The Girl in Bright Pink

As I slipped off my shoes and walked into the room I imagined that this must be what heaven looks like. It was a simple room in a simple building, but the excitement and joy filled it with riches. The only thing brighter than the colors in that room were the smiles on the children's faces... click here to continue reading on Compassion International's blog, where I am honored to be a guest today.

Thankfulness

Sometimes I get so caught up in what I think I could have or should have, I forget to be thankful for what I do have.

I forget that I have so much more than I deserve.

I become so focused on the wants or the "they have"s I fail to see the countless blessings around me.

This week I was reminded of some sweet children in India, and what an example of humility they were to me.

I have shared these pictures before, but this week I have really been reminded of the beauty in these moments.

After meals were served at the Compassion centers (meals that many of us would consider meager) the children would take their plates to their place on the floor to eat. Before the serving even began, a project leader would say a prayer and blessing over the food.

What I watched day after day, project after project, child after child, was beautiful. For many of the children served, this would be their only real meal of the day, and no doubt their tummies were hungry from wait since their last meal.

Yet they took the time to say thanks. Separate from the group prayer, not being told or asked to do so, these kids would spend not seconds, but minutes in independent prayer. Because they were truly thankful.

From humility blooms thankfulness.

Untouched

It was day 7 in India. I was walking through a small secluded village with my family group. We had just visited several homes of families served by Compassion's Child Survival Program. We had held babies and prayed over them and their homes and their mamas.

As we walked along we saw a man just ahead aged by time and a hard life. He sat in the shade propped against a flimsy wall. As we approached he murmured a few words, and our translator relayed to us that he would like our prayers.

I saw the whitened skin on his hands and the sores on his body, but I had an overwhelming urge to lay my hands on his shoulders as we prayed over him. As I reached down several people spoke out in unison to stop.

He had leprosy. 

I don't know why their sudden shouts startled me. I knew he had leprosy; I had seen it many times before. And I also knew that leprosy is not spread as easily as many believe, and I knew that leprosy is very treatable in our day and age.

Yet I ignored the Heavenly urge and obeyed the human voices.

And I stopped.

We prayed for him as we stood around him, several inches between the safe and unsafe. And then we left him there on his mat in the shade, untouched.

To this day, three years later, I cannot forget his eyes and their longing for human touch.

On that day I passed an opportunity to touch the least of these. I passed by an opportunity to touch Jesus.

Bitter Sweet

I just checked my Compassion account, and I found this:



My oldest child, Dilsly

This picture makes me happy because:
~ Getting new pictures always makes me happy
~ She looks so grown up and beautiful
~ That outfit was a birthday present from me
~ She has such a big smile
~ I love her

This picture makes me sad because:
~ She is so grown up
~ She is in her last year of sponsorship
~ This will be my last updated picture of her...ever
~ And I love her

I know that soon I will be letting go and trusting her into the hands of our Father (who has been holding her all along). It is a wonderful thing because she will be graduating college with her degree in engineering. She will enter the work force and likely marry (prayerfully) a Christian man.

And she will break the cycle of poverty in her family.

This next year I will be pumping her full of as much love and encouragement as possible. I will hold on to all the letters and pictures she has sent me throughout the years. And especially the day we spent together.

But still, I will miss her like crazy.

Man, this love thing is hard.



If you would like to break the cycle of poverty and become a sponsor for a child in need, check out Compassion International. A child is waiting for you.

Somewhere in India...

A boy named Daniel is praying for me.

When I met him in Chennai he asked me for my birthday, wrote it down on his calendar, and promised he would remember me in prayer on my birthday.

What a wonderful gift.

Captured Moments

Today I recieved an email from one of my India teammates which was a very pleasant surprise. She sent a few pictures she had taken on our trip she thought I may want. I was so excited to see this!




This is from Immanuel CDC, which I talked about in my post A Road that Leads To Somewhere. I fell in love with the kids in this picture, and it is just such a blessing that someone captured this moment! I cannot say for sure, but I can almost garauntee they are laughing at something I am trying to say in Tamil.

Smiling.

Compassion Staff

One of my favorite parts about my Compassion trip to India was the amazing staff. I ran across a few pictures today, and it really made me miss these people. In two weeks they became family.







Can you see why I love them?

The Way He Loves Us

This is my friend and teamate, Joy, with her sponsored child Mydeen.

Before our Compassion trip Joy shared a little about Mydeen. Because of her special needs, all the letters that Joy receieved from Mydeen were written by a family member or Compassion staff, but were personal expressions of what she wanted to tell her beloved sponsor.

Before the Compassion trip and meeting our children, us sponsors spent weeks and even months trying to find the perfect gifts that would be useful and meaningful for our children. To me the hard part was not figuring our what to give my child, but what not to give her. Growing up in poverty, these kids have never seen or imagined the kind of toys and clothes that line the walls at Walmart. I am sure I can speak for all of us when I say each gift was hand picked with much love and thought, as they are pieces we left behind that will always remind our children of the day we spent together.

The evening before the child sponsor meeting day, a few women including Joy went shopping for some last minute needs. Joy went looking for shoes for herself, and when she brought the sandals she had bought back to the hotel she realized they didn't fit quite right. Without much thought she put the sandals in the backpack of things she had brought for Mydeen.

The next day, when it was time to exchange gifts, Mydeen went through the backpack and took out each item one by one without much expression...that is until...

...thats right, the shoes.

Seconds after this moment of glee Mydeen graciously kissed the sandals. God knows this beautiful girl, his child, better than any human ever will. He knew a secret desire, and used Joy to fulfill it. To you and me something as simple as a pair of shoes may seem small and insignificant, but to this child they mean so much more.

Blessings,
Rebecca

P.S. Looking for an opportunity to bless a child?

A Road that Leads to Somewhere

This road has 14 hairpin curves (a very car sick woman in my van counted). It climbs up the side of a steep mountain in The Middle of Nowhere, India. As we approached the mountain one of the India staff pointed out the road we would be climbing up, and I believe I can speak for all of the team when I say we all said a silent prayer. In an oh so comforting tone the India Staff told us that the road is very dangerous. "This road is very dangerous. Many cars fall off the side. That is a possibility," were his exact words.

The day leading up to this mountain road included a 3:30am wake up, 5 hours on a crowded train, several hours in vans on bumpy "roads", hiking through a river to get to a project, taking a potty break in viper infested fields, hours of playing with kids, and walking through villages to visit families from the Compassion project. To say the least we were all tired and ready to reach our next stop.

As we rounded each blind turn on the one lane road we honked as a warning to prevent any head on collisions. A couple times we would pass a vehicle coming down, and whoever was not on the cliff side of the road would pull over as far as possible to allow the other by. As the drive went on we became more comfortable with our driver's skills and their system, and were able to enjoy the sunset and hundreds of monkeys loitering on the sides of the road.



We reached our beautiful guesthouse and settled in. Electricity was sparse and had to be used for cooking, so no hot water or electricity for most of us, but that was okay. All I wanted to do was sleep. The rock hard bed was a very welcoming friend, and I was out in no time.

The next morning we took a 5 minute ride to the Compassion project we were visiting that day. Immanuel Child Development Center. When we pulled up several fathers from the project were performing a traditonal dance for us, and hundreds of children were lined up ready to greet us.




The welcoming was overwhelming and beautiful. It set the tone for the entire day. After we went through the line of 357 children, 50 Child Survival Program moms and babies, and several parents and project staff, we reached a tiny room where over 500 people squeezed in for the welcoming ceremony. During our welcome a little boy stood and gave his testimony of how his aunt was unable to have children. At Compassion he learned about Jesus and his power, and he went home and prayed over his aunt for healing. Praise God, his aunt is now a mother, and because of one child's faith his entire family is now Christian.

After we were welcomed I was blessed and surprised with the honor to speak to the crowd on behalf of our team.


As the day went on we did VBS (this was the day that we had twice as many children as we expected! See What NOT to Expect), I learned some basic Tamil, served lunch, did home visits, prayed over a Hindu family surrounded by an entire Hindu village, and absolutely fell in love with India and this community of villages. At the end of the day I did not want to leave. I should have been tired and drained with all the emotions and chaos the day brought, but I found myelf at peace and completely content in this place.



These two boys, Richard and Dass, who I had spent a majority of the day with, they asked me if I could stay. Everything in me wanted to say yes. When I told them no they asked me if I would come back. Although I couldn't make any promises, something in my heart told me I will. And until that day I will keep this place and these people, and especially these two boys in my prayers.



As I rode back down that mountain the next day there was no fear in me. That road in the middle of nowhere led to somewhere. Somewhere amazing and beautiful. Somewhere where people are hungry, and where people are being fed physically and spiritually. Somewhere that God is at work in wonderful ways. Somewhere that felt like home. Somewhere that changed me.

A Day with Sythani

Every now and then things work out in such a way that it is just crystal clear that God has a plan, and He changes our humanly plans for a reason.

As I wrote about in my blog Meeting Dilsili, my sponsored child was not able to come on the planned meeting day. Even though I would not have a child to be with, I went into the meeting day ready to be available for God and the people on my team to use me however I was needed.

Little did I know that God had a different plan. Because of an injury, there was a woman who had to back out of coming on the trip last minute. The India staff responsible for communicating with the children and the staff that would accompany them on the meeting day was with our team from day one, and we kept him very busy. Because of this and the difficulty of communication in some places in the country, the child ended up coming to the sponsor day. By God's perfect plan, I was available. Although she was sad that her sponsor was not there, the child, Sythani, got me all to herself. She was able to have a special day, and so was I.

Sythani is 16. She came to the meeting day with one of her project staff, Charles, and also her mother, Aisha. Sythani and Aisha are Muslim, but accept the help of Compassion even though they are very clear that the Gospel is preached and that the ministry is based on the love of Christ.

Sythani's mother Aisha had never seen the ocean. With a Muslim woman on either side of me we played in the Bay of Bengal for a majority of the day. None of us cared that we were in skirts down to our ankles. We played and laughed and had a great time.



Towards the end of the day there is a time set aside for exchanging gifts. Sythani had given me a hand made necklace with hearts and beads of sage when she greeted me in the morning. Of course I did not know I would have a child for the day, and I had already given all the gifts I had brought to Dilsili the day before. Wanting to give her something I gave her everything I had on me that I could spare. I gave her my sunglasses, the shells we had collected on the beach together earlier that day, a small journal I had in my bag (I had to tear out several pages I had written on :), and last but not least a bracelet I had on my ankle that I had made for one of the VBS crafts. The bracelet was one that told the Salvation story. It was a simple hemp bracelet with 5 beads on it, all with significant meaning. Before giving her the bracelet I explained the meaning of each bead: gold for Heaven, black for sin and life without Christ, red for the blood of Jesus that he shed on the cross, white for purity and our hearts being washed white as snow when we accept Jesus into our hearts, and green for growth in our relationship with Christ. Out of respect I asked Aisha if it was okay to give Sythani the bracelet. With a big smile on her face she said yes, and I tied the bracelet on her wrist.

Before the children started their journeys home we went to our hotel and had time to say goodbye. While in the lobby another couple that was on the team brought over a butterfly bag full of school supplies. They said God put it on their heart to pack that extra gift, and they would know who to give it to. Sythani was blessed again. I asked if I could pray for them, and again with a big smile on her face, Aisha said yes. Standing in an out of place hotel lobby in India, I prayed over this Muslim girl and her family in the name of Jesus. When they left there were tears in all our eyes, and I felt as though I was leaving another one of my children.

More Pictures from Home Visits

Home Visits

One of my favorite things that we did in India was home visits. Families involved in Compassion, whose children are either in the child development program or are in the child survival program, opened their homes to us and shared intimate pieces of their lives with us.

I was able to visit 6 families, all of which have had their lives changed by the ministry of Compassion. Some families have been converted from Hinduism to Christianity, and some are still following other religions and serving other gods, but are beginning to see the love and power of the one true God through Compassion and the churches that they partner with.

Each family had an amazing story of their own, but a few stand out in my mind. Here is one of those stories:



One morning at a CDC this little angel in the pink dress came and sat by me. During the morning welcoming ceremony she played with my hair and rubbed my back and did not want to leave my side. After the ceremony we had time to play with the kids, and she stuck by me. She played with me, but she didn't say one word.

A few hours later the team split up to go visit different homes. I was so excited to see the same sweet little face pop out the door, and the excitedly run down to greet me. She grabbed my hand and led me inside her one room home. She had a huge smile on her face, but still, she didn't say a word.

As the visit went on our translator was getting very frustrated, as the little girl refused to talk, and the mother stayed quiet as well. My team asked questions, gave friendly smiles and words of encouragement, and slowly the mother came around. It broke my heart to hear that the father is a drunk and is very abusive. In the home the kids and the wife remain silent in order to avoid his rage. She is not allowed to be a kid. Laughing and playing and even talking bring about a nightmare, so she has learned to stay silent.

We prayed for the family and gave them gifts we had brought and went on our way to another home. After visiting a good amount of time with the family we got ready to leave, and as I walked to the street I saw my sweet little girl there waiting for me. I walked her home, and as she entered her doorway, with a huge smile on her face, she turned to me and said, "Goodbye!"

My prayer for this family is that the father would accept the counseling and support being offererd by Compassion's partner church, and that he would find the love of Christ and be transformed. I pray that these children would know what it is to have a loving Heavenly Father and a loving earthly father. I pray that this little girl may be able to speak and play and laugh, and that these sounds of childhood would bring joy rather than rage.



The next home visit was a story of hope. The family below has found the love and power of Christ. The father was given a job helping build the church that partners with Compassion. Through the influence of church and Compassion staff, he became a Christian. Most of their family has come to know the Lord through his example, and recently his wife was healed through the prayers of Compassion staff. Their nephew is severly physically disabled, and although children with disabilities are often viewed as a shame and a burden, they love the little boy with a love that is pure and selfless. They told us that although they still face hard times, they have joy. Amen.

What NOT to Expect

Having gone on several missions trips, I know you can never expect the expected. For example, in India I was the arts and crafts team leader. I was told to expect 40-60 kids at each Compassion CDC. I was also told to expect to have 20 minutes with each group of kids (the groups of up to 60 were to be broken up into 4 manageable groups of about 15.) Lets just say that's not exactly how it went...but that is a good thing. The more kids the better, right?

The day before our first VBS day I was told to expect closer to 100-150. That eliminated several of the possible crafts I had brought along, but we managed. Some of my hard working group members stayed up with me, and we prepped 150 fish and bracelets for the next day.

Once at the CDC we realized that we did not have the space to split the kids into 4 groups, and we happened to be in a dangerous area for Christians, so moving activities outside was not an option.

In the end we had just the right amount of each craft, but let me tell you, having 45 minutes with 75 kids crammed into a tiny room is different than teaching 15 kids for 20 minutes. The kids absolutely loved the fish and the bracelets though, and the day was definitely a success!


Now, lets skip ahead to a few days later. Once again we are told to expect 100-150 kids. Being suspicious, I made sure we had along enough for 200 kids, plus I made the crafts much easier so the kids could do them pretty independently. Praise God, we showed up to the center, and every single child enrolled had come to greet us. We had 357 kids that day! My team quickly ripped the paper we brought in half and broke the crayons to make sure there was enough for each child. They also got stickers, which they were more than excited about. It was amazing to see how grateful and excited the kids were to do something as simple as color pictures with crayons and stickers. Each of the 4 groups that passed through had nearly 100 children, and each child wanted to share with us the picture they made.



All this to say, God's plans are bigger than ours. We were able to bless so many children through simple crafts, and in return I was blessed, more than I could have ever expected.

Oh, and see the beautiful kids in my pictures? Some still need sponsors, among thousands of others. Visit Compassion to find a child who needs you.

Daily Bread

At each Compassion child development center we visited we helped serve the children lunch, for many of them the only real meal of the day. Here are a few of my favorite lunchtime pictures....I don't think much explanation is needed.

Meeting Dilsili

The main reason most go on a Compassion tour is to meet their sponsored child(ren). I sponsor one child in India named Dilsili. She is 17 and she is beautiful. Out of all the many wonderful expriences I had in India meeting her was the best. On the trip there is a set day for all sponsors to meet with their children. Unfortunately, since Dilsili is in standard 12 and her annual exam was on the meeting day she was not able to come, so I met her on another day. We only had a few hours together because of the long trip (it took her 14 hours each way), but I appreciated every second of it. She brought along to show me every letter and picture I have ever sent her. Among the gifts I brought her was a photo album. When we went through it she could tell me the names of each person! It really hit me at that moment how special those simple letters and pictures are to her. She brought me some gifts she had made, but my favorite gift is the song she sang for me. Now you all are lucky enough to share this gift with me. The words mean that God's grace is sufficient.

Vanakkum!

Greetings!

Now that I am home from India I really have no idea where to start or how to get across how wonderful and absolutely amazing the trip was. There are so many stories that my plan is to write a little at a time until they are all told.

In the areas that we visited to most common language is Tamil. Vanakkum is a greeting, used with hands together under your chin with a slight bow. Thanks to a few boys at one of the centers, I learned several words and expressions in the language. Here is a picture of my teachers:



Every center we visited gave us warm and wonderful welcomes. Here are pictures from some of those welcomes. I hope you enjoy!

A traditional dance:


Throwing rose petals:


Extravagant welcome art:


Warm smiles:


Blessings,
Rebecca