India is a land of spice, vibrant colors, dusty roads, generous people, and precious, loving children. And I’ve loved every minute of it.
My team and I have been working under the umbrella of Indian Christian Ministries with a branch called Covenant Children’s Homes. These children’s homes are located in villages throughout the state of Andrah Pradesh and are hosted by a local pastor and his family. The homes host anywhere from 5 to 10 children, and this month we’ve been traveling to each home in our area, spending time with the children, visiting them in school, teaching them songs and games, and loving on them however we can.
Here are some snapshots of what this looked like:
Sometimes we tell dramatic renditions of children’s stories…
Sometimes we make mustaches out of cotton fresh from the fields….
Three times this month we were able to spend the night at a home, and two of the times we planted a small garden to help provide cheap, fresh vegetables for the pastor’s family and the children in the home. After planting the gardens, we waited for the children to return from school, played with them for a while, ate dinner, slept, ate breakfast with the children, visited their school, talked with the principal, and taught a simple lesson or told a story before heading back to our apartment.
One of many group selfies! All of the children were so fascinated by our cameras, and they begged us to take picture after picture, always pausing between each one to see what it looked like!
One of many children’s homes! There are 80 of these throughout Andrah Pradesh, each housing 5-10 children!
Cha-Cha slide: Who said learning English can’t be fun for everyone?
Most days we would visit the children from the homes in their school and play a quick game with them.
Team Hungry for Deli France and our new Indian friends!
O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory. Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63: 1-4
