Hello everyone!
My team and I are in India now – month 7 (wow) hard to believe!!!! The WR journey continues here in Hyderabad, India as my team and I work with India Christian Ministries (ICM – www.icmin.org).
I’m super pumped…We get the privilege of investing in the lives of children who are a part of the Covenant Children’s Home (CCH) ministry within ICM. Each week my team and I will visit one of the children’s homes that houses and cares for 5 to 10 boys or girls. We get to do life with them and the pastor and his family daily (the Pastor oversees and cares for the children).
Each weekend during our day and ½ of rest between homes, my team and I will be writing a blog about the home – each of us sharing our own experiences about the ministry and our time there. (I encourage you read my other teammates blogs about the homes too!) My hope is that your heart too is moved in thanks to God by learning more about the ministry and those being impacted!
The home….
Our first home was in the village of Sarvaram, about 4 hours outside of Hyderabad. We arrived there one sunny and warm Tuesday afternoon. Pastor, his wife, and daughter welcomed us into the home….
….a lovely two story building with the kitchen, pastor’s room and bathroom and the boy’s room filled with bunk beds on the first level and the church on the second level – there is a rooftop which we also spent lots of time on.
We settled into our sleeping spot, which was upstairs on the church floor
and then headed downstairs for some authentic Indian food (curry, rice and fruit) with the family. And no we did not eat with utensils but our fingers!!!!!
We chatted briefly with them through our translator VJ and pastor’s daughter, who also speaks English, about the boys and our week of ministry with them.
The culture….
While there is a lot of western influence here in India (fast food restaurants, English signs and music) the culture is still very different….for example women cover their shoulders and ankles with their clothing – the looser the clothing the better. In light of this after lunch on our first day Jyothi took us shopping to purchase longer and culturally appropriate tops including saree’s…
The boys…
After shopping, we arrived back to the home where we found the boys eating dinner. They quietly came out of their room and greeted us with excited smiling faces, handshakes, and their names. There are 10 boys in the home ranging from age 8 to age 15. The process for the boys to come to live at the home is as follows…. villages where the ministry has a church are visited by ICM staff. The staff visit the poorest families to assess the level of need and availability children have to education and daily needs (food and healthcare). These families only have one or none parents leaving the children to the streets and scarcely go to school. Their guardians give consent to CCH allowing their children to live at the home. Families are able to visit their child in the home at various times during the year….
I ABSOLUTELY fell in love with each one of these boys….Right from the start each of the boys addressed us as their ‘sister’….even though they knew our names they continually called us sister, which I absolutely loved! What a way to invite someone in and let them know you care for them and regard them as family!!
They love each other so well and are so willing to serve one another. Their love for Jesus and others is so evident it shows in all they do!! (John 13:34-35) And the thing about them is they each desire to see their country changed by Christ. Many shared they want to pursue ministry after school or work in a field to help better their country and Lord willing they will…Amen!
What we did…
Each day our schedule varied but here is a typical day at CCH…
Morning:
Early morning rise with the sunshine….I would wake up to the boys doing their daily chores around the home – sweeping, taking laundry off the line, cleaning dishes, preparing lunch for the day, all of which came after their 5:30am devotional time spent in the word and in worship. One of the boys would then bring us our favorite milk tea or coffee as we too spent time in God’s word. Then I would head downstairs to spend time with the boys, talking about the cricket world cup or school, teaching them how to juggle rubber rings, or reading my Bible and sharing with them what I was learning.
Next was breakfast….Pastor’s wife would prepare typical Indian food for us including chapati, bananas, ground nut (peanut) sauce, boiled eggs, toast and jam, and/or egg curry. We were very well fed! The boys would eat and get ready for school….putting on their uniforms, gathering their books, etc.
When they got on the bus the first morning we were there I felt like a mom seeing off my own children to school….HA!
One morning, Friday the 6th, the boys didn’t have to go to school……because it was a holiday celebrating India’s HOLY DAY (a Hindu religious holiday in which powder paint is thrown at one another). Despite not being Hindu, the throwing of paint and making a mess is still fun so we joined in ourselves. Our photo was taken and featured in three of the local newspapers! Fun!!
Late morning/LUNCH/Afternoon:
After the boys left for school we got to work on our task for the day; each day it was different…..
-One day we painted the boys room with verses and pictures to encourage their lives and faith
-Another we learned to cook okra curry, rice and chapati with pastor’s wife
-Another we interviewed two of the boys and members of their family for the documentary
-Another we went to school with them!
School yard & classrooms at St. John’s private school
At school I was able to teach one of the 5th grade classes. I taught a short English lesson on a Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-American astronaut. We read and discussed part of her story in English and then constructed paper airplanes, went to the courtyard to throw them and pretended to be pilots. It was great!! I had so much fun and was grateful to be back in the classroom, even though it was only for about 15 minutes!
-Another day we walked around the community visiting church members houses and praying for them
A church member we praying for….notice her sign she has in her house – “Christ is the head of this house”. One of her prayer requests was for her unsaved husband.
Evening:
The boys arrived home from school around 4:45-5pm. At this time I would head downstairs and greet them….we spent time together hanging out, playing games, and laughing. I SO enjoyed being with them. As a team we facilitated evening activities before dinner including:
-Drawing/painting
-Exercise time consisting of playing volleyball, ring toss, and dancing on the rooftop (Indian and American dancing ensued!)
-Reading time in which the boys read us books in English and discuss them for understanding
Then we would eat dinner and retire for the night tired yet so filled with joy and love given by Jesus through the boys and Pastor’s family.
Friday night Outreach & Sunday Church
Every Friday night at an outdoor location close to church the CCH boys hold an outreach night…this night entails singing, some dancing, sharing of testimonies and the Gospel, and also prayer. We were able to participate in this outreach night…
Alexis sharing the Good News!
During our prayer time I was able to pray for two men who wanted to give their lives to Jesus after having struggled with alcohol addiction and anger! Praise be to God as Pastor will follow up with these men.
Yes that’s me on Sunday morning sharing God’s Word with the church…earlier in the week I sensed the Lord wanting me to share on Sunday morning on Mark 12:30-31, the greatest commandment and also 1 John 2:15-17. I encouraged my fellow brothers and sisters that God has called them to love Him and serve Him right where they were….and that despite the distance between us that one day we will see each other again in heaven where we’ll rejoice and worship Jesus together! That got some Halleluiahs!
Leaving this home on Sunday was tough….tears were shed, hugs were given as we realized just what an amazing week it had been. I am SO grateful for the opportunity to have met these boys, to see ALL that God is doing in and through them, and to get to pray for them regularly. . .
Consider how you too can pray for their growth and development as Godly men being raised up as the next generation of Indians who will LIVE FOR CHRIST!
They will forever be MY BROTHERS IN INDIA!!!
For Jesus & my brothers in India,
Lauren
><>
1 Timothy 4:12
P.S. An Indian sunset from the rooftop! PTL!
