Yesterday was a big day for us. At the end of it I wrote a really long post and then lost it somehow....and was too discouraged to re-write it. I went to bed, slept 7 good hours, and am up again to try. It's 5am here, and dark, and cool and quiet....and we have power. Here goes!
When we arrived on saturday, we saw about half the SCH children who live at a home called Victory. It's the biggest compound where the most children live. They are the least able to move around independently, or need the most support for the activities of daily living. The staff had a task to accomplish in the office so Nana Barb, God bless her, just marched into the center courtyard and started greeting children, hugging them, dancing with someone if they asked her to. She didn't wait or hesitate, she just automatically began to pour her grandma-love all over those kids who only get such lovego in bits and pieces....ever. It didn't take me long to scoop up a child, start taking pictures (which all the kids love, and want us to do over and over again). Sunday we went to church, then in the afternoon we went to the school girls apartment which is just 3-4 doors down from Sarah's home. We had a birthday party for the 2 girls who have April birthdays. It was so much fun....the girls loved playing with the hairbows that my friend Lynn sent me. In my mind, each child would have 1 or 2 bows, that matched her outfit.....nope. This was a party. Pictures to come.
On Monday we started executing a loose schedule of baby apartment(fragile kids) in the morning, then lunch, then work on adoption files, then go to the girls apartment for awhile after they get home from school around 5pm......but then we didn't see the girls because there was a meeting about the exciting, amazing new SCH website that will be up and live very soon. I think it will really help articulate SCH better than I ever do in my feeble attempts conversationally. Stay tuned.....when they say it's live, I'll make sure to announce it so you can click around and learn, smile, get tearful, say "wow", and generally plan a trip to India to see for yourself.
Tuesday we went to the hospital to visit Nora who has been there every day since we came, except Sunday when we celebrated her birthday at her home....then she started seizing again at night and had to be readmitted on Monday. Poor sweet baby...please pray for her, that God would resolve this and heal this child. Then we spent a good chunk of time with the fragile kids. Sarah will name all of these homes soon enought. There was Victory, and Angel originally, but there are more apartment-style homes now with less children in each, that run more like foster homes.....so when she gets a good idea, the names will change. We are definitely very comfortable in the fragile, baby apartment. The ayahs are friendly to us and enjoy our attention on "their" kids. They are each assigned to 3-4 children and are very attached to them. When you see photos, of older Indian ladies with little ones, those are "their kids". They serve us amazing, wonderful tea every few hours, they let us rock and sing to and pray over and hold and play with the children freely. The little kids are so sweet and fun and willing to learn and to receive all the love and attention we can lavish on them. My heart aches for these kids and I find myself constantly whispering prayers to their Heavenly Father for them, to place them in loving homes where this much attention is normal, not the exception.
After lunch we went with a group to go look at Angel Home, which is right on the beach. They would like to reopen Angel Home if the right house parents are found. Praying for that. This place is amazingly beautiful, tranquil, quiet....and remote. It is 45 minutes from the city of Ongole and a typical grass hut village stands right outside the gate.....and the Indian Ocean is just half a mile away......God knows how to send the perfect people for this mission. God delights in His own timing, His own extravagance, His own definition of the when and the why.....but for today, this amazing place will stand empty and wait. Like many of us, when we have asked and stand ready.
As you can imagine, by last night, we were exhausted. Oh, I didn't mention we took Evan, a 2 year-old, with us to the beach. SO!!!!! As you can imagine, by last night, we were exhausted. :) We ate more yummy, Indian food, then I flat-out crashed and slept for 7 hours. What does today promise? I don't know Exactly, but here is the phrase I am sure I will say many, many times......feel free to say it with me. It's from Romans 12 and may be my theme for this trip.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
When we arrived on saturday, we saw about half the SCH children who live at a home called Victory. It's the biggest compound where the most children live. They are the least able to move around independently, or need the most support for the activities of daily living. The staff had a task to accomplish in the office so Nana Barb, God bless her, just marched into the center courtyard and started greeting children, hugging them, dancing with someone if they asked her to. She didn't wait or hesitate, she just automatically began to pour her grandma-love all over those kids who only get such lovego in bits and pieces....ever. It didn't take me long to scoop up a child, start taking pictures (which all the kids love, and want us to do over and over again). Sunday we went to church, then in the afternoon we went to the school girls apartment which is just 3-4 doors down from Sarah's home. We had a birthday party for the 2 girls who have April birthdays. It was so much fun....the girls loved playing with the hairbows that my friend Lynn sent me. In my mind, each child would have 1 or 2 bows, that matched her outfit.....nope. This was a party. Pictures to come.
On Monday we started executing a loose schedule of baby apartment(fragile kids) in the morning, then lunch, then work on adoption files, then go to the girls apartment for awhile after they get home from school around 5pm......but then we didn't see the girls because there was a meeting about the exciting, amazing new SCH website that will be up and live very soon. I think it will really help articulate SCH better than I ever do in my feeble attempts conversationally. Stay tuned.....when they say it's live, I'll make sure to announce it so you can click around and learn, smile, get tearful, say "wow", and generally plan a trip to India to see for yourself.
Tuesday we went to the hospital to visit Nora who has been there every day since we came, except Sunday when we celebrated her birthday at her home....then she started seizing again at night and had to be readmitted on Monday. Poor sweet baby...please pray for her, that God would resolve this and heal this child. Then we spent a good chunk of time with the fragile kids. Sarah will name all of these homes soon enought. There was Victory, and Angel originally, but there are more apartment-style homes now with less children in each, that run more like foster homes.....so when she gets a good idea, the names will change. We are definitely very comfortable in the fragile, baby apartment. The ayahs are friendly to us and enjoy our attention on "their" kids. They are each assigned to 3-4 children and are very attached to them. When you see photos, of older Indian ladies with little ones, those are "their kids". They serve us amazing, wonderful tea every few hours, they let us rock and sing to and pray over and hold and play with the children freely. The little kids are so sweet and fun and willing to learn and to receive all the love and attention we can lavish on them. My heart aches for these kids and I find myself constantly whispering prayers to their Heavenly Father for them, to place them in loving homes where this much attention is normal, not the exception.
After lunch we went with a group to go look at Angel Home, which is right on the beach. They would like to reopen Angel Home if the right house parents are found. Praying for that. This place is amazingly beautiful, tranquil, quiet....and remote. It is 45 minutes from the city of Ongole and a typical grass hut village stands right outside the gate.....and the Indian Ocean is just half a mile away......God knows how to send the perfect people for this mission. God delights in His own timing, His own extravagance, His own definition of the when and the why.....but for today, this amazing place will stand empty and wait. Like many of us, when we have asked and stand ready.
As you can imagine, by last night, we were exhausted. Oh, I didn't mention we took Evan, a 2 year-old, with us to the beach. SO!!!!! As you can imagine, by last night, we were exhausted. :) We ate more yummy, Indian food, then I flat-out crashed and slept for 7 hours. What does today promise? I don't know Exactly, but here is the phrase I am sure I will say many, many times......feel free to say it with me. It's from Romans 12 and may be my theme for this trip.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
2 comments:
thanks for the updates! praying for everyone there
Niki, i just cannot say how glad my heart is that God sent you back to India "for such a time as this". Praying for you and all of SCH.
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