesting that we take her boys into SH. This is a common request, and SH has become very well known in Tenali. After some discussion, the situation was explained: the husband had died two years before and she was scavenging recyclables to feed the three of them. The boys were helping her with that work, but hadn't been to school in a long time. I estimate their ages at five and seven. The younger one is named Hanuman, like the Hindu monkey god. I can't remember the other one's name. Anyway, this woman can't feed them enough, much less keep them safe or send them for an education. She has tuberculosis, and is a frail-looking middle-aged woman with sad eyes. These boys will be considered for SH; their info and photos will be added to the website, and we need to find them sponsors, along with several additional children. The woman was very grateful. I kept control of my tears for the moment, but not for long. A short while later, we were called over to meet a young boy named Dilip. He doesn't know his surname or his age. He hasn't been to school in at least two years. He lives the same precarious life, barely able to sustain himself. He wants to come to SH. His father was killed in a lorry accident, and his mother died as well - I might have that mixed up with another story - but he is an orphan. We took video of him and his home: a white piece of dirty tarp, ripped in a few places, supported by some sticks. The floor, only packed dirt, is kept clean by his little homemade broom. He also showed us a stick with some fishing line on it; this slum area is near a canal where he has been fishing. I could no longer control my emotions, and tried not to burst into tears. How can we say no to this boy? But there are so many with the same story! We told Isaac to accept him into SH if there was space, and we would definitely find a sponsor. I didn't know it at the time, but Rajanikanth told the Dilip the address as we were leaving, and told him to come.

So SH is growing. From the 42 children we had when we arrived, we have added Levi Kumari, who has already moved in, and three more boys for consideration. There might be another I can't remember at the moment.

Also at the slum area, we saw pigs (there are lots of pigs here). The people here don't eat them, but sell them to be butchered and eaten by people in Bangalore. I asked if they had owners, and was told that the pigs roam around scavenging and growing fat, but that they know their owners and return to the owners' houses regularly. Not many are stolen, which is a surprise to me. There was a tree much like a mesquite tree at the slum area, and we were cautioned to beware of the thorns. I wasn't really concerned, but then they told us it was poisonous.

I finally voiced something to Isaac that Ray, Ruth, and I have been uncomfortable with: the banners. For every event or occasion, there is a banner with our names and Isaac's name, and the name of the organization, and the date. While we hand out rolls and eggs, there is a photographer taking photos, being sure to get the banner in the background. To us, this seems prideful. "Hey, look at this great work I'm doing!" I was pleased with the response, however. Isaac is trying to get an FCRA number, which he needs to legally run a charitable organization and receive foreign money. It's a little like what we've been through applying for tax exemption. He explained that government officials would be coming at some point to inspect and investigate the work being done here, and he is documenting everything with photos as evidence. It's also very common to see these banners, proclaiming all kinds of events for different groups, but at least there is a more important reason for it that I first thought. Other than the banners, I have seen absolutely nothing in Isaac and Mary that could be interpreted as self-serving or prideful.

One more thing about the slum area: there was a tree with drawings and decorations on it and around it, and Isaac explained that some of the slum people are Hindus, and that they worship the tree. The tree hasn't helped them much so far!

We got in a discussion in the car about fishing, and Kishore (another of Mary's brothers who is always present) had a lot of questions about fishing lures. He would like to try fishing with lures very much, and apparently it really isn't done here. I made a note to send him a couple to try once we get home. Oh, I forgot to mention that Ray is feeling much better and has participated fully today. His throat hurts, but he is still taking the painkillers and the antibiotic.

We returned to the Palaparthi house for tiffin around 10:30am. The widows had all arrived by then, and they were gathered and singing next door. Donors from the US provided a total of $750 to fund this widows meeting. For 150 widows, the cost was $5 each. This included transportation to and from the meeting, and meals while here and traveling. For five bucks each! Some traveled quite a ways; they were brought by the preachers of their congregations. One congregation wasn't present, and it turned out that they had gotten the day wrong. Isaac introduced us, and I spoke about heaven. Ruth then spoke, and she made them laugh a lot. She's a good speaker! After a long session, we took a break for lunch. The widows ate on the first floor of the church building, and we ate in the Palaparthi home. After a church meeting or event, Isaac's family whisks us away, but there is always some time for greeting and shaking hands on the way. They always want us to "take rest", but I try to explain that I'd rather not; I don't want to miss anything. After we were back in the house, there was a little time before lunch, and I headed back to where the widows were eating in order to take photos. Some wanted their photo taken and others were very shy. Back in the house, while we ate, one of the brothers (can't remember if it was Kishore or Anil Kumar) came in with a woven bag; it contained a gift brought by a visiting preacher. He came from an area near the coast. As soon as Ray saw something moving in the bag, he got the idea that it was a snake, and was out of his chair and into the next room quicker than lightning. It was only a crab, though. The crab was quite large and had some blue coloring. It's claws were tied shut with string, and it was let out of the bag to crawl on the floor. It was caught in the Bay of Bengal, I think. Rajanikanth asked it we liked crab, and then decided to fix it for supper. Another gift - I think from a grandparent of one of the children - was special milk. After much effort at translating, we understood that it was very fresh milk from a water buffalo that had just had a baby within the past two days. It was a special treat, I think. Mary boiled it, added sugarcane and some seed pod thing for flavor, and put it in her pressure cooker for ten minutes. When it was finished, it was cheese! But it tasted nothing like cheese; it was more like thick pudding. We ate some of it while it was still warm, and were served more after it had chilled for a while in the fridge.

After lunch, we were called to the back of the church building to see a little boy devouring a plate of rice. The Palaparthi's washer woman, who comes almost every day, had brought him from her village. He is an orphan, both parents deceased, and about five years old. The villagers are giving him leftovers when they can. She was asking that we take him to live at SH. You can guess what we said, I know. If there is space, we can find a sponsor. Had I been born in India, that could be my child. It's an awful existence, and I'm glad we can do something to help these kids in such bad conditions. Isaac has a hard time turning them away, too. I think his name is Teja (tay-hah). I think. He is very small.

After some discussion with Isaac, we said we could pay him the first month's sponsorship fee ($30) and the startup fee for supplies and uniforms (about $70) before we leave for home, and then we would concentrate on finding sponsors as soon as we return. So we need some help! Currently there is one new girl and there will soon be four new boys here. We were told that the SH children were just like the slum children before they moved in seven months ago. I assure you, there is a vast difference! I also assure you that it's impossible to turn a child back to the streets when so little help from us can change their life in such an amazing way. We went through the building again and discussed space and what is needed to finish it. Isaac estimates between $5000 and $6000 to completely finish the place. This is something we can take photos and put on our website as a great need! The new building will house more children than the current rental building.

Please pray for my emotional stamina. I don't want to cry when I see small children begging. I want to file it away to process it all later. It's so much more intense to see it all in person.

After lunch and rest, we returned to the meeting to distribute sarees, rice, and the Abilene bags brought by Ruth and donated by the City of Abilene. It was like controlled chaos, and it seemed to take a long time to get the job done. The widows came up one congregation at a time. Many of them were tiny! A number of them had cataracts, or a cold, or had trouble walking due to rheumatoid arthritis. Women in India are just like women in America: several were particular about the saree they were getting and had to exchange it for another one for the pile. It was funny, especially when the picky woman was tiny.

I'll have to type more in the morning (evening in Abilene) because I am falling asleep while I type. I need to sleep.

Two of Many

2007-01-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

These two photos are a very small representation of Ruth's work. The girl is Bhavani. The photo with Ray and some of the boys was taken in the little dirt road just in front of the Palaparthi's house.

India #3

2007-01-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

January 3, 2007 9:40am, driving to Vijayawada

Yesterday was a good day - like they all have been so far. We woke early to the sounds of the morning in Tenali. All of the windows are open, and we could hear the neighbors going about their work, and the little girls of SH chatting just outside our window as the dressed. I have discovered that the little girls change clothes between the houses. There isn't much space, but between each house is a small alley type area with a concrete floor and a four foot wall (about) dividing the property. It seems strange to change clothes in the great outdoors, but it's really a nice little secluded area. In Isaac's home, in the dining room, the girls have their metal lockers stacked up, and they store their clothes and personal belongings there. It's in stark contrast to American children, who typically have an entire bedroom filled with all kinds of possessions. But these girls are so happy! People are in and out of the Palaparthi's house constantly. I was told this would be the case, but I didn't understand until we'd been here for a couple of days. There are two bedrooms with good locks on the doors, and when we leave, Mary locks up our room for us. But the rest of the house is never empty and locked up: the SH children, the housecleaner, the washerwoman, the Palaparthi family, Mary's extended family (four brothers and two sisters), etc. You never know who you'll see!

The children spend a lot of their time at school, but have taken some days off to spend time with us. Ellen explained that it's no big deal for most of the children. Tenth grade and seventh grade are very important grades, and those children must go, and have extra tutoring, and make sure to get good marks those years. Gopi C. and Sonny B. are seventh graders, and we've seen less of them. Isaac's youngest daughter Esther is in tenth grade, and she is extremely busy with school. Early in the morning, and sometimes in the evening, the children have time to play games. We were delighted to step out onto the front porch and watch the girls playing badminton, volleyball, and jumping rope in the courtyard area early in the morning. One of the cool things about India is that you can stay in your pajamas until mid-morning. We were encouraged to join the girls, and soon we did. Ray hit the volleyball back and forth, and Ruth played badminton. There are no nets, just the balls and racquets. I tried it, too, but they soon gave up on me when I couldn't hit the shuttlecock (actually a small piece of styrofoam) and really started embarassing myself. Then I threw a soccer-sized ball with a couple of the girls, and we played a game to help Ruth and I learn their names. I was only putting names with faces, but Ruth was learning them for the first time. We stood in a circle and said the person's name as we threw the ball to them. We played with Tirapathamma, Ramya, Chamondeswari, Malathi, Durga, and Divya (I think!). Each time Malathi got the ball, she grinned and shouted, "Ruth Granny!" and threw it to Ruth. We had great fun helping Ruth pronounce the names; the most entertaining was when she meant to throw it to Chamondeswari, and shouted out, "Cherry Tree!" and then threw it to Tirapathamma by mistake. After playing with the girls awhile, we saw the boys playing in the open field across the road. By road, I mean bumpy narrow dirt road with virtually no traffic except by foot. They were playing cricket, and of course Ray had to join them. Rajanikanth went, too, and took the video camera. I haven't seen the footage yet, but I hope it was caught on tape when Ray was hit in the mouth with the cricket ball - I think by Rajanikanth. Rajanikanth and Ray are getting along splendidly - we like Rajanikanth very much.

While Ray was having his adventure in the field (filled with water buffalo landmines, by the way), we had tea in the house and prepared for breakfast, which is called tiffin. The tea here is DELICIOUS, and I plan to bring some home and videotape the making of it so I can replicate it back in Abilene. It's sweet and hot and you boil the milk, and it's served in a very small amount, like in as espresso cup. They drink tea in the morning and coffee in the evening. That's delicious, too. Rajanikanth cooked tiffin for us (he's a very good cook) of a sort of toasted bread covered with an omelette. They have been serving us little bits of mildly spicy Indian food, but mostly things we're more comfortable with, like toast, eggs, omelettes, pancakes, honey, jam, crackers, fruit, etc. Still, it's different than the food we make back home - it's like Indian style American food, and we really like it. They have gone to a lot of trouble to take care of us and make us comfortable.

As we were finishing our tea (or was it coffee?), their puppy, Gypsy, was looking in the door, and Isaac said to Mary, "Gypsy wants some coffee, too." I thought he was joking! Mary poured the small remaining amount into a little metal plate and dog lapped it right up! When I asked, they said that their dogs drink coffee, tea, water, and also eat vegetables, fruit, rice, in addition to dogfood. We found this very funny. Mary also said that when their adult dog, Tiger, was very sick, the doctor gave him a shot. Apparently in India this is a very novel idea, that a dog would get medical care. Their dogs are very well-behaved, and they act as guard dogs as well as beloved pets to all of the children.

After tiffin, we went (in Tenali) to the cotton saree center. You might imagine Hancock Fabrics, or maybe JCPenney - but this was a small house owned by a local man. We went in and were seated on the floor of a small room (cool, concrete floor covered with a thin mat, white plaster walls, light coming in through the open windows and doors), and the man and woman brought our many cotton sarees to show us. The sarees will be given as gifts to the widows at the widows' meeting on the 4th. Isaac gave us the prices and explanation of what he needed to buy for whom weeks ago, but we didn't understand until now. The widows wear cotton or silk according to their ages. This is the cultural norm. Older widows (50 and up?) wear cotton sarees of a certain length. These are more plain, and also more durable. These will serve them over one and a half years, maybe more. The younger widows wear the silk sarees, which are more colorful and decorative, but this is appropriate for them. If we give the wrong kind, they won't wear them. Also, we had been cautioned about Indian people being very jealous, and also wanting to do good to others for the purpose of making themselves look good, and enhancing their own reputation. We have seen none of this with Isaac and Mary. They don't want the higher quality sarees in order to impress anyone - they want them so these poor widows will have sturdy clothes that last a long time. I am so happy that this is the case. The cotton sarees we purchased cost about $6.70 each. The silk sarees will cost less. We needed 110 cotton and 45 silk. After deciding on the sarees, we went across the street and visited the handloom center. This was a low concrete and plaster building, lit by open windows and doors, containing about ten handlooms. These were amazing! The workers are paid on a contract basis and can make about 4 sarees per week. Their pay is a small step up from a field laborer. At one end of the room was a woman seated on the floor using a spinning wheel. No description can do all of this justice - you'll have to wait for the video.

Next we returned to the Palaparthi's home, and the children were gathered next door on the lower floor of the church building. SH owns one TV, and Ray and Anilkumar worked to connect our equipment to the TV to show the much-awaited sponsor video. They never did get it to work - but Anilkumar went out to rent a DVD player. He does this every weekend for the children to watch a movie. The Palaparthis don't own a TV themselves, and other than the weekend movies, the children don't watch TV. Don't feel sorry for them - this is a good thing! Dish Network is the last thing they need. While we waited for the video to be set up, I taught the children a song: My God Is So Big! They enjoyed the motions and we had to sing it about four times. At this time we also inflated a large globe (donated by Virginia) and explained where we live and how far we had come. We are leaving the globe as an educational tool for SH. Also during this time, I discovered that the children, especially the boys, love riddles. I could think of about three, and they liked them - their riddles stumped me every time, though. One was, "Go a little, then two holes, go a little, then two holes, go a little then one big hole. What is it?" Post a comment if you know! I'll post the answer next time. And I'll try to remember which boy told me this riddle (translated by Mary).

The doctor arrived and used the waiting time to examine the children. He sent out someone (I think one of the children) for a box full of various medicines. He comes once or twice a week, or whenever they call him. In India, doctors are not highly paid, like in the US, and it isn't a very desirable job because of getting called at any and every hour of the day. The children lined up (no privacy) and took turns seated in the chair before the doctor, and he did a minor checkup of each, and asked if they had any complaints. This time of year, winter, is the worst for coughs and colds - although we didn't realize it until we were told. The weather here is warm and comfortable, not like our winter at all. (But we have seen a number of people wearing wool caps and sweaters to keep warm!) By the way, something the children could use is a sweater and cap each, for their "cold" weather. The children were given dietary supplements, pills, and I'm not sure what else. I have it on tape, and an expert can try to make sense of it once we get home. We noticed that the doctor took an oral temperature of several of the children, and it was only washed with cold water inbetween patients. We said it should be washed first with an alcohol wipe, and then rinsed, because rinsing with cold water isn't good enough. We will make sure this is purchased for future use before we leave. The good news, though, is that the needles are only used once and he did have a plentiful supply of new individually packaged needles. We asked, and were assured that they weren't reused, ever. Only one child required a shot, one of the little boys. Halfway through the sponsor video, we noticed that the children were distracted: Nagavijay was lying on his stomach on a cloth-covered table, his shorts pulled down, and the other children were greatly enjoying the sight of him getting a shot in the rear! It wasn't an occasion for tears or whining, but entertainment for everyone. The doctor's name is Tiramalarao, and we shook his hand, took his photo, and gave him a Texas t-shirt. He seems like a good man doing a good job.

Some street children came in to watch the video, too (because of the novelty); they are children of migrant workers living in very shabby homemade tents across the road. Mary brought them before us and explained that the SH children were in this situation (or worse) before they were sponsored. There is such a difference now! One difference is that the children from the tents don't get medical care. It struck me as the doctor did his work that these kids lives are actually being saved in many cases because of this. For $30 a month!

The children were seated an quiet during the sponsor video, while the doctor continued to interview and examine them one at a time. We called up the children as their sponsors gave the greetings, and they watched intently. I tried to get some video of each of them. Some laughed, some watched very seriously, some waved at tht TV - overall, it was meaningful and interesting for the children to see their sponsors speaking to them. Isaac was overwhelmed by the number of people supporting the home and their kind words. He was especially interested in the greeting from Pat and Karin Lyon - longtime and long distance friends - as this was the first time he had seen them speak other than emails and phone calls. I taped him as well as their sponsored child. Before each watched their portion of the video, they insisted on reciting again for the video camera: "My name is Durga I am thankful to Stuart Johnson. I am going to Sundau school every week." Some of our names are particularly difficult for them to pronounce; I think the hardest must be Ellis - none of them can say it, but they smile when they're trying. The video was long, and some of the helpers (Mary's extended family, but I don't remember which brothers or cousins it was) brought biscuits (like Ritz crackers) and another little snack for the children during the video.

After the video, the children left and we ate a late lunch of sweet rice and raisins. The language barrier is present but not impossible to overcome. We've had some very funny misunderstandings. Isaac asked us if we liked to eat "kumquats and milk", and it took several very confused minutes to understand "cornflakes and milk" was what he really said. They bought cornflakes for us, but the milk here isn't cold. It's not pasteurized, so they boil it. Isaac and Mary do have a small second hand refrigerator, but from what I've seen, the milk is boiled and then used hot or warm instead of chilled afterward. Cornflakes and hot milk was a new experience. I like that it's hot milk used in the coffee and tea, because then there's no problem of having you piping hot drink cool off prematurely. If you like piping hot drinks, this is great! If you like it cooled off (like Ray does), it just means you have to wait longer to drink it. Other English/Telugu misunderstandings: Isaac was telling us about a certain man who is a "lawyer", but we initially thought he was telling us about a "liar." Then there was the time when he said the "goats" would stay here to sleep - but it was "girls", not goats. It goes both ways. Isaac and Ellen speak the best English. Mary and her younger daughters are next, and then Rajanikanth. I don't know how much English everyone else here understands - sometimes they know what I'm saying, sometimes they don't.

After lunch, Isaac called the driver and we went to Vijayawada, a city of about 700,000. Still, there are things you can't get there, that must be purchased in Chennai or Hyderabad. Tenali is only a town of 250,000 (I think), but you can't buy toilet paper or Diet Coke here. By the way, they have a fridge stocked with Diet Coke just for us, but they don't normally drink it. Mostly, we're drinking bottled water, chilled, but with no ice. I haven't seen any ice since we've been here. Vijayawada was about 30 minutes away; some of the road was nice, some not. We crossed the Krishna River. We also learned that Tenali, because several canals run through it, is nicknamed Andhra Paris (this is the state of Andhra Pradesh). In the cities, you have to pay a water bill based on usage, but there are many wells and an abundance of water in Tenali, so it's free. Everyone shares the water wells, and there are many old-fashioned (by American standards) hand pumps around.

In Vijayawada, we went first to the computer store. If you're thinking Best Buy, forget it. This was a semi-run-down building (like most of the buildings) on a side street, housing several businesses. We ascended a small staircase and made our way to the shop itself - about the size of two cubicles, with a tiny storeroom in the back. Yet there were no fewer than five employees crowded in. There were no fancy displays, nothing set up to look out, no keyboards to test the feel of. We were each handed a flyer with their sales on it. After much discussion and conversion back and forth between rupees and dollars, Ray and Ellen made a decision. Ellen is the most knowledgeable about computers in the Palaparthi family. They got a great system! It should last them a long time, be extremely useful, and I know it will be highly valued and taken good care of. It will be located in Isaac and Mary's bedroom, which will be locked when they're away. Still, many people associated with SH will have access. Now that we're here, it's obvious that the best place for the computer is here at their house; we didn't know before we came if their house or SH would be a better location. We raised $1000 for this expense, and we paid a total of $1112 for these items: CPU, 17" monitor, keyboard, mouse, three-in-one printer, webcam, digital camera, computer desk, SD memory card, UPS, Windows XP, AND the "computer boy" came out the following morning to set it up and install everything. That's a good price for all those items. Oh, I forgot the DVD player. Since they rent a DVD player every weekend, we calculated the cost, and bought them one for SH use. They would pay for the DVD player in less than half a year with what they pay to rent one. Watching a movie on the weekend is a very special treat for the children, and they particularly like animated movies. We brought from the US three movies to leave with SH: Joseph King of Dreams, Prince of Egypt, and Narnia. I think they'll be enjoyed by many children for years to come.

During the visit to the computer shop, we were served hot tea in tiny metal cups. Later, at another store, we were served Sprite. At the bank this morning, I was served more hot tea. Apparently this is an Indian effort at customer satisfaction - a great idea, if you ask me. Isaac says this is the standard in better Indian shops and businesses. Also during our computer store visit, I whispered a question to Mary: "Toilet?" She said, "Come, Sister," and led me to the office next door (in the same building), which was a dentist's office. The lady working there showed us to the restroom for that building, which of course wasn't Western. Ruth and I wished each other good luck! We survived it. The bathroom on the train was actually better. Speaking of the dentist's office, Ray is tempted to visit a dentist while we're here: a teeth cleaning costs $80 in Abilene and $7 in India. The prices of some things here (like computers) is comparable to the US; some things are more (gas is $4 per gallon), and some are much less (most labor, it seems). While looking out the window at the computer shop, we were struck again by a feeling of the surreal: in one shop people buy and sell computers, behind the building are grazing water buffalo, and across the street are seminaked children playing in filth, people living in tents, and others grinding rice with rocks. It's a strange combination. Also, there are the ever-present autorickshaws, and many Indians using their cell phones. It's the intersection of two different worlds.

After the purchase of the computer, they were prepared to strap the boxes to the roof of the car. We said it was too valuable, and insisted the computer ride in the car with us. It was like clowns in a car at the circus! In the front were Isaac and the driver, in the middle were Ruth, Mary, and Ellen, and Ray and I shared the back with the computer and accessories. We insisted on sitting in the back since we were the ones who insisted the computer be inside the car. We went to another store to buy a memory card for the camera, and that took awhile to find. It's easy to stop for directions; just roll down your window and call, "Hey, Babu!" and someone comes over. You don't even have to pull off the road. I don't know how to paint an accurate picture of the streets: they're literally crammed full of cars, autorickshaws, trucks, carts, water buffalo, scooters (for men) and scooties (for women), and people. It sounds extremely dangerous, but think of this: because there is so much traffic of every kind, no one is traveling fast. There's lots of starting and stopping, but virtually no high speed in the cities. It's much scarier inbetween the towns (especially at night) when the driver goes faster. After we bought the memory card, we went to another shop to buy the computer desk. It was $24. Cheaply made, but well worth $24. We were told to go do some shopping and come back in 40 minutes, and they would have put it together for us. It was in a small, flat box. Ray thought that with the cheap materials, the desk might not survive a ride back to Tenali, and he and I both insisted that we take the box and put it together ourselves back at the house. Ha! They don't put things like this together; the shop workers do it. But we Americans are Do-It-Yourselfers! They relented, and we strapped the box to the roof of the vehicle, and they assured us that all hardware and an instruction booklet were included. (Alas, this was not the case.)

Next, Isaac wanted to take Ray to another shop and buy him some Indian clothes. We went to OK Silks, a nice clothing store, and took the elevator inside up to the third floor, the men's department. By the way, there are no Wal-Marts here. There is a shop for everything - so you have to go to many different shops for different items. I explained that in the US, you can buy clothes, food, appliances, computer, books, toys, shoes, furniture, and more, all at one big store. Anyway, at OK Silks, we had a new clothes shopping experience. First of all, there were a lot more employees than necessary. It was like being in a fish bowl! It made me uncomfortable; it's a lot different that looking around to see if anyone can help you in a store, like in the US. (Mother, you would have hated it!) We were seated at a long table in comfortable cushy chairs and served Sprite. The salesmen started bringing out "dresses" (clothes) for Ray to look at. Isaac wanted to buy him a white physama (pize-uh-muh), and Ray and I looked them over. Ray tried one on, and he looked very handsome in it. Isaac said this is appropriate Indian dress for Ray. He also bought him a fancier physama - I guess Ray will wear it to church. It looks nice and has a beautiful embroidered design, and I think some beads. It's cream colored. I was glad he didn't insist on a hat - they looked sort of like shiny turbans with feathers sticking up out of them. I seriously doubt Ray would have worn that in Abilene. (Then again, it IS Ray we're talking about. You never knew what he'll do!) We also purchased some gifts at this store. After we were done shopping for Ray, we went downstairs to look at the sarees. Wow! It was a large room filled with color. Hundreds of folded sarees lined the walls, much like fabric at a fabric store. I intended to buy a saree or two and use them as fabric for a more American style skirt once we got home, but I had a really hard time making the employees (and even Mary) understand that. I looked for fabric that was beautiful, Indian, and not typically seen in the US. Everything cost much less than in the US. I think the saree I bought was $8 - and it's fabulous. Then I was told that one floor up was for fabric and materials. Ray and Isaac told me to go shop and take my time - I told them they'd regret that! The fabric section was equally fabulous, and I explained what "retail therapy" means. Again, there was an excess of employees, each staring at us. Around the walls were long tables, with the salespeople behind them. They started pulling fabrics to show me, but I was getting frustrated, wanting to look for myself. Finally, the perceptive Ellen asked if I could just go behind the counter to look, and of course, they said yes. Much of the fabric was just like what's available in the US, but cheaper. I wasn't interested in those. Finally I found what I was looking for, and established how it was sold (by the meter) and how much that is (about a yard), and Ellen followed me around with a calculator to convert prices from rupees to dollars so I could have a concept of the cost. Fabric that would cost $12 per yard in the US sold for less than $4 per yard here. And then I saw the trims! Same thing: high quality, beautiful design, low price. I look forward to sewing with these materials in a month or so. Someone came up from the first floor to measure me for a skirt, and I was really confused. It was a skirt to wear under the saree - so I had to explain again that I didn't need one; I wasn't going to wear it as a saree. I could tell they all thought this was a bad idea. Under a saree, you're supposed to wear a long plain skirt and a short, tight blouse (exposes the stomach). I also had to assure Isaac that I had no intention of wearing a saree with no underskirt or blouse. They're trying to help me keep from making a fool of myself, and I do appreciate it.

In the store, you tell the clerks what you want, and they give you a receipt or bill. They take the items to the pay counter for you, and you finish there, and then you get your items. While we were waiting for my items to be delivered to the counter, Isaac motioned me outside to see the bank. Down the street, the equivalent of a block away, is the State Bank of Hyderabad, where he banks. He goes there to get the monthly wire transfers for SH. His auditor (accountant) is also in Vijayawada. Outside it was getting dark, and across the street, which was a little less busy, were parked vehicles. Among a line of parked scooters, there also seemed to be parked cows. Again, the feeling that we're in a movie, that this experience isn't real.

I think it was around 7pm that we left Vijayawada (V is always pronounced as a W), and we headed back toward Tenali. Although we were tired, we stopped at a little congregation along the way in the village of Emani. We were led into a small concrete and plaster building, badly cracked because there is no foundation, and seated in plastic chairs at the front, as usual. Sixty people piled into the little room! It was almost all women, and later Ellen explained that the men were working in the fields at the time of the meeting. There doesn't seem to be a lot of 9 to 5 work here; people do all kinds of things at all hours. Ray spoke briefly, and Isaac translated. The preacher at the congregation garlanded us and photos were taken, also as usual. Ruth and I shared our greetings (said a few words) after the preaching was done. I told them that while we only had a few moments to meet each other, in the next life, in Heaven, because of our mutual love for Christ, we would have unending time to talk, hear each others' stories, and get to know each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Isaac said this was very good, very appropriate, and has asked me to keep saying that when I share my greetings. After that, there was a prayer, and then they brought out a table and some food for us: bananas and crackers, and I think oranges. Inwardly I groaned; I was ready to go home and to bed! But I smiled, and Ray leaned over and reminded me that they were bringing out their best. Yes - this was important. We ate, greeted, and smiled, and were soon back in the vehicle and headed home.

Back home, we were greeted by the girls' voices, sitting on the porch of the Palaparthi's house, singing hymns. Some were in Telugu, and some in English, and they sang both very enthusiastically. There was no adult sitting with them telling them to sing or keeping order. Again, these children are good, happy, well-behaved, and more. What they have been given is extremely valuable, and all but the very youngest clearly understand that.

Soon, it was time to regret the decision to assemble the computer desk ourselves. There was no instruction booklet, and it didn't look simple. We started to work on it, and were soon joined by about ten other people - so that it was impossible to accomplish the task with so many hands. Ruth, Isaac, and I sat to eat, but Ray refused to come, feeling responsible for the assembly, not wanting to leave it to them to do. He said he would eat afterwards. They didn't get very far! At around 10:15pm, I realized that the assembly was taking place in the room where the girls sleep. I peeked out the window, and there they were, all asleep on the ground of the front porch. Ray pointed out the lack of whining, complaining, needing a drink of water, etc. Mary said when we were done, they would move into the room to sleep like usual.

Supper was a delicious vegetable biryani. And of course, pills! Every evening with supper, we take a malaria pill, a pepto bismal pill, acidophilus, vitamin C, and multivitamin. That's to keep from getting sick; if we do get sick, we have two kinds of antibiotic, immodium, advil and aleve, and much more. I feel like my own pharmacy. Isaac said we had forgotten to exchange our remaining Travelers Checks while in Vijayawada, and we would have to do it the next morning. The next day we would be paying for the sarees, rice for the widows, and sewing machines. Also the next morning, Ruth would be sharing her artwork and the creation story with the children, and helping them decorate their bags, and we didn't want to miss it. After much discussion, it was decided that there was no way around it, and that we'd be at the bank the next morning when it opened (at 10:30) and back as soon as possible. We also planned to leave the video camera with Anilkumar to record the time Ruth had with the kids. Also, the "computer boy" (doesn't that strike you funny?) would be coming in the morning, and there was still the matter of finishing the desk. Isaac said he would have him come in the evening instead, and we could take the unfinished desk back to the store in Vijayawada to finish while we were at the bank. Instead, Ray and I secretly planned to finish it ourselves after we were in our room for the night, so we could avoid the extra time spent at the furniture store the next morning. Also, we didn't want to make fools of ourselves - we had insisted on assembling it ourselves, and were indeed feeling very foolish, even though it wasn't our fault that the instructions were missing. We did as much as we could, and then fell into bed at 1am, mostly finished.

The next morning, we finished before we opened the door to our room. The previous night, there was one piece remaining, and we couldn't figure out where it went. I dreamed that Johny told me the correct place to screw the piece on, and in the morning, it worked! We thanked Johny for her help, laughing. They all asked how we did it, and were suitably impressed. We could go to Vijayawada without having to stop by the furniture store again. Isaac wouldn't have to reschedule with the computer boy (an adult man, by the way). While we were in Vijayawada, the man came to the house to set it up, but the power was out. Instead of leaving and coming back, he waited. There's a lot of waiting in India. Time here is very fluid. Regarding the power outages, Isaac says they're very common. I think there's been at least one per day since we've arrived. A generator for SH would be very useful, but I have no idea what it would cost.

Ray has observed this difference between the US and India: in the US, people scantily clad do so for the purpose of showing off their bodies. In India, the people don't wear enough because they are too poor to afford clothes to cover themselves.

This morning before we left for Vijayawada, a very small girl came through the front gate. Ellen came out and gave her some money. She looked about 2 to me, but Ellen guessed her age was 4. I guess it's poor nutrition or HIV in some cases, but the children here are smaller that children in the US. This little girl had a plastic bag with a metal bowl in it. Ellen said her mother sends her door to door every morning to beg, and she will return with either rupees or a familiy's leftover rice from the night before. It really makes you think twice about how much food you put on your plate when you know a hungry child needs what you don't eat.

This morning Rajanikanth made pancakes for us, but they were different - the best pancakes I've ever had! I got the ingredients and estimates of the measurements, and once I get it right, I'll post the recipe (after we get home). They were so good there was no need at all for butter or syrup. We also had their delicious tea, and then Ray, Isaac, and I left for Vijayawada at 9:30am. The ride took about 45 minutes, and we arrived at the bank just before 10:30. Although it officially opened at 10:30, business was already in full swing when we arrived at 10:20. A policeman just inside the door had a huge double barrel gun. This bank was very nice, with many employees and many customers. They made a copy of my passport, gave a good exchange rate, and we exchanged the remaining travelers checks and American cash. There was a lot of paperwork, and it took longer than I expected, but they did bring a cup of their hot sweet tea while we did the transaction. Soon we were back in the vehicle and headed home. On the way, we photographed a large Hindu temple, and also a much larger than life statue of Ganesh (the god with an elephant's head). I blogged in the car all the way there and all the way back. It's hard to keep up with it, but I have to do it as much as possible so I don't forget what we did that day.

While we were gone, Ruth did art with the children, and shared the creation story. She brought several beautiful murals drawn on fabric, and one was of creation. The children helped her color it in with their new oil pastels. They also drew pictures on white paper, and Ruth will take those back to the US to be made into notecards. The profit from the sale of the cards will be returned to Sanctuary Home. When we arrived back at the house and church building, the children ran out to meet us (as usual), calling, "Good morning Auntie!" They call me auntie or mommy, Ray is "Ray Uncle" or Daddy, and Ruth is "Granny" or "Ruth Granny." They each showed us their bags with great enthusiasm. Ruth brought each one of them a new canvas bag with art supplies, and the children used their oil pastels to decorate the bags. They loved them! We also handed out the pencils from the Highland church with the decorated cards from the 4th and 5th grade classes there. Ruth had included a few Q-tips per child for blending the oil pastels, but she forgot to mention this to the kids. I saw at least one girl (Shirisha) happily cleaning her ears with the Q-tip instead. Ruth and I had a good laugh, and she decided not to explain the blending after all.
Someone pointed out to me the new girl, Levi Kumari, and she was all smiles. I can't remember if I mentioned her before - I think I did - but she has been moved in, although she is awaiting a sponsor. Her mother is the woman who has returned many times to ask for her admittance to SH, and we told Isaac on the first day that if he thought it was good, and there was room, then it was OK. Mary told me that just today four people have been by to ask them to take their children. How hard that must be, to know that you can't provide for your own children, and the situation be so serious that you'll give them to someone else.

When we got back, the computer boy was still there, the power had returned, and the setup was almost complete. Now it's 11:20 pm - it's taken me several times to complete this entry today - and when I'm done, I will upload is using Isaac's new computer.

Ray wasn't feeling very well, and decided to lie down for some rest once we got home. He quickly worsened, and had a low fever. He was having body aches, feeling very tired - and he said his lips were tingling. Aside from the weird lip thing, it just sounded like a common winter illness, and Ray didn't want to take the antibiotic. I insisted, though, and he started the Cipro. He also took Aleve, and then went to sleep. Isaac kept asking if he could take him to the hospital, and I kept saying no. I get the impression that the hospital he meant is more of a clinic, but I'm not sure. I told him that Ray would most likely feel better within 24 hours because of the antibiotic, that the hospital people probably couldn't make him better any faster, and that after a few days of illness, if it seemed serious, then we would consider taking him in. After several hours of rest, and a chance for the medicine to kick in, Ray did start to recover some. He did get up to eat a little something, and although he didn't do as much as was planned at the preachers' gathering in the early afternoon, he insisted on speaking a little. Some of the men had traveled over 5 hours to hear him speak. It's really weird to be expected to "instruct" the preachers, just because he's an American. But this is expected, and Ray keeps telling them he's not normally a preacher, and he can learn much more from them than vice-versa. As soon as the preachers' meeting was over, we returned to the house, and Ray went back to bed. I spent time blogging and chatting with Mary and Ellen about the children. I am asking a lot of questions and getting so much information! I learned how much Buddu has improved since her surgery; it turns out that she had been totally blind for quite some time before the operation. Also, I learned that Babblu is extremely mischevious, and a favorite of everyone working with SH. They take special care of any of the children who have a problem of any kind, and they also take special care of the littlest boys: Jeevanbabu, Devaraj, Pavan, and Babblu. Pavan is very small - like a miniature boy! And he's missing a number of teeth at the moment. He is adorable. Prabhakar is a little gentleman. He always has his shirt carefully tucked in, and he has said to Ray, "Good morning, Sir," and "What is your good name?" He's a very good boy. We will bring back information for each child like this to share with their sponsors; a discussion session with Isaac, Mary, and Rajanikanth is planned for the 8th.

Many of the babies and toddlers I've seen are wearing little silver anklets, and I had expressed an interest in getting some for Edward. They're called "moo-luh-groo". Mary asked me if I wanted to go to the bazaar to look for some, and of course I said yes. We had one and a half hours until the start of the evening event, so off we went, Mary, Ellen, and me. The streets were too narrow at the bazaar for our rented vehicle to fit, so we hired an autorickshaw. I was so excited to try the Indian mode of transportation! It was a lot like a ride at an amusement park. Maybe like Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyworld? It was as busy and crazy as when we were in the bigger vehicle, but from the perspective of being down in the center of the action. I took video footage, naturally. Soon we were in the part of the bazaar (I think just a section of town where the shops are) where jewelry is sold. All of these shops are on the same street. Mary took us to a shop where she has been a regular customer, where she knows and trusts the owners. The shop was about the size of a large restaurant booth. There was a glass display case/counter in the center, the owner sitting behind it, and a bench on the other side to sit and look at the goods. The bench was big enough for about four. I found what I was looking for, and for a very good price. Here's how it works: you select the items you want, and then the owner weighs them and calls for the price (I don't know who he called), which is based on the weight. We were looking at silver, by the way. Then you bargain for a lower price. Then you pay. I had admired Mary's toe ring, and looked at some at the little shop, and she explained that it was an Indian custom for married women to wear them. I found some that I liked, but couldn't get them open to try on. The shop owner then opened them with pliers, and on the third try I found one that fit. I said I wanted it, and noticed they were putting two on to weigh. I explained that I only wanted one, and Mary said no, I needed two. Indian custom. Two on one toe. Then I noticed that they had not two, but four, and it was explained that it's actually two per toe, worn on the second toe of EACH foot. So I bought four toe rings. Mary told me that when a woman gets married, she has toe rings "affixed" to her toes, and then she never takes them off. After I paid, I was to have the rings affixed to my toes, too. I was led just next door to what seemed like a tiny blacksmith shop, but it was where they were doing jewelry repairs, owned by the same people. The rings were put on my toes (remember each one had been pried open), and then I put my feet, one at a time, on a tiny anvil. A man sitting on the dark floor got his pliers and hammer and closed the toe rings. Now I can't take them off without pliers. They're lovely, but they feel a little weird. I'll get used to them, and it will be a nice way to remember my first visit to India. Then it was back to the autorickshaw and home.

At home, Ray was sleeping, and when I woke him he said he didn't feel good enough to speak tonight. Fortunately, his fever was gone, but he still felt very tired. The event tonight, at the church building next door, was a memorial service for Isaac's father. This wasn't planned with us in mind' we just happened to be here at the right time. His father, John Palaparthi, was a well-known preacher who died 17 years ago. They have a memorial service in his honor every year. I asked a million questions about this custom, and I spoke in Ray's place. I spoke for only a short time, maybe five minutes, while the other speakers spoke for about 20 minutes each. Just as soon as it was over, we were led back down the stairs by Ellen, and then we ate supper. Ray joined us, although he still doesn't feel good, because he had to eat something in order to take those malaria pills.

Now I am falling asleep while I'm typing, so I'm going to upload (I hope) and finally go to bed.

Morning update: I didn't get it posted last night; we couldn't get the password right and everyone else had gone to bed. Ray is feeling much better, just a sore throat now. Ruth feels like she has a cold this morning. No pain, just nuisance. Thanks for your comments and prayers. Next I will attempt to post some of Ruth's photos. She's taken at least five hundred so far.
Love, Amanda

India Trip #2

2007-01-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

December 30th, 4:50pm, Chennai

This time I am writing from the train. We've just boarded in time and gotten all of our luggage in place, and we're on our way to Tenali. It will be a seven hour ride. The car is everything I expected: interesting, like everything else we've seen since we landed yesterday. Was it just yesterday?

This morning, after about 4 or 5 hours of sleep, we were very happy to have a hot shower and a good breakfast. Breakfast, in the hotel restaurant, had two items I recognized: boiled eggs and fruit. Other breakfast items included idlis, samvar, rice noodles, and other Indian food. None of what we ate was very spicy, which was probably a good thing first thing in the morning. Then we waited around for a money changer to come (to change our travelers checks into rupees), and waited, and waited. During that time, we had a lovely visit with Mary, Isaac, and others, including Mary's father who was in Chennai also. We really like these people and it's such a blessing to be together after so long. Isaac even laughs at Ray's jokes.

After awhile, we decided to go out and get our cash changed, and change the travelers checks later. We had quite an experience on the roads in the rental car. Our driver took us out to an electronics shop to get another power converter. It's amazing that we didn't see a wreck. You won't believe the traffic conditions until you've seen the video. Buses, small cars, autorickshaws, ox-pulled carts, bicycles, and tons of scooters and motorcycles zipping in and out. And everyone honking their horns for any and every reason. Then, we had to CROSS one of these streets. We held onto each other for dear life! But the Palaparthis took wonderful care of us, and we came through with no problem.

Next we went to the Blue Diamond Hotel for lunch, and it was fabulous. When I sat down, I wasn't in the mood for spicy food, but after I tasted some, my appetite returned. The entire meal, at this nice restaurant, for six adults (Mary's relative from Chennai was with us) cost less than $20. Ray ordered chicken masala. The dishes we ordered were brought out in bowls, so we shared and served from the bowls onto our plates. Spicy and delicious.

After lunch we returned to the hotel where the money changer was waiting. Two men were at a desk in the lobby, and after Isaac debated with them about the rate, we got out our traveler's checks and I signed them all. Signing them in silence, and then watching carefully as they counted out the rupees, I have to say it felt shady. Ray said it was like doing a drug deal. It's just different than how it would be done in the US - at a bank with a person behind a counter. Like I said before, interesting.

Then we returned to our rooms to rest for about an hour. During this time, Isaac's people came for our luggage, and took it to the train station ahead of us. Also, the hotel workers pestered us. We received a couple of calls. What room are you in? Where are you from? How long are you staying? Where are you going from here? and so on. The room cleaners knocked on our door no less than four times, wanting to clean it. We told them 4:00, and still they returned early. Such eager cleaners! Finally, we piled back into the car and headed for the train station.

The Central Station at Chennai was fascinating. People everywhere, trains, platforms - but no photos, because none are allowed of government buildings. It was ultimately exotic and foreign. We rushed to find Isaac's people with our luggage, and then the right platform and just got everything loaded onto the train in time. While walking to the train, I was reminded of what has brought us here: begging children. One child in particular caught my eye, a tiny urchin who walked next to us with hand outstretched. Even more compelling, this child carried a tiny, scrawny toddler on her hip. I gave a rupee when no one was looking; I think Ruth gave several. It's sobering. There are a million questions, such as, is this child an orphan? Where are the parents? How does she care for this baby? Quite possibly, the mother has sent the child and baby to beg, because they look so pitiful. Well, it worked! They got at least 4 rupees out of us. Good for them.

The view is lovely, so I will stop typing and start looking out the window, and record it in my next installment.

December 30, 2006 6:35pm, aboard the train to Tenali

This is so awesome. I can't say how wonderful it is to be here! I need better words than wonderful, but there is no internet connection to use the online thesaurus, so wonderful will have to do for now. I know this is probably too much information, but I just had my first experience with a non-Western toilet, and I can't say I was disappointed. It's a lot better than just a hole in the ground - there are footrests, and it's a pretty good system, I think. Ruth agrees. I think she took a photo (unoccupied, of course). It's a little difficult to type, because of the movement of the train. It's dark now, so there's nothing to see. Our compartment is 2AC, which I think means that each little section makes two beds, and air conditioning. We have enough beds for the five of us, and now we're all separated by little curtains, getting some sleep before we get to Tenali. The train provides bedrolls and pillow for everyone. Our seats/beds are at one end of this car, and then a little door leads to the toilets. Beyond that is a very bumpy area where two cars meet, but it's all enclosed and there are railings to hold on to. Mary took me across and showed me the next car. Just like ours: toilets, then a car full of people in little seats and beds. It's not a bad way to travel at all. A lot more roomy than a plane, for sure. And a whole lot more interesting! I have not been disappointed: India is just like it seems in the movies and books and photos I've seen. The good parts are better and the parts I expected to be bad are not as bad as I had imagined. What a deal! I have a top bunk. Ray is across from me, Mary is below me, Ruth is below Ray, and Isaac is in the next section.

We got out our cellphones and compared ringtones when we were talking. Mine is Christmas bells; Isaac's sounds distinctly Indian. He and Mary have asked about several of the sponsors. Tonight we'll get to Tenali just before midnight, then have a bite to eat and get to bed. Tomorrow we have a busy day: church, then meeting the SH children, and then a New Year's worship during the midnight hour. I hope there's time for a nap at some point. Speaking of which, I guess I should get some sleep. I hope I don't fall out of the bunk.

December 31, 2006 2:17am, Isaac and Mary's house

We did get plenty of sleep. Traveling by train was quite comfortable, a very good experience. We're working on our head bobbles (not exactly a nod or a shake, and it means yes, and everyone constantly seems to do it here) and our greetings. The new greeting we're trying to learn sounds like wan-duh-nah-moo-loo, and you say it fast. Isaac and Mary enjoy it when we say it wrong. Isaac said I shouldn't practice it, because it is more entertaining the other way. We had a good rest, and then Isaac awakened us to get off the train. I don't know how they knew we were about to stop, but it was all very hurried. Isaac's people gathered our baggage and had it waiting at one train exit to quickly get it unloaded once we stopped, and Mary waited with us at another exit. When the train stopped, we got off very quickly. It doesn't stay at a station for long. It was dark, 11:30pm, and only a few tall lights (like street lights) to see by. Waiting on the platform was another of Mary's siblings, her sister and brother-in-law and their three little boys. We gathered around once the train had gone and they garlanded us and took photos, and it was lovely. Then came the most amazing and wonderful part of our trip so far. Way down the platform, a group of children were walking towards us. When they got a little closer, Rajanikanth organized them into a single file line. They were in their school uniforms, shortest in the front to tallest in back, boys first, then girls. I couldn't take my eyes off them. It's rare that I've cried for joy, but this was one of those occasions. This is what we're here for. This is what God has given us the opportunity to be a part of. The children got closer and were organized into rows in front of us, and they are so beautiful - and so small. Each child was given a handful of flower petals (maybe marigolds?), and they stood smiling and giggling at us. When they were given the word, the showered us with the flower petals! They chanted "Welcome Mommy, Welcome Daddy," and we were overwhelmed. I have never received such a beautiful welcome. I still have flower petals in my hair. We were being introduced to other people, and as soon as he had a chance, Ray shook each child's hand and they told him their names. I recognized many of them from their photos. The only thing I didn't realize was that they're all small. I heard one little girls ask, "Where is Edward?"

Next we turned to meet Isaac's two younger daughters, Johny and Esther. They are so beautiful! Johny is in college (11th grade) and Esther is still in school. I think she is 14 or 15; I'll have to ask again. The girls also garlanded us, and it was so good to meet them after wondering about the details of their lives for so long. They both made a wonderful impression, well-spoken, graceful, smiling. They are such a joy to their parents.

The children turned and filed away, walking back to SH, led by Rajanikanth. We were led to our rental car, a very nice SUV with seatbelts and A/C and a hired driver, who took us the short distance to Isaac and Mary's house. Our luggage was piled on top of the vehicle.

We were amazed at what a lovely house the Palaparthis have. They built it in 1999-2000, and it does indeed have two bedrooms and two Western bathrooms. Ray and I are in one room; Ruth is in the other, and she is sharing it with the eldest daughter Ellen. There is a large open room, and the girls from SH (at least 15 of them) sleep there lined up, on floor mats. They sleep in their uniforms. While we're here, Isaac has two large folding cots for himself and Mary, and Johny and Esther. The house also has Indian bathrooms, outside, which are used by the girls. What an amazing thing that they share their home every night with so many little girls! The floors are marble, the kitchen is full of utensils, there are storage cabinets in every room - it is a very, very nice home. We are more comfortable here than in the hotel, I think, also because now we're with family.

The little girls of SH arrived just after we did, and they filed in, greeted us, and got out their floormats and blankets. I recognized many of them and tried to put names with faces, and I got most of them right. The first one I recognized was Chamondeswari - she has a mischevious little grin, just like in the photo. I also immediately recognized Buddu (which means little one). I can't wait to get these girls on tape saying hello to you all.

Soon after arrival, a meal of oatmeal and omelettes was prepared for us. They've also bought Diet Coke and Sprite for us, and have a small stocked fridge. The food was delicious, and mixed in with the oatmeal was apples and bananas. Very good. It was hot, and perfectly bland - just the right amount of flavor - and I know if I start to feel sick, I will ask for more oatmeal. It's a very comforting food. They also have a supply of bottled water and toilet paper for us.

Our rooms were prepared, sprayed for mosquitoes (they're everywhere), and our luggage put away. We've noticed a couple of grayish lizards high up on the walls. I asked Isaac what they were, meaning what kind of lizards. He said you would find the same thing in a king's house. We took photos, of course. I hope they don't think we're strange for coming to their lovely home, and them taking pictures of a lizard! I knew Virginia would be interested, though, and I told them so. Once we were ready to go to bed, we learned that Ellen would be arriving shortly. This daughter is a college student in another town, and she was traveling from the other direction to meet us. She called once she was in Vijayawada, twenty minutes away by train. We waited up for her, and were delighted to meet her as well. She is studying computer engineering. Her hands were beautifully decorated with henna, and I'm sure we'll get photos tomorrow. Her younger sister Johny also had decorated hands, but with another paste - I didn't understand exactly what it was.

Tomorrow we wake at a leisurely hour, have breakfast, and go to church - where I think Ray will speak. I'll write all about it tomorrow.

January 1, 2007 1:20am

What a day! I should have typed some of this earlier, but there wasn't time. I'll try to remember everything. We had a good night's sleep in a very firm bed in Isaac and Mary's room. We were comfortable and felt at home, especially having our own bathroom. This morning we were awakend early but morning sounds outside. There is a large open screened window in this room. The houses are about four feet apart, so you can hear all the neighbors. We heard roosters crowing, people doing cooking and laundry, speaking, etc. We heard the SH girls going by outside, getting ready for the day. There was also the occasional honk of an autorickshaw, but nothing like the incessant beep-beeping in Chennai. We ventured out in our pajamas, and I think almost everyone else was awake. It was about 7am. We were served a breakfast of white bread toasted, strawberry jam, and boiled eggs. There were also little bananas, which were delicious. They are making such an effort not to prepare spicy food for us, and so far it has been a combination of good American-like food and barely spicy Indian food. We've liked everything we've tried. Rajanikanth has been the cook since we've been here. This morning (while still in pajamas) we got a tour of the church building, which is next door. It's a large concrete block structure with three floors, functional but unfinished. They saved a lot of money as well as took out a bank loan to build it; it's still in progress. The middle floor is where church services are held, and the third is the roof. You can go up on roofs here, they're just open flat floors with a three foot wall around the edges. People have laundry hung to dry on roofs, but they are also used for other things. The middle floor of the church building is also open with a low wall around the edges; the breeze blowing through is much better than if it was enclosed and stifiling. Isaac has a plan to make the bottom floor, which is already divided into rooms, the new home of SH, and once it is finished, move the children in and give up the rental building. We think this makes a lot of sense, and will discuss it with the board once we return. The rental building they have now for the children is close, maybe a 5 minute walk, and the children walk back and forth freely when they are not in school.

We showered - the Indian way! - and then dressed. The Indian way is this: heat a large bucket of water on the stove top, then put it under the tap in the bathroom with a little plastic pitcher. Get some hot water in the pitcher and mix it with cold from the tap, and pour it over yourself. It was very efficient, and we got clean with no problem. We girls were looking at clothes, admiring Ellen's and Johny's punjabi outfits, and Mary asked us if we wanted to wear some of Ellen's clothes. I didn't think they would fit, but one of the daughters let out a couple of seams, and that was that. Apparently they come stitched several times, and you remove seams until it fits. They fit very tightly on the arms and upper body. Mary wanted me to wear a beautiful bright green punjabi outfit, and so I did.

We were in the house when people started arriving for church next door. We heard their singing, specifically little voices singing Telugu children's Sunday school songs. It was beautiful and they sounded very joyful. After awhile, we made our way next door, up the stairs...and had to sit on the stage in front of the congregation. Apparently this is where honored visitors sit, whether they are speaking or not. Next were more hymns, led by two men at a podium with microphones. I was delighted that there was absolutely nothing Western about these songs - so they were culturally relevant to these people - so different from us, and yet so much the same as people all over the world, Americans included. After much singing and a couple of prayers, Isaac introduced Ray, and he stood to speak. It was very good. Ray would say a sentence, and Isaac would translate with great emphasis. He really gets into a rhythm, and pounds the podium. I didn't know how it would be at church, and I was afraid that I would be very bored since I couldn't understand anything except Ray's words. Instead, it was fascinating, and we had the best seats in the house! I enjoyed looking at the church members, especially the babies, during the worship. Their faces were joyful as they sang, listened, and prayed. Seated in the front were all the SH children, and the alternately paid attention to Ray and made faces at me - stifiling giggles and grins, some bashful, some less so. Something new to me was covering my head. Ray pointed out that all of the adult women had their heads covered with their sarees and sashes, so I tried to do likewise. It doesn't sound like it's a big deal, but it's harder than it looks to keep a thin and filmy piece of cloth on top of your head! I'm sure mt efforts (and Ruth's) were amusing to the experts. After the service, some people came forward and gave gifts to all the members (and us) of some snack food (still not sure what it was, but we never ate it) and little bananas. These gifts were in honor of babies. The babies weren't newborn, maybe a year old, but in each case the family had prayed for years before finally having a child. I can identify with that! One of the children was a baby boy, about one year old, named Ganesh. He was beautiful! All of the women and most little children here wear eye makeup. I was told it's good for the eyes, as well as cosmetic. I have also seen many babies with silver anklets with bells on them. It's fascinating. I held one baby girl, and she started to cry. It feels strange to hold a baby without Pampers on - just a thin cloth diaper. The babies feel smaller that way, I think. The church service was lovely and meaningful, and it was refreshing to sit in the open upstairs room and look near me at the smiling church members, and then look behind them to see cows and water buffalo grazing, roosters strutting, pigs running across the road, and people of Tenali going about their business. It is beautiful here. Oh - we were also garlanded for this occasion, but not pelted with flower petals. :)

After church and greetings all around, we went next door to eat with the Palaparthis. Actually, when we eat, Ray, Ruth, Isaac, and myself sit around the dining room table, and we are served by Mary and her girls (not Esther, she is at school many hours a day, 10th grade). Mary and Rajanikanth eat on the floor in the kitchen afterwards. Lunch was good - like everything else - but less than 24 hours later, I can't even remember what we ate. While waiting for lunch, we were advised to wait in the coolness inside, but Ray (true to form) sneaked out to mingle with the remaining church members and children.

After lunch, we rested in the house, but then decided that we wanted to go outside and look around. Ruth took many photos of people and interesting things. Ray and Rajanikanth (and some of the boys, I think) hit a shuttlecock with badminton racquets. I enjoyed trying to put names with faces, and the children smiled when I got it right. I asked after several children I couldn't find, including Jeevanbabu, the smallest one. Ray had also asked about him, and we got some bad news. Jeevanbabu is so small (age 4, but looks like he's 2) because his growth is stunted due to HIV. We didn't know he had HIV. I asked about medicine, and apparently it's very expensive, about $150 per dose. I am still not clear on what treatments he receives. Isaac said not to worry - we would pray for him, and also, the HIV is in it's early stages. Ellen mentioned that there are new treatments and developments in the research for this disease, and there is hope for him. Still, it's very hard to hear this. He is a beautiful little boy (they're all beautiful) and I worry about his future. He is the only child with a confirmes case of HIV at Sanctuary Home. Please pray for him.

Later, inside, I admired Mary's saree, and she insisted I try one on. I had no idea what I was getting into! I am still unclear on what has been loaned to me and what is a gift. I think she has given me a lovely blue saree of hers, but that it has to have a blouse stitched for it. When the blue blouse she had didn't fit, she got out a black blouse and a cream saree with black and red and gold designs. It took a LONG time to get dressed up in it, but she really enjoyed it. I had taken off the punjabi top to try on the saree, and left on the pants underneath. Mary dressed me up in the saree and pinned it to my pants and on my shoulder, and then it became apparent I was to wear it the rest of the day. It was difficult to walk in, and it felt like it was about to fall off - pretty unsettling until I got used to it! I changed my earrings to match and they brought bracelets and a necklace, and I was all ready. Everyone admired the foreigner dressed like the Indians. It was an unforgettable experience. Of course, Ruth was also dressed up in a lovely saree, and we laughed about the experience together when we talked later. The only really bad part was where we had been pinned - through the pants underneath - so that when we needed to use the restroom, we had to call Mary to unpin us and then dress us up again, which was long every time. During the afternoon, I changed into a skirt underneath so I could use the restroom without help (!). Poor Ruth had been pinned through her underwear - so it was still a problem for her. A saree isn't something you can just unpin and repin correctly unless you have experience. It also invloves a lot of folding, pleating, and tucking - not easy.

Also today we met a woman who has repeatedly visited SH and asked Isaac to take her daughter. The girl looks about seven years old. The woman also has a baby, and she is a day laborer, and she doesn't make enough money to feed both of her children and herself. Isaac said they live near SH, and when there is extra food from the SH children's leftovers, he has been feeding this girl too. He asked if we wanted him to help this girl, and of course we said yes. Ray asked if he had room, and Isaac said yes. There have been more people express a desire to sponsor a child, so I know this girl will be sponsored soon. Isaac will get her name, photo, and details, and she will be added to the website once we return home.

Early in the afternoon, we made our first visit to Sanctuary Home. It was fantastic! I wish so much that each sponsor and supporter could have been there to see and experience the home and the wonderful children. We could have walked, as it is only a five minute walk through a back foot route, but Isaac wanted us to drive instead, as a safety precaution. It's also a five minute drive, but with a car you have to take a circuitous route; it's less direct. The reason for the precaution was the international news: Saddam Hussein had been hanged sometime in the last 48 hours, and there was a chance of Muslim unrest. Isaac said they were doing something with effigies of George Bush somewhere, but he assured us there was no trouble here, we should just be cautious, and it would be no big deal in a few days' time. So we drove to Sanctuary Home. As we walked through the courtyard gate, the children again showered us with orange and red flower petals. It was so sweet (except for the children who had very good aim and threw hard), and we were honored to be there. Their smiling faces and outstretched hands said so much. "Greetings, Auntie! Hello, Uncle! Wish you Happy New Year! Welcome Auntie!" were their words as they gathered around us. We were ushered into a cool concrete room, and seated in plastic chairs against one wall. The children sat on the floor and could barely fit into the room - all 42 of them, except Jeevanbabu, who was held by an adult. He is so little, more of a baby than a child, and often cared for seperately because of his greater needs as a younger child. He didn't greet us like the others, but was bashful and stayed with his caretakers. He likes to be a little helper, and we watched him unbuckle the clasps on the bags the children were about to receive as gifts. The gifts from the sponsors needed to be presented on New Year's Eve, so they would have their new clothes on to start the new year. The cameras were at the ready, and we presented them in a sort of assembly line. Behind us, a staff member put together each child's new bookbag, new uniform, and new playclothes, said the name (each was unique), and we sorted through our stack of cards from the sponsors. The child came up, the gifts we stacked up and presented to the child, and then photos were taken. For the photo, it was important that the child, Ray, and myself each had our hand on the gift at the same time. Many of the children said their carefully rehearsed words, for example, "My name is Sonny and I am thankful to Cole Bennett." Some only said thank you when the gifts were presented, but when it was all done, they were braver, and file before us saying these words. We got them all on video, and they clapped for each other when they said their English thanks correctly. It was so meaningful. Next we were given the tour of the SH building and we met Victoria in the kitchen. She was using a very interesting cutting tool to slice chilies and tomatoes. It was a slab of worn wood with a large blade stuck sraight up on one end. She held down the wood with her leg and sliced with both hands. We tried it, and it's much harder than it looks! She did her work seated on the floor. We also saw the sleeping area (for the boys) and the bathrooms. Next was entertainment - wonderful! I hadn't thought much about the individual interests and talents of the children until then, but we were delighted with what they had prepared for us. Some sang, some danced, some recited Bible verses and other things. It was excellent. We got it on on video. The most memorable was Malathi - she has a beautiful singing voice, and sang a song in Telugu for us. It was overwhelming, and I had trouble keeping a rein on my emotions. Mary asked if I was OK, and if they were tears of joy or sorrow. I said both! I was thinking of the SH children and the second chance at life they have been given. They are so well cared for, loved, and receiving everything they need. This is a wonderful thing, but I also remember all of the other children in need, like the ones we saw at the train station. And then there's little Jeevanbabu - with HIV.

We have been extremely impressed with Isaac and Mary. They work VERY hard, and they love what they do. When they interact with the SH children, they speak lovingly, as if they were their own children. They have also been involved in a lot of other benevolent projects. The area people and preachers really love Isaac and his family because they are so obviously compassionate towards anyone in need. They are models for us.

After our wonderful visit to SH, we returned to the Palaparthi's for rest. During the quiet time, a friend of Johny's came over; mehendi is her hobby and I had admired Ellen's henna-decorated hands the night before. Her friend applied the henna to my right hand in a beautiful and detailed design - in the US it would probably have cost $50 - but wouldn't let me pay her anything for it. I think she was pleased at my gift of chocolate. She does mehendi for her friends, just for fun, but it was very good. Later that evening we went again to SH to serve food to the children. This was just an opportunity to be with them as the ate their meal, and the serving was more symbolic. It isn't like serving them American food - a helping of mashed potatoes, a chicken drumstick, and a biscuit. We don't know what the food is (except the rice), how much to give, or where to put it on the plate. Then there is the issue of some children not wanting certain food items, and trying to communicate that to us - first I think they're saying no, but then I realize it's the Indian head bobble, and it really means yes. So we did some serving of the food, and also taking photos, video, and talking with the kids. When they were all seated on the floor of the roof for their meal, they sang for us in English: Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice! They sang very enthusiastically and did a great job. After the meal, the children each took their plates and cups downstairs to wash at the outdoor water pump. They smiled for the camera and showed what good dish-washers they were. After this, they gathered around us, giggled, said Hello Auntie!, and smiled. Mary pulled up a chair for me and said I should tell them a moral lesson. She would translate. Ruth sat, too, and the children (mostly the girls) sat on the floor in front of us. I told them that this place was a sanctuary for them, and that they should be a sanctuary for the Lord. Ruth and I sang the Sanctuary song that we've sung at church in the US so many times. They asked us to sing it again, and Mary translated the words. We also spent a lot of time admiring their new clothes. Mary and Isaac did a perfect job in their clothing selections. They had to buy the fabric and then have each one custom made. Each girl had a Punjabi style outfit, each one unique, each one beautiful. They were very happy to be wearing them. The boys each got a little pair of lightweight jeans and a button-down shirt, and a belt. The boys each approched us and asked in their high-pitched little voices, "You like my new dress, Auntie?" I told the little ones that they looked like young men, and they liked that. After the sanctuary lesson, Mary said to do another, so we told the nativity story. This is not new to them, but they enjoyed hearing it from us. After the short teaching, I wanted to hug the girls, and they gathered around me, both of us enjoying the experience. Ruth said she'd never seen such a precious group of children. They also asked about Virginia, and I told them how old she is and how tall compared to them. They want me to bring her, and I wish that we had.

By this time it was almost 10pm, and we were very hungry. They eat supper later here than we do in the US. We returned to Isaac's house by way of the bazaar, although we didn't get out of the vehicle. Many, many people were out and about despite the late hour, probably because it was New Year's Eve. The traffic here is amazing - it's like every driver is playing a game of chicken. I still can't decide if you are supposed to drive on the right or the left. People drive wherever they want, or as close to the middle as they can get. Blinkers aren't to signal that you're turning; they're to tell an oncoming driver that you want HIM to move over. Lights are for when you think the oncoming driver doesn't see you. The only stopping is when you have to wait for a herd of goats or water buffalo, or when two oxen are pulling a heavy cart and can't get out of the way. Do you pass on the right or the left? Yes!

Next was a late supper at Isaac's house, and then a very short rest before the New Year's prayer service at 11pm. Like that morning, the SH children were present and seated at the front. (I have learned that women on one side, men on the other, children in the front is always the seating arrangement.) The poor children were so tired! First was singing, and then Ray spoke to the congregation. Many of the young children bowed deep in prayer - which was really sleep. The little girls in their new clothes covered their heads with their sashes, and it looked like little piles of bright color where they slept on the floor.
We were seated on the stage in chairs again, so I watched the kids doze off. I was exhausted and sleepy myself! Pavankumar was in the very front row, and he kept starting to cry, I suppose from being tired. I wanted so much to gather him up and hug him, and let him sleep in my lap - but I didn't think it would be appropriate. This was confirmed afterwards when I found him and hugged him, and he looked a little bewildered. I don't think doing that during the middle of the worship would have gone over very well. The service was timed for Ray and Isaac to finish speaking just before midnight, and then the New Year was ushered in with prayer. Isaac prayed. I kept sneaking peeks - to make sure we were still praying - in Telugu. At midnight, during the prayer, all of the lights went off for a few seconds and we could hear celebratory cheers from all around the area. People also set off fireworks, and it was lovely. Also, the church building was decorated with colored lights hanging in loops from all sides, much like we decorate for Christmas. After the prayer, a New Year's cake was brought up, and the three Americans had the job of holding the knife together and cutting it for the photo. Isaac pulled out a piece and fed each of us a small bite, much like the wedding tradition when the bride and groom feed each other wedding cake! This apparently is a tradition. We've also seen it done here (in photos) for a birthday cake. All of the members received a small piece of cake, one biscuit (like a Ritz cracker), and one piece of candy (like a Tootsie Roll). Next we were told "Wish you a Happy New Year!" by many people, and we shook their hands. Finally, we could go to bed.

January 1, 2007 7pm

Today we woke around 7am, talked, ate dressed, and prepared for the day. It was a long day - but not as long as yesterday. After breakfast we got out the gifts we had brought and shared them with Isaac's family. They liked the gifts, but I was only guessing when I bought them. Next time we'll have a better idea of what to bring. I was amazed that they got out the gifts we sent to them eight years ago through another missionary.

As soon as there was food ready, we visited a slum area of Tenali. The children here were half naked (or completely naked), and they are too poor to go to school. They play next to thatched huts with no furniture and sometimes no walls, in the dirt of the street and the filthy water of the canals. It wasn't really what I expected, but I didn't know what to expect - I can't really describe the feeling of seeing these people. Still, the children are like children everywhere: curious, smiling, playing. They didn't all look like they were filled with joy, but it struck me that these people are happy about things in their lives. They're very poor, but not completely destitute. There can be joy in any life, even a very poor existence. There can also be misery in any life, even one of extreme wealth. The food arrived by way of another vehicle - maybe an autorickshaw? - and we arrived by way of the rental car. Anilkumar did some taping and took photos (Mary's brother, expert photographer) with our cameras and his while we served the slum people, mainly children. There was a huge metal vat of something that looked and smelled like hot chocolate pudding, but I think it was made with beans. There was another large container of freshly boiled eggs. Each child in line had either a metal plate or cup (or both), and I served a ladle full of the brown stuff to each one, and then Ray took over. Ruth handed out eggs. Two men held up a banner with our names for the occasion. They make a banner for every event, it seems. After a time serving the food, we said goodbye and went a little ways in the same neighborhood to the church shed. It was a tiny shed with a thatched roof, with a very low door. We ducked inside and met with the few Christians there, and prayed. We liked taping and photographing the people, especially the children.

From the slum area, we drove to our first church meeting of the day in Sanjeev Nagar. It was a long drive, and we had to stop once for fresh air, because I was feeling travel sick. Later on the same trip, Ellen, Ray, and Margaret had the same problem. For travel sickness, I was given a lime to smell of. It helped some. For this meeting, we were taken to a town where the primary means of subsistence is fishing. The drive was about an hour and a half, and we took the rental car. The driver, Isaac, and Prabhakar (a SH child) sat in the front. It was a special treat for Prabhakar, who had never been in a car and never been away from Tenali. He was such a good boy, and a good help on the day trip. I forgot to mention that at the slum area, three boys from SH were presnt to help. We really like how Isaac involves the children in such things. I think it must help them to feel that they belong and are part of this big family. It was very near the coast, next to an inlet of the Bay of Bengal, and it was affected by the tsunami. More recently the area was affected by a cyclone. These people were Hindus, and Isaac taught them about Christ through his help shortly after the big tsunami. The church service was held outside, under a large and colorful canopy tent, in the sand. On the floor was a large tarp (typical Indian floor covering for a church). The only chairs were for the guests and speakers. Ray and Isaac preached, and then Ruth and I said some brief and encouraging words to the congregation. We were told early on that there were five or six people who wanted to be baptized. They were waiting for Isaac to do the honors, and he did this after the service. He first ducked into a concrete shed and changed (very quickly and discreetly) from khaki pants into a lungi - the Indian skirt worn by many men here. He spoke for a few minutes with those who were to be baptized, I suppose confirming what they believed and what they wanted, and then they all waded out into the water. The water was right next to the prayer tent. One of the men getting baptized was a bit hesitant, and unsure about letting Isaac dip him backwards. He wanted to duck forwards. We were all giggling at him, Isaac included, and finally the deed was done. All around us were fishing boats on the beach, and sea shells. Also at the service: a baby blessing, much like those in the US, only the parents asked Isaac to "fix the name". Isaac actually named this baby! Apparently this happen fairly often. He named her Nirmala Kumari, which means purity. There was also a slight disturbance when a drunk interrupted the worship and had to be expelled. Also, we noticed a very old woman who was quite shaky, very thin, and walked with a stick for support. She was also given a chair. My favorite part of the worship was watching a woman with a toddler play peek-a-boo with the part of her saree she used to cover her head. Children all over the world have so much in common.

Next we drove a short distance to a church member's home for lunch. The Palaparthis are taking very good care of us, especially with the food they give us. The women of the family had prepared a fish curry for Isaac and the others, but we ate oatmeal, bread and jam, and boiled eggs brought from home. I believe they even brought clean plates and utensils from home for us. Ray would have liked to try the curry, but there was too much of a chance that it would make him sick. We are using lots of hand sanitizer, by the way.

After lunch, we went back outside, where a handicapped girl from the church was waiting. Isaac had arranged to donate a special tricycle to her (she crawls and walk at all) with a hand pedal. She is a teenager named Lakshmi, and we gathered around her, prayed for her, and took photos.

Soon we were on the road again, headed to Harispet to the church there. Isaac said if the road was too bad, we would have to cancel this visit. It was a close place, but it took a long time to get there because of the bad roads; the asphalt was in an advanced state of disrepair with deep potholes. We crawled along at a snail's pace. Along the way to both of these small towns, we saw the beautiful Indian countryside. Rice paddies, sugar cane, field workers, birds, butterflies, water buffalo, pigs, goats, dogs, and much more. We'll have to have a marathon video session at our house in a month or so for those who want to see ALL of the footage - there is already a lot more than I expected to take. We arrived late to Harispet, and the meeting was already over. We met the preacher and some of the members on the road coming from the prayer shed, and he turned around and called them back together. Isaac explained that the shed wasn't on any church property; it was built by the side of the road on government property, next to a canal. The tiny shed, constructed of poles and thatch, soon crammed full with about sixty people. Ray spoke briefly to them, and we prayed. The preacher spoke (in Telugu) about how grateful he was to Isaac, and then we learned that Isaac had been instrumental in building the shed for them and helping them with other needs. It seems like the church in Tenali is in decent shape financially, and the members do make a contribution every week, and that they do a lot of benevolent and encouraging outreach to the truly poor congregations in surrounding towns. I need to ask about this and see if my observation is correct.

After a short time in Harispet, we headed back to Tenali, all of us very tired. Again, we thanked Isaac for taking us to these places, and the experience was well worth the effort. Now we're back at their house, we've just had supper, and soon I'll be going to the internet cafe to get these entries onto the blog. Then we will have a very good night's sleep.

Made it to Chennai

2006-12-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

December 28, 2006 1:15pm, Abilene TX

The first leg of our journey. We're sitting in the Abilene airport, so thankful that we're starting here instead of at DFW. The airport here is so small, not crowded at all, and it was very easy to get our four big suitcases checked. No parking problems, no long walks. It's so small that we can't go through security yet - it's too early for it to open up to the passengers. I love it. I also feel really weird without my kids. I didn't realize it would be so hard to leave them. Months ago, when we decided to make this trip, it was simple to ask my parents for two weeks of babysitting. After all, we live in the same house and our kids are really close to their grandparents. But now...it's hard to leave them. I am a worrier, and so is Virginia. Last night when I put her to bed, she was weeping, afraid that we'll die in India and won't come back to her. I talked to her about trusting God, about Him calling us to do this, and about letting those fears go. She responded with, "But surely it's happened before that someone did what you're doing, and didn't survive!" True. That does worry me a little, and I have to let go and trust Him, too. I assured Virginia that we have taken every precaution possible to stay safe and healthy, because we want to return home in two weeks. And I told her that if I thought we were going to our deaths, we wouldn't go. I hope she has a great experience with her grandparents and doesn't dwell on her worries. I also pray that they have a good experience with our kids!

Last night we had friends over to pray with us and for us. Thank you Mom and Dad, Virginia, Charles and Diana, and Ruth. It meant so much to us! Speaking of Ruth, we have touched base with her. Her plane left this morning at 7am, and she's waiting for us at DFW. From then on, we'll have the same flights and be sitting together. From this point, we have a 1 hour flight to Dallas, a 1 hour layover, a 10 hour flight to Frankfurt, a 1.5 hour layover, and a 10 hour flight to Chennai. IF our calculations are right. It's a little bit confusing figuring up what the local time will be and what it will feel like to us: Frankfurt is 7.5 hours ahead of Abilene, and Chennai is 11.5 hours ahead of us. Isaac and Margaret will meet us in Chennai, and we'll all spend the night at a hotel there. We arrive close to midnight tomorrow night, and the following afternoon we'll board a 7 hour train to Tenali. This is almost directly on the other side of the world, by far the farthest we've ever been from home...I guess it's actually the farthest we could go.

Looks like security is open, so I guess we'll go through.

December 28, 2006 5:25pm, somewhere over Texas

The flight from Abilene to Dallas was rotten. I used to have no fear of flying, but as I get older, it gets worse. I think it has to do with being a mother. I felt sick for the first time on a plane, but I think it was because it was such a small plane. It also seemed to be falling apart, but obviously it didn't - and we made it to DFW. We rushed to our gate, where we met up with Ruth. She had been there for hours and hours, having left Abilene around 7am. We boarded a much larger and nicer plane; our first experience flying Lufthansa. So far, we are impressed. This plane has two aisles and eight seats across. We're above the clouds, and the view is lovely. Ray says he's finally realizing that we're actually going to India! We are all thrilled, and anxious, and so many other emotions.

The in-flight movies are Step Up and The Break Up. I think I'll skip them both in favor of a novel or computer game. On the next flight, though, one of the movies is Indian, and I'm sure I'll tune in to that one. That will bring the total of Indian movies I've seen to three.

December 29th, 2006 2:02pm (in Germany), 7:02am (in Abilene), currently on our third and final flight of the day

Traveling is harder than I want it to be. We're exhausted. None of us got much sleep on that last flight, so now it feels as if we've passed a night with just an hour or two of rest. My head hurts. We all keep yawning. The first Lufthansa flight was really great. The food was even good! The flight attendants spoke German and English, and were so friendly. A girl behind us asked if we were going on a mission trip; she is a college student from Oklahoma headed to Russia to work with an orphanage. We had a nice talk with her.

Although we were tired when we left that plane, we felt excited. Then we found ourselves outside in Frankfurt in the freezing cold. I asked the attendant which gate we would arrive at. She said it was C, but we had an outside position and a bus would take us to the terminal. What? An outside position? Anyway, we taxied up to the airport and saw a number of planes lined up away from the actual buildings, and rolling staircases ready to take passengers off. From there, we boarded a bus. We had talked about taking coats or jackets, but decided we didn't need them. Germany would be freezing, but we'd only be cold for a moment. India would be warm. Poor Ray had short sleeves and no jacket at all! Ruth and I had something minimal. Fortunately, we weren't in the cold for long.

The Frankfurt airport looks much like airports in the US, and many of the ads and signs are in English. It was a more international group of people there than the Dallas airport, but might still be typical of New York. I heard German and a number of other languages, but I couldn't say what they were. When we got to the gate, which wasn't a long walk, they were already taking boarding passes, but not boarding. They take your pass and let you into a little holding area, and then everyone boards when the doors to the plane are open. This plans is even bigger - it has two levels! Of course, the upper level is first class, and we didn't get to go up the stairs - but it's still kind of neat to be on such a plane. This one has ten seats across. It's an 8+ hour flight, and we're about 3.5 hours into it. Now something feels really different. Foreign, that is. This flight, the safety instructions were given in German and Tamil instead of German and English. Many of the travelers are Indian. A strong smell woke me from my dozing, and it was lunch: Indian food. We had a choice of chicken or Asian vegetarian. Ray and Ruth chose chicken, but I chose the Asian. How different! For the first time, I started to worry about the food we'll eat for the next two weeks. The main dish was a mixture of rice and beans (very spicy), white rice, and spinach. It was pretty good, but spicy. And I suspect that airplane Indian is quite tame compared to the real thing. Uh-oh. There was a little side dish of runny yogurt, which helps put the fire out. It was good, and I mixed it with the spicy stuff. There was also a side of something that looked like potato salad, but I'm not sure what it was. I didn't like it. I opened a little packet of pickled mango, and it smelled too spicy to try. I kept a little packet of "mouth freshner," which contains fennel seeds and some other stuff. I'll save it to try later. I do have plenty of tictacs and granola bars if necessary.

Looking out the window on this flight is very cool. We think we identified Turkey and the Black Sea, and we've just seen what looks like a snow-covered volcano. I think we're over the Caspian Sea at the moment. We should fly over the Middle East - maybe Iran or Iraq. It's a beautiful view.

Only about four more hours until we arrive in Chennai! I hope we can get some more sleep between now and then.

December 29, 2006 3am, Chennai (3:30pm in Abilene) Wait...is this the 29th? I think it might be the 30th now. I'm not sure. Anyway, we made it!! Finally, after a full day of travel. Finally, after waiting ten years to meet these dear friends, Isaac and Margaret. We landed on time in Chennai, and exited the plane to stand in line for a long time. The line was for customs, but we handed over our passports and info sheet saying we had nothing to declare, the official stamped them, and that was that. Then we went to find our luggage, which was more of a challenge. There were tons of people packed around the conveyor belt, but on the whole, it wasn't as crowded as I expected. And it didn't smell bad, either. Maybe it's a lot worse at midday. The temperature here is about 72, and it's balmy. While waiting for our luggage (a couple of pieces took a long time to locate), we spotted Isaac and Margaret outside the door waving to us. What a thrill, to see them in person! Once the luggage was in our possession, we simply walked through the green channel for customs. No questions about how much we had in gifts, or our laptop, no forms to fill out - all that worry for nothing! They just looked at our passports and we were through. Isaac and Margaret were waiting for us just outside with an entourage of helpers. Ray hugged Isaac, and the rest of us all shook hands. I'm still not really clear or comfortable with the whole greeting procedure. What do we do? What do we NOT do? It's confusing to me. They had brought Rajanikanth and Anilkimar with them from Tenali, and then had two more guys here. Once we got out onto the sidewalk, Isaac directed us to stand together and we were garlanded and photographed. When he saw me videotaping, he had us do it again, and Anilkumar taped us. The garland was heavy! And it smelled wonderful. Then we got into a little round van and headed to the hotel, the Royal Regency. It's much nicer than I expected. It was kind of a wild ride getting here, though. We thought one guy on a bike would be killed for sure, but he just puffed his cigarette and nonchalantly moved over at the last second, after our driver honked at him repeatedly.

It is now almost 4am. We're about to go to bed. I have to quit typing because our adaptor won't work and this laptop can't charge, and it's almost out of juice. There is internet access in the lobby, and I hope to get these entries uploaded in the morning. We have 4 hours and 38 minutes to sleep until we get up for a late breakfast.

The Trip

2006-11-26T17:33:00.000-08:00

We decided months ago that we needed to go to India. I've wanted to visit India since we were first introduced to Isaac; I've wanted to travel the world all of my life. We finally have an opportunity and a good reason. Back in June, I think, we took the plunge and bought tickets. It isn't something we raised money for; we used some money from our savings. After much counting down, we have only 5 1/2 more weeks. Our trip is December 28th - January 11th. We will spend time at Sanctuary Home, at various churches and gatherings, and with Isaac's family. He has a very busy schedule planned for us; more on that later. Our kids aren't going. Linda advised us not to take along a child under age 12 because of safety reasons. Apparently we should plan to get sick - it's just part of visiting India. We've had our shots: typhoid, polio booster, tetanus, and hepatitis. The tetanus was really painful!

We'll fly from Abilene to Dallas to Frankfurt, Germany, to Chennai, India. Chennai is in Tamil Nadu, a southeastern state where they speak Tamil. Our destination is one state to the north, Andhra Pradesh, where they speak Telugu. I hope that isn't a problem - I hope enough business people speak English as well. Once we reach Chennai, we'll have enough time to get a hotel room and sleep a bit before catching a train to Tenali, a six hour ride. I admit that I'm nervous about our safety while traveling, on the long air trips, the train ride, and in a car once at our destination. I've heard some scary things about travel safety in India.

One of the events Isaac has scheduled for us is a widows' conference. He said we could teach and counsel the widows. This sounded really strange to us! What do we know about widows? I didn't think we even knew any widows personally. What could we possibly say to them? We reluctantly agreed, but told Isaac that he would have to help us because we were not equipped for the task. Of course, then came the divine intervention. We went to artwalk (a monthly art-centered event in downtown Abilene) and were very impressed with a display of paintings, photos, and notecards from Haiti. The artist had been on a mission trip to Haiti and visited an orphanage in Cap-Haitien. She took art supplies and instructed the children, who made beautiful drawings of Haitian flowers and birds. The art was brought back to the US, made into notecards, and being sold; proceeds were being sent to the orphanage. We thought this was a great idea! I found the artist, Ruth Jackson, and told her about our upcoming trip. I wanted details about her project and how we could do something similar. She said, "That sounds like fun, maybe I could go with you!" One thing led to another, and within a couple of weeks, Ruth had her ticket and was raising money to buy art supplies for the children at Sanctuary Home. Something else about Ruth: she's a widow. She told us to tell Isaac not to worry about her as she's a very young 72. Although she considers herself a poor widow, she said seeing the people of Haiti made her realize that she's very rich indeed, and she expects to be reminded of that again in India. We are delighted that she's coming. She will also be doing some special art activities with the women at the widows conference.

We'll all be staying at Isaac's house. He doesn't have air conditioning, but he does have a Western bathroom, which I think is a bigger deal anyway. Most toilets in India are simple holes in the floor. Oh, and there's no toilet paper. People eat with their right hands and do sanitation duty with the left. That will take some getting used to! LOTS of hand sanitizer. Indians have antibodies that Americans don't; they have immunities to things that can wreak havoc on the bodies of sterile unsuspecting Americans. I hope we don't get so sick that we can't enjoy the trip, or that we'll get sick after we're home.

Now we're 5 1/2 weeks from our departure date. We can take two fifty-pound bags each - I hope it will all fit. While there we will also be buying a computer and accessories for Isaac, sewing machines for training the older children in a skill, and saris and rice for the widows. The widows conference has been paid for and Isaac already has that money, and I've recently sent $20 per child so Isaac can have their Christmas gifts (a second school uniform, a set of play clothes, a bookbag, and one other item) bought, wrapped, and ready for us to distribute to them.
I am most excited about the videos. It's so cool to bring people together! We are getting many of the sponsors on video greeting their children, and we'll edit it all together and show it on a projector while there. (Isaac will have to translate.) Then we will get similar greetings from the children. I can't wait to make a DVD of our trip and share it with all the sponsors and people who have supported us. We feel so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to do something so worthwhile.

The Board

2006-11-26T17:14:00.000-08:00

We have been very blessed to have a great board of directors.

Ray and Amanda Pettit (me) - Ray is a graduate student at Texas Tech Abilene and an adjunct professor at ACU, and I am a homeschool mom. We moved back to Abilene a couple of years ago so Ray could attend school here. His background is in computer science; mine is in anthropology. We have two kids.

Joe Cannon -

Linda Egle -

Mike Kaminski -

Tom & Toni Dolan -

Charles & Diana Taylor -

**Hey board members: what do you want me to write about you? I started to write about everyone, but I thought it would be better to ask you. So let me know...

The monthly board meetings have been great. This group of people has a lot of determination and faith, and a deep desire to pursue this mission. Our big dream, now that all the kids are moved in, is to find a way to make the orphanage self-sufficient. We want to get involved with some small scale industry in India - who knows what - and be able to employ Indians (particularly widows), support them, and use the extra proceeds to benefit Sanctuary Home. When this is accomplished, we hope to tell the sponsors that we don't need their money anymore for this particular orphanage...and ask them to help us do it all again. It's in the planning stages, but it seems to make a lot more sense than just planning to have people send us $30 a month for the rest of their lives. There are many more children in need in India, even just in Tenali - and we would love to help them.

Reassurance

2006-11-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

I probably can't accurately write how everything started happening. It's a bit of a blur. Anxiety kept creeping in, and God kept reassuring us that we were on the right track.

He had provided for the rent, and then He started inspiring people to help the children. Our friend Darell had recently moved into a new home and hadn't signed up for cable yet. He had planned on it, and got an ad for cable, which was $30 per month. The next piece of mail he opened was our letter, asking him to consider sponsoring a child for $30 per month. He told us that he knew God was telling him something, and he chose to skip the cable subscription in favor of a child in India. It seemed like each day we would receive another sponsorship form and check, or another donation to cover our startup expenses. We quickly moved to our goal of fifteen children, just before we opened the doors on June 1st.

I worried about our five sibling groups. Sambaiah had gotten me worried: what if one sibling was sponsored, but the other remained on the street indefinitely? Wouldn't that be even worse for that child? We didn't know how we would handle that when it came up. I was particularly concerned about Sambaiah. His brother, Srinu, was included in the collage we had mailed out. Sambaiah's photo was on the website, but we thought it was unlikely that he would be sponsored soon. Sure enough, one day we got a sponsorship form with Srinu's name on it. It had happened. But another form that same day was blank. A post-it note stuck on the blank form said this: "Please choose a child for us. We want a boy, a young child who is a true orphan." I opened my spreadsheet and was amazed to see that Sambaiah was actually the youngest boy available who was a true orphan. God didn't let those boys get separated. The next three sibling groups were sponsored at the same time. When one child in the last sibling group was sponsored, I emailed Isaac: "Go ahead and move both of them in, because one has been sponsored and I know God will provide for the other one very soon." He did. At some point, we stopped thinking about coincidence. We started expecting God to take care of things like that, and we haven't been disappointed.

We did open our doors on June 1, 2006. Isaac sent us lovely photos of the ribbon cutting ceremony and the children receiving their new belongings and eating their first meal together. Fifteen children moved in, but more were added regularly until we were full.

You may have noticed that we actually have forty-two children. The forty-second child is Prabhakar. We had asked Isaac to find a Christian couple to work as our cook and caretaker, but his plans fell through at the last minute. Instead, he hired a widow to be the cook. Victoria is a Christian, and desperately needed work. Widows in India are in a dire situation: because of cultural standards, they are unable to remarry or find work. They are bad luck, shunned, considered half-dead because their husbands have died. This is a huge problem, especially if they still have young children to support. So Isaac hired Victoria, and reluctantly explained to me that she had a son, Prabhakar, who had to move in as well. We figured that it was God's plan one way or another, and welcomed Victoria to Sanctuary Home.

We realized that it wasn't all going to be about the feel-good act of taking a child off the street into the shelter of Sanctuary Home. If there was going to be a Sanctuary Home, there also had to be a post office box, a bank account, some accounting system, a nonprofit corporation, a board of directors, and the dreaded application for tax-exempt status. We started in on these things, and boy did they take up a lot of time. I bought a how-to guide for doing the 501c3 application myself - what a nightmare. After weeks of working on it, I realized how inept I was. Or maybe it was just incredibly long and confusing. Anyway, Jerry Love graciously agreed to help us get it completed. What a blessing! Still, I knew we had to raise a large chunk of money ($500) to pay just to apply. Isaac started a similar process in India at the same time, and it would also cost a bundle ($2000).

We decided to have a garage sale to raise some of the money. We made an appeal to church, family, and friends, to donate items for the garage sale. I think it was the largest garage sale we could have possibly had! The donations poured in, and at the end of the day, we counted a lot of money. Around the same time, my dear friend Helen Donaldson decided to offer a preschool dance class, and said she would be donating the proceeds to Sanctuary Home. Between the garage sale and the dance class, God had provided almost exactly $2500 - the money for our legal fees both in the US and India.

The reassurances keep on coming, and I'll include them as I tell the rest of the story, and then as they happen.

Full Speed Ahead

2006-11-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

One of the things I had prayed for (when I was asking God to close those doors) was an American friend who knew about India. Around the same time, I visited my sister's Sunday morning class with her and heard a presentation about India - naturally! The speaker was Linda Egle, and when I realized I had someone I could ask, I called her and she agreed to go to lunch with me. I had high hopes that she would tell me how ridiculous it all was, but she said it was reasonable based on her own experiences. She had been visiting India for the past 18 years (I think that's right). Linda had experience working with an orphanage in India, working with native Indians, and had founded a fabulous nonprofit in India, Eternal Threads. I'm sure there is more, but Linda and I are still relatively new friends and I don't know her whole story. I can't say how much Linda has helped us with her advice. She told us how to go about setting up the orphanage. And amazingly, her headquarters in India was only 80 miles away from Isaac.

We wrote up an email with the story up to that point, and sent it to some close friends. We had to have help: Isaac wanted $125 per month to rent the building, for starters. He had also proposed hiring a warden for $75 monthly, and $50 each for a cook, caretaker, and doctor. That was all before considering costs for supplies and food for the prospective children. This wasn't something we could cover financially if it fell through. Ray was (still is) a graduate student. We were living in my parents' basement until he was done with graduate school, and I was doing some part time work as a seamstress. We didn't have lots of money to throw at this thing. Fortunately, a good friend was inspired by the story and offered to pay the monthly rent. We were ecstatic! I think that was one of the first reassurances God gave us - that it wasn't going to crash and burn with Him in charge. We sent Isaac the money and he started preparing the building, a sprawling seven room house. Our limit would be forty children. We decided to set $30 per month as the price for sponsorships; $23 of that would buy each child's food. We also needed $50 per child to buy their supplies: floor mats, dishes, bedding, a foot locker, toiletries, etc. It seemed like a daunting task. We thought we could start with fifteen children.

Then Isaac sent the photos. We looked at the children, dirty, sad, half-clothed, and cried that we had waited so long to help them. We learned what a semi-orphan is: a child with one living parent who is unwilling or unable to care for them. We heard that if a parent died and the other parent remarried, the children from the first marriage were no longer welcome in the home. We made a photo collage of their faces and wrote a letter, mailing both to many of our friends and acquaintances in Abilene and other places we've lived. We got the blessing of the church who provides support for Isaac, knowing that this endeavor would cut into his other work.

We had several quick responses and the first children were sponsored. Isaac would move them in on June 1, 2006, just in time for the new school year in India. After we had sent out the letters, Isaac sent profiles of the children. He had written a paragraph-long story for each child. If the photos had broken our hearts, the profiles lit a fire under us to work harder to help them. I spent hours and hours on the website, with an urgent feeling that the sooner their stories were on the internet, the sooner they could move into Sanctuary Home. It was completed in record time; I wasn't going to be the one standing in the way.

The profiles were shocking. I have never seen a homeless child. It's hard to think about. I know our foster care system is flawed and there are abuses that occur in our country, but at least there are programs in place that make an effort to prevent hurt and protect the helpless. There is no foster care in India, and no welfare. Homeless children are at the mercy of those around them - those who would provide help, those who are indifferent, and those who are predators. The children we hoped to provide a home for were in their precarious situations for a variety of reasons. Some were orphaned way back during the tsunami, some because of heat stroke, snake bite, cholera, car accidents, cancer, suicide, and AIDS. Some had been abandoned by a parent, or sold into slavery (and fortunate enough to escape), or had mothers who had turned to prostitution. Some were the children of widows who were simply too destitute to provide food for them. (We were able to emply one of these widows as a cook, Victoria, and she moved in with her son, Prabhakar.) We posted their stories to the website as soon as we received them.

When I was going through the profiles and matching them to the photos, I noticed a problem. Isaac had send a profile for a boy named Sambaiah, but there was no photo for Sambaiah. There was also a photo with no matching profile. When I emailed Isaac about it, he apologized to me; he had sent the wrong one by mistake. But I wanted to know who Sambaiah was! Isaac had returned to a village to find a boy, Srinu, whose photo he had taken previously. He needed the boy's story. People in the village approached him and begged him to also help Sambaiah, Srinu's little brother. Isaac told them that we had a limit of forty children, but if the Lord opened the door, he would consider Sambaiah as well. He took Sambaiah's photo and profile, and accidentally included it with the others. There was no question in our minds about Sambaiah: he was in the same merciless situation as Srinu, but he was younger, and therefore even less able to fend for himself. It wasn't as if we had to make room for a bed; the children would sleep on floor mats. If we had room for forty, we had room for forty-one. We told Isaac that we had to include Sambaiah.

Starting Out

2006-11-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

The toughest part of this is knowing where to start. I want this blog to be filled with all kinds of things about SH, especially the ever-unfolding story. Maybe I should start by telling the story. You may have heard it already, but chances are, you haven't heard it all. We really appreciate the opportunities we've been given to share with so many people in Bible classes and at other events, but we just can't cover much in ten minutes. I'll try not to leave anything out here. Once I've told the story, I plan to update regularly with anecdotes we hear about the kids, with excerpts from Isaac's emails, photos, and with the ongoing plans for our trip to India. Hopefully we'll be able to find internet cafes and blog while in India...we'll see. If not, I'll blog offline and upload it all when we get home. So here goes the story...

To go WAY back, I'll start with how we met Isaac. About twelve years ago (that's a guess), Ray and I were attending a little church outside of San Antonio. We'd been married just a year or two, no kids yet. One Sunday, an American missionary to India came through. He didn't live in India, but visited every year and was involved in various churches and schools of preaching there. Of course, he had a fascinating and moving slideshow, and we decided to help. We were told that preachers in India really struggled to support their families and needed our support of $50 per month. If we could help with this amount, we would allow the man to focus on his mission instead of seeking a second job. The church members in the part of rural India in question are so incredibly poor that they have no means to support their own preachers. We signed up and were soon contacted by mail with a name and description of our very own preacher: P. Isaac. (The P. is his last initial, but in India, it goes first.) He too sent us a letter. As it turned out, he had a wife, Margaret, and three young daughters. Time passed, and occasionally we had contact by mail. We learned that Isaac and his family lived in a thatched hut with no walls, and their home was adjacent to a field, which caused a problem: sometimes they were horrified to find cobras in their hut. Their daughters slept together on one cot, head to feet to head. Mostly Isaac's letters were about his work: where he was preaching, how for he had traveled, gospel meetings, baptisms. Family information was a bit rare, but I do remember one story about his daughter - I think it was Esther, the youngest. She had fallen into a canal and would have drowned had an American missionary not been walking by at that very second. Later it was explained to us by an American: the Hindu society is fatalistic and no stranger would have pulled her out; what befalls you is always what you deserve, and it should not be changed. I don't know how much truth there is in that, but I know that Isaac considered it extremely fortunate that a friend had seen it happen and saved her from drowning.

Years passed, and we started occasionally calling each other on the phone. Some time after we started supporting him, Isaac got a phone in his house, but he couldn't call out. So we would set up a time to call him. Our calls were never that great because of the accent barrier. Isaac and his family speak Telugu as their first language, and their English is difficult for us to understand. Fortunately, Isaac's written English is very good. Eventually, internet cafes came to Tenali, and we began communicating by email, which is our primary method now. We email about twice a week. Isaac's family has come a long way financially, too, and he has worked as a teacher and translator, and Margaret has worked as a librarian. They have moved into a real house, with two rooms, and even a Western bathroom. Their eldest daughter is currently in her first year at college, and is studying engineering.

When we lived in Virginia, our church helped purchase a motorcycle for Isaac, which really enlarged the area he could work in. He now travels great distances to share the gospel and support and encourage younger ministers. When we lived in upstate New York, our church took over Isaac's monthly support, but we remained good friends with regular emails.

Last fall, we received an email from Isaac. He asked if we could send a donation to buy saris, rice, and other gifts to be distributed to the poor for Christmas. He asked if I would also share that request with my family. That started the whole ball rolling, I guess. Although I believe God was already planning and working toward this, that email seems to me like the first concrete event in the story of Sanctuary Home.

I forwarded the email to my parents and sisters, and my sister Alison quickly responded. She told me that she and her husband had been praying for an opportunity to do such a thing, but on a monthly basis. They wanted to do something more than tithing and were just waiting for the right thing to come along. I thought that maybe Isaac could put them in touch with a preacher who needed support, or maybe a widow. But after I emailed him, everything changed. His response was something like, "Oh, Sister, we must use this to help the orphans." He then proceeded to detail how he could house, feed, clothe, and teach them, and how they would come to know God, and on and on. My heart sank when I read his email. I shared it with Ray, and we shook our heads, because Isaac had totally misunderstood us. We had in mind something small. I knew my sister didn't have the funds to run an orphanage. How could we let him down easily?

We knew about the orphans in Tenali, but we hadn't spent a lot of time thinking about the reality of it. The thing is, I thought it would be great to help them, but it just seemed so crazy. It was too big, way too much work, and definitely out of our comfort zone. We had no resources, no expertise, no time for something like that. Plus, we would have to ask people for money. How incredibly unappealing! But we didn't respond honestly to the email; we just left it alone. I think we were hoping it would all go away. Of course it didn't.

I'm not quite sure what happened next. I suppose it was God tapping me on the shoulder, saying, "Have you forgotten something?" I know the realization didn't come right away, but at some point I did remember: I had been praying about something that sounded an awful lot like it fit this opportunity. I remember the sinking feeling I had when it all came together. How could I possibly get out of it? Surely God wouldn't make us do this big, scary thing. (Please, no!)

Now let me back up a bit. Several years ago we sponsored a child in Ethiopia through Compassion International. I had signed up for their Prayer Partner Newsletter, and every month I got a prayer calendar via email with a different heartbreaking story on every day. These kids who needed my prayers were poor, sick, and hurting in the worst ways. After a while, it really started to weigh on my heart. I started to pray for more children than the daily child on the calendar. I prayed over and over again that God would show me what I could do to help children in third world countries. I asked Him to send them to my doorstep so I could be their mother. I asked Him to give me opportunities to actually do something for them. It was breaking my heart. I thought a lot about the unfairness of it all. No child deserves poverty, hunger, or being orphaned or abandoned, abused, hurt. I have these prayers all written in my prayer journal, and now when I go back and read them, I am amazed. I didn't realize that I had spent so much time in prayer for helpless children. But God had apparently noticed.

Once I realized that He had noticed, I started to backpedal. "Hold on just a minute - that's not what I meant!" My prayers for the children changed into a desperate begging to be let off the hook. I suppose it had to do with fear, mostly. I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to do it, that no one would help us, that we would let Isaac down, that it would be embarassing to talk to people (especially when asking for money), that it would take too much time and work, and so on. The thing is, I was absolutely right. There was no way we could do it! We were thoroughly unequipped for the job. We prayed fervently that God would close those doors if He didn't want us to do this. We prayed that He would make it clear to us, and then clearer, and then VERY clear, until we really couldn't ignore the resounding DO IT! reponse we were getting. Somehow we reached a point where we had to decide between our own comfort and GOD. Through all of this supernatural debating, I think we forgot about the children for awhile. I am profoundly grateful that God didn't give up on us, and for His forgiveness of our prolonged resistance.

Finally, we said yes. We would do it. And we reached a level of peace about it. We had no doubts whatsoever that it was anyone's doing but God's. There was no question of this being something we had hatched on our own with the mere hope of God's blessing. No, it was His thing. Therefore, it was also His business to make it work. We felt obligated to share the mission with others, but relied on Him to provide everything else. We kept telling ourselves that we had to trust Him and not try to control it ourselves. That removed a huge burden from our shoulders.

More to come...

Testing

2006-10-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Testing, testing...1,2,3... Hey, it's my first post for the Sanctuary Home blog! After I get this thing looking like I want it to, I'll be posting about Sanctuary Home, all of the little things I want to share but don't have a good outlet. Until now! So check back soon. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to www.sanctuaryhome.org for a look-see.