Many thanks to those who were able to donate to the orphanage to help feed the children. We were able to raise about $250! 🙂
India! My final month on this journey. I can’t believe it! This month we have been doing ministry with Good News Jail and Prisoner Welfare Society in South coastal Andra Pradesh. This month has been amazing. I am not going to lie, I am a little tired from serving for 11 months, and sometimes the idea of going home gets a little distracting, but I feel my whole team and I pushed through all the feelings that come with going home after almost a year of missions and stayed present in the ministry.
We were able to be involved in many different things this month. The place where we are staying is connected to an orphanage/school which Good News is involved with, so we were able to spend some time with the kids. We had movie nights with them, played games and served them lunch. We also raised about $250 dollars towards food for the children at the school.
Two of the girls at the school
Serving the kids lunch at the orphanage/school
Good News Jail and Prison Welfare Society. Speaking to the prisoners
We spoke at a prison and also went into several villages to speak and sing and pray. We handed out sari’s to the ladies, sarongs to the men, and rice in one village. We were able to spend time in a special needs home and sing with the kids and pray over them. We also got to go to an old folks home in a slum area. This was something I really enjoyed. We spent time with the women there and prayed with them. One day we brought them flowers and bananas. They were some of the most beautiful people I have seen on the race. The first time we went to the home I was caught by surprise. It was not at all like what my North American view of what a seniors’ home looks like and nothing like I would have imagined. First of all it was in somewhat of a slum area. It was one room crowded with a bunch of beds, and there was someone to cook very basic food for them. These women were there because their families kicked them out and discarded them. This is often because the husband has all the say and would not allow his wife’s mother to live with them. In a culture where families generally live together these women were left with nothing. So this home for the elderly was full of mothers who had no place to stay, because either they had no one, or they weren’t allowed to stay with their children for whatever reason. It was very sad to hear about and see their situation.
At the seniors’ home
My favorite lady at the seniors’ home Another beautiful soul at the seniors home
India has been really interesting. It was nothing like what I expected. Maybe it is the area in which we are living. The roads are busy, but not as busy as I expected. I have felt completely safe in the area I am living, and we have even been able to go out past dark. The Hindu culture puts people in a caste system and we got to visit villages of the lowest caste, considered the untouchables, and the higher castes also. We have seen cows resting all over the streets and water buffalo roaming about. The town we are in has a siren that goes off at 12 pm, it literally sounds like a warning siren that would sound in case of a tsunami, or some life threatening emergency. Our tuk-tuk rides have been a bit scary at times. It really shows how much God’s hand of protection has covered us on this journey. I have only been in one accident in Thailand in a tuk-tuk, and no one was hurt. But it is a wonder in my mind how we haven’t been in any crazy accidents with the way people drive in some parts of the world.
Handing out rice & saris at a village damaged by a cyclone
Speaking at a school for special needs
We also got to go to a church to sing Christmas Carols and speak. November 25th – one month until Christmas – and here in India we celebrated Christmas. Trees and decorations were up, a cake was made, and a feast prepared. We had a candle light service to celebrate the birth of India. I never would have thought I would celebrate Christmas so early! I guess it was all in preparation to go back to Canada right in time for the Christmas season.
I can’t believe I will be heading home, but I am so thankful for this opportunity I have had. I have grown so much in my relationship with God, and just in my understanding of what goes on outside of the bubble of Canada. I feel so blessed by everyone who supported me; financially, prayerfully and thoughtfully. Thank you for supporting my journey & allowing me to serve God by serving others around the world!
