We are only finishing the 2nd week in India but it truly feels like we are a world away. The second week started off great because we were able to meet our ministry contacts and see the place we will be working.
The reason this is so incredible is because of where these children came from. Theresa told us that most of them were abandoned at birth in the hospital, left on church door steps, left at the train stop, etc. So, when the state found them, their thought process was, “Well, the “normal” children aren’t being adopted, so there is no need to even show these children.” Therefore, they were put in one room to lay and wait for truly nothing. According to Theresa, their condition was unthinkable. For example, 50 children were in one room, all laying on the cold floor, rolling around in their own waste. No conditions for any child, much less children who need special attention.
However, as God does, He found a person who would be willing to act on such bold faith and speak with the Indian government about taking all the children and making a home especially for them. So now, the home is a busy, joyful home of 83 children and about 60 Indian workers to keep up with all the needs. They are truly a joy and so loving even from the first time you meet them. It is still a fairly new ministry and they are desperately in need of helping hands to keep the place going. Also, they are working on the paper work so that children will be able to have international adoptions! I will post more information and more photos as time goes on.
The second half of the week, however, was not as good as visiting the home. On Sunday evening, Justin and I both began to feel a little weird. We decided to go to bed early but our sleep was quickly interrupted by about 8 bathroom trips through the night. It felt like we were tagging each other saying, “Your it!” This (diarrhea) continued for approximately 48 hours. Then, we began to both get horrible, intense stomach pains that made us feel almost nauseous.
Our fearless leader Kristin Kendall suggested we already pay the doctor a visit. Usually as a world racer, you can expect to visit the doctor at least once on the race, but I think the 2nd week could be a new record. So, both Justin and I were admitted into the hospital, connected to an IV of antibiotics and saline. Needless to say, we feel MUCH better. The doctor concluded that we ate food that was badly prepared, and therefore, we had some type of stomach/intestinal infection; along the lines of dysentery.
