After spending over 2 months in South Africa (out of our 3 total months in Africa), my squad finally jet-setted across the world once again, only to arrive in India on New Year’s Eve. And with the new year came a new vision for Q squad: our leaders decided that it was time for us to take all of our healing and growth in Christ that we had gained and outpour it in love to the nations. Previous racers sometimes say that month 7 is the most difficult, but our squad saw it as the beginning to a whole new race. It was time for our focus to shift, time to embrace the role of a missionary. And so with the new year came a new continent, a new vision, and the fresh start of new beginnings.
During our first night in Hyderabad, India, our leaders met with our host organization (ICM—India Christian Ministries) to discuss the plan of action. When my team leader Megan returned, she told us as much information as she had been given. And when it came to our living situation, we all laughed when she announced that we’d be living in a 9,500 square foot house. Surely the information had been miscommunicated; there’s no way this is what our life in India would look like! We laughed around the breakfast table as we daydreamed aloud about where we’d be living: we will each have our own bedroom and bathroom, a swimming pool, an exercise room, and oh—the cast of Modern Family will be there to give live performances. Yeah, right.
And to our surprise, the next day Team Radiance was dropped off in front of an empty mansion.
We were greeted by a line of Indian women, all decked out in colorful saris and adorned with beautiful and warm smiles. We walked in to a house laid with marble floors, a grand chandelier, multiple bedrooms, and a bathroom connected to each. We dropped our bags and laughed at our unbelief. One month were living in tents underneath the thunderstorms of Africa, and now we were living amongst the politicians and movie stars of India. You really can’t have any expectations while on the Race.
After setting up our sleeping pads and unpacking our clothes, we were brought to the top floor (or rather, the “penthouse”). And there, each one of our hearts was filled with more love than we knew what to do with. We walked in to find 7 precious babies and 1 adorable toddler in their new home. All of the children have special needs and were in very poor condition when taken out of the state orphanage and brought here. And our mission this month was to choose one child and “adopt” them as our own.
The house that we are living and doing ministry in is the newest care center for Sarah’s Covenant Homes. There will be more information to come about SCH, but for now you should know that these children, who would have either died or have been shunned to the absolute lowest caste due to their conditions, are receiving abounding amounts of love and the best medical care.
As I write this, my heart wants to explode with love and hope. Although it is a perk, I could really care less if I were living in a shack or a mansion right now. What really matters is that these fragile babies have been given a chance at life. They went from an overcrowded orphanage to a beautiful home with more than enough caretakers. They were once abandoned, discarded… and now they are being covered in kisses and love. They were once on the verge of death, and now a doctor visits them daily to monitor their health. They were once seen as orphans, but now they are seen as children.
I am more content than ever to be on the world race right now. It’s as if everything has finally fallen into place, and my heart feels at home. I never would have thought that I’d reach a point when I didn’t really miss Pittsburgh any more, or that the people and culture of a faraway land would completely captivate me, or that a 1 year old baby boy with special needs would instantly steal my heart. As I step forward into month 7, I desire to walk confidently with arms open wide. I am ready to take my once inwardly-expressed faith in Jesus and shout it from the rooftops. There’s 4 ½ months left to this crazy experience, and I’m ready for it to not be about me anymore. It’s about Jesus, his Kingdom, and sharing it in love with the world.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18
Photo Credit: Megan Kennedy
