For the passed two weeks, our team
has been painting murals in the new preschool and kindergarten rooms. We have
also been taking part in other school ministries. We had the opportunity to
conduct an elementary assembly, in which we sang songs (one in Hindi), shared a
Bible story, and talked over some scripture. We also spoke at the high school
assembly, and Andrea, Sheila, and I spoke to the girls school (studying the
Bible and preparing to be missionaries). But, painting has been a steady
project of ours throughout all of this.
The school is still in
construction, but the downstairs is finished. Kids are already attending class
in these new rooms. Now they have fun, colorful pictures to enjoy when they
come to school!
Our team has really enjoyed the
painting, and has worked well together in collaborative creativity. We are
hoping to finish one more mural before we leave on the 2nd.
It
was easy to be intimidated by this project at first. Not many of us considered
ourselves artists. But, throughout the process I realized how often we pigeon
hole ourselves into thinking we can only do a few things well. Why is our first
reaction, “I can’t”? Think of all the things we are held back from, simply
because we assume, without even trying, that we won’t be good at them.
Our
paintings turned out so much better than any of us originally expected! I think
God has been teaching us a couple of things through our painting ministry. 1)
To be open to any kind of service, no matter how random it may seem. 2) Instead
of giving up before you even begin, find out the best way to go about the
project, and put your very best efforts into it.
In
this case, a projector and very kind recipients helped immensely! Everyone who
came to look at our progress was so kind and encouraging. They all asked where
we received our training. haha!
Our
team mostly appreciated the opportunity to give to the staff here. They give
their lives to further the impact that GEMS has on Northern India. So, it was a
blessing for us to be able to show that we value their efforts. We came to help
this ministry. We came in hopes that GEMS would be changed for the better when
we left. We had no idea how this goal would come about, but it has presented
itself in the light of painting a few walls. I’m so happy that our team could
contribute in this way!
