Like I’ve said almost too many times, this month has been AMAZING! We have been blessed beyond anything we could ever imagine and it’s been almost funny how sweet it has really been. We have had some not-so-savory months during this race, but it is great to see how blessed this last one really was. We got to do one of my favorite projects this month and see it through from start to finish. Our major project this month involved refurbishing a rundown house in the red-light area of Kolhapur. The organization we were working with really felt called to buy this house and make it a beacon of light in a very dark area to give women a way of coming out of prostitution. The house would be used to teach job training (like sewing and jewelry making), tutoring, and mentoring. It has been a very challenging project, but one that has been well worth it also.
When we first got to the house, we noticed it had many problems. The walls were peeling paint, there was no bathroom, and no lights anywhere. Let’s just say there was a lot of work to be done! We were so excited about this project though because we could really see how it would be used to further the Kingdom. Showing the women that they are valued and what love looks like in a tangible way. We started by scraping a lot of paint off the walls, which in a way was very symbolic of us “scraping away” their old lives and giving them a new coat of paint. It was just great to see how much work we could do when we saw the huge potential the project had.
We then went on to help put in a bathroom and make everything look great. I realized also during this project, that the amount of effort you put into something shows to a lot of people. We would constantly have children and men and women come up to us and look at what we were doing and take note of it. We were not preaching at them or saying anything about Jesus, we were merely being His hands and feet and people TOOK NOTICE. That is something that I want to remember when I go home. No matter what culture you are in, people know love when they see it. It isn’t something that can be explained, but people know what love looks like.
We also got the awesome opportunity of cutting the ribbon to open the building that is called “New Beginnings” and the “Z-House.” The “Z” in Z-House refers to Zephaniah 3:17, which says “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” I love that verse because it gives hope to a place that needs it so desperately. This may have been one of the most demanding projects of the whole race, but it was so worth it. When we opened the place we got to hand saris out to the women and offer them a meal to show more love to them. I am blown away that we did so much in such a short amount of time and am so excited for the revival the Z-house will bring to Kolhapur!
