Our last days of the race have been spent at Rhema Mercy Home. Surya and Lily, our contacts, founded the orphanage in 2003 and they've been been pouring out their hearts for these children ever since. They receive children from all sorts of awful circumstances, give them a roof, a bed, the opportunity to attend school, and teach them about Jesus.
Usually, when I hear the word orphanage, I imagine a miserable home full of sad children, like Oliver Twist or worse. Rhema Mercy Home is nothing like that. I've never seen children so joyful and alive. Hanging out with them is like breathing pure oxygen. Joy is spilling out everywhere.
We've only spent four days with the children, but their impact has been so much bigger. I wish we had more time, but I can't imagine a better way to end this page in my life. These orphans are so full of hope beyond their circumstances. It's truly something I can learn from. These children make me grateful for everything I have.
To get more information about Rhema Mercy Home visit:
Haumanthu poses for a picture in the boys dorm. There's about fifteen bunk beds squeezed in this one room. It's as chaotic and mischeivious as you expect from a room crowded with 8-15 year old boys.
Zach, Suzanne, and Nicole sing "Father Abraham" with all the children. The song has been a staple on the race when you want to stir up a group of children to worship. It works everytime.
Thumb wrestling seems to be the game of choice here. I played it about a thousand times my first day there.
Swathi (second from the left) and the other children eat lunch after their morning classes. Their meals generally consist of a huge plate of rice and maybe a curry based side.
I learned how to play the game "tag" and all the sudden there was a stampede of children chasing me down.
Hanna reacts to something Nicole says. She has to be one of the most adorable girls ever.
Pichi Babu and Vamsi hang out on one of the bunk beds in the boys dorm. The entire room smells like "dude." It's pretty awesome.
Suzanne teaches the children, "My God is so Big."
Anji Reddy (left) and Pichi Babu hang out in the boys dorm. The mask makes Pichi Babu look a lot scarier than he really is.
Yesu Mary screams in excitement (or terror) as she holds two sparklers. We were in Banglore for the Diwali festival and didn't have a chance to spend it with the kids. So, we celebrated Diwali two weeks late.
Dayakar waits on the bus. We took the boys shopping for new t-shirts in one of the local markets. That night each of them proudly showed off their new shirts.
Hanna hold up a box containing her new shoes and the jewelry the girls bought her. Some of the children didn't have any shoes so we went shopping and got them pairs. Each of the girls received some jewelry and the boys got t-shirts.
Lighting fireworks at the orphanage was utter chaos. Imagine sixty children running, screaming, and lighting explosives. It was fun, but I felt like we were running through a war zone.
Pichi Babu kisses my cheek. He decided to become my friend the very first day. He told me, "If you laugh, I'll laugh. If you go over there, I'll go over there. If you come sleepover, then I'll sleepover too."
