Finally home-a month long adventure comes to a close…
We recently returned to Calcutta just in time for May, the hottest time of the year! Our team all breathed many sighs of relief as the rains came down bringing cool breeze as we journeyed home on our 27 hour train ride. Though my time in Chennai (Madras), Sri Lanka, and Bangalore was absolutely incredible and life transforming (read more below), I am so thrilled to jump back into city life and investigate future ministry opportunities in Calcutta.
I continue to thank God for all of you, your prayers and words of encouragement as I seek the Lord for his direction in this phase of my life. I am very enthusiastic about the work here in Asia and all the Lord is accomplishing through His people. Praise God. He is moving.
Oh, Sri Lanka you warm my soul…
With great remorse, I packed my bags leaving once again one of my favorite little islands in the world. There are so many stories and sweet memories that I will carry in my heart for a life-time…building side by side with my teammates and nationals, forming sweet friendships with families, playing games and singing songs with bright-eyed, rambunctious children, relishing in the natural island beauty- sunsets, tropical flowers, stunning tall and elegant people. I couldn’t stop smiling for three weeks. What an incredible privilege it was to serve those families in Sri Lanka with Habitat for Humanity and Word Made Flesh. I must admit, more than once I asked God if he was calling me to work there.
Though I was in no way proficient in doing construction work which was all too obvious, I was struck by the gratitude, kindness, and hospitality of the Sri Lankan families. I would often spend no more than 10 minutes working when these generous people would bring me a cup of chai and biscuits, to thank me for my “work”, or just come over to chat. They were so pleased and overjoyed to have us rather inexperienced Americans working along side of them. It always seemed that they were giving so much more than I could ever give them. How humbling. Many times, it appeared that most important aspect of our ministry was not the physical labor, but the relationships cultivated. Again this was a rather hard truth to swallow being such a task-oriented American.
Though our team could speak limited Singhala (about two phrases actually, “How are you?” and “Hello”), our prayer was that Christ would be reflected through our interactions. We continue to pray that this will be answered . Rumor has it that Word Made Flesh is “thinking” about starting a new base in Galle, Sri Lanka due to the great pressing needs and all the positive feedback. Praise God! Maybe I’m hearing God’s call there after all (wink, wink)?
Please continue to keep the country of Sri Lanka and her precious people in your prayers. There are literally thousands without homes and the ability to support themselves. Yet, the president of Sri Lanka has officially declared that everything is "back to normal." May the love of Christ continue to spread across this country as Christians from all over the globe are His hands and feet.
Seeing Jesus in children's eyes in Bangalore…
Our servant team leader, Kristin, had been sharing with me for months about the children’s home we would have the opportunity to visit in Bangalore. I came expecting something a bit out of the ordinary, but after working in several orphanages in different parts of the world, I was a little skeptical of this place. My expectations were completely exceeded as I got to know Tammy and her children.
Tammy, a young Christian missionary, dedicated her life to ministering to destitute Indian children. After working in an orphanage for nearly five years, she left her ministry to begin her own. She envisioned having a home of children who would otherwise be homeless, come to live under her roof. She prayed that a new generation would be raised in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and empowered to reach their nation with the Gospel.
After years of prayer, the Lord opened the doors and provided her and her family with an incredible property and facility in rural Bangalore. She now has 42 children from the ages of 2-17(24 boys and 18 girls) living in three homes. Committed Christian house mothers live on each floor of the home to help raise the children. What is keenly extraordinary about this place is how firmly rooted these children are in Christ.
On Sunday evening, Tammy and her children routinely meet for an hour to fast and pray for their community, their nation, and their commitment to follow Jesus. I, along with my teammates, were invited to participate. Tammy began her meeting encouraging the children not to worry about the new faces around them but to be solely focused on conversing with their Father in heaven. I recalled my own timidity as a child to pray aloud in front of strangers (even as an adult) and I wondered if our presence would hinder that communion. How low were my expectations. As these children began to worship and pray, I was amazed by their genuine prayers and worship. At one moment Tammy encouraged the kids to move around the room to pray for their "Aunties" and "Uncles". I sat silenced and stilled as twenty little hands rested firmly upon me and as tiny voices asked Jesus to give me wisdom, more of His presence, and a bigger desire to know Him. I have never known children with such a powerful relationship with Jesus.
There is no doubt that Tammy's children are just like any other kids. They have their moments when their not so sanctified. But what is evident is that these ones are secure. They know they are loved and cherished. They know they have a safe home and all their physical needs will be provided. They trust in Jesus and boy, do these kids know how to pray (extremely convicting for me!).
The Lord used this time at Tammy's to expand the boundaries of my faith in Him. Anything is possible though Jesus...just look at the young lives He's growing.
Chennai…nearly home, but not quite.
At the conclusion of our travels, we spent one week taking a breather, and visiting a Word Made Flesh children’s home, Mahizhchi Illam (Home of Happiness). Patrick and Victoria Samuel national staff with WMF, and directions of the home, have committed their lives to caring for abandoned and destitute children. Their primary ministry focus is AIDS care (for HIV positive children or children whose parents have AIDS) and interestingly, this home was the first of its kind in South India.
What is so striking about this ministry, are the precious and beautiful hearts of Samuel and Victoria who have given over 30 years of their lives to children’s ministry. The peace and joy on their faces was enough to convince me that this couple loved the Lord and these children, but their story was a testimony of how faithful the Lord is to giving us the desires of our hearts.
In 1975, Patrick and Victoria were married and served the Lord together by evangelizing children through conducting weekly meetings, retreats, camps, and puppet shows. God began to give them a burden for the abandoned children who were of the poorest of the poor. The Lord was faithful to find a way for it to be fulfilled. In 1994, they met with the directors of Word Made Flesh and are enabled to open the home. After nearly 20 years of prayer and ministry, God placed them in the ministry of their dreams. How faithful is He.
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