For the first week after launch, we
worked with a ministry in Ongole called “Sarah’s Covenant Home”. It is a
ministry that is under the umbrella of India Christian Ministries, but operates
autonomously as a service to the special needs children of Andhra Pradesh.
Before this ministry started, all of the special needs orphans were in a
cramped, dark room at the state orphanage in Hyderabad. They were left on mats,
not stimulated at all, and left in their own filth. Sarah and her husband James
felt called to take in some of these children, starting with 5. The number of
children they have now is 83! The kids receive food each day, Pediasure to help
with good nutrition, Huggies for those that still need them, and a 5:1 ratio of
kids to “ayahs” (the women who work at the orphanage, many who have raised
their own children).
Why is this
ministry so important? You have probably heard of the caste system in India.
Though this country is not officially run by this system anymore, its roots run
deep in the people. The people that have special needs are even below the
Dalits, the untouchables. Even if it is something that requires a simple
surgery, like a cleft palette, they are still considered unworthy and parents
are quick to give these children up.
The first
night we arrived in Ongole, we all piled in the van to stop by the orphanage.
It was only a short visit, but those kids stole our hearts! They were so
excited to see us, to have our attention, to smile at them. Such joy radiates
from these children, happy with small things like playing catch or jumping
rope.
For the
following week, we did a “deep clean” of the orphanage; disinfecting toys,
planting some greenery around the perimeter, washing the steps, cleaning up the
doorways, etc. We would alternate cleaning and playing with the kids, which
usually involved some sort of singing. Those kids love music! Elaina played the
keyboards and we all taught them some new songs. You could tell that each child
loved the attention, especially the ones that were bedridden-we would visit
them in their beds, move their arms and legs, or just let them know we were
there.
Out of all
the kids there, I had a special connection with a few of them. [to protect the
ministry, I will give them other names. They have their own special “blog
names” if you want to look them up]. First is Gita. The first night we met her,
I remember thinking how beautiful she was, and how her smile couldn’t be any
bigger. She was wearing a pretty green dress and was probably wearing all the
jewelry she own. Every day, she would wait for us at the top of the stairs,
smiling and saying “Aka, sistah!” She has such a sweet spirit, and she stole my
heart from the get go.
Next is
Bilma. She reminded me of my sister, Andrea, at first-specifically from a
picture of her with bangs in 2nd grade with a goofy smile on her
face. She wanted everyone’s attention and didn’t care how she could get it!
Even though she was a bit of a troublemaker, you could tell that she has a good
heart and just wants you to like her. The image of her running up to me then
hugging me tight and looking up expectantly will be forever etched in my
memory.
Priya is
next. I knew when I saw her picture in the SCH book that something was familiar
about her…you see, she was born with primordial dwarfism. Look it up if you’re
more interested, since I’m sure none of you want to read about the boring
details, but I saw a show on TLC about it a few years ago and it is a rare form
of dwarfism that less than 1,000 people in the world suffer from. She is such a
tiny little thing, but full of life and spunk. She was also born with a cleft
palette so she has to have a feeding tube. Roberto came to the rescue and
helped put hers back in when we first got there-he definitely had a special
connection with her the rest of the week. All the other children adored her and
doted on her…how could they not?
Though our
week at SCH was over, that Saturday was spent pouring over all the kids’
collective X-rays from the last 5 years. First, we had to sort hundreds of
Xrays into each letter of the alphabet, then sort those into each child name.
Once we had the order, we put the Xray on the light box, Thomas took a picture
so there would be a digital copy, I wrote the label that had the child’s ID
number, name, date, and description of the scan, then Justin affixed the label.
Roberto sorted each child’s Xray in their own Xray book, and then others sorted
the digital pictures to a file. SO MUCH
WORK! We started at 10am and didn’t finish until about 8:30. Tedious work for
sure, but worth it when you think about how much work you’re saving someone
else.
All in all,
it was such a blessing to work alongside SCH. They are doing great things for
the Kingdom and have such love overflowing for each of these unique &
special children. Please take a moment and visit Sarah’s blog at http://sarahscovenanthome.blogspot.com
and see how you can help! Please consider sponsoring one of the children or
just helping out the ministry. Pray for their ministry to grow, for each child
to feel loved, and for Theresa, Sarah, and all the ayahs for the tireless work
that they do.
