India!
Honestly, when I stepped off the plane and took my first step onto Indian soil I was hardly prepared for what was ahead. We drove through the night by bus to a convent/retreat center in the middle of the city of Hyderabad. Sleeping in a convent and being served by the nuns there was a pretty cool experience.
The difference of the culture was overwhelming to say the least! The smells, the noises (oh the noises!), the sights, the lights! OVERWHELMING! Let me just say that this is by far the furthest I have been away from home for sure! I tried to take it all in as we went through orientation. My team found out we were working in a city about seven hours outside of Hyderabad.
So the next day we got on a bus and headed on our way. I should have been tired but I couldn’t sleep! My eyes were glued to the scenes going on outside my window. The rice fields, the children, the trash everywhere, the cows, the monkeys, the water buffalo (yeah that’s right water buffalo everywhere!), and our bus horn going off literally every thirty seconds made it extremely hard to doze off.
We finally arrived at our destination and found out we would be staying at a ministry house called Peace House. I can’t complain that’s for sure! Most of us are sleeping on the roof in our tents because there are really no beds and it’s about twenty degrees cooler on the roof than inside! Most of the time we have running water and most of the time we have electricity. But it’s always a guessing game on whether you’ll be able to bath that day.
We don’t really need an alarm clock because when the sun comes up all of us are automatically awakened by the heat of the sun baking us alive in our tents. Bucket showers is the way we are able to bath if there is water (if you don’t know what that is just read the term again and it’s exactly what you think it is: water and a bucket).
The food is amazing yet spicy beyond all reason! Our meals usually consist of spicy rice or spicy noodles and sometimes fruit if the street vendors are open.
Food has been a bit scarce due to the protests that have been a continuous occurrence. The people have been striking and protesting the government for months. We encountered this first hand on the second day we were here.
We were getting our appropriate attire for Indian women made at the tailors when all of the sudden a gang of men came roaring up on their motorcycles. They started yelling at us and the workers and made us get out of the shop. They demanded that they close the shop down otherwise they would bust their glass windows in. Then about a hundred feet away a mob of men lined up to form a blockade in the street and lit a bunch of stuff on fire to make it impossible to pass. They started yelling and dancing but as soon as we started walking towards them they made a way for us to pass through (thank you gentleman!) Since that day the protests have happened daily and most of the food places have been shut down.
It may sound like I am complaining but honestly I am loving every second of my life right now! This is why I signed up for the race! India is the single most adventurous place I have ever encountered in my life. My life’s motto has always been ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE! Guess what! I found it! Sweat dripping off of every part of me 24/7, driving in autos packed with nine people praying you don’t crash because Indian traffic has absolutely no order, listening to children singing and dancing at a festival at a nearby temple of one of there many gods, venturing out to find food everyday while trying to dodge protests and police so you won’t get deported. That is my life at the moment. And I love it!!!!
The greatness of these things don’t even compare with the incredible ministry that I have been blessed with this month. I have the privilege of serving in a orphanage for special needs children! It has been one of the most humbling yet fun experiences of my life for sure! I get to spend every day with five boys that have cerebral palsy. These five boys melt my heart every moment that I spend with them. I’ve fallen in love with their beautiful laughs, bright smiles, desperate need for love, and full dependence on us. They may not always smell the best but that does not stop me from kissing their sweet little faces. They may not be able to communicate verbally but that does not stop us from bonding and getting to know them on a personal level.
Nothing has ever brought me greater joy than to serve and live life with these five wonderful guys! I am connected to these guys on a level that blows my mind! When they laugh my heart is filled with joy. When they need something I stop at nothing to get it for them. When they cry I literally cry. When they hurt my heart breaks and my only desire is to hold them and let them know that everything is going to be ok. No matter what the cost may be; whether it’s cleaning up throw up, changing diapers, bathing them, fanning the flies out of their faces, combing their heads for lice or laying on their beds praying with them and singing them to sleep. They will know that they are loved and that they where created for an amazing purpose. These are my guys!
So this month I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to brag on my boys! I so desperately wish that you could all meet them because they would change your life. So I’m going to attempt to try and describe them to you with words and pictures and maybe even video! So be prepared for some heart wrenching blogs to come in the very near future! I promise you the moment you see their faces you will fall in love just like I did!
Pray for peace in India and for grace and wisdom on how to interact and engage these boys every day! Love y’all!
I am currently 72% funded! I only need about $4,400 by January 1st and then I will be fully funded! If The Lord puts it on your heart to give just know that your generosity through donations makes a difference. Remember that all donations are tax deductible. Just click on the SUPPORT TAB on the left side of your screen. Thanks to all who have already given so much! All that is being done here in India and Eastern Europe has been made possible by your generosity!
Joyfully,
Marie Olson
