We Made it Home!

After 31 hours of travel, we made it home at 1am last night! The first thing we both did was sneak in to our kids' rooms and watch them sleeping. As I knelt down to kiss Josh's head, his eyes opened. He said, "Momma?!" and wrapped his arms around me. Oh, how sweet it was to be with my little boy again! And he did the same thing to Andy when he bent down next to him as well. We didn't dare wake Ellie up, but this morning when she called for Nana to come get her, I went in instead. She had a big smile and huge hug as soon as she realized it was me. And watching her cling to Andy brought tears to my eyes. I'm so grateful for this trip but couldn't be happier to be home with our kids again. 

Thank you so much for all of your prayers! Keep them up the next few days, as we're both exhausted and Andy leaves in a few hours for Florida. We can't wait to see all of you again and share more about our trip!

Love,

Vanessa & Andy

Final 2 Days

The last 2 days we visited 2 more homes. Both homes double as the church building. The first was Galilee Grace. We got there at about 9:30am, half-way through their Sunday morning service. To give it a little perspecitve, the service started at 8am. That is after a service that lasted from about 10:30pm-4am the night before to ring in the New Year! (Our interpretuer had the same kind of service at his own church on New Year's eve as well. It's a little humbling to see that they celebrate every holiday by giving glory to God as a church body and we often just do our own thing.)

Anyway, we got there in the middle of the service and they called us up on stage to honor us. Again, very humbling. Andy and I feel so undeserving of all the thanks and honor we have received at these homes. The Boaz Projet is the the one who has been supporting these homes financially and in prayer - not us. After this trip it will definitely be something that we will be pursuing, but to this point we haven't had anything to do with the support they receive from Boaz, yet we've been treated like royalty everywhere we go.

After the service we enjoyed a wonderful meal with the pastor. (Prepared by his wife, but, as with everywhere we've gone, she doesn't eat with us. And neither do the children.) During that meal we got to hear a little more of the pastor's story. He has 2 daughters and had a son in 2003.

*Here's a good place to input a little more about Indian culture & why girls are not wanted. First, as I mentioned in previous posts, fathers must pay a dowry to the groom's family when their daughter gets married. She then goes to live with his family. Second, the son is the one who supports his parents when they get old. In America, we save for retirement, but in India your livelihood when you are too old to work depends on your son. So, when you have a daughter she is seen as a burden. When you have a son, he is seen as a joy & a hope for the future.

Back to the pastor's story.... While he was still a baby, his son became sick (with Hepatitus B) and died. Amist his sorrow, the Lord called the pastor to praise. Not long after, someone brough them an orphaned boy and asked them to care for him. Since then, they've been taking children in - 16 total.

One thing I found interesting and unique to this home was that some of the children are products of temple prostitution. I thought this was something that you just read about in the Old Testament, not something that happens today. The last few days I've almost felt like I'm living in another time, not the 21st century. Between the conditions most of the people live in, to the stories of injustice, it just seems like another world. But God is here. And His Spirit is working.
During lunch the pastor also told us that a few months ago their rice turned bad. (Rice is the main ingredient in every meal they eat here - they buy huge bags of it at a time.) They didn't have money to buy more so they called out to God for help. That afternoon a Catholic priest brought them a bag of 50 kilo's of rice and told them that God told him to give it to them.
Another day, one of the boys was sent home from school because they hadn't paid their fees. (School isn't free here... even public school) Again, they prayed for God's provision. The next day, a local Hindu organization came to them and gave them enough money to pay for school. Wow. Again, God is working here.


Her mother was a temple prostitute. Once she was born, her mother abandoned her so she could live her life without the burden of an illegitimate child.

 

The kids prayed for us before we left. Talk about humbling....

Us with pastor Charles (next to Andy) and his brother-in-law, Reuben (next to Thor). Reuben sang at church and does a lot with the kids.

While playing with the kids, we noticed lots of muslims outside. When we left there was a tent set up literally right next to the church with a muslim celebration going on. In this cramped city, there were 3 totally different religions living practically on top of each other. I have to be honest, my heart beat a little faster until we left. I don't know if I could live like that. But that caused me to think about the disciples. Isn't that how they lived? Out on the street, sharing the Good News of Jesus with the threat of being killed for doing so? Literally laying down their lives for the sake of the Gospel. Why am I so scared to be more open about my faith? I worry about others thinking I'm weird, but I don't fear that my neighbors would phycially harm me or my children because of our faith. In fact, usually, our neighbors look up to us for our "discipline" or "self-control." I have no concept of what it's like to live in persecution for your faith.

It's hard to see (we took this as we were driving away) but the building on the right behind the truck with the slanted, red roof is the church. If you look closely, you can see the street is partially blocked off by a tent-type structure. That was the muslim function.

"Come Back" Home

This brings me to today......it was our last day in India. We leave for the airport at 4:30am tomorrow morning. We have witnessed so much over the past week, it’s hard to sum it all up. We’re also still not sure exactly where God is leading us through all of this. But we’re incredibly grateful that we got  to come here and feel like we have seen the Holy Spirit working in amazing ways.

This morning we went to Come Back Home. It was probably the smallest home (space-wise) that we’ve been to. There were 8 orphans. The building is four stories, but each floor is smaller than our bedroom. The first floor serves as the church. They have 30 people who attend. I can’t imagine cramming 30 people in that small room. (Oh, and they too had a New Year’s Eve celebration from 10pm-3am with singing and dancing! I don’t know how you’d have room to move with that many people in that room, let alone sing & dance for 5 hours!)

The second floor is a small living area, wash room (including the washing machine & refrigerator the Boaz Project bought them last year), and the pastor’s family’s room (His wife & 2 daughters). The third floor was similar to the second, but the pastor’s sister’s family of 4 live there. And the top floor was the kid’s room and kitchen. The Boaz project gave them the money to put a roof over this floor – before they were all crammed on the second floor, including the kitchen! Oh, and did I mention that the pastor’s brother and sister-in-law and their 2 children sleep on the first floor? So, there’s a total 24 people living in this TINY building.

But, again, they were all joyful. They have food in their stomachs and a roof over their head.  If it weren’t for Pastor Christopher and his wife, all of these kids would have been street children - most likely to become victims of some kind of forced labor or trafficking - or left in a dump to die as a baby.

We asked Pastor Christopher who the first child they took in was. She’s pictured above. Her name is Epsiba. She was brought to them less than a day after she was born. Her mother was not married, so she didn’t want her. She didn’t even clean her off after giving birth. The child’s grandmother wrapped her in a blanket and brought her to Pastor & his wife. If they wouldn’t have accepted her, the grandmother was going to throw her in a dump. The days leading up to this, Pastor Christopher & his wife had been asking God for a sign as to whether or not they should help orphans. Needless to say, God answered their prayer.

Another cool story: the boy in the purple shirt above was not wanted by either of his parents. They separated and each remarried. The step-parents did not want him, so they kicked him out. He was 7 at the time. He is now the TOP students in Bangalore in his grade. He received an cash reward for his excellence at school. Praise God that this family took him in and he wasn’t left to a life on the streets!

 Their "new" kitchen

Pastor & his wife

 

 The view from the roof. If you look closely, there's a woman digging through the trash under the wires.

 

 The roof top

 

You can also see above the Pastor's wife. Her love for these children was SO evident to me. She had such a joyful spirit & you could tell the children looked at her as their mom. She asked me about my children and loved the pictures I showed her. I hope that when people visit my home they feel as welcomed as I did in her's!

There's so much more to share, but this is getting REALLY long and we're about to go to dinner. We both can't wait to share more with all of you about this trip. Please pray for a safe trip home. I miss Josh & Ellie and can't wait to see them!  Also, pray for no delays & our transition home as Andy will be leaving on Wendesday evening to spend a few days in Florida with some other teachers from school.

Thanks! We're looking forward to coming home!

Love,

Andy & Vanessa

 

Mercy Home

Happy New Year!  I'm going to be making different posts for each of the homes we have visited the last two days, so please bear with me.

Yesterday we visited 3 different homes that were approximately an hour and 30 minutes' drive from our hotel.  Each was very unique - an expression of the words from James 1.  Take time to look up that chapter sometime after reading this.  I couldn't help thinking as we drove through the country (past plantations, factories, and especially brick kilns) if this area is where the family in the second chapter "Not For Sale" was from. 

Our route through town.

The first home we visited is one that is officially funded by the Boaz Project.  It is called "Mercy" home.  They run both a school and an orphanage.  Mr. John and his wife provide the oversight, but the real star of the show is Sheeba - yes, like the queen in the Bible.  She went to school to learn how to be a teacher, spent some time teaching, then some time working in a call center.  Then, as many of them would say, she got "the burden."  We call it a calling - a burden that is so strong on one's heart for an area of ministry that you can't ignore it.  She is wonderful with the children and you can tell that she is basically their mother.  Oh yeah, and there's 16 of them!  At each turn Sheeba was quick to remind us to speak in English to the children without using the translators.  "They understand English, please speak to them," she would say.  Why is she so adimate about it?  It's because she knows that education is everything.  If they understand English, they improve their chance of finding work SIGNIFICANTLY. 

You should have seen these children and the way they clung to Vanessa.  You know the children think you're something special when they choose you over and over again in "Duck, Duck, Goose."  Vanessa played that role today.  And many of the girls just could not stop holding on to her.  To have an American come to their home and sit with them as an equal is a huge deal.  Vanessa's time with them was so precious and it was such an encouragement to see the way these girls looked at her. 

Vanessa and her buddies.

There was one girl that really clung to me throughout the time there.  I didn't think much of it, but then Mrs. John (Mr. John's wife) told us some of her story.  She was completely abandoned - a daughter to a mother with AIDS.  They went to the doctor to see if this girl had contracted the disease and it was confirmed that she had.  She's had regular check-ups since then.  The orphanage cannot afford much medical care, so they decided to use Jesus instead.  Each time she needed to go for a check-up, the children and the staff prayed for her.  At her first check-up she had only 50% of the disease as compared to her first test.  The second time they went, she had 20% left.  The day before the third visit the whole family (including all the kids) fasted & stayed up praying for her until 1am. When the doctors ran the tests the next day they found the AIDS to be gone!  I counted it a blessing to be able to sit near people of such great faith!

Me with Mani and the girl in the previous paragraph.

The children of Mercy Home singing for us. It really touched Vanessa's heart when they sang "God is So Good," the same song we sing to Ellie every night when putting her to bed.

Waving Good Bye

Good Life Home

After a great meal and some crafts with the children at Mercy Home it was time to move on.  We went next to "Good Life" home that wasn't too far away.   

This one had probably the worst conditions we've seen in any home.  The picture above is taken in the church sanctuary and off the left side is the family's living quarters - a bedroom, storage room, and kitchen - each about the size of one of our kids' bedrooms. Again, they have joy because they have been rescued, but to see the conditions would put anyone in shock - at least the first time you see it. 

The storage room - under the blankets are the kids' belongings.

Looking out from the building.  The brick wall is the beginning of what they hope will be enclosed soon - "by God's grace" as they would say.

The family's bedroom (and baby)...in a sling made out of a sheet tied to a pipe in the ceiling.

Kitchen. The stove is at the far corner on the floor. This sounds awful, but our garage is significantly cleaner than this kitchen.

The room where the pastor and his wife stay.

 The baptismal...

I'm brought back to the book "Not For Sale" and the issue of human trafficking.  You see, these homes (this one included) are not just taking unwanted children - they are saving children from a life spent in bondage in some form of human trafficking.  Many of them are girls, and are literally saved from having to experience any part of sex trafficking.  In fact, I was told that at this home in particular, they had an attempted break-in and kidnapping - likely to traffic some of the girls. 

In the midst of this dark reality, this church/home/family is shedding light and showing signs of new life.  They have just recenly received a baby who is currenly 4 months old.  This brings them to 19 children - in a space that's probably meant for 5 (Indian style).  It is another example of people obeying the Word.  "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep one's self from being polluted by the world."

The 4-month old baby - her mother had seizures, so her father left them. Because of her seizures, the mother couldn't care for her and brought her to Good Life Home.

What these children have in abundance is the same thing that many in our own country lack - pure joy.  They each enjoy less than $1 worth of food per day (that $1 does go much further than ours would, but still...), a few sets of clothes, they rarely leave the home, but they have abundant joy.  Why does joy come so easily to these children? Becuase they daily are reminded of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  Each was abandoned for a different reason - some because their parents simply knew they would not be able to provide for the child, some because they have neither parent, some because the father in the family killed the mother and left the child, and some because their illegitimate conception and birth hindered the mother from being married.  Yet God has found them a place where they are loved, fed, clothed, and sheltered from the weather.  How joyous each day is when you depend on Christ!

That brings me to Brother Luke.  This one will take some time...



Brother Luke

This is Vanessa taking over - Andy did the last 2 posts. He's had a headache all evening and went to bed. If you could pray that he gets a good night's sleep and feels better tomorrow, we'd really appreciate it!

After Good Life, we went up the road just a few minutes to Brother Luke's home.

Brother Luke has an AMAZING story. About 25 years ago he made a convenant with God. He knew God was calling him to take care of orphans. He promised God that he would do this if God did 2 things:

1) Provide the money

2) Provide people to care for the orphans because his wife had taken care of their children when they were babies and he didn’t know how.

In the past 25 years, Brother Luke has NEVER asked anyone for money. He has come to the point where all of the children & their things have been packed and ready to go because he can no longer support them, and someone has stopped by and given him money because “God told them to.” Keep in mind, he lives in a Hindu nation. Being Christian here is much different than in America. He has people walk up to him on the street and give him money because God told them to and it always comes at the time when something is desperately needed. There have been 19 children “graduate” from Brother Luke’s home and of those 19, he has arranged 15 marriages. Those children (who are now adults) come back and help at the home – they are currently building another room onto the side and paying for it themselves. They told their dad not to accept money from anyone else for this room – they want to do it themselves. We met one of the girls who is currently engaged. When I asked Brother Luke how he paid the dowries, guess what his answer was? God provided – somebody gave him the money just when he needed it.

He now spends his days helping care for the children (although there is a woman who cares for the small ones & babies) and helping other orphanage directors. (His wife is ill and cannot help, so she lives somewhere else.)  He has never asked for money from the Boaz Project.
Rarely have I stood with someone and felt the presence of the Holy Spirit like I did when talking to Brother Luke. His faith AMAZES me. It's the faith that Jesus talks about when he praises the woman at the temple who gives the only 2 coins she has to live on. It's the faith that Jesus talks about in Matthew 6:25-34 when he says not to worry about what you will eat, what you will drink, & what you will wear, but "seek first the kingdom and his rightousness and all these things wll be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." I don't think I'll ever be the same after meeting Brother Luke & seeing what God has done through him.

 Diana - she was brought here when she was only days old. She's now Ellie's age, so needless to say, I was a little drawn to her. ;)

 A few of the kids... they loved having their picture taken!

 At every home we go to, the kids ADORE Thor. Brother Luke's home was no different.

 A view of part of the living quarters. The home is circular, with an open area in the middle (where we were sanding.) There's a boy's room, girls' room, kitchen, dining room (about a 3rd of the size of our kitchen), baby room, and Brother Luke's room.

As we shook each child's hand when leaving & I looked them in the eyes, I had this overwhelming feeling that, even if I don't see them again on earth, I will see each of those eyes again in heaven. Can't explain it... just felt it. These kids have a joy, a relationship with Jesus, that give them a hope for the future.

Also, as we were driving home it dawned on me how close the 3 homes we visited that day were. It only took us minutes to drive to each one. Yet, there were 15-20 kids in each home. And we were out in the country. It's heart-breaking to realize the overwhelming number of orphans there are in India. Praise God that His Spirit is moving in the hearts of the people to care for His children.

Until tomorrow ...

We visited 3 homes today & witnessed the most poverty either of us has ever seen. But we also witnessed some of the most evident Kingdom work that we have ever seen.
AND we forgot our camera in the car so we'll have to wait until tomorrow to post pictures. Since we are tired & things have more meaning when you can put faces with the stories, we're just going to wait until then to share about our day. Thanks for following & continuing to pray for us!
Love,
Andy & Vanessa

"God will provide"

Today we went to Bethany Blessing children's home. It was 4 stories with a total of just over 1,000 square feet. The first floor was the church and the top floor was the roof/boys' bedroom. Needless to say, it wasn't much for 23 people (19 orphans, 2 parents, and their 2 kids). It was also right next to the sewage river for Bangalore, so it didn't smell very good either. But, like the home yesterday, the children had so much joy. They were so excited to sing for us and to play duck, duck, goose with us! We did have a language barrier today, so it was harder to communicate with the kids, but our interpreter, Joshua, was wonderful. We got out the crafts (pictures below) and they had a great time with the paint & glue.

I was immediately drawn to the 3 older girls (ages 13, 14, 15). At dinner last night we talked about arranged marriages and dowries in India. Girls need a husband pretty much to survive here. All marriages are arranged and the bride's family must meet the monetary demands of the groom's family (dowry). I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to these girls in the next couple of years. How could this family afford a dowry? Or to send them to college? What does their future hold? There was one girl in particular (in the pink & white) who kept hugging me and holding my hand and telling me thank you. After a tour of the home, we were talking with Pastor James (the father to the kids) and I asked what would happen to the girls as they got older. He said they would go to college and then get married. I asked how he would pay for that. His response was, "God will provide." I then asked how much it costs for a semester at college. He and Joshua talked for a minute, converting rupees to dollars, and then said "$300." I was speechless. I had to walk away because of the lump in my throat.
First, I was convicted because Andy & I are already saving for our kids' college funds. When we need something, we figure out a way to pay for it. Rarely do we just trust that God will provide. Rarely do we NEED to. Secondly, we (Andy & I) could pay for these girls to go to college. No, we don't make a lot of money on one & a half teachers' salaries, but we could easily save $300 a semester. The tears began to flow as I realized how fortunate & how privileged we are. Also as I realized how often I have to have a plan for things. I'm still processing this, so I don't have a nice neat conclusion today. I'm realizing that meeting people who live in poverty makes a much bigger impact than just reading about it...

Handing out gifts. 

Some of the boys showing off their new clothes! 

Helping the with the pictures - the boy above was born mute.

Andy & a few of the boys - they couldn't get enough of him! :)

 

 

 Showing off their artwork.

 The view from the top floor/roof - the city sewage.

                                             Us with all of the kids at Bethany Blessing

Us with the whole family at Bethany Blessing.