Seasons Greetings from Hyderabad, India! Well this week has been crazy busy but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Here’s what’s been going on with my team Edge.
Since arriving in Hyderabad we have been helping kids get ready for their Christmas party. We helped them learn their dances and made Christmas decorations. We even helped them decorate their home. During debrief my team went to buy saris for the Christmas party. Our housemates told us where they go to purchase saris which is R and S Brothers. We went and oh man was it overwhelming!! I hadn’t seen so many people in one place since I was back in the states. The sales people literally follow me until I settled on a fabric choice. Then they came up and started asking what colors I wanted, what I was going to wear it to, etc. After making my selection the sale person took the material over to a counter and I got given a receipt and I just had to pay for it. Somehow, it ended up being on a different side of the building bagged and stapled shut. A few days after we got back from debrief we went to a tailor and had our blouses tailored to our bodies. I had never experienced this before and it was an experience.
The church we have been attending is an English speaking church. There’s a lot more Indians here than I realized. Everytime we go to church my heart is so full witnessing them worship OUR Father. It’s so freeing and inspiring.
Another, Christmas party we got to attend is the Sisters Christmas extravaganza thrown by the church we have been attending. It was for women only. It was a potluck and there was so much food you wouldn’t have known we didn’t bring food. We also, didn’t know it was potluck. There was chai tea, fruit punch made with actual fruit and it wasn’t red, coffee, apple cider, and water! The women decorated the cups with different Christmas designs. They were adorable.
The last few weeks have been eye opening. Our housemates are women who have volunteered a minimum of one year to come to India and serve as house moms to their kids. These women are truly wonder women! They are on the go from like 8am until 11pm some of them later. They have given me a new appreciation for mothers everywhere. They advocate for their kids and love on them daily. Being able to watch them interact with their kids is beautiful.
This is just a glimpse of what my team has been apart of since arriving in India. Yes it’s not always glamorous but we get to come along side these women and help complete tasks that otherwise would take months to complete. It has been a blessing and an honor to mark off even a few things on each of their never ending to do list or wish list as I’ve come to call them.
As we head out to a different village tonight to help with their Christmas party. I’m reminded of the true meaning of this season and that reason is sacrifice. Merry Christmas to all of you.
Jamie
