so i turned 24 a couple of days ago and can honestly say i had the greatest birthday ever! my teammate lindseys bday is the day before mine so we celebrated together and bought cake for all the kids!!! lidnsey and i shoved cake in each others face’s like a married couple!!!! it was great !!
the last week has been really busy here at mercy and grace. we took the kids to the beach the other day and that was so incredible. now the water wasnt like hawaii.. but it wasnt about that anyway, seeing the kids play in the sand and jump each wave brought such joy to my heart. YOU COULD NOT GET ME OUT OF THE WATER!!! i ate up every minute and had so much fun!!!
then the next day we gave all the kids the sport equipment we bought them, and that was pure insanity. we got them every kind of ball imaginable, jump ropes, frisbee type toys, and the list goes on and on … it was really great seeing their faces light up like it was christmas!!
we have just under a week left here at mercy and grace and its crazy to me that sooner than later our time in india will come to a close. today i had the pleasure of going into town and i had a really wonderful time. i watched Mo’s wife Nebula a lot. and there is something about this women i absolutely adore. she doesnt speak english as well as her husband or son, but i see her heart through her actions. i watch the way she is with the kids and how they respond to her. i see the way Mo’s face lights up when i compliment her in front of him. i see something so special about her through her eyes and big bright smile. When Nebula hugs me, she really hugs me. she grabs me so tightly and with such passion it makes me a little emotional every time it happens. today in town she bought these little white flowers off a street vendor and pinned them in my hair, and it brought me right back to when i was a little girl and my mom would put bows in my hair. i felt really close to her, and just an overwhelming sense of appreciation for her. i read about what a Godly woman looks like, and i see it in Nebula. I am so thankful for her, that the young girls here have such a wonderful teacher and example to learn from. she has such a loving embrace and genuine spirit.. i have never felt so welcomed and comfortable as i do when i am around her. she works all her gifts behind the curtain and i find that even more admirable. she isnt the show, but believe me, this show wouldn’t function without all the work she does behind the stage. all that to say that i will miss her when it is time to leave this place.
India has been interesting to say the least and i feel like i am still processing all the things i have experienced and seen. its weird how you can know india and then you can REALLY KNOW INDIA.. and what i mean is know for yourself the smells, the tastes, the faces, the poverty, and the culture. Having little girls and boys grab onto my shirt in hopes of getting a couple rupee’s has been the hardest thing i have had to face here. seeing a crippled man with no legs laying on his stomach, face in the dirt.. it absolutely breaks me, and i feel so helpless because where do you start? how do you help without causing a frenzy or a scene? how do you tackle this problem when its majority of the country that lives this way? The people that live around the orphanage live in shacks on the side of the road, and in little beat up houses or apartments. lately i have had a hard time finding the words to pray for the people here.. its as if im tongue tide.. so last night i just cried because its all i could get out.. im not really sure what i think about it all..im leaving in a couple of days.. i have seen so much.. my heart has a physical pain for those being led astray .. i want to fight for the people here, that their not a lost cause.. i want the people here to taste spiritual freedom.. i want to burn down all their idols and their religion.. i want to see india changed.. i want to see india move.. and i want to see india shake this world for christ..
psalm 61
Hear my cry, o God. listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth i call to you. i call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
