Precious In His Sight

Updates! Busy but good :)

2011-11-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

I’m finally able to take a breath and write to you. I have a lot to update you on and finally have the time to do it so this is going to be long. Please grab a cup of coffee or whatever your preference and settle in for a read!

It seems like I’ve been here a whole lot longer than 3 weeks because the last three weeks have been so crazy. Right after arriving, we started the World Health Organization program for in-patient treatment of severely malnourished and neglected children. Since in-patient treatment is not an option for us, we follow the program ourselves in-house. It entails 24 hours a day feeding, supplements, medications, and injections for one week. The first 48 hours are the worst with feedings and injections or medications for all 26 children every 2 hours. Since we are short staffed and short on nurses, this was a huge challenge.

Let me back up and say that the new children came to us in such horrible condition; it was critical for us to start the program as immediately as possible. As with most things in India, it took time for us to gather all of the medications we needed and to get things organized in a way that would work for us to do this 24/7 program for 26 children. During the days it took us to get it all set up, children were being rushed to the hospital left and right for severe illness and infections.

God immensely blessed us with a team of volunteers for the first 32 hours of the WHO. They were here to do church planting in a nearby village. They had 4 medically trained individuals on their team. They came in and helped us get organized and took turns on the first shifts with us. They were just awesome. Even though it was a lot of work, things went so smooth with the system they helped to create. Half way through, Cassie and I were seriously dragging but feeling God’s peace.

The hardest thing about the program for me was that it entailed giving several injections a day to children for the first 48 hours. I felt like I was torturing the kids. It was especially hard for me to inject the kids who just have no fat at all on their little bodies. Finding a spot to give an IM was difficult and when we found a good spot, we often had to keep using the same place again and again. We tried to insert IV catheters in the kids to lessen the pain of regular injections but they were just so sick and dehydrated that finding a good vein was too difficult. I feel like I’ve given so many shots to kids now that I could give shots in my sleep! Need an injection? I’m your girl! Really, it got to the point that I would just walk into the room and the kids would start crying. The ones who could walk would actually go hide from me! Poor babies. I really don’t blame them. There is no way to make them understand that we were doing it to try to save their lives.

We are starting to see the fruit of it all. We have now gone an entire week without having to take a child to the hospital for an emergency! Before the program, we were making trips several times a day so this is HUGE. Children who were not eating are now starting to eat and I am seeing small amounts of flesh growing where there used to be just wrinkled, malnourished skin and bone. And I am happy to report that the kids are starting to love and trust me. They don’t see me as the needle wielding bad guy.

I had to wait until the WHO program with the new kids was finished to even be able to think about getting moved into the apartment to start fostering the medically fragile kids. We (Cassie and I) were starting with nothing and had a lot of shopping to do. We are now moved in and we have just a few more things to get before we are ready to start taking kids full time. We had to order the beds from Hyderabad – the biggest city in our state. They did not even have cribs available to buy here and the beds are special ordered as vinyl covered mattresses so that they can be kept sterile and clean.

It will take a while for the beds to be made and delivered but at least they are on order. In the meantime, I have taken a couple of babies home to nurse them to health. I was able to purchase a little bassinet to use as a baby bed while we wait for the cribs. I keep it in my room by my bed. The first baby we took home was Chelsea. She has a cleft lip and palate and is considered medically fragile because she has special feeding needs. She aspirates her milk into her lungs when she eats so she cannot eat like other children. She needs a special cleft lip and palate bottle and she has to be fed in a very specific way to lessen the chances of her aspirating. Right now, we don’t have any Indian staff or nurses we can trust with her level of care so Cassie and I had been sharing responsibility for her. The problem with this is that Chelsea did not sleep unless she was being held while standing or sitting upright. The lack of sleep for me and Cassie was causing us to be unable to take care of other things at the home during the day after being up all night long. Our solution for Chelsea is to get her a Mickey Button (feeding tube) where she can safely be fed through her tube without risk of aspiration. Sarah is now working on that for her in Hyderabad.

Here is our little pumpkin Chelsea at home with me, happy and wanting to play... at 4am!!!

The other baby we brought home to the apartment is Margaret. This child has been so neglected that it just breaks me. She is a one and a half year old baby who is the size of a newborn (weight wise) and she is very literally skin on top of bones. When I pat her to burp her, I feel like I might be hurting her because all I feel is bones in her back. There are signs that she has been abused as well as neglected. How could anyone abuse this baby girl!? How could anyone just leave these children to starve and die? I just don’t understand but something that horrible just shouldn’t ever make sense. Please pray for Margaret. She has been neglected for so long that her body is having a hard time with processing food in her system – a common problem with severely malnourished children. She has chronic diarrhea. Right now I am trying a probiotic powder and medication with her feedings and am giving her plain rice infant cereal mixed with bananas and yogurt in between milk feedings. She eats really well and seems to want her food but I would like to see her system start keeping some of that nutrition in her body and see some weight gain for her. The other night after feeding her, I was holding her in my arms and talking to her and she started smiling for the first time ever! Oh my gosh. I cried. It was the sweetest smile you have ever seen! She has blessed me many times over with that toothless little old lady smile and I’m just so in love with this child. I have tried to capture her smile on camera but my camera is so slow that all the pictures come out looking like she is in pain ☹

Here I am with Margaret when she was in the hospital.

And this one is a beautiful picture of Margaret that I think Sarah took. I copied it from Sarah's page.

Like I shared above, we are waiting on beds and cribs to be able to move children in to the apartment/foster home. We also have other needs and I would like to ask you to pray for us. We need to hire about 6 more nurses for SCH overall and about 10 more Ayah’s (caregivers). Next week, I am going to visit 2 nursing colleges in the area to talk to them about sending graduates to interview with us. In India, it is very difficult to find nurses willing to work with children who have special needs. I am praying for God’s favor and blessing on our search because He knows how urgent this need is. Cassie and I will be at the foster home in the evenings and mornings to oversee things but we will need trusted caregivers and a nurse with the children while we are at the main children’s home during the day. Please join us in prayer for this need.

You have already met Margaret and Chelsea. Would you like to meet some of the other children who will be ministered to in our foster home for the medically fragile?

This is Max. He has a serious heart defect and just went through open-heart surgery. His oxygen saturation prior to surgery was consistently in the 40’s and 50’s. Yes, you read that right! Now, he is doing great and will be discharged from the hospital soon. His O2 sats are now around 85! The doctors say that he will be able to have stage 2 of this surgery in a year or so and his sats can be improved even more. Until then, we will give him a lot of love and TLC. Max has the sweetest personality. He is a snuggle bug. He is somewhat shy at first but he smiles and warms up quickly as he feels safe. What a love he is!

This is Max right after he came home to us...

And this is Max right after his open heart surgery last week...

This is Jamilla. She was born premature and is our tiniest baby at SCH. She appears to be healthy overall but she isn’t really gaining weight. We want to bring her home to get her fattened up and stable. Also, being in a smaller environment, Jamilla will have the opportunity to meet her developmental milestones as she grows and thrives.

This is Gabe. Gabe has had a difficult year. He had repair surgery for his spina bifida. The surgery went well, but he has other medical issues. He gets frequent infections and fevers and he often refuses to eat and the doctors are not sure why. Gabe has a bladder issue that requires regular catheterization every 3 hours. It is crucial that he be catheterized and it is easier to overlook his care in an environment with 105 other kids. Gabe is such a precious little guy. We love him so much and really want to see him sustain health and gain an appetite! Not sure who took this beautiful photo of him but I really like it!

This is Aloe. She is our little princess and well, she knows it! You have met Aloe before. She has primordial dwarfism. She is 2 ½ now and pictures just don’t do justice to show you how tiny she is. Aloe has been doing great lately but she needs to be in a smaller environment for a couple of reasons. First, Aloe is so tiny that it is dangerous for her to be put down at the home. She is walking and crawling all over and getting into things and other children try to pick her up and carry her around which is really not safe for her at all. Also, Aloe gets sick easily and when she gets sick, she loses weight quickly. We are trying to keep her weight up so that she can have her palate repair surgery. And we just want her in a place where she can safely meet her developmental milestones.

This is our Promise. Oh how we absolutely ADORE our Promise girl. Promise has a lot of medical issues and just this year, we were so afraid we were going to lose her to sepsis. Promise is blind. She has bladder and kidney issues and spinal issues. Promise also has to be catheterized every 3 hours and she has to be watched closely for infections. We will feel so much better keeping her close to make sure she is maintaining her health.

And last but certainly not least is our Emma. Emma is in the hospital right now in Hyderabad. She is critically ill. She has hydrocephalus, spina bifida, and clubfeet. After fighting and fighting for her, Sarah finally found a hospital that is willing to drain the fluid from Emma’s head to relieve the pressure. Every other hospital and doctor just encouraged Sarah to leave her alone and let her die! Uggh. This week they drained her fluid for the first time and discovered that she has meningitis. This poor baby girl has been through the ringer but we are fighting and praying for her and hoping she will get better and be able to come home to us here. Please pray for a miracle for Emma.

As the goal of this foster home is to be able to provide intensive in-home medical care, the children we have here will vary from time to time. This will be the place children come to receive care after surgery or hospitalizations or to be nursed to health during an extended illness. As soon as we get the beds and the children and staff, I will take lots of pictures to share with you.

The last thing I want to say today is that I am always stretched when I am here in every way possible - physically, spiritually, and emotionally. This time the stretching has been accompanied by more grace and peace than ever before. I am really feeling the fruit of your prayers. I find myself thanking God all day long because in the midst of the chaos and overwhelming need, His peace is so wonderful. He has been pouring into me the ability to press on and what is even more amazing is the JOY – sustained joy. When I get overwhelmed, He shows me something precious like Margaret’s first smile or one of you writes me a note of encouragement. I feel loved and supported and I’m grateful.

Full speed ahead!

2011-10-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Ongole yesterday morning via overnight bus from Hyderabad. Right now it's 3am and I can't sleep so I thought I would get up and update my blog to let you know what's going on.

Little Chelsea is sick. Chelsea is our sweetheart with cleft lip and palate. She is in the hospital right now with aspiration pneumonia and the doctors said she also needs a blood transfusion.

Three more of our girls are in the hospital right now with infection and sepsis. Eleanor, Margaret, and another sweetheart who I can't remember her name. Learning 21 names in one day is boggling my tiny brain right now! I started the day yesterday making rounds to the hospitals where the kids are and then went on over to the home to meet the new kids. I found out yesterday that some of the new children came to us with a form of MRSA - highly contagious and difficult to deal with. Especially difficult when they are all so weak and malnourished to begin with. I want to share the plan for the next few weeks with you so that you know how to pray.

Tomorrow I am meeting with a handful of volunteers who came to plant a church in a nearby village. There is one nurse and 2 paramedics on that team. I asked if they would pray about coming to help me get the kids started on the World Health Organization program for severely malnourished children. It involves daily injections, a specialized diet and supplements by mouth. It involves treatments 4 times a day so it's an all day, every day task for 2 weeks. Please pray for my health and stamina - and for my right hand blessing straight from heaven Cassie who is also here helping. I am at peace knowing that my God is so great and that the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead, also lives in me and brings health to my body! And please pray for wisdom. In all that I do, I need the wisdom of God to guide and direct me because on my own, I have no training in these areas and no idea what I'm doing!

Having this apartment/foster home set up now for the weakest children is more important than ever, BUT I just don't have the time to go shopping to get all that I need. It looks like it will be a few weeks as priority right now is getting the (now) 24 new kids stabilized on the WHO program. Please pray for favor that the funds will all come in for that foster home and that it will go smoothly to get it established.

Other urgent prayer needs:

~ A full time translator to help with training of staff and nurses.
~ An honest and trustworthy Indian assistant who can help run errands and take care of needs specifically for us.
~ 5-6 Nurses with good skills and a heart to serve the children.
~ At least 10 new Ayah's (caregivers) in good health and who also have a heart to serve these children.
~ Long term missionaries who can partner with us to give this hands on care.

And please pray for Sarah. She left yesterday to go to Hyderabad to await the birth of her babies. She is a beautiful 32 weeks pregnant right now and she's been fighting recent illness of her own. I am praying for full health for her and the babies in her womb!

Well. I've left you with a lot of prayer requests haven't I? I sure wish you guys could all meet these children. They are overwhelmingly beautiful. They all have little bald heads right now because their infections were spreading to their scalps but even with their little bald heads, they are a reflection of the beauty of our God. You would love them. If I can ever get my hands free and a moment to take pictures, I will share them with you. Thank you to Cassie who took the two of me and Chelsea above.

Signing out with my hands and heart full.

Love to you all!

Change is good right?! Yes, yes it is!

2011-09-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

In 17 days, my furlough in the US ends and I will return to India to continue my work with Sarah’s kids. I am so ready to get back to the precious children in our care! In the last month, we have rescued another 24 orphaned or abandoned special needs children from a life of neglect and hopelessness. This brings our total number of children to 105. We are very busy but also very blessed!

And now the reason I am writing is to let you know that overnight, my plans have changed… or I should say EXPANDED. If you have been following my blog, you know that I frequently take children home with me if they are critically ill or recovering from surgery, or if for some reason they need more intensive care. I have been doing this in a very small space while renting a room in someone else’s apartment. It has always been a need to have a larger space if I plan to continue taking the most fragile children home with me. We have all been praying for God to open the door for a home or apartment space. This morning I found out that an apartment is available in the building I have been living in and because apartments or homes for rent are very difficult to come by, I took a leap of faith and told them to reserve it.

I will live there with Cassie, another full time volunteer. Together, we will continue to care for the most fragile and critical children in our apartment. I will still be working daily with the other children at the main SCH home. I plan to work a schedule that will allow me to be with the children in my apartment in the mornings, evenings, and nighttime and then to be at SCH during the day with our other children, handling the needs there. Of course, we will need to hire staff for the apartment to help with nursing and overall care of the children staying there and my monthly bills will greatly increase … but, having this space to provide more individualized care for these fragile children is a tremendous step forward and they are so worth it!

Sarah already has the monumental task of raising the funds to cover the overall running of the ministry so I am now working toward raising the funds not only for my own needs, but also the funds it will take to set up and maintain an apartment to care for these fragile children. The biggest expense will be the start up costs.

We will be starting at ground zero, needing everything except for the Indian cot I already have to sleep on. A refrigerator, air conditioner, gas top to cook on, dishes, pots and pans, a couple of cribs, vinyl covered mattresses for the children to sleep on… just anything and everything you can imagine you would need to set up a home. Cassie and I will be sharing the cost for rent and electricity but it will still be much higher than I was paying before. The benefit to the children we will be caring for, far outweighs the increased financial need.

I am telling you this because I really need your help to make this happen. Would you consider helping me with either a one-time donation or a monthly partnership?

And now I would like for you to meet four of the new precious ones who will need our immediate intensive care… Emma, Margaret, Jamila, and Max. They are indeed PRECIOUS in HIS SIGHT!

Emma

Margaret

Jamila

Max

21 New Blessings!!!

2011-09-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

I have been home for a couple of weeks now and have really enjoyed spending time with my kids and grandkids. They are growing up so fast and are just the greatest joy! Still, at times it has really been difficult to be away from the kids in Ongole. No more difficult than the last 24 hours because Sarah just picked up 21 new kiddos and they are so beautiful and I just want to be there to help! Their special needs range from spastic cerebral palsy to down's syndrome and various types of physical deformities and mental or developmental challenges. A few of them are really in bad shape physically from severe neglect. It is really hard to be here knowing how intense the first few days are with new kiddos and how much work there is to do to help get them stable and on the road to health.

I copied some of Sarah's photos of the kids from her blog. Since there are 21, I didn't copy them all. You can see them all on her blog at: http://sarahscovenanthomes.blogspot.com/ but these 4 really grabbed my heart. Ok. They ALL grabbed my heart!

Meet Asher ...

Looks like he may be hitting his head for self stimulation? Not sure but that's what it looks like to me. Bless his sweet heart. The last child we received who did that, she stopped almost immediately after coming home to us. Love and care really DOES make all the difference for these children!

and this is Jamila ...

She is a preemie baby. I'm not sure what her needs are yet but looks like she definitely needs a lot of good formula and even more lovin'!

And this is Valor ...

Looks like he probably has spastic CP. I just want to kiss his face and see him smile =)

And the other little one I wanted to get in my arms immediately is Margaret...

She reminds me of so many of our kiddos who come to us so beaten down. So alone. Neglected. Without hope. I cannot wait to see what love is going to do for this precious little girl!

I am return to India on October 17th. I'm really excited to get back to work and most importantly, to get these kids in my arms and plant kisses all over them! I have had issues with my computer and interrupted internet access and have not been able to start fund raising until now. At this point, I still need partners for the entire 6 months expenses. I am blessed to be able to go and do the work, while some are blessed to be able to send people to do the work on behalf of these precious souls. If you can't come help us hands on in India, would you please pray about partnering with me financially to continue this work?

And of course, please remember to pray for the kids!

Love to you.

Victoria and Genevieve's School Special

2011-07-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

At the end of the school year, Victoria and Genevieve had a special program at their school. Victoria's class was doing a little dance, and Genevieve was going to be given a certificate for perfect attendance. They were so cute and excited as we got them all dressed up for their night out! I love getting to do things with or for the kids that gives them a sense of family and normalcy.

Victoria was incredibly cute in her dance. She was the only one in her class that just really danced her heart out. The others were mostly standing around either crying or staring in fear at the crowd of onlookers. I was disappointed that Victoria got placed in the back row so all you can see in the video is this little head bobbing around in the back. You can't even tell it's Victoria :( She smiled and danced and clapped and I was so proud of our little pumpkin that I even shed a few sentimental tears!

Both girls were totally enthralled watching the dancing in the older classes. Genevieve stood up in her chair or in my lap so that she could see better and she watched every dance - clapping, laughing, and completely taken by the festivity of it all!

Here is Victoria waiting for her class to be called to the stage. She recently got a prosthetic eye. In this picture, she hasn't gotten her new eye yet and she has her green spacer in. Still such a cutie!

Here are Genevieve and I, waiting for the program to start and playing with my camera. Man, how I LOVE these girls.

Don't I look scary white!? Haha.

I learned that in India, programs take FOREVER. Seriously, a very long time. It started at 7pm. At 10pm, was not even halfway through. At 10pm, they started some kind of meeting with panel of about 7 men and each got up to talk. They hadn't started the awards or the dinner yet. Our little Genevieve was sound asleep by then. Since the rest of us were hot, hungry, eaten up by mosquitos and also tired, I decided to forfeit getting Genevieve's certificate. She had a great night and that was more important than a piece of paper. Both girls left knowing they are loved. They were the star attraction as all the children, teachers, and families were surprised and impressed that they had American 'parent' with them.

I love that when we take these children out - any of our children with any type of disability or special need, it helps the community to see that we value our children. They are not a curse. They are a blessing and they are greatly loved. I love that it is an opportunity to tell others about Jesus, to share God's love for them. I love that my precious friends help me to be able to do this work. Thank you all! .... whew... that's a LOT of lovin'!

Things I say in India that I NEVER say in the US...

2011-07-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

(This is a repost of a note I wrote on Facebook)

“Close the door so the monkeys don’t come in.”

“Let’s consider buying our own Water Buffalo.”

“Did you boil that first?”

“Do you think we can carry this toilet seat on my scooter?”

“No thank you. I think I may be allergic to goat brains.”

“You will feel better if you ride with your eyes closed.”

“I hit a cow in the butt with my mirror.”

“Please wash your hands before you give me that IV. … wait. Is that a new needle?”

“I got up to get a glass of water and two bats flew by my head.”

“No, I do NOT believe that lizard is more scared of me than I am of it!”

“To get there, you turn left after the six story tall monkey with a loin cloth.”

Riding in stop and go traffic on my Scooter with Cassie on the back… “ummm. I think I just put my foot down in Buffalo poo.”

“Please make sure you remove all the feathers from the chicken.”

“I have to go to the bathroom. Please pull over by the next big tree you see.”

“She got there before me because I got stopped in a traffic jam – two cows were fighting in the middle of the road”.

“Did you SEE the SIZE of that rat!?”

What I say when I am teaching a ‘newbie’ how to cross the street…“It’s really simple. Think of yourself as being in a game of human Frogger. You are less likely to get splattered if you just keep moving.”

“I wonder what that was that we just ate?”

“Thank you God for toilet paper. Amen.”

While riding in a rickshaw surrounded by a herd of goats… “eeewww that goat just stuck his head in and sneezed on me!”

“No more pictures please. Trust me, I’m nobody famous.”

Said in an annoying high pitched cook woman’s squeal… “Sudhakaaaaaaa Sudhakaaaaaaa!!!” (It’s an inside thing =) )

Last but NOT least…… “oh, I have to go back to the home. I have Victoria’s eyeball in my pocket.”

Oh yes, and one more from Lindsey Eaton... "the electricity didn't go out today, it must be a holiday!".

Rickshaw Craaaazy

2011-07-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

If you need to go someplace that is too far to walk, an auto rickshaw is the most popular way to get around in India. I have spent a lot of time on rickshaws in the last year and a half. As a result, I have some pretty funny rickshaw memories!

Last summer while riding with Rebecca and Laurel and about 60 pairs of school shoes, our rickshaw driver took off full speed, causing our seat to start sliding backwards. We had our hands so full we were bursting out of the small space and people were looking at us like we were aliens from outer space. Three American's in the back of a rickshaw brings on the paparazzi. Indians pull out their phones and cameras and start snapping away. We were already laughing at the scene we were causing when our seat began to slide backwards. We had no hands free to grab on and we just laughed harder as we clung to the auto with our legs. Then, as we turned a corner, we heard a LOUD shot that sounded like a gun going off. It happened again. And again. Our auto with the sliding seat was now backfiring every few seconds. As if we weren't already causing a big enough scene!

We. Laughed. So. Hard.

This summer, Cassie and I took an auto to go shop for special clothes for Victoria and Genevieve. They were having a program at their school and we wanted them to look just as special as all of their friends. We hopped in and the driver turned up the radio with the base booming. Cassie and I looked at each other and burst out laughing when we heard the words "I like to move it move it!" blaring from the speakers. Of all the places in the world to hear that song, the back of an auto in India is where I would LEAST expect it.

We sped through traffic and as we dodged people, bikes, cars, carts and animals.

I like to move it,move it
She likes to move it,move it
He likes to move it,move it
You like to ("move it")

Last but not least, I was in Hyderabad with Jeanette for an eye appointment. I took a rickshaw to the Apple service shop to pick my computer up. As we pulled into traffic, the driver honked his horn. What came out was not a beep. Not a blare. Not a boom. It was a shrieking woman's scream!!! I'm not kidding. His horn was a woman's scream. I quickly dialed Cassie's number on the phone so she could experience the ride and the 'honking' with me.

In a country where it's REALLY hot all the time; where the work with the kids though wonderful, is also exhausting; where everything is an adjustment and every day I am challenged a little more to die to my self, I just really cherish these moments of laughter!

Biker Chick?

2011-07-03T09:27:00.001-07:00

Not really. More like 'scooter' chick.

Pretty soon after returning, I started to see that transportation was a very real need for me. We don’t have a driver and walking a long way through the village in scorching in the heat at the end of the day or in the dark of night to find an auto rickshaw was becoming more and more difficult. I started praying about it and one night I was spending the night at the children’s home. Late at night, one of the children needed a medication. I could not find any way to go get it. I had been praying about whether or not to post about the need and that night I just felt like it was the right thing to do and the right time to do it. I posted a prayer request for the need on Face Book and in about 10 minutes time, the entire amount I needed to purchase a scooter, was transferred to my pay pal account!!!

I had never experienced God moving in such a big way so fast. I felt almost lightheaded as I tried to wrap my brain around the miracle I was experiencing. My good friends Chester and Lisa had seen the post and they felt God’s leading to take care of the need. They didn’t even hesitate, they simply answered and I pray God multiplies that blessing a hundred fold back to them for their love and obedience!

Now, when there are needs, I can jump on my scooter and get to the home quickly. I can stay and work late at night and not worry about being able to find a ride home. I can run and get medications when needed, easily get to hospitals to watch over kids who are sick, and get back and forth to do orientation with new volunteers and teams, etc. I am so VERY grateful.

At first, learning to drive in India was, well… probably not a whole lot different than jumping out of an airplane and falling while being shot at. Imagine pulling out onto the crazy Indian streets, learning to dodge people, cows, water buffalo, cars, bikes, anything and everything coming from all different directions with absolutely no road rules and no order at all! In the first week, I was shoved into a wall by a bus and hurt my foot but God protected me and healed me quickly. I hit a cow in the butt with my mirror while going down a crazy busy road with a bus on my tail and a car to my side. It was the cow or the car. I chose the cow. I honked and swerved and slowed as much as I could with the bus on my tail and didn’t look back when I hit the cow and my mirror spun around.

One night I had a volunteer (Cassie) on the back of my bike with me. We had been shopping for school supplies to get kids ready for school and we got stuck in a power outage in the streets, followed by a sudden downpour of rain. While I was driving, something got in my eye and my eye would not open. I had to drive with one eye and the rain was stinging that eye too! We laughed and prayed all the way home. Cassie wanted to take a picture to remember our harrowing drive. I look like a goober because I’m being silly – still keeping that one eye closed.

Another great thing about my scooter is the joy it has opened up to our Michal. He is autistic and doesn’t really communicate with anyone. He is always in his own little world and doesn’t get a lot of attention from visitors because he doesn’t stay still long enough. I noticed he was always running to me when I came in the gates on the bike. He would get so excited and want to touch it. He would make motorcycle noises and try to get on. I told his Ayah to put him on the back and he surprised me by grabbing on to me and hanging on and laughing and smiling. I took him for a ride around the village and I could see in my mirror that he was smiling the entire time. Now, he greets me at the gate daily and expects his ride. He stands next to me wherever I am at and smiles up at me as if he is saying “when can I go again?” I love to see the joy it’s brought Michael and I love the way it’s opened up an avenue for me to spend time with him.

I wish I had a pic that really captured his huge smile but this is the only one I have with Michael on the bike with me and He IS smiling... isn't he sweet!?

A GLORY(ous) day!

2011-07-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

You might remember that one of my favorite things to do is to single out kids and take them for a special day or night out. I try to pick the children who are not often picked by teams or volunteers who visit because I want all of our children to know that they are special and loved. When my friend Lyn was here we picked Glory to take her for a day at the beach.

Glory is such a sweetheart. She is approximately 12 years old. She never demands attention and so she is usually not the first child a visitor notices. When she is noticed, and someone takes the time to love on her, the way she lights up is like watching a light bulb come on in a dark room! She was a mess when Sarah first got her. Bless her heart.

Glory first came to us with a black eye and a shaved head and just nothing to smile about. She has Cerebral Palsy and has physical and mental challenges and delays. Here is a picture of Glory when Sarah first brought her home.

When Lyn and I picked her up for a day out, we first took her for ice cream. Here she is enjoying the milkshake she wanted. She loved the little umbrella!

Then, we went to the beach. She LOVED the beach! She was not afraid and kept pointing out to the deep water, wanting me to take her there. I would have but the undertow is dangerously strong so we had to stay close to shore. She sat in the waves, letting the water splash her in the face, she picked up shells and put them in our bucket and played for a long time with the bucket and shovel, filling the bucket again and again. The cutest thing was that all day long, she just looked up at us with such joy. She really had a blast!

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

After the beach, we got cleaned up and took her out to dinner. I got her flowers for her neck and she just loved them. This is Lyn and Glory. She is proud of her flowers and is about to have a yummy dinner and her second ice cream of the day!

Thank you Lyn and all of you who are my supporters for making this day with Glory possible. After all... it IS all about LOVE and I know Glory felt especially loved this day!

You want me to do WHAT?!!!

2011-07-03T07:02:00.001-07:00

My friend Lyn came to India in March to help out. Lyn’s first day at the orphanage, Aloe’s feeding tube came out. She has a feeding tube because she has a cleft palate and she had been aspirating on milk. It was a Sunday, which meant no doctors to call on for help. Aloe is our tiny little (then 3.2 KG) baby girl. Her diagnosis is Primordial Dwarfism and while she is tiny, she is huge in spirit. Remember, I am not a nurse so a hole in the stomach where a feeding tube belongs was a VERY big deal to me at the time! Sarah was in Hyderabad. I asked Lyn to pray and I called Sarah and she told me I would have to re-insert the tube. My reaction: cough, cough, choke, dizzy, queasy… “you want me to do WHAT?!”

She gave me directions over the phone and I hung up and stared at Lyn. I felt like I had been asked to perform surgery. I know parents or professionals who are well trained for that type of thing will say that comparing it to ‘surgery’ is a huge overreaction. Today, I can say that I agree, but at the time I felt like it was insane for me to attempt it. The alternative was that Aloe would not eat until we could get her to a doctor 24 hours from that time and Aloe had already been sick and losing weight so not inserting it and not feeding her was just not an option.

I got out the surgical spirits and completely sterilized the desk. I laid Aloe on the desk and put on sterile gloves, sterilized the tube that had fallen out and painted Aloe in Iodine. I looked up and saw my friend Lyn crying in unbelief as she watched me. I prayed. Then I inserted the tube and used a syringe to fill the balloon with saline to hold it in her stomach. Then I flushed the tube with water. Guess what? It worked just fine! It was nowhere near the big deal I thought it would be. Looking back now, I laugh at myself. I have inserted feeding tubes several times since then and really, it’s not that big of a deal. I could probably do it with my eyes closed.

Here is our little pumpkin, crawling all over and getting into EVERYTHING!!! She becomes very serious faced when the paparazzi show up with cameras. Haha!

Aloe is doing great. She is gaining weight. She still requires feedings every 3 hours so she stays here at the apartment and we take turns feeding her. Some friends of mine in Houston sent her some cleft palate bottles so she could learn to drink from a bottle again! (Thank you Michelle, Gina, and John!!!) She is so much fun and it’s a joy to care for her.

Remember I said she is into everything? Here she is in the makeshift playpen I made for her out of a little crate we had here. I needed to cook and she was going all over the place. Had to find someplace safe for her! She loves it. This time she fell asleep. So cute.

Catching up!

2011-07-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hold on to your seats... I have a LOT of catching up to do!!!

I know, I am the worst blogger ever. If you have been checking my blog for updates, I’m sorry. I haven’t updated since March, which is REALLY sad. At first, I had problems with my laptop and had to get a new logic board. Then, I had no Internet for the longest time and could only post quick tidbits here and there on Facebook when I had access to a computer and internet. If you are not my friend on Facebook and would like more frequent updates, please send me a friend request!

I started this summer working on a major administrative project and in between work would just spend my time loving on kids, taking them for special outings and handling health issues with children as they arose. In April, the other full-time volunteer left and it has been seriously slammin’ and jammin’ busy since then! Wow… so much work to do and so little time.

Now T is back and Sarah has been back too. I have a little time to catch you up. Here we go... one post at a time!

Andrew and Dorothy

2011-03-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Like I said, I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to blog. I took the day off yesterday and got a lot of rest and now you get three blog posts in one day!

Andrew is doing so good developmentally. He is still struggling with some health issues, but is even doing far better health wise than he was a year ago! I just HAD to share this picture with you that Theresa got of him the other day...

The other day as I was leaving the nurses room after changing a child's dressing on her foot, I saw Dorothy standing at the window over the balcony, looking like a little angel. She is wearing her orthotics and standing on her own! I think Dorothy has the most beautiful smile. She's really quite a beautiful little girl! And she has the sweetest personality. I just LOVE her!

Birthday Party!!! Can we get a new photographer?

2011-03-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday party last week for the February kids who hadn't had their party yet and for one of our March birthday kiddos. Theresa was gone for the day already so I was left to take pics. Sigh... I'm really not a good photographer. (In fact, if anyone would like to give me a few lessons when I come back to the states for my mandatory visa time, I would really appreciate it!)

I'm sorry to admit that when party preparations began, I was in the middle of taking care of a sick kiddo and also finishing some administrative stuff while passing some new medical care instructions off to nurses and I really was not ready to take a break for a party. I sort of had a 'let's get this over with' attitude that I later repented of.

When I saw how adorable the kids were, I melted. Some of the Feb. birthday kiddos already had their birthday celebration so this time around the party was for Felicia, Brent, Justin, and Santosh. Each of the children received a new outfit for their birthday. I know my photography stinks but I still wanted to share the pictures with you.

Here is Felicia in her stunning new dress. Looking bored to death. Sorry, but our smiley little giggle box would just NOT smile for the camera this time! She looked at us all like we were crazy and ended up being more interested in checking out Justin's watch than in the party. Hehe.

And here is Brent. This picture makes me laugh so hard! One of the Ayah's had put shoes on him that were too small and he wanted them off. She was fussing at him for trying to take them off and he was Maaaad!

But here he is happy again after Erinakka told the Ayah to take those shoes off of him...

The best part of the whole party was watching Justin's excitement. He was sooo cute! He was so excited he kept yelling and pointing at the cake, the table, the people, etc. When we sang a song, he was waving his hand in the air with such enthusiasm and he had the biggest most beautiful smile!

And Santosh. He was also quite happy to be the center of attention! And doesn't he look handsome in his new clothes?

And last but NOT least was our party entertainment. The amazing Pheobe singing "Happy Birthday" in ENGLISH!!! Little smarty pants =) You can see Michael in the background really enjoyed her song too!

Monkeys, Hospitals, and Scooter Bikes

2011-03-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

The other day I was waiting for a rickshaw to come pick me up and take me to the hospital. We had 2 children brought in to the hospital that morning for seizures and I could not get to the home to go with them because I did not have transportation that could get me there fast enough.

As I stood outside the apartment waiting for the rickshaw, one second I am standing there praying and singing to pass the time and the next second, I am grabbing for my camera to get a picture of the monkey that jumped up on the wall beside me. It was a young one. Small, busy, curious. It was swinging around in the tree next to me and then jumped up on the wall.

As I was taking his picture, I heard something over my shoulder and I turned in time to see this one about to jump down almost on top of me!

I think he was hoping to get my bags. I snapped the picture just in time to bend over and snatch my bags up. I told him "go!" And he ran off and I turned to see this one had perched himself up on the wall.

I remember when I first saw the monkeys here. I thought awwwwe, how adorable! I watched too many Nat. Geo and Animal Planet shows and incorrectly assumed these were just 'cute' little creatures. The monkeys here are actually very naughty; even to the point of being vicious and evil. They will attack for food, they will steal shoes, laundry, and other items, enter homes and ransack them and steal food... leaving behind their ahhhem... well let's just say it's gross.

I'll stick to ooohhhing and aaaahhhing over the kids. They are so much cuter and I can kiss them without fearing rabies =)

So that day I went to the hospital, Nolan, Lydia, and Andrew were all in there for different issues and all three of them were on different floors. The electricity was out at the hospital and it was sweltering HOT in there! I was glad to see that all three children were receiving IV fluids but I also poured each of them cups of Pediasure to drink and had them drink it down. Sweet Lydia. Here she was running a fever that had caused her to have seizures, hooked up to an IV, heavily drugged, and she started smiling when she heard my voice! You can't get any sweeter than that =) When I walked away from her bed to talk to the attendant, she started crying. I think she thought I was leaving. I came back to her and picked her up and cuddled her for a while. As I was praying over her, I felt such peace. I felt her relax and just melt into me. It breaks my heart for any of our kiddos to be sick.

When I left Lydia's room, I had already visited the boys and thought I was ready to go. I just had this feeling I should go back up to check on Nolan again. When I entered the room, he was having another seizure. The Ayah had called the nurse and attendant. His seizure stopped and after I could tell he was stable, I pulled him into my arms. Everyone who knows Nolan knows that he is my little snuggle bug. He seriously gives the BEST hugs ever. Today was not a day for him to be giving hugs though. Our sweet boy just laid in my arms weak and tired and looking miserable. It broke me. I began to pray and then all the sudden it was as if all I felt I just HAD to sing over him. Guys, I canNOT sing. I seriously make the dogs howl when I sing! But it just started to flow out of me. Worship, prayer, praise. It was really a sweet moment when I knew that the Holy Spirit was in control.

I had my eyes closed for the longest time just singing and praying and when I looked up, people were all around me. Parents of other children in the Pediatric ICU, people from the hallway, and even the nurses. They had covered their heads (something that Indian women do when they pray or worship). As I laid Nolan back in his bed, they all started at once begging me to come pray for their children and for them.

I knew that most of these people were probably Hindu. They have no problem asking a Christian to pray for them because they simply have a whole list of gods they believe in and sadly, they consider Jesus just another God in a long list of gods. I wanted to cry at that moment because there was no way for me to communicate to them that what they needed even more than healing for their children is true salvation, a real relationship with Jesus, renouncing all false idols and gods. I wanted to cry because without Jesus, they have no hope at all. How I wished I had a translator with me at that moment to share the gospel with them!

I started to pray for their children and for them. Little did they know, I was praying more for the salvation of their souls, for the blinders to be removed from their eyes, for the truth of the gospel to come to them. I prayed for healing too but my burden was for their souls. As I prayed, I tangibly felt the sweet presence of God. There is nothing NOTHING nothing more beautiful and precious to me.

Sarah called just as I was about to pray for the last child. I had been calling her and sending messages over the phone about the status of the kids and it felt really good to be able to tell her that I had God's total peace that our kids would be ok.

I have been really busy. So busy that making time to blog just has not been in the cards. I'm exhausted by the time I get home and it's as if my brain and my body shut down all at once until the next day when I start all over again. I'm sorry if you have been disappointed at my lack of updates. Please understand that I will blog when I can.

On that note, one huge stressor for me has been transportation. Friends, I need your prayers over this! I have been staying at the children's home in the village until nighttime, while Theresa goes early in the morning and stays until afternoon. I have had times where it takes a couple of hours to get a ride home after an exhausting day. Times when I needed to go to the hospital but could not get there and back to the home without a whole lot of hassle. Times when I have waited outside the street by the apartment for 30 minutes or more in the heat, only to walk to the main bypass so I could find a ride to get to the children's home. Times when I really needed to be able to run an errand while I was at the children's home and could not. Times when I really needed to be able to get a decent meal but was too exhausted to walk out to the road and wait for a rickshaw to take me to the restaurant. I have decided that because I am here now long term, I really NEED my own transportation. Buying a car would be a really huge expense, so I priced scooter bikes and I can get a brand new one with safety wheels (you don't want to buy used in India) for $1,500 USD Please join me in prayer for God's provision for this need. If God touches your heart to give toward this need, please indicate 'transportation' in the message line on your donation.

God bless you guys! I love you!

Fun with Hannah and Stacey!

2011-02-27T05:17:00.000-08:00

Today is Sunday. We have several English visitors here at the moment and everyone planned to have an English church service at the ICM (India Christian Ministries) building. I really wanted to go to the Indian church though. I love the worship there, I love the people and even though I cannot understand what is being said, I really enjoy going to the Indian service. I decided it was a perfect opportunity to bring a couple of the SCH kiddos out to experience a different Telugu service. So, I took a Rickshaw over to Victory Home and decided to take Hannah and Stacey. I wish I could have taken many more kiddos with me but I didn't feel up to running all over town with more than 2 kids to myself.

This past week I have spent a LOT of time doing administrative stuff. Working on kids files, etc. You know me, I love my hands on kids time so I was really looking forward to getting to the home! I asked my Rickshaw driver to wait and while the girls got ready, I played with, hugged, and kissed several kiddos. Amulya came all the way down the stairs for her hug (not an easy task for her) and Michael threw his head back and laughed as I hugged him and kissed his forehead! Michael is autistic and I've found a quick, easy way to put a smile on his face is with a hug and a kiss!

When we climbed in the Rickshaw to go, Hannah and Stacey were sooo excited! Hannah is taking English tutorials and she kept saying church sister? church sister? You, me, Stacey church? When I would say yes, she and Stacey would giggle and clap their hands! It was really very cute.

When we got to the church and the worship began, both girls totally enjoyed singing, clapping, dancing, and praising God. It was such fun to watch them. When the teaching started, Hannah listened very intently. I was impressed. Stacey got a little bored but that is normal for a child her age.

After the service, we grabbed another rickshaw and I took the girls to lunch at a local restaurant. They were so excited to be there. Stacey was pointing out everything she saw - the salt and pepper shakers, the cups, the water bottles, everything! It took a couple of tries to get her picture because she was so beside herself that she kept throwing her hands over her face and laughing!

Three tries later, I finally got one with her hands down! Hehe.

I ordered Thali's for each of us. A Thali is a traditional Indian meal with different types of curries, rice, and poori (fried, thin, Indian bread). It looks just like this... (this isn't my picture, I got it from Google pictures!)

It's my favorite Indian meal because it has my favorite Dahl (lentils) and Sambar (vegetables in a spicy soup) AND I love it because it's the cheapest meal on the menu =)

Here is Hannah waiting patiently for her meal here. I was practicing English with her. She is picking up English fast! I told her she did a great job on her recent grades and progress report and I asked her to tell Stacey the same. They both made A's!!! Such smart girls!

Isn't Hannah beautiful!?

Stacey asked me to take a picture with her and I am making a goofy face but isn't she cute!?

The girls were curious and excited about all the choices on their plate when they got their meal. They tried the all the different curries and bread, had seconds on several of the curries and ate everything! I mean EVERYTHING! Stacey had 2 glasses of grape juice and Nancy had 2 cups of curd. They each found their favorites among their choices and both of them really loved the poori.

When the girls finished their meals, I ordered Ice Cream for them. Boy were they happy about the ICE CREAM!!!

When we were finished, I ordered a chicken, vegetable, and rice meal and a bottle of water to go. I explained to Hannah that we were going to take the food to a little old woman who lives on the side of the road. I asked her if she would translate for me and if she and Stacey would help me to pray for the woman. This is the same little lady I told you about in a previous post. I can't take a photo of her because she is not fully clothed and she's just so doggone pitiful. I think even if she were clothed, I would not feel right about putting a photo of her on the internet. She is a precious child of God and she deserves her privacy and dignity.

I stopped the rickshaw driver in front of the woman's little box and the girls and I got out. Hannah was so sweet, explaining to the woman in Telegu "Amma, we brought you food". I had Hannah tell the woman that Jesus, the one and only true God loves her so very much. Hannah and Stacey and I prayed for her and then we got back in the rickshaw and left.

The girls were suddenly silent. Smiling, but silent. I think God was using that experience to touch their own hearts with compassion for people. At least I pray that's what was happening in them. Who knows the multitude of lives they themselves will touch one day?

It was a truly wonderful day with two very precious girls. I pray that this day leaves them feeling closer to God, knowing His love for them in a new and deeper way. I feel so blessed that I got to have this day with them.

First day back!

2011-02-18T19:12:00.000-08:00

Today was just wonderful! When my auto rickshaw pulled up in front of Victory Home, I felt like I couldn't get in the gates fast enough. The kids look really fantastic! I received warm greetings from the Ayah's and the kids. I have to say that the sweetest moment yesterday was when I saw Stacey for the first time. Remember Stacey? She is the little girl I took to Hyderabad last time to have a cyst removed from her brain and skull. She is the little girl I took shopping for a new outfit, shoes, and bangles and had a special 'girl's day' with her while we were in Hyderabad. When Stacey saw me, she screamed and came running into my arms! She buried her face in my shoulder and cried!!! Not sad tears, happy tears. I was so touched that I cried too =) She has been doing really good. Healthy, happy, learning so much in her class at school. I'm so proud of her!

I didn't get very many pictures yesterday because I had my arms full, loving on kids. I did get this one of Felicia. Is she a total miracle transformation or WHAT!!??? Look at that chub =) I love it! Considering a year ago she was just a malnourished, neglected little bundle of skin on bones who never wanted to be touched, this precious baby girl is amazing!

Dhivena emphatically pointed out her casts. She isn't happy having her movement so restricted, but I am praying this latest surgery will be a huge step toward helping her to walk. She was happy to see me and we sat and read her book together for a while.

When I went into the school, the kids were watching an ABC/Songs video. They were all soooo cute sitting there in their chairs and singing along!

When I visited the boys room downstairs, I was doing great and so happy to see them all... until I picked up Josh. My smiley little "Charlie Brown' (as I call him), just melted me with feelings of greif over our loss of Noah (Ahuz). He and Josh were best buddies and I will always think of our little giggle box, joyful boy whenever I see Josh.

In the evening, Sarah and I went through the medical donations I had brought with me. I haven't told you this yet, but we were given some incredibly needed medical equipment from a very special momma in Texas. Her beautiful baby girl, Mallorie Rose went to be with Jesus. When she met me to give me the supplies to take with me, I was just overwhelmed with gratitude and love for this family. She gave us 2 battery chargeable suction machines, which are really life saving in the event that a child has a seizure and begins to aspirate. The fact that our electricity is so unreliable, battery charged equipment is a huge blessing! Now, we have one machine for the home, and one we can take with us on Hyderabad medical trips. She also gave us a battery operated pulse ox machine - and man, it's the coolest thing ever! Plus a few doses of emergency rectal seizure meds that can't be bought here, a Mickey replacement tube, and many other useful things. I thought of sweet Mallorie and showed her picture to Sarah as we went through her donations. I thanked God for the miracle of Mallorie's life and the blessing that her equipment is now to our kiddos.

Here is a picture of sweet Mallorie. Jesus... give Mallorie a huge hug from us today ok?

Two posts in one night!?

2011-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

I know. Two posts in one night is a bit much but I had to share this with you.

When I was in India in June when Jaron died, I remember Sarah singing "It is Well With My Soul". I listened to the words and was overwhelmed at just how powerful those words were. Later in the summer, we were having a worship time and a hymn song was played. I remember thinking that I really wanted to get a hymnal so I can learn some of the old hymns. I haven't done that yet.

Tonight, I was singing along to a song on our Christian radio. I knew it only as "Glorious Day" by Casting Crowns. I posted some of the words to my Face Book page and found out that it is actually a remake of an old Hymn. A friend sent me the link to a website http://nethymnal.org/ This site has a really cool setup where at the top of the page of each Hymn, it tells a story behind the origin of the song. I scrolled through and found one that really grabbed me and wanted to share it.

The Hymn is titled "It Must Be Settled Tonight"

The story that went with this page is as follows: A miner in England went to Church one night and became deeply concerned for the salvation of his soul. When the services were ended he refused to leave the house, although the minister told him it was late, and he must go home and seek the Savior there, and come again the next night. “No,” said the miner, “It must be settled to-night, to-morrow night may be too late.” So the minister stayed with him until he found peace. The next day while at work in the mines a mass of rock fell on him, and he was killed. His last words were, “Thank God, it was settled last night, to-night it would have been too late.”

And here are the words to the song...

“It must be settled tonight,
Tomorrow may be too late”;
The angel of death may come,
And seal forever my fate.
It must be settled to-night,
I can no longer wait,
Peace with my God I now must have,
Tomorrow may be too late.

A burden weighs my soul
I can no longer bear;
Unless removed this night,
’Twill sink me into despair.
It must be settled to-night,
I can no longer wait,
Peace with my God I now must have,
Tomorrow may be too late.

I cannot rest till peace
Enfolds me from above,
Till my Redeemer speaks to me
Assurance of His love.
It must be settled to-night,
I can no longer wait,
Peace with my God I now must have,
Tomorrow may be too late.

Oh, now I know ’tis done!
My peace is made with God;
My pardon’s found in Jesus’ Name,
Thro’ faith in Jesus’ blood.
Oh, now I know ’tis done!
Sweet joy pervades my soul;
Peace with my God I now have found;
His blood hath made me whole.

-----------------------------------------

I for one, am so grateful for Jesus blood, for peace with God, for wholeness that can only be found in Him. May you also know this peace, the unfathomable depth of God's love for you. May you know Jesus as your Redeemer, Savior, and your very best friend.

When God coached T Ball

2011-02-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

While packing some last minute stuff for India, I found some old photos of my son when he first started playing baseball (T ball). Seeing those photos reminded me of another time in my life when God's ability in me, took over and covered for my insufficiencies.

I had just moved to Dallas to attend Christ for the Nations. My son was 5 and I wanted to give my active boy an outlet for his energy. At the practice right before his first game, his coach announced that he was not going to be able to coach and he needed a parent to step up and take over for him. NOBODY stepped up. Not one father, mother, grandparent, NOBODY!! I heard myself say "I'll be glad to do whatever I can to help, but I have no experience with baseball!". At the same time, I was thinking "are you crazy!!!??? don't say that!!!". The coach called me the next day and said he was bringing over the stuff he had for the team. He said he still had not gotten any other parent to step up and help. I started making calls to the other parents and asked how they would be willing to help out and really didn't get any better response.

And then came Saturday. The day of our first game.

Picture this:

All dressed up in our green Eagles uniforms and hats, warming up on the field...

The referee approaches me and says "where is your lineup?".

I ask, "what's a lineup?!!!!!!!!!".

THAT is how prepared I was to coach a T Ball team. HAHAHAHA.

After our first game in which I had players sitting and picking grass in the outfield when the ball was in play, players who wore their gloves on their heads rather than their hands, our littlest player who insisted on running in circles around the T before running to base, and a second baseman more interested in picking his nose than watching what was going on in the game, I was exhausted and in knew I was in way over my head! I quickly gave it over to God and made Him the head coach and the rest of the season was much easier.

This would not be the first time that I found myself in a position that was over my head, where without God's wisdom, direction, and anointing, I would surely fall on my face. I look back now at all those times when I could rely on nothing but God and I see how God has always been faithful to take the wheel when I needed Him to. As long as I have been willing to give up the controls to Him and admit my total dependence on Him, He has never failed me.

In myself, I am not able. I am so glad I know the ONE who is and that HE lives in me!

T minus ELEVEN days and counting!!!

2011-02-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

Yep. Eleven days and I'll be on my way back to Ongole!

As I finish my last minute preparations, so much is going through my mind. Honestly, I'm quite sad to be leaving my kids and grandkids again. I think especially of my grand babies Eli, Emiliano, Diego, Juan, and Maria and how much they are all going to grow and change during the six months I'll be gone. My Juan and Maria are old enough to understand what I do and why I do it but they still miss their Mimi. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, I was showing pictures of the SCH kids to them and my soft hearted Juan started crying. He said "Mimi, you just HAVE to go love them!". Maria was so sweet. She surprised me by hiding 2 dollars of her own money in a book I was reading. When I found it, she grinned and said "I want you to get something nice for the kids there." Just awwwwe. How sweet are they?!!! They both want to come with me to volunteer there. I am waiting for them to get just a little older but I know they will be great with the kids! I pray that all of my grand children will grow up with a love for the Lord and a heart to share His love with others.

It's funny. The nearer I draw to Jesus, the more I see in myself that I want to change. I have moments of being overwhelmed with love and gratitude to the Lord for calling ME, trusting ME to do this work. What a great and loving God we serve! A God who overlooks our faults, forgives and forgets the mistakes of our past, and calls us to press on and into Him for His calling that is more wonderful than we could ever imagine.

I keep finding myself thinking about that moment when I get back to Victory home and step out of the car and the feeling I have inside every time I see those precious faces, excited and climbing all over me for attention and love. This thought makes me wish I could just close my eyes and be there right now!

There has been a lot going on in India. Sarah has spent the majority of the last couple of months in Hyderabad, taking several children for medical testing, treatments, and surgeries. She has had her hands quite full! Several children have been pretty sick. Aloe, Felicia, Gabe, and Thomas. Theresa has been managing things with the staff at the home - thank God for Theresa! Sarah is also working hard on raising funds to cover all the medical needs as well as the monthly budget. That is an ongoing task that can be overwhelming.

As I pack, I keep adding and removing things, trying to make room for what I will need the most over the next 6 months. My three most important items... vitamins, mosquito spray, and coffee!!! I can't function without my coffee! =) Yes, they have coffee in India but it's instant and well... not very good.

I'll update you again with a Bon Voyage post before I leave.

Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support!

I REFUSE...

2011-01-23T15:16:00.000-08:00

When I saw this video today, man it really touched me. Josh Wilson is talented! Check out the words in his song "I Refuse". It says everything I want to say but so much more eloquently. I want to be used by God to make a difference in the lives of others. I have been given much and I badly just want to give back what has been given me to help someone else. I can't think of any place better to give of myself than at this ministry to these precious, incredible children.

I want to reiterate my sincere thanks to everyone who has given to help me follow God's call to SCH. Every single donation has been given with love and a heart to bless Sarah's children. When I thank God for your kindness, I pray that He will open up the windows of heaven over each donor and multiply that blessing right back to you!

Here is where I'm at today. I am 23 days away from returning to work with Sarah's kids. I'm beside myself with excitement to get my arms around them!!! I had to use some of the funds to purchase items I needed to take with me. After those purchases, I am approximately $500 behind what I need for my basic monthly expenses there and am still in need of sponsors for the donations and the wheelchair I am bringing for the kids. I know God will provide!

Please pray for me friends. Next week I am hoping to have a garage sale to come up with funds I need to take care of bills at home while I am gone. Please pray I can get that done and for good weather and lots of buyers! January is really not the best time for a garage sale. Please also pray for God to continue preparing me. I have been really seeking God for His guidance in specific areas and His anointing. Without that, I would be so lost.

Please continue to pray for Sarah and the kids. Sarah has been very busy caring for several children who have either been very sick or have had to have surgery for different needs. She has also been fighting some medical issues of her own. Join me in covering her in prayer. There is just so much going on there! It's amazing to see what God is doing in the children. Here we are one year after Sarah took a huge leap of faith and went from 44 children to (now 83) and we have seen such miracles! Children once unloved and thought of as worthless are now absolutely loved and adored. Hundreds of cans of Pediasure, medication, doctors appointments, prayers, hugs, and kisses, have made a huge difference!!! YOU have made a difference.

Happenings in India and plans for February

2011-01-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

Things have been up and down in India this past month. Starting with the ups... two new wonderful blessings, Gabe and Ben came to Sarah in December! Gabe is approximately 18 mos. old. He is the cutest little cuddle bug I think I've ever seen! I can't wait to get my hands on him! Gabe has Spina Bifida that needs repair surgery and a brain to stomach VP shunt that also needs to be replaced. Here is pic Sarah posted of sweet Gabe...

And Ben is approximately 8 years old. He was found wandering the streets alone and brought to Sarah. He came with a (not fixed) broken arm and a broken, traumatized heart. He is non verbal and appears to have developmental delays. Sarah describes him as very sweet but in a whole new environment, not understanding where he is or what's happening to him, he is adjusting to his new life with apprehension. Poor little guy. His arm will now have to be surgically repaired because it had been broken for some time before he came. I pray the he will quickly feel the love we have for him and know that he is now safe with us.

Sarah found out at the Christmas party that Ben loves cake!

Now for the downs. Our sweet, funny, wonderful, full of life, little Noah died after having prolonged seizures. The emergency seizure meds did not work for him this time. It was a total shock and a blow to my heart. I love Noah so very much. He was the kind of child that being around him just made me smile from the inside out. There just are not words for how my heart hurts over the loss of this wonderful boy. I am trying to think of him now in heaven, running on legs that work for the first time, never again having to wear the braces that helped keep his spasms from throwing his hips out of joint (he hated those), and being able to talk and sing like healthy children. I know that Jesus is smiling over Noah's sweetness and giggles now filling up the heavens!

Here is a pic of me and Noah when I took him to Hyderabad for his eye surgery last summer. I am so blessed to have been able to know and love him while he was with us!

Now for the update on where I'm at with my move there in February. I leave for India Feb. 15. I am learning as I go about planning and fundraising. I have learned a big lesson in setting a goal without considering other needs above just the monthly expenses there. A lot of expense goes into the getting there too! I should have known and considered this before when I set my original goal but I was only thinking of expenses there and airfare (air was fully donated this time around!) Here is where things stand...

I am bringing approximately 75 pounds of donations PLUS a CP Wheelchair PLUS some medical equipment that has been donated. This equipment is essential. It is battery charged life saving equipment we can use in case there is an emergency when the power is out (which is often). I will also have to bring with me what I need to live there for 6 mos. The airlines are charging me approximately $3.00 per KG for everything over 20KG's. I have a few things I also need to purchase to bring with me and I will need to purchase an extra suitcase (maybe 2 suitcases) to bring all of the donation stuff with me. I also need to purchase 6 mos. worth of pro biotics and vitamins to take to help me stay healthy while I'm there. I can't believe I didn't think about that before! That's a huge expense but God has always been so faithful to provide!

I've been thinking through ideas for additional fundraisers. The most affective fund raiser so far was the Kindle drawing, but I'm not sure that doing that all over again is the way to go. What do you think? I am working on getting some things listed on Ebay to sell and I'll let you all know when that's up in case I have anything you are interested in =) I would like your feedback on doing another drawing. A Kindle is something that not many people have so it seems to be an item more people are interested in entering a drawing for. The drawback is, what if I don't raise enough from that and end up being out the money for the Kindle? Is it a smart thing to do the same fund raiser again? I was thinking this time I could try to "sell" entries at local businesses as well as online? Really guys, I need your feedback here!

I was pretty sick before and though Christmas. The weeks before that, I was dealing with my parents (mostly my father) in and out of the hospital and have also been back and forth with my girls and grandkids a lot. The coming weeks are full with plans of caring for a friend who is having surgery and also waiting on the birth of my newest grandson Eli. I will also be having a garage sale the last weekend of January and my daughter is getting married in early February right before I leave. What a BUSY time! Seems like so much going on and so little time to get it all done. Please pray for me!

You can send me feedback on your opinion about another drawing either on here, via email (er1nh@yahoo.com), or through a Facebook message. As always I value your opinions and any experience you have.

Love to you all!

The will to live

2010-12-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

I am thinking about Felicia right now. A little girl who came to us so sick and weak and in pain that she did not even want to be touched. She was so malnourished that her little body was covered in hair and she did nothing but lay curled up in fetal position and scream and cry when anyone tried to pick her up. We believe that she had lost the will to live. She spent her first days just staring off, no semblance of a smile. Like the majority of our other children, this precious girl had only known neglect. Because she was born with a special need, she was thrown away, considered a curse, and forgotten. She had never been rocked or had her hair stroked or had someone sing to her. She had never had her face covered in kisses or been told that she was beautiful, valued, loved.

This is a picture of Felicia on the ride home in Sarah's arms. It was taken in a rare moment when she wasn't crying out from the pain of touch.

Months of love and prayer and good food and Pediasure later, Felicia decided to live.

She brings us great joy! Watching Felicia blossom into a little girl, seeing her face light up in a smile when we enter the room, THIS is what it's all about. We value her, we love her and are so thankful God brought her to us.

Friends, I am going to be frank. I know that I am called to this ministry beyond any doubt. But because I had to quit my job to devote myself to this work, I cannot continue to go and work with these children without your help. I hope to be able to move there in February. I will need approximately 5,000 to cover my airfare and rent and living expenses. Would you pray about giving a special gift to these children for Christmas by helping me to go back and continue to love and care for them?

Donations can be made through the Paypal link on the right side of this page. Or, I can send you a private email with an address that checks can be mailed to. I know this work is close to the heart of God. I pray for everyone who helps me to be blessed a hundred fold beyond their giving for sowing seed into a ministry I know makes a difference in the lives of His children!!!

And the winner of the Kindle Wi Fi is....

2010-12-15T22:22:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Chris!

I am so thankful to everyone who donated and who helped me spread the word! I wish I could send each and every one of you a Kindle! God is AWESOME and so are YOU!

Giving away a KINDLE WiFi ... Kindle for Christmas?

2010-12-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

I have a brand new Kindle Wi Fi - unopened in the box and you can have a chance to win it for yourself, a family member, or a friend for Christmas! You can enter by clicking on the "Donate" button on the right side of the screen. For every $10 donation, your name will be entered 1 time. For every $25 donation, you will receive 3 entries! At the same time, your donation will be helping me to continue my work volunteering with the precious special needs children in Sarah's Covenant Homes, India! This makes every donor a winner in my eyes. Even if you already own a Kindle, there is someone in your life who would be blessed to receive one for Christmas if you win!

The giveaway opens today and will close at midnight on December 15 so that you will have it in time for Christmas! Send me a link to show me that you have shared this giveaway information on your blog or on face book and you will get an extra entry! The winner will be announced here on my blog and on face book and will also receive an email notification.

You can read more about my work with Sarah's kids in my blog below. Thank you all and God bless you!

Storm Update

2010-11-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

I am praising God! Like my friend just said on face book, the song "Savior, He can move the mountains, our God is mighty to save!" That song is quite appropriate here. The HUGE storm, the storm that appeared bigger than even the devastating hurricane Katrina, has calmed. The screen shots that Sarah posted first showed the magnitude of the storm and this morning's screen shots, it looked as if it had almost disappeared! They are getting only some winds and rain. That does not just happen. No other way to explain it except that it happened because people from all over the world joined together and cried out to THE God who created the heavens and the earth - we plead for His mercy, we asked for a miracle. And. He. Answered.

All praise and glory be unto Him!!!

I am in awe. And just so grateful.

Thank you all for your prayers!

I hope that you are as encouraged as I am to see this miracle unfold!

Watching and Praying

2010-11-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

The storm has not yet hit but it will hit full force in the next (approximate) 12 hrs. Will keep you posted as I hear anything. Please continue to pray!!!

Peace! Be still.

2010-11-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

The last 24 hours I have been fighting for peace. Ok. To be honest, I've been mostly losing the fight and giving in to fear and doubt. First, I received news that one of our girls - Felicia - was being rushed to the hospital after having several seizures. This is not normal for her and my heart was gripped with fear as my mind immediately went back to our loss of Jaron and Shalene and Jamie. I tried to pray and trust. I really did. I know her 'momma Sarah' is there fighting for her. Its just that my mind was not willing to accept that trusting God means that sometimes He doesn't answer in the way that we want. I do believe His word. I do believe that when the bible says that "by HIS stripes we ARE healed" that we are healed! I am just having a hard time reconciling why we don't always see this healing here on earth.

Have you ever dealt with those feelings/questions? I would love to hear from you to know how you have dealt with that.

Then I found out that a cyclone is predicted to hit Andhra Pradesh, probably tonight. It is predicted to be the largest storm in 30 years in that region.

Remember when I posted about cyclone Laila in May? That was a huge disaster and Laila was a small storm. It's already raining and flooding in the region now. I think not only of our children but of all the people in the streets and villages. The people with nowhere to go, no dry land, no shelters, no way to cook or get warm and no clean water. Crops and livelihoods destroyed. And then I think of 'Davina', the name I gave to the little old lady I wrote about earlier this week. Dear Lord protect Davina. It's bad enough when these things happen in America but in India - it's catastrophic.

Most of all, I am worried about our precious, precious children there. Sarah has an evacuation plan that will accomodate half of our kids. The other half can stay upstairs at the children's home but when something like this happens, people in the flooded village show up at the children's home seeking high ground and shelter in that upstairs area. I am not talking about a big area - it's 3 rooms. There isn't room for village people AND the children but how do you just turn people away and leave them to suffer and die? The issues she faces are: food, medications, cleanliness, clean water, and having several children with serious medical needs. She also does not have any volunteers there right now but thankfully she has the Lord and she has her husband James with her.

As my fears began to escalate, and as I prayed, I found myself thinking about Mark 4:35-41. Remember what happened when Jesus was with the disciples and they were crossing the water and the violent storms came?

Verse - 35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”[a] 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Yes, I do believe. I believe that God can calm this storm. I believe that in just a breath, God can cause this storm to die. I believe but Lord help my unbelief! Jesus breathe life into every soul. Draw all men unto you. Rescue YOUR children from this disaster and may YOU be glorified in it. In Jesus name.

Will you join me in prayer? I'll keep you updated as I hear from Sarah.

Beat the snake by stick!

2010-11-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Pronounced in Telugu... Ka rra che ta pa mu nu ko ttu mu. Can you say that 5 times fast? Yeah, me neither.

I'm trying to learn a little Telugu since that is the language spoken in Ongole. I came across this phrase and I thought "hey, THIS might be helpful". Hehe. I HATE snakes.

I have been thinking today about the little old lady that lives in a box next to the place where we get 'banana juice'. Since I don't know her name, I will call her "Davina", which means Beloved. I don't think I told you about her. I had planned to take a picture of her humble 'home' but never could get one with her fully clothed and would never dishonor her dignity in that way. Bless her sweet heart. She is very old and is disabled. She has the use of only one of her arms and no use of her legs, and she is blind. She drags herself a few inches at a time. The first time I saw her there all covered in flies, in LITERALLY a BOX in the sweltering heat and in filth by the side of the street, and laying on the hard ground where the rats roam free. I just went home to the apartment and cried. I always buy banana juice and bring her water or food and pat her arm or hand and tell her about Jesus. She doesn't understand a word but hopefully she hears "Jesus" and I'm sure she knows the language of love. Unfortunately, there are millions and millions like her in India. I see them every day, every time I go out. I think about them when it rains. No way to not get wet. Worse yet, when it floods.

For some reason, this woman broke me.

It's hard to be there and see so much need and not be able to do it all.

I wanted to share the gospel with her. To tell her about Jesus. The only One who can give her any hope at all, so asked Sarah to come with me one day to talk to translate for me. When I went to hand her the banana juice I accidentally spilled a little of it on her leg. Sarah tried to talk to her for me but the woman was so concerned about the spilled juice that she kept saying over and over "you spilled it". Finally, Sarah took the bottom of her own shirt and cleaned it off her. Way to go Erin!

I pray that God sends someone else to love on her while I'm in the states. Please join me in prayer for Davina.

How strange am I?

2010-10-28T02:07:00.000-07:00

I've been watching a lot of documentaries lately. I'm not sure why I am suddenly so drawn to them. I have decided that documentaries are NOT good for me. Why is it that, me - the person who cries at the drop of a hat, is drawn to all of the documentaries about social issues that leave me wanting to fix, solve, rescue, advocate, whatever when it's not humanly possible for me to get involved in it all!?

Genocide in Darfur, Child labor in third world countries, Dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Child sex trafficking, Forced abortions in China, Orphaned children all over the world, you get the picture.

I have to remind myself that while I can't do everything, I can do something.

Working with Sarah's kids is my something.

Have I ever told you that before I worked in International Adoption and became familiar with the plight of orphaned children with special needs, I NEVER, EVER had ANY desire at all to work with special needs kids?

It's not that I was cold hearted, I just didn't know anything about special needs and honestly, because of my ignorance, being around children with severe needs made me a little uncomfortable... ok... a lot uncomfortable.

When I first found Sarah's blog, I remember thinking that she was amazing to take on the task of rescuing children with serious neurological special needs. As I read about her kids, I found myself falling in love with them - and that was just from pictures and stories on a blog!

God was using those pictures and stories to draw my heart.

During my first trip to SCH in January, I shared a room with Theresa. I remember the night I told her that I was already feeling very strongly that I was supposed to come work with SCH full time. And then I pulled out the BUT and started confessing my fears to her...

~ I am (almost) OCD when it comes to sanitation (It's. India. Enough. Said)
~ I hate insects, rodents, and reptiles (as I watched the lizard crawl across the ceiling, swatted away the mosquitos and flies and stepped around a rat in the street earlier)
~ I really hate hot weather (115 degrees with 99 percent humidity is not uncommon in the summer)
~ I function best in an environment with a fair amount of predictability (the only thing predictable in India is that nothing is predictable)
~ I am a person who needs to understand things, for things to make sense (nothing makes sense from my Americanized perspective)
~ I knew nothing about severe neurological special needs (the majority of our kids have severe neuro needs)
~ I didn't know if I could change a diaper of a big kid (yes, this was a fear of mine and most of our big kids do wear diapers)
~ I didn't think I could handle being away from my own grown kids for 6 months at a time (I dearly LOVE my kids and grandkids)
~ I HATE fundraising (quitting work so I can go do volunteer missions work means getting sponsors and asking for help to raise funds)

And last but not least, I felt so inadequate - overwhelmed to think that God would call ME to be a missionary to India? Me? Really, I know and God knows my long list of imperfections. It just seemed so unlikely that God would want ME!

Theresa listened and then she told me that if God was in it, none of those things would matter. And I remember thinking, but did you just hear that list I gave you!? These are HUGE things. At least they were in my mind.

As the weeks went on, God showed me just how in it He was because those things I thought would be so hard, God just took care of it. Really, it's such a miracle that there is no other way for me to explain it other than a miracle. That, and God's grace covering me and empowering me to answer His call to this ministry.

I am not going to lie and tell you that I now like all those things. I don't. But except for my own children, none of those things matter - they are so small in comparison to the immense love I have for Sarah's kids and the joy I feel in being with them and being a part of serving God in this way.

Maybe this post isn't as much about how strange I am as it is about how surprising and wonderful God can be.

Back with the Old and the New

2010-10-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well, Facebook did not have the features I needed and Theresa told me that we now have a better Internet connection so back to the blog it is!

I know I have shared with you that my heart is to give myself full time to this ministry. In India, the visa requirements will allow me to stay for 6 months at a time and then to return after being out of country for 2 months. The added expense of having to FLY home every 6 months is a pain but because I leave my own precious children behind when I go to India, I need that time with them during the 2 months off. It doesn't seem to matter how old my children get and having families of their own, my mother's heart wants to be with them as often as I can so the 2 month out of country requirement is just right for me.

The plan now is to return to India on February 17 and stay the 6 months through August. As soon as I raise the funds for my tickets I'm booking! I will need to raise approximately 5,600 for the tickets and monthly living expenses. I'll keep you posted on that.

This last trip was hard. You know about the deaths of Jamie, Shalene, and Jaron. It was hard too because God was stretching me personally. Calling me to a deeper walk, a deeper level of faith, and to be able to let go of my own ideas and trust Him to take care of the details that are too much for me. At the same time, it was wonderful. How can being with these incredible children be anything less than wonderful? They are like a breath of fresh air after being underwater for a long time.

Today I keep thinking of Amulya. She is just such an awesome young lady! She has made SUCH progress. I think of her so often because she's just always right there - as soon as I get to the top of the stairs, there is our Amulya, squealing with her hands out - reaching out to me and at the same time, pushing me away because her excitement is hard for her to handle and she will throw herself down. She is learning to cross her arms around herself in a hug to control herself and she's just been doing SO GOOD!!! I'm very proud of her. I know that her outbursts of emotion and excitement are a little overwhelming to visitors but I love her love for life. I love how the simplest things can make her so HAPPY - like pushing a wheelchair back and forth for hours or sweeping the floor. I love how she would eventually wear herself out and come sit beside me and hold my hand when she could calm herself enough to handle it. I miss her a lot.

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I also miss Glory. Sweet Glory.

Glory is not a child who generally shows much emotion. In fact, I thought she might not really be able to get very excited. That is until the day I decided to take her out for ice cream with T and some Sarah and Lynda who were visiting. I saw her face when her Ayah said "Glory, come" so she could get her ready and if I could have captured the look on her face, hat picture would be worth millions. It was a look that said "me? you're taking me? you noticed me?!" She got the biggest smile on her face and it stayed there all day long! When she came down the stairs all dressed up in her yellow flower dress and her shoes, she was so proud and it made me want to cry it was such a sweet moment!

Now this is not the best representation of our Glory but she was so FUNNY at the ice cream shop. She was REALLY enjoying her ice cream! Every bite she took she would throw her head back and then look up at us with a huge grin. She was cracking us up. So sweet.

I. Miss. Them. All.

Beach Bumming and Belly Laughs

2010-08-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Today was awesome. We had decided to take some of the kids to the beach who have never been taken before. We took Nicky, Nolan, and Meghan. The fun started immediately in the car with Nicky belly laughing and pushing his arm out so it would hang outside the window so that he could feel the wind. It was so cute! I tried and tried to catch his laughs in a photo but either my poor photography or my SLOW camera just couldn't catch it. What I did get is this photo of him sticking his arm out. We have a husband and wife team here now and also a team of two young women. We were all laughing and totally enjoying watching him have so much fun.

When we got to the beach, we sat out in the sand where the water came over our legs. The waves were HUGE! Surfing quality. Meghan started squealing with laughter, and Nicky, oh my goodness! He got so excited he was making noises and smiling and laughing and kicking his feet! I sat with Nicky in my lap when out of the blue, a huge wave came all the way up to us and over our head and scooted us back up the beach! I thought Nicky would be terrified because we were both soaked but once again, he was belly laughing! He LOVED IT! I wish these photos had captured the joy. I think Nicky would have stayed in that water all day long if we had let him. When it was time to go, he cried. Yes. He cried. We will definitely have to take Nicky back soon since he loves it so much.

Meghan and I took a walk down the beach and she literally giggled the entire time. She was splashing and suddenly lost her balance at the same time a wave swept up the beach again and she fell over. I held on to her and like Nicky, I thought she would be terrified but also like Nicky, she not only was not afraid, she was laying on the ground with her hands in mine and the water swirling around her getting in her face and she was belly laughing! Hehe. It was so much fun. I can't explain to you how it makes me feel to see them having such fun. Something like winning the lottery must feel like. Here she is with Laura...

Nolan wasn't thrilled about the water. He loved the sand though! He loved feeling his feet in the sand and sitting up watching the waves. He had such a big day that he fell asleep on the way home in the car. Isn't he cute?

Greiving, Rejoicing, and Pressing On

2010-08-04T00:54:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning thinking again about Shalene and Jamie. I'm sorry if you are sick of hearing about it but I need to talk about it. Shalene had been sick since the end of May. She never was fully healthy - she had been one of our sickest, most malnourished and neglected children when she came to us in December. The doctor says it takes about 2 years to turn around the effects of such horrible neglect. We start them all on Pediasure and a series of vitamins, supplements, and injections as well as 3 rounded meals a day plus snacks and fruits. When Shalene got sick and was in the hospital, she started to have problems with her throat and swallowing and had to have a nasal tube inserted for feedings. The doctor had just told us she could have the tube removed a couple of days before and the nurses were feeding her when she choked again. They took her to the emergency room but she had already stopped breathing on the way to the hospital. I just know if she had been with us for 2 years instead of just a few months, she would have been stronger when this whole sickness hit her, she might not have gotten so bad so quickly and she might have been able to fight it off enough to eat normally. I can't live in might's and what if's. She is with Jesus. I just wish I could have been with her like Jaron, I might have more peace.

And Jamie - oh man. Talk about shock. She had been so healthy and vibrant. She was learning to walk and doing so great. She wasn't at all stable on her feet and she fell and cut her lip open and had to have stitches. Jamie was a child full of fight. She didn't understand her stitches and kept wanting to bite them and throwing tantrums so we had a missionary team staying at our apartment take her home to watch her and care for her there because we didn't want her to bite her stitches open again. She was also having trouble eating with her mouth so sore and when one of the missionaries was feeding her she suddenly couldn't swallow and stopped breathing. They rushed her to the hospital and did rescue breathing but she also died on the way. The doctors said she had also aspirated. God bless those missionaries - they were here for both Shalene and Jimmy and what a hard thing that was for them to go through.

We all loved Jamie and Shalene so much. It's very hard for us to understand how these things happen when we have taken them from horrific conditions and taken them into our home and under our care, when we are loving them with all of our hearts and working so hard to get them healthy and strong. It's hard to hear the judgments of others who in their ignorance say things that make it look as if we aren't doing all we can and its funny how it comes from people who aren't even doing anything to support Sarah's ministry financially - giving nothing toward helping us pay for the things like Huggies and vitamins and immunizations and medications and more staff that would help us to do more for our kids. I want to say... "put you money where your mouth is" don't judge, do what it takes to help us make every improvement possible.

Lord, heal our hearts. Let us do all that we do in love and for YOUR glory. Call those you have ordained to help this ministry and these very wonderful, precious, incredible children. In Jesus Name.

On a positive note... we had a WONDERFUL time last night celebrating a birthday of one of our volunteers. We got a big cake and took it to Victory Home. All the kids and staff gathered - ALL the kids. We worshiped, we prayed, we enjoyed cake,and I watched the joy and smiles on the faces of the children and I thanked God that even though we walk through these things - the hard things - the things we don't understand, our kids are loved. They know they are loved. They are a part of something wonderful. A family. They now have us and they have each other and I was filled with gratitude.

God smiled down on us too and He brought us a new little girl yesterday. We are calling her Jodi. The government just showed up with her. A sweet little beautiful child who was abandoned at the railway station here. She is wonderful. She looks like someone has at least been feeding her well. She was sick when they brought her, running a fever and cold symptoms so we started her on all the stuff we use to get the kids healthy and are taking her today for blood work. Just keeping our hands to the plow you know? Thanking God for each new blessing.

Meet Jodi ~ isn't she a cutie?

Thank you for hanging in there with me and letting me share how I feel. Thank you for your prayers. Love you all.

I'm sorry. I know it's been a while.

2010-07-30T05:09:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Ongole - done with medical trips for at least a week. It's been difficult to blog since losing our Jimmy and Shalene. Because I was in Hyderabad with other children when they died, I think that in some crazy way, I wanted to believe it wasn't true. It just COULDN'T be true! I didn't know when I kissed them goodbye before I left that it would be my last kiss. I told them I loved them but it wasn't GOODBYE it was 'see you shortly'. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach when I was told about Shalene. If you have been reading my blog a while, you know how special she was to me. Even though I do love all the kids equally, Shalene was one of our oldest children at Victory Home and she was most severely abused and neglected for her entire life. God brought her to us in January and I just always felt like God gave me an extra burden for her to help her to feel special and loved.

There was a shirt someone had just donated that I gave to Shalene. It was red with rhinestone lettering on the front that spelled "Princess". It was such a nice shirt and Shalene LOVED it! She was always pulling it out in front to look at the rhinestones and would tap people on the arm as they walked by to show them her shirt. I really wanted her to be buried in it. I'm not sure why it mattered so much to me since I know that once we take our last breath, we aren't here on this earth anymore. I know Shalene is dancing and singing and laughing and playing in Heaven with Jesus and she could care less about that red shirt. But because that shirt was special to her here, it was something I really wanted for her burial. Sarah had told me that if the Indian staff didn't make sure that happened, that I could take the shirt and keep it myself.

My first day back in Ongole, I was going from room to room checking on kids and all of the sudden I saw it. The Princess shirt. Ginger was wearing it. It was way too big for her and for a fleeting moment I was disappointed to find out that Shalene didn't get buried in her special shirt. Then I felt relieved that at least I had found it and could keep it in memory of Shalene. Then Ginger smiled up at me and started to pull up on my legs so that I could take her hands and help her walk. Her smile was radiant and the shirt was beautiful on her. Ginger reminds me of Jamie who had also just died and I cried as I smiled back at Ginger and took her hands. At that moment, I realized that seeing these other little Angels wearing and enjoying that shirt would mean more to me that it would sitting on a shelf somewhere. Every one of them deserve to feel like princesses.

I am glad to be back here in Ongole. Being around all of the children is healing to me and we are so busy that it keeps my mind occupied. Miracles continue to happen every day. Andrew is walking with minimal assistance and he's even going up and down stairs WALKING up and down them all by himself while holding the rail! And Andrew is also talking! Dinah is sitting up on her own, Aloe is rolling and scooting all over and is becoming more vocal and Stacey is doing wonderfully recovering from her surgery! I could go on and on about the good things I'm seeing. In time, my heart will heal.

Thank you my friends for your prayers and your patience as my blogging has been on hold. Please keep the prayers coming. Without you - without God's mighty hand and loving grace, none of us could press in to do God's work during the most difficult times. We need our Father God and we need each other. I'm so grateful for you.

Please pray about helping me stay

2010-07-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I would like to blog and tell you all about what's been going on. If you are a friend on facebook, you know we have had two incredibly precious girls die in the last 24 hours. I am heartbroken but cannot give up or give in to discouragement. The children still need us as much as ever if not more.

I am still in Hyderabad with Stacey. She will get her stitches out this weekend. I am having several other children brought up here to Hyderabad to receive important medical care they need. Two of them are having neuro issues and I'm very concerned about them. Wendy and Rhoda. Please pray for them.

I just checked my bank account and although there are some funds there right now, it is quickly dwindling and will not last for August and September. As you know, fund raising is the hardest thing for me. However, it is costing me so much more to stay here in Hyderabad. Literally more than 3 times what it costs for me to stay in Ongole where I am able to cook for myself in the apartment or eat very cheaply at a local clean restaurant. The restaurants here are almost triple in prices compared to in Ongole. There have been added expenses involved in being here. Even to take a Rickshaw to a restaurant is literally 5 times more than in Ongole. I thought I was doing fine until I realized today that at this rate, I will not have enough to stay in India through mid-September. I hate to say it or to ask but I really do need your help. I don't want to leave Hyderabad and not be able to take these children to the specialists they need to see. Would you please pray about helping me to stay?

I would blog about the deaths of Shalene and Jamie but honestly, my heart is raw. I am so broken over their losses. Right now, I don't even know what to say. Please don't give up on my blog. I'll be in touch through the blog as soon as I feel able to talk about things again. I love you all and appreciate your prayers!

Pray for the Magic Mushroom Man!

2010-07-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. The Magic Mushroom Man. God know's his name. He works at a restaurant I ate at tonight. The name of the restaurant translated into English is "The Magic Mushroom" and the man I am referring to was my waiter.

Just this morning I prayed that God would open my eyes to opportunities to share His love and His saving grace with others. I know that God has brought me here to minister to the kids but in a country with millions of false god's and an idol on every corner, how can I not want to share the hope of salvation through Jesus with those who are so very lost and following an empty, hopeless path?

I had just finished my meal when the waiter came in and asked me what I am doing in Hyderabad. I told him that I volunteer for a children's home and that I brought some of our children for medical treatment. He asked if it is an NGO and I said “yes, a Christian organization.” He said "really? I also believe in Jesus". I told him "that's wonderful!". Then he pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of the silly looking elephant idol they worship as a God here and he said that he also believes in Ganesh. Ahhemm. Ok.

I wasn't planning to evangelize. Just there eating my meal. But how could I just leave this child who like me, was created by God, and let him continue in foolishness and hopeless, empty pursuits?

I replied, "well, to be a true Christian, you must follow only the One True God. There are no other true Gods. All other gods are not real. They are only idols made by man." I told him that idols cannot answer his prayers because idols cannot even hear his prayers because they are not living. I told him he might as well pray to (I picked up the salt shaker) "this salt shaker". I told him that the LIVING God who created him loves him very much and desires a relationship with him. I went on to share the Gospel with him, telling him of God's love so great that He sent His only son Jesus to die for him and me, making a way for us to have life and hope and assurance of salvation and life with Him in eternity.

The Magic Mushroom Man's eyes filled with tears as he told me that he had been reading the bible, seeking answers because he has had two surgeries and almost died two times. He told me that he knows that all I said was in the bible and that his own cousin has become a Christian and has been trying to tell him the same things. I told him that God is trying to draw him, to get his attention and that he is still alive because God wanted him to have another chance to accept His son Jesus. I told him how to say the prayer of repentance and the prayer of salvation. He thanked me again and again. I believe that he is sincerely seeking truth.

Please pray for this child of God. Pray that he will make the decision to turn from all false idol worship and to fully accept the gift of salvation that Jesus purchased for us all through His death on the cross. Pray for God’s love to be shed upon his heart and mind and for God to send a Christian man who can disciple him and encourage him.

Other than that, it was such a busy day and I have had days without sleep and am exhausted. I will blog again tomorrow night to catch you up on the kids!

Busy, busy day!

2010-07-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

I'll say it again... busy day! Today I took Nolan and Lily back to the 'Squint Specialist', Stacey to the Dermatologist, and Noah, Nolan, and Lily to the Orthopedic Specialist. Ortho-wise, Noah and Nolan are doing great. They just need to continue physical therapy, which they already receive daily at the home. Lily needs surgery on the top of her feet to release the tendon so that she will be able to walk on the bottoms of her feet. Right now, when we stand her up, she is on the tips of her toes and cannot bend her feet.

Eye-wise, Nolan and Lily will be having surgery to repair their Strabismus. This will help them to be able to balance better while they are learning to walk. They both had a round of tests yesterday and I am heading back to the hospital in the morning to meet with the doctor again to work out his plan for treatment/surgery.

The dermatologist cleared Stacey for surgery so I will also take her to the neurologist in the morning to have her admitted for her surgery to remove the cyst from her brain and skull. She was so cute while we waited for the doctor. I gave her a pad and pencil and she was writing her letters and numbers and reciting them to me. Every now and then she looked over and said "I love you Akka". (Akka is what the kids call adult women. It means 'big sister') Guess I've said it to her so much the last few days that she is now copying that too :) Adorable.

And how cute is she in her other new outfit?

As I type this, another Ayah is on her way here with Dinah to see what we can do to fix her eyes. With all these doctor visits, surgeries, tests, and medications, we are in constant need of prayer. Please pray for these children and for God to touch hearts and draw individuals who are able to help with the funds to help us continue caring for these precious kiddos.

Birthday money well spent!

2010-07-10T22:16:00.001-07:00

Someone sent me some birthday money and I had a BLAST spending it! First, I took Stacey to the Pizza Hut here in Hyderabad. Stacey is the little girl who is going to have the cyst removed from her brain and the top of her head next week. It was her first time to have pizza and I found out that she likes it almost as much as me. She ate 3 pieces of cheesy bites pizza and all of the cheese stuffed crust, which is a lot for such a tiny girl! She copied me every time I told the waiter thank you or answered him yes please or no. She even said it perfectly! I could tell it made her feel very important. So cute.

Then, I took Stacey to the shoe store and she loved the first ones I tried on her. They were beautiful, gold and shiny - totally Indian and perfect for her.

We left the shoe store and went to a clothing store where I had the shop ladies lay out tons of clothes in her size and she and I had fun trying them on her. She was so adorable. This is where I wish I could have captured the look on her face. When she put on these clothes she looked as if she felt suddenly transformed into a princess and she just glowed. She would look up at me with a HUGE smile on her face and make the "ok" sign with her fingers, nodding her head, eyes dancing. The look on her face was priceless. Really, I could not think of a better way to spend my birthday money than letting this little girl experience feeling like a princess for a day. I ended up buying her 3 favorite dresses and I let her hand the man the money. She looked so proud of herself! I even let her wear one of the dresses out of the store with her new gold shoes. She had a new walk about her.

When we left the store, I let her pick out some bracelets and hair scrunchies to match her new clothes. She was so excited when she got in the car. All smiles. When we were driving down the road, she saw me put my hand up on the handle at the top of the window to steady myself on the bumps. She was so cute - she scooted all the way over to her side of the car and tried to reach her little arms up to hold the handle over her window! She reached it but her little arm was stretched so far that she couldn't fully sit on the seat. I thought, "how cute is that? she's trying to copy what I do!". I took my arm down and pulled her close to me. I prayed that she would know God's love for her. I prayed that she would feel like God's beautiful daughter, that somehow she would understand that even though she may not have an earthly father, she has a heavenly father who simply adores her.

I’m on the road back to Hyderabad and I spy something orange!

2010-07-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what it is?

No. It’s not the reflector on the bicycle next to us.

No, it’s not the woman on the back of that motorcycle in the orange Sari or the orange pom poms dangling from the truck we just passed.

I almost didn’t believe it when I saw it or rather, when we came on top of it going 50 miles an hour around that curve.

It’s a HERD of GOATS. Yes, an entire herd of goats that are SPRAYPAINTED FLOURESCENT ORANGE!!! If it weren’t the middle of the night and raining, I would have taken a picture for you.

Ahhh, the road trips to Hyderabad are always full of fun and surprises :::Giggle, Giggle, SNORT:::

This trip was much better than the bus - thank you LORD. Still, it’s India roads with Indian drivers. Really there are no road rules. At least it’s never boring :)

Now I spy something BROWN and it’s flying through the air!

No. It’s not the dirty diaper the Ayah threw out the window.

It’s the water buffalo we just hit. Never knew a water buffalo could FLY. This one sure did! I was pretty impressed that our driver kept such great control of the car. When he got out to check the car for damage (thankfully there’s a big grill on the front and there was none) I heard another loud crash and a car that just passed us hit another water buffalo! Maybe their owners should have painted THEM orange!?

I have 4 children with me this time. Lily, Nolan, Noah, and Stacey. Stacey will be having surgery to remove a cyst from her head. It’s a pretty big surgery – please be praying for her.

By faith and not by sight

2010-07-04T04:28:00.000-07:00

I am learning more and more about what walking by faith and not by sight means and I'm learning it from a little 7 year old blind girl! I know I keep talking about Phoebe but friends, you really would be in awe of her if you met her in person! I am also learning about persistence from her. I watch Phoebe do the most amazing things and when I think about the fact that she has absolutely no vision and that she was tossed aside by her family and by society and yet she just walks right over the challenges in her path and despite her own disability, she uses what gifts she has been given to help others, well, she's just such an inspiration to me!

Yesterday, Rebekah took this photo of Phoebe BRAIDING Hope's hair! I think she may have even done a better job than I could do.

I recently took Phoebe to see a Corneal Implant Specialist in Hyderabad and found out that she is not a candidate for implant surgery. In a way, I was sad for her but at the same time, I remember thinking "that's ok. This girl is going to do great things with her life!". And she is. I have no doubt.

Here is a link to a video Sarah took of Phoebe making her own bed. She somehow knew to feel the sheets for the stitching to know which side was up! http://sarahscovenanthomes.blogspot.com/search?q=Phoebe

On the first day of school, I was putting shoes on the girls who are attending the blind school. Phoebe has never worn shoes before but after I put the first shoe on her, she grabbed the other shoe and put it on herself (correctly) and THEN she grabbed Stephanie's shoes (Stephanie is another of our blind girls) and Phoebe put them on her. She even buckled them! Makes me ashamed to think of the times I have quit trying to learn something new just because it seemed too difficult.

She's counting and writing and I'm pretty sure she is already amazing her teachers.

One other really cool Phoebe story has to do with her new-found love for Oreo cookies. We gave her an Oreo the other day and she surprised us all by immediately twisting the top off and licking the icing before eating the cookie! How in the world did she know to do that?!

I came here to pour out to them, but I've found that I have so much to learn from these incredible kids. What they give me in return is beyond measure.

Pringles lover... that's my boy!

2010-06-30T17:04:00.001-07:00

Andrew walked and walked today with the little push toy. This time he walked for almost 30 minutes back and forth. But there was just one catch - kind of like tricking a kid into taking really yucky tasting medicine by adding a sweet candy flavor to it.

He will do almost anything for Pringles!

I had remembered how much he loved them when I had him with me in Hyderabad last January, and I took some with me to share with him today. Before pulling out the can, he had been crying and throwing a fit over being made to walk in his physical therapy session. Once I pulled out the chips, everything changed. He was suddenly determined to get from point "A" to point "B" to get to his chips!

The funny thing was, he had quite the scowl on his sweet face. Oh boy was he mad that he was having to walk for his chips! Brent came in to observe and Andrew was pushing him away and it was like a race to reach the Pringles can! His legs are getting stronger and he's finally recovering from his sickness and rash from the severe heat. I just know he will be walking on his own soon.

That's my boy!

Would you ever lick an eyeball?

2010-06-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

There's a story behind that question. My answer is, ummmm. NO! I would NEVER lick an eyeball. Not in a car, not on a train, not in a tree or on a plane. I would not lick one here or there, I would not lick an eyeball anywhere!

Can't wait to tell you that story. But, I am going to let Theresa share it first since it was her eyeball that got licked today. I promise to fill you in later!

We had an awesome time of prayer and worship this morning before heading out to Victory Home. Really, there is no better way to start and end a day. For me, it sets the mood for the whole day. God especially touched me this morning, and I spent the day with a song of praise in my heart and on my lips.

Today, I took Promise to the hospital and to a diagnostic center for a tummy scan. If you have been a reader for a while, you already know Promise. For those of you who don't, well she's a beautiful little girl at Sarah's. She's around 10 and she is blind. Promise has a lot of serious medical issues but we are believing for God's touch to manifest healing in her body! While we waited, I sang to her and she and I laughed and laughed. We had the best time! All the people around us were watching me and Promise. I sang "Look what the Lord has Done" and she clapped and laughed and I took her hands and we waved our hands in the air to the chorus as we were surrounded by Hindus and publicly praised the name of Jesus. Her joy was infectious. I love to see her smile! Isn't she beautiful?

This evening, I returned to Victory Home thinking that I would be taking care of some medical things but instead, I ended up holding Glory for quite a long time. Glory is such a sweetheart. She really never demands attention from anyone. She is not verbal so she is pretty quiet and often hangs back from others. When I saw her come to the doorway of the nurses room, my heart leaped! I thought that was strange. I DO love her of course, but because she is so quiet and doesn't act needy, I haven't spent a lot of time with just her. I felt strongly that I just wanted to hold her so I called her to me and she pretty much just melted into my arms. Glory is a big girl but very much like a little girl inside. As I started to sing to her, she just smiled and closed her eyes with a big smile on her face. At that moment, I prayed that God would let her know how special she is to Him. I prayed that she would feel like she was the only child at Victory for that moment. I prayed that the love of Jesus would flow from me into her and that she would just be full of God's peace. I wanted to cry thinking of how intensely God loves her. How intensely He loves all the children and how intensely He loves you and me. Too deep to fully comprehend.

This is our Glory...

I looked around me today and tried to think of all the miracles I've seen just in the time since I first met the kids last January. I realized, there are too many to count! So many children walking, talking, crawling, pulling up, sitting up. So many children smiling after never having smiled before. So much joy and laughter and life. God's power - the power of love - it's amazing.

And here's another great picture from Rebekah. I call it "mmmm.yummy! Dinah tastes like chocolate sauce!"

Done with Hyderabad doctor visits - now on the road again

2010-06-24T05:51:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been spent in Hyderabad taking children to different specialty medical appointments.

Sarah took Stacey to a neurologist and found out that she will need surgery to remove a cyst on the top of her head. I will return with her in 2 weeks for her surgery. Please be praying for her as there are risks involved. However, the risk we take in not removing it is an even greater risk to her health.

Our precious Noah, had surgery one eye to remove a lens that had previously been surgically placed but had slipped to the back of his eye. Noah is one of the happiest little boys. He is such a joy to be around! After his surgery, the doctor put a patch over his eye and told us to make sure he didn't touch it or pull on it. Ummm. Right. Active and funny Noah thought it was a great game to play as he would reach to his eye and we would tell him "no" and he would giggle and do it all over again! The day after surgery, his patch was removed and the doctor gave us glasses for him to wear and told us to keep them on him until his follow up visit in 2 weeks. The problem is, the glasses they gave us were HUGE on his little head and there was no way they would stay on him! When I went to pick up Alesa's glasses at the Optical shop, I bought him a pair of child sun glasses with a strap to keep them on his head. I hope that works. We have 2 weeks and have to keep his eyes clean and protected. My camera battery was dead in Hyderabad and I had left the charger in Ongole but now that I'm back in town, I have to get you a picture of Noah sporting his "cool man" look in his sunglasses!

I took Phoebe to a Cornial Implant Specialist to find out whether or not there was any chance she could be a candidate for surgery. We found out that she is not. She does not have any reaction to light and her eye also does not react to the pressure test. I know that Phoebe is incredibly smart and will excel in whatever she does in life. I was just in hopes that she might be able to have surgery to give her at least a little vision. I'm glad she has started attending a private school for the blind. I am sure she will amaze them all.

We took Hannah to get her braces. She is beautiful! She was so excited to get them and smiled so big all day. I will also get a Hannah pic for you.

Rebekah went with Sarah to have Alesa's shunt checked out. The doctor said it looked good and that she has several years of growth left on it. Praise God! She got an eye exam and we found out that her eyesight is very poor. We took her to get her glasses and boy is she cute! Again, that will have to be a future pic. I will just go back and add them in and repost this when I get pics. Rebekah is a really TALENTED photographer so I'll let her capture those pictures for you.

Rebekah and I took Jason to Audiology for a hearing test. Sigh. Awe Jason. He's just the sweetest boy. Always full of smiles and just seems to be so bright but he doesn't talk. He will repeat words with the sound of a child who is hearing deficient. The hearing tests showed that he has a portion of his inner ear that is damaged and has caused a "mild" hearing loss. The tests showed that he can hear, but the doctor said he felt that Jason would benefit from a hearing aid. Just as I was getting the details on where to go to get the hearing aid, the doctor took a phone call. He was talking to someone about Jason. When he hung up the phone, he said "this boy is mentally retarded and needs a psychological exam". He will not benefit from a hearing aid". WHAT?! One second ago you were on a totally different track and now you want to write him off!!! Well, forget that Dr. we are going to take Jason to another Audiologist for a second opinion on the test results we already have. We are certainly not going to write him off. I believe he has significant speech delay but I also believe he has tons of potential and that he CAN learn and will talk.

Last night we were packing to head back to Ongole and our driver came by to set a time for us to leave in the morning. He said "4 O'Clock sister?". I said (or kinda yelled)"4 o'clock!!! No way!" He probably thinks I am a crazy American woman. He laughed at me and I told him we would rather leave when the sun comes up. Hehe. 4 am. Crazy! Rebekah and Laurel and I crawled down the steps with one eye open at 5am, grateful we were heading back to all the kids. Me - I was even more grateful we weren't on another bus!

(Pictures in this post were all taken by Sarah - aren't they great!?)

The bus ride that never ends

2010-06-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

You know that annoying song by that little lamb puppet? The song that never ends? It goes on and on my friends... That song was stuck in my head as I bumped down the road to Hyderabad the other night with 3 kiddos to take to specialty doctors. For me it went, "this is the ride that never ends..." It was not a good bus ride. Actually, "not good" isn't strong enough. It was horrible.

I had a hard time deciding to get on the bus because I had been really sick all afternoon and no kidding, by the time I got on the bus my stomach was so torn up and cramping that I felt like I was having back labor!

So this is how the horrible, no good, very bad bus ride began.

When we got on the bus, we found seats where Laurel, Rebekah and I could sit together with the kids, but we were moved all around by the driver and I ended up in the back with two of the kids. Right away, the man in front of me put his seat back and I'm not kidding - it went back so far his head was almost in my lap! Then, I found out that my seat would not go back. It was broken. At 5'8, I am not a short person. With his seat all the way over me, my legs were totally trapped in a position where they could not move. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the kids. They quickly snuggled down and started to fall asleep.

A few minutes after leaving, the bus driver decided to stop and pick up a rider from the side of the road. The bus was full with not one extra seat available. The driver came to the back of the bus and proceeded to wake Jason and tell him to get up and sit on the floor so that the man could sit down!!! I said NO WAY! I said "that is HIS seat and it has been paid for!" I pulled out my tickets and showed the driver and I told him that the man would have to sit somewhere else. Later, I found out that it is culturally expected that children would give up their seat for an adult. Well, I don't care. I was not going to sit Jason on the floor for 8 hours so that a man who didn't even buy a legitimate ticket could sit in his seat!

We were on the road again for about five more minutes when the pain in my stomach and back started to cramp up again. While praying silently,the man in front of me started to stretch and he ended up throwing his hand over his head. His hand ended up about 3 inches from my chest! I tried moving his arm but he was snoring and wouldn't wake up. Not good since the bus would frequently lurch forward and back. The lady next to him had opened her window all the way because there was no AC on the bus and as we got off the highway and on to the rougher roads, I was suddenly being blasted by dirt flying in the window into my face and eyes. I tried to put my Chuni (Indian scarf) over my face but it was blowing all over and it was very thin and wasn't working. I kept my eyes closed and after a while, my lips were so dry that I tried to moisten them and ended up crunching sand in my teeth!

Alisa laid over on me as best she could with the man's head almost in my lap and I guess my water bottle was poking her because she grabbed it and threw it to the floor! I couldn't move so I tried to use my feet to bring it up but my feet weren't moving much either and I was trying to move sideways to reach it. It was my only water for an 8 hour ride with sand in my face and mouth! I did NOT want to let it go.

I figured out that I could move my right leg to the side to stretch it a little in the aisle. It felt so good until I realized a man had lain across the floor in the aisle and it put my shoe right in his face. I really had to get the feeling back in my toes so I just prayed he wouldn't wake up and I stretched the best I could. Foot in his face and all.

Just when the pain started to recede and I felt like I was finally relaxing enough to fall asleep, BANG! I thought we might have hit a water buffalo or something in the road. No, we hit another bus. The driver had tried to pass another bus without having enough room to get back over when a bus in the other lane was coming straight for us. So he got over anyway and hit the bus in front of us. As we were stopped, bugs were coming in the windows and I felt the mosquitos biting at my legs. Legs I couldn't reach.

We went down the road a little way and the driver stopped again so that he could get out and smoke. The man laying in the aisle on the floor got up and went to his seat and the woman across from me sat in the aisle so that her baby could stretch across the seat. She put her head over on my armrest and because we were stopped in the light, I could see the lice crawling around in her head! Suddenly I was mentally feeling like I was itching all over. Probably mental but still. I was thinking "if this wasn't so miserable it might be funny!"

Many stops and 8 hours later, we finally reached our destination in Hyderabad. Something didn't seem right. It did not seem like a bus stop but the driver insisted it was Ameerpet. We got out and went to the back of the bus to retrieve our luggage and the driver insisted I pay him 100 rupees for storing our luggage under the bus! No way. That did not seem right so I called T and asked her if this was normal and she said no. He thought he could scam us American's out of some money and he was not happy when I moved our luggage to the nearby wall and told him to go and refused to pay him.

We soon realized that the wall I had moved the luggage to was used for people to go to the bathroom.

Yeah.

When the bus drove away, I looked around and saw that our driver was not there to pick us up and I called him. He said "I am here sister at the bus stop. I have been here since 5:30 am." I looked around again and realized we had been dropped off in the wrong spot! I gave my phone to a rickshaw driver sitting nearby and asked him to tell our driver where we were out. Thankfully, he was just down the street and he arrived quickly.

Filthy and exhausted we piled into the car. One of the children we brought - Phoebe - snuggled up in my arms and fell asleep. I kissed her cheeks and thought "ok little one. Getting you to the doctor is worth every moment of that horrible, no good, very bad bus trip".

This and that

2010-06-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

I am loving the great Indian food here! I just can't find Indian food this spicy and authentic in America. It usually consists of rice and some kind of curry, sometimes mixed in with beans. I will miss it when I have to go back to the states.

The other day, Laurel, Rebekah and I found the coolest vegetable market. It was HUGE! We were all disappointed that none of us thought to take our cameras to buy vegetables because the market was beautiful. It captured our senses. The leafy veggies smelled strong and wonderful, the colors of the veggetables mixed with the colors on the clothes of the many people shopping, the cows and pigs roaming around in the midst of the crowds, the sellers shouting out to gain the attention of shoppers, it was a perfect photo moment. This isn't my photo, I got it off the internet but imagine this on a much larger scale...

As I'm writing this, I am sitting in Theresa's SCH guest apartment, preparing for the day ahead. I have my huge cup of (instant) coffee and am trying to prioritize the things I need to get done before heading to Hyderabad with Sarah to take a couple of children for specialty doctor appointments. Visiting Shalene again is on the top of my list. She is doing much better, but still not ready to be released from the hospital. Praise God, she has been smiling and laughing and trying to talk! I am so thankful that God has touched her and thankful to you all for your prayers.

I have a new issue with Andrew. After taking him to the doctor the other day, he started to associate me as the lady who covers him and kisses and then takes him somewhere to be poked with needles! He smiles and laughs and soaks up my attention as long as I don't try to carry him out of the room he's in. As soon as I get anywhere near a door with him, he starts to cry. Poor baby. We found out that his distended abdomen is a result of rickets causing his rib cage to be misshaped from the many years of neglect and malnutrition when he was in government care. We also found out that it is likely he has TB. It makes me so sad to think about how much these children have to fight to get healthy, to reverse the years of neglect. Thank God they are with us now!

Yesterday, the kids were all being so cute. April curled up in my arms and laid there for the longest time with a big smile on her face as I rocked her and sang to her. She did the funniest thing. I kept kissing her and when I would stop kissing her for any amount of time, she would start patting her cheek, asking for another kiss and when I would oblige her, she would break out in a big grin. Prayer and love has brought her so far. I look forward to seeing her continue to flourish!

Here is another little girl who has me wrapped around her finger. She and Aloe are so cute in the picture. Her blog name is Jamie. She has quite a strong will and very strong personality. I have been working with her on walking and she totally has the ability but it makes her MAD. Very MAD. In fact, I would say it infuriates her when I try to make her walk! Hehe. She throws the biggest tantrum and screams loud enough for the entire village to hear her. When we are done walking, she melts into my arms and soaks up the love.

This next picture is of two of our blind girls and one partially blind girl all dressed up to go to their first day of school. Unfortunately, we found out that the school was not opening that day as planned and they were all dressed up with nowhere to go. We decided to stop off on the side of the road and I bought them a sprite and a snack. They loved it. Aren't they adorable?

Have you ever seen a MIRACLE?

2010-06-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

I have. I see 63 of them every time I walk through the gates at Victory Home. These precious souls once tossed aside, living on mats on the floor in dark rooms, never knowing the touch of love, a soft kiss goodnight, or the comfort of arms to hold them when they are sick, sad, or afraid. They are all miracles and fighters. What strength it must have taken them to be able to endure just breathing until their rescue came!

I wish that you could meet them all in person because it's really impossible for you to see the big picture through the screen on a blog.

We had visitors come to the home today. As always, they were immediately head over heels with the kids! Rebekah, Laurel, and I went to the home a little early to help get the kids dressed and ready for the visitors to come play with them. Everyone seemed to really be feeling good and they all just looked so cute and happy. Even April smiled while she sat in my lap for what seemed like almost an hour with her little arm wrapped around mine and then she fell asleep. Laurel took a picture of me and April. I haven't seen it yet, but if I don't look too goofy, I'll post it later :-)

When we went to the boys room with the visitors, I held Nicky and he was so funny! He sat up in my lap and laughed and swatted his arms and seemed to be trying so hard to talk. He looked very handsome in a bright orange shirt with a green dinosaur on it and matching green shorts. I've decided orange is his color! I didn't get a picture of him today because I was so busy running back and forth all morning that I forgot to pick up my camera.

Justin was his usual charming self and he smiled and batted his beautiful eyelashes at everyone. Sugnanama had dressed Cassia up in a BRIGHT pink flowered headband with a bridal type veil attached to it! She loves her assigned children so much and takes such pride in showing them to visitors!

Even our girls who usually have a very difficult time controlling their emotions and reactions, did really well sitting and playing alongside others. I was very proud of them!

Around noon, I took Rebekah and Laurel with me to go to the hospital to check on Shalene. She is really not doing good. Please continue to pray for her. She has MRSA and we are afraid she may also have Septicemia. I asked the doctor to go ahead and put in the nasal gastric tube so that she can receive nutrition that way since she isn't eating. Sarah had called the doctor the night before and thankfully he agreed to try a medication that we have seen work well for others with MRSA in the past. How I want to see her open her eyes and begin to talk to me again in her soft low voice. We need a miracle for her. I'm so thankful that my GOD is in the miracle business!

We returned to Victory home after visiting Shalene and worked on walking with some of our kiddos who are almost ready but just need some time and strengthening of muscles. One of the Ayah's came to me and was trying to explain something to me about 6 of our older girls. She kept making the motion as if she was rubbing around her chest and it seemed like she was telling me that some of her girls have a rash on their chest. I asked one of the other Telegu speaking ladies who also speaks some English if she was telling me that the girls have a rash. She said "yes sister, they have a rash". So, I went to the nurses room and got Calamine lotion and gave it to the Ayah. I showed her with my hand, telling her to rub it on the girl's chest. One of the nurses spoke up and said "no, sister, she says she needs BRA's for the girls! Hehe. Guess she must have thought I was crazy giving her calamine lotion when she was asking for bras!

I will leave you with some photos of our little miracle kids...

Back to school shopping!

2010-06-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

Several of our children start school on Monday. Yesterday, Rebekah, Laurel, and I spent the day shopping for shoes for the kids. All of the children are required to have a black and a white pair of dress shoes. Trust me, shopping for shoes for 17 children in India is not a small task!

We left Victory Home with our first three children - Genevieve, Brent, and Ester a.k.a. Tinkerbell. All six of us piled into the back seat of a Rickshaw, telling the driver to head toward an area where there are a few shoe stalls within walking distance of each other. As we were bumping along, dodging the goats and skinny chickens, our seat began to slide backwards and we could see that it was not even attached to anything on the rickshaw! Thankfully, we made it safely to the shoe stalls and 3 stalls later, had found the shoes we needed for one of the children - yep. Just one. Without boring you with all the details, lets just say that getting the shoes for all the children in one day took us literally ALL day long. At the end of the day, we hopped in another rickshaw with a ton of bags of shoes in our hands and we were a sight! Three American women in the back of this rickshaw with so many bags of shoes we could hardly see out, and as if that wasn't drawing enough stares, our rickshaw started to backfire over and over again, sounding as if we were shooting at people! So far, our most hilarious moments have been spent riding in the back of a rickshaw!

Check out all the bags of shoes...

No, we didn't buy Genevieve these pink hi-tops but oh my goodness, isn't she adorable in them?

And here is Laurel helping this little pumpkin (who doesn't yet have a blog name) try on her shoes.

The kids were all so excited to be getting shoes! They were so proud and we can't wait to see them all dressed up in their uniforms with their new shoes and knee socks. I promise to share pictures when the uniforms arrive.

Theresa brought our next 4 children over and we took a break for lunch. It was a fun experience for the girls to eat out at a restaurant. Phoebe sat next to me. I have to tell you about Phoebe. She simply AMAZES me. She is fully blind and seriously one of the brightest children I have ever known. Sarah recently shared a video on her blog of Phoebe making her bed. She felt around the edges of the sheet to see which side was the side to put up and turned it over to put it on the bed right side up. Now, this wouldn't be so amazing if it weren't for the fact that nobody has ever shown her HOW to do this! When we sat down to eat yesterday, I filled her water cup and told her in Telegu that it was good drinking water. She perfectly repeated what I said and then when I told her in English, she repeated that too! While we waited, she felt everything she could get her hands on, repeating the words for what she was feeling and then telling me what they were again when I asked her later.

In India, spoons are not typically used and our children eat with their right hand as is customary; but when her food came, Phoebe sat up like a little lady and ate with a spoon like a pro! Phoebe took her spook used it to situate her food where she wanted it. She ate without dropping any food in her lap or on the floor! Seriously. Won't it be fun to watch her continue to grow and astound us with her abilities over the next several years of her life?

So what's on for today? Shalene is back in the hospital here in Ongole and isn't doing well. Barnabus is also in that hospital and I am heading over there to check on them and pray for them. Sarah is in Hyderabad at ICM's Covenant School of Worship and is taking a couple of children to the hospital there for evaluations and treatment. Theresa, Laurel, and Rebekah are heading over to Victory Home to take care of some last minute school preparations for the kids. I'll try to get on and update you on Shalene and Barnabus as soon as I return. God is good. Believing Him for miracles!

Middle of the night post.

2010-06-09T16:21:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned the issue of TIME in India? How it seriously takes two or three times longer than it would to accomplish the same task in America? Take shopping, for example. Yesterday we went shopping for bed sheets for the kids and material for pajamas for the kids and it took us ALL DAY LONG to get 22 sheets and material! It was exhausting. On the way home I bought hair clippers to cool the boys off by cutting their hair. Today, Rebekah and Laurel got to work on their hair. Four hours after they started, only four boys had their hair cut - and boy did the girls work hard on it! It seems like everything we do is a monumental task with a multitude of obstacles along the way. I think I'm used to it because it doesn't frustrate me like it did when I first came, and it sure gives me an even greater respect for the people who live here and who press on through these and even greater challenges 365 days a year.

The other morning I was sitting out on the balcony praying. I saw an elderly woman on the street below. She was completely bent over, hobbling slowly along in her worn pink Sari and leaning heavily on her old, bent cane. I felt the Lord impress on my heart to go down and pray for her. I called Sarah and asked if she would come translate and asked Laurel and Rebekah if they wanted to come. I prayed inwardly as we worked our way to her, asking God (besides her obvious needs) what it was He wanted me to pray for. By the time we reached her, she had stopped to sit on the rocks beside this little shop and was talking to this other elderly woman pictured here.

When Sarah explained why we were there, the woman looked up at us and her sweet old face wore a big beautiful smile. Her eyes blinked back tears as she told us the story about when she was a little girl and missionaries came to her village and told her about Jesus. She told us that she used to worship Jesus and pray to Him. It seemed the difficulties of life had really worn her down and caused her to forget about her relationship with the one true God who loves her and gave Himself for her. We listened to her stories and then I prayed for her. I prayed for her to remember that there is one God, Jesus who loves her so much that He even sent us down to remind her about His love for her. When we were leaving, she was so thankful. She told us that her heart was full and she thanked us again and again. It was such a sweet moment.

And back to the kiddos. You haven't heard me talk about my sweet Andrew yet and I don't have any pictures right now because he's been really sick. Please pray for him. The doctor believes he may have TB. Sarah and I are taking him back to the doctor this morning. He also has a very severe heat rash with cyst-like lumps all over his face and neck and body. The heat has been even harsher on the children who just came in December and were in very bad health when they came. Even though they had started to really progress with Sarah's nurture and consistent flow of Pediasure, they weren't totally healed from the many years of neglect and malnutrition. We are working hard to keep them hydrated and filled with Pediasure. Please pray for all of the kids!

On a positive note, Andrew is taking a few steps on the walker! So is Tinkerbell (sorry, I don't know her blog name and Leslie calls her Tinkerbell. She's pictured here...

Isn't she ADORABLE!!!?

And this is Nolan. Oh my goodness ya'll... he is the sweetest little cuddle bug ever! I remember when I was here Jan - March, holding him and playing with him and how cuddly he was but now, he's really gotten used to all that love and attention and he knows how to turn on the charm! Nolan is also taking some steps on the walker, but his legs are still weak and will need to be stronger before he can really start walking on his own. We will keep working with him to get him stronger.

Well, the power is about to go out. They turn it off daily for 2 hrs. at the same time every day. Even though I have lots more to tell, I'm going to have to sign off. That's ok though, Cassia's big yawn says she is BORED with my post already!

The pictures on this post were taken by the amazing Rebakah! Thank you Rebekah for letting me use your pics!

Surely there are snow cones in heaven!?

2010-06-07T04:24:00.000-07:00

Our Jaron died yesterday. He was one of Sarah's beautiful boys who came to her in December, so terribly neglected and malnourished. When God brought him to Sarah, He gave him more than just love, He gave Jaron a mother and a place to belong. Sarah loved him so much that she gave him the special name she had reserved to give to her own son. Watching her hold him in her arms and say goodbye is something that I will never forget.

Jaron was an extra special little boy and I thank God for the days we got to spend with him. I will miss laying next to him and talking to him about everything from baseball to snow cones. I am sure he understood me and that he has probably already asked Jesus for a cherry snow cone! Surely there are snow cones in heaven!?

Goodbye sweet Jaron. I will miss walking into the room and calling your name and seeing you turn your head toward me and give me your beautiful smile. When I get to heaven we will have a snow cone together ok? I love you.

Walk this way....

2010-06-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

What a great day! It started cooler than yesterday and remained in the 90's all day. That was such a nice reprieve from the sweltering heat. Rebekah brought some flower barrettes that she and her sister made and she and Laurel put them in all the girl's hair. The girls felt and looked so pretty! I will see if Rebekah minds sharing some of her pictures on here.

I spent part of the day going from room to room to make sure that the Ayah's (nannies) were using their water bottles and maintaining their "Huggie Stations". This was a part of the training that Theresa did yesterday. Oh. On that note... while Theresa was doing "Huggie Training", she needed a child with a dirty diaper so that she could change it while showing them how it should be done. I went ALL over the home looking for a child in a dirty diaper and you know what??? I couldn't find one!!! I mean really, what are the odds in a home of 62 kids that I would not be able to find ONE dirty diaper? I thought that was pretty great and took the time to tell the Ayah's what a great job they were doing at keeping the kids changed.

I also spent the day taking one pre-walking child at a time to the office and I worked with them on standing and walking with the new child walker we have. (Thank you Lori!) I had my hands full with the kids so I didn't get a picture but it was so encouraging! I already told you about Zoe - she started walking before I came back. Oh man is she ever cute! She's so proud of her self. Andrew stood for a long time today while holding on to the walker. He walked a little while I moved the walker along. I know he will be walking soon!

Ginger, what a doll! She started taking steps on the walker yesterday!

And Nolan, he's so proud of himself! He stood for a long time while holding on to the walker! He has a hard time un-clenching his hands to be able to grasp the handles but he laughed and smiled when I stood him up on it. I call Nolan my little cuddle bug. When I pick him up, he just wraps himself around me and it's just the cutest thing.

So many to tell you about, so little time with such a slow connection. I hope to be able to share more tomorrow!

I leave you with a prayer request. We have a water shortage. I'm not sure what's going on or why - maybe the clean water supply was affected by the Cyclone? Anyway, the shortage means that we can only fill up small buckets at a time and keep them filled for water to use for bathing and cleaning. The result is that we haven't been able to keep the floors and home as clean as usual and the kids are getting less baths. We need water! It's a good thing we don't rely on that water for drinking. Thank God, we do have plenty of drinking water for the kids. Please pray that the water supply is replenished soon.

OK. I was trying to update photos to add to my post but blogger/India internet won't let me. I'll try again later and go ahead and post this now. Love you all!

I'm Diving In!

2010-06-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Sorry it took a few days to get the internet connected. We made it here with no problems. Remember I mentioned that two young girls were going with me to volunteer? They are Laurel and Rebekah. They are staying here until July 13, so I will get to have them with me for the first month and a half of my time here. You will probably hear me talk about them as I write our experiences here in Ongole. They are both just awesome young ladies who love the Lord and already love our SCH kids! Of course, that's no surprise since they're so easy to love :-)

I'm diving in and so far, things are going great. Except for the heat. WOw. It's Hot. In fact, don't expect any pictures from me until this massive heat wave subsides because we are keeping the kids stripped down to their diapers. It's just too hot for the younger ones to wear clothes. It's so hot the kids don't want to eat and we are having to fill ketchup bottles with water and Pediasure and are making the rounds all day long just working to keep the kids hydrated. Many of the kids have heat rashes and we are working hard to keep them cooled with water and fans. That is... when the electricity is working! So yes, we need lots of prayer right now. The heat is affecting everything.

It has been wonderful to be back here. I am in heaven getting to hug and kiss and play and care for the kids! I wish I had time to post details but I'm sorry, the power is out again and my computer battery is low, so I am going to try to get some sleep. Thank you everyone for your prayers! I'll be in touch as soon as possible.

Last Post in the USA!

2010-05-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Today has been wonderful! God totally blessed me with His presence this morning and He confirmed some things that He has been showing me. I am so encouraged and grateful!

In less than 24 hours, I will be on a plane bound for India. I will miss my kids and grand kids; but at the same time, I'm so excited to get back there. Can't wait to get my arms around the kids again! It reminds me of when my son was little and he would be so eager for Christmas morning to come that he couldn't sleep the night before. When I go to India, there is a part of me that I leave behind here with my kids and grand babies,like a hole in my heart. I felt the same way when I came back to the states after leaving India in March. A part of myself, a piece of my heart stayed behind with the kids there. Yep. I'm in love!

One thing I am really looking forward to is seeing Zoe walk! She was walking with assistance when I was there in Jan-March but she's now started walking on her own! Isn't she adorable!?

Zoe is probably 5 or 6 years old. She has the sweetest personality. Zoe came to Sarah in December. She was pretty sick and weak. She was one of the children we took to Hyderabad in January, to be evaluated at the hospital so I got to spend a little one on one time with her. She's not yet verbal but she is such a tease! One day when we were riding home from the hospital, she would wait until it was really quiet in the car and then belt out a sudden scream at the top of her lungs! Of course, Sarah and I would jump out of our skin. Zoe would crack up laughing at our reaction. Haha. Such a funny little sweetheart.

Since there is no way I can individually focus on every child, God has put certain children on my heart to focus on. While I certainly have a strong connection with specific children who for one reason or another have deeply touched me, I can't say I have a "favorite" child. You would have to meet them and see for yourself that they are all so unique and wonderful. Of course you know I can hardly wait to get my arms around Andrew! Yes, our connection is super strong. I am confident that he will learn to walk this summer! I'm looking forward to taking him and Brent and Meghan to the beach :) And of course my Shalene. I have to take her and Meghan for ice cream!

There is so much to do. When I arrive, Theresa, Sarah, and I will sit down and make a list of the things we want to accomplish this summer. We will have teams and volunteers coming throughout the summer and it will be busy. We should be able to accomplish a lot!

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me or pledged to help me go back to work with Sarah's precious children. I'm forever grateful.

Ok. Going to repack for the ?????th time. My next post will be from Ongole!

Call me MORTICIA!

2010-05-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Have you ever bought hair dye over the counter? You know how on the back of the box, there is a picture that shows what color your hair will be after your application? Well, I decided to follow my daughter's advice and go darker brown. The brown I recently did was still pretty light. So, I bought the dye that showed the color my hair is now and the color I wanted it to be.

My hair is now supposed to be "Soft Dark Brown". Instead I look like I should be starring in the Night of the Living Dead!

Yeah. I know. My every time he sees me, my son now hums the Adams family song (finger snaps and all). Do you think I will scare the kids? Scared myself when I saw it! If there weren't such serious, real-life issues going on in the world, I might be really upset. I'm not happy, but hey... it's just hair. It'll grow!

On another note... like my nose stud? I pierced it myself a couple of months ago. Apple, needle, rubbing alcohol, stud earring that has lost it's mate, and viola!

Being the hands and feet

2010-05-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I told you all about the Cyclone that hit Ongole and Andhra Predesh. I told you about Sarah's husband James and his ministry, India Christian Ministries (ICM) - preparing to reach out to help those who are left homeless and hungry as a result of this disaster.

If you are one of the ones who gave toward this relief effort, here are a few pictures to show how you helped to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those most in need. The first few are photos of one of the affected villages and the last few are of the ICM teeam distributing blankets and food.

God bless you for giving!

Can I be real?

2010-05-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

As the time draws closer to return to India ... a week from today, I am experiencing such a mixture of emotions. Of course I am excited and totally cannot wait to get my hands on the kids again but I am really struggling with what I guess I would call self doubt. So I am getting very real here with you to ask for your prayer support because I need it so much - both now and while I'm there.

I need to be spending more time on my face before God and in His word. Yes, that's where I'm headed and I do expect to be encouraged in His presence. I have had this awful nagging doubt that just keeps swirling around in my head. NOT doubt that I should be going, NOT doubt that God has called and provided. Just doubt that I can really be a blessing there. Can I really make a difference? I'm not gifted in teaching. I'm gifted in loving. Is that even a gift? I don't have any special training to work with special needs kids but I am doing all the reading and researching I can. I don't understand why I struggle with this so much, especially since I know that God would never call me there for no reason! The kids are just so incredible, so wonderful and they deserve the best.

Maybe its this... people have donated to help me to go do this work. I just want with all my heart for the money that has been donated to be abundantly multiplied back to the ministry of Sarah's Covenant Homes in what I do when I am there. Maybe this is just an attack? Honestly, I have been struggling with depression and keeping my focus on my kids and grand kids and on SCH has helped me press on. I am beginning to see that I have had this idea in my head of what a missionary is supposed to be, how they think, what they feel, etc. I thought if I felt depressed then how could God use me? If I have struggles in my life then am I really the one God would want to use? Wouldn't God rather send someone who has it all together? I do love God with all my heart but I wouldn't consider myself a spiritual powerhouse. I pray but my gifting isn't prayer and intercession.

I am reading a book by Elisabeth Elliot called "A Chance to Die". It's the story of Amy Charmichael - missionary to India in the late 1800's. I just read something that grabbed hold of my heart. The passage was about how Amy's friends back home did not really believe God had called her to missions. She had gone through some hard times and she worried that her friends would think that meant she had surely not correctly heard God's voice calling her to missions. Amy even said "oh just awfully the devil came with doubts and fears!". But the thing that struck me is that she went through those struggles, she did NOT give up or give in to them! The author said that when Amy later looked back on those difficult years, she could only see the faithfulness of God. Amy spent her entire adult life on the mission field and touched more lives than can be counted.

So,I have set my mind - if all I can do is love, I will do it with all my heart. The love of Christ is in me. I guess if God said that the greatest commandment is to Love God with all your heart and soul and to love your neighbor, then love isn't a small gift in God's eyes. So, I tell myself right now ... stop comparing yourself to others! You are not living to please man but to please God! Stop doubting that God who has called you will be faithful to complete the good work He started!

The Aftermath of Laila

2010-05-21T00:09:00.000-07:00

At this time, we still have not heard about our children in Angel Home, our home on the coast at the Bay of Bengal. The news is reporting Cyclone Laila to be the worst Cyclone to hit Andhra Pradesh since 1977 in which 10,000 people died. So far, casualty reports from the aftermath of Laila are just coming in.

I got these pictures from Nikki who is volunteering in Ongole this month. Thank God we have a handful of great volunteers there right now!

While we wait for the reports of casualties from this horrible storm, here is what we know so far about the aftermath of Laila:

~ Hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless. Without food, clothes, medicine, or even a dry place to rest. Imagine being unable to even get dry!

~ Possibly most important, crops all over Andhra Pradesh have been completely destroyed, cutting off the major source of food supply for the state.

~ Flood waters breed disease. In a land where most people are too poor to get adequate health care, this is a very real concern.

~ Flood waters also draw mosquitoes. Prior to the storm, disease carrying mosquitoes were already a big problem in Andhra Pradesh.

Yes, prayer is a HUGE need. But as I said before, we can also help India Christian Ministries to reach out to those who are devastated by this storm by providing food, blankets, clothing, and medical supplies. While we can give through the paypal address I previously posted, I received information from an ICM volunteer that the best way to give is through direct wire deposit to ICM's account. Here is how you can do that:

Pacific Western National Bank
ABA Number 122238200

India Christian Ministries
Account Number 30204611

Dana Point Office, Branch #30
34180 Pacific Coast Highway
Dana Point, CA 92629
Tel: (949) 661 4100

Matthew 25:34-45

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

Update on the CYCLONE that hit ONGOLE

2010-05-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

I just heard from James, Sarah's husband. He told me that the needs are so desperate. As soon as the waters start to recede, they are going to start relief efforts to the people most affected.

To give them a blanket it will cost $10. A 25 Kilogram bag of rice will cost $20, and a 5 Kilogram bag of lentils will cost $20. I know that there are 1,000 families affected in the surrounding areas of our Victory Home ALONE.

Please don't just read this and pray. We do need your prayers but we need to get food and blankets to the people and together we can do this! Please give to ICM to help the people most devastated by this cyclone. Please. We are so blessed here in the states. We may all struggle financially, I know that I do - but everyone I know can give something. We have a roof over our head, we have food to eat, we are blessed. We can help save lives. Please help as you can!

We can get financial help to ICM through India's Hope Via Paypal at: ihope@mtintouch.net

or Via Check sent to

INDIA’S HOPE
Checks made out to
“India’s Hope” mailed to:
India’s Hope
PO Box 368
Chinook, MT 59523 USA

Our God is GREAT! He is a God of MORE than enough. Anything you give will be multiplied back to you - this is God's promise!

Cyclone hit Ongole!!! DEVASTATION. PLEASE PRAY!!!

2010-05-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

The BBC news is reporting Cyclone Laila is "the worst storm to hit the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in 14 years" and has been classified as "severe".

Remember when I talked about driving to the airport and seeing the little hut homes side by side in all the little villages along the way? I kept thinking about how difficult it must be for these people during monsoon season when the rains come in torrential downpours. Cyclone Laila is worse than any monsoon rain. It has hit Ongole, Tamil Nadu and surrounding areas of Andhra Pradesh, all the way to the coastal areas by the Bay of Bengal where our Angel Home is located.

This prayer request is urgent! Really people, please don't read this and not pass it on. People are in dire need and at this moment, we can't reach our Angel Home and don't even know if the staff and children are safe. They don't have a second floor to go to for safety in the flooding. Our Victory Home has the bottom floor underwater and all of the children and staff are waiting out the storm on the second floor, along with villagers who live in the huts surrounding the home.

One of the current visitors to SCH reported that they tried to reach Victory Home but could not because of the floods and trees down everywhere. She reported seeing families walking in chest deep water carrying their children, I'm sure they are trying to just get to safety but with the whole town flooded, this is not an easy task. Thousands upon thousands of people are now homeless and have lost everything. In a land of great poverty, it's just devastation.

I can't imagine what it would be like to be homeless with children just wandering around in flooded waters, hungry, and cold. What a nightmare. We can get relief to them! Sarah's husband James runs India Christian Ministries and he has a connection of 2,200 churches in the state of Andhra Pradesh. As the waters recede, they will distribute food, blankets, and clothing to the people and help to establish temporary shelter for them. But they can't do it without our help. If you have a roof over your head and food in your pantry, if you know your children will have a dry place to sleep tonight, please give to help those who don't. Please contact your friends, your family members, your churches, schools, etc. Please rally them to give to India Christian Ministries to help them reach out and bring relief to the people so devastated by this Cyclone. Donations to ICM are tax deductible through the US based 501c3 nonprofit support organizations India's Hope.

We can get financial help to ICM through India's Hope Via Paypal at: ihope@mtintouch.net

or Via Check sent to

INDIA’S HOPE
Checks made out to
“India’s Hope” mailed to:
India’s Hope
PO Box 368
Chinook, MT 59523 USA

Please help spread the word. And please, please PRAY! I am trying to not worry about our kids but the mother's heart in me is wondering if they are ok, if they have eaten, if they are cold and wet. It's so hard to be here, my trip 11 days away and I want to help so bad. Please help me to help them from here.

Remember Chrissie's family

2010-05-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's funny how I found out about Chrissie. When I started this blog, I originally chose allarepreciousinhissight as the address. A week later, I went back and shortened it to allrpreciousinhissight and later found that a blog had been started at the address I'd just left. It was a blog about this amazing little princess named Chrissie and her fight against a heart disorder. Her mother, so full of faith, was such an inspiration to me. And Chrissie... well, one look at her sweet face and she pretty much wrapped herself around your heart!

Chrissie went to be with Jesus this morning. I know this is such a joyous time for that little princess who is now twirling around and dancing with Jesus and I hope she's even picking flowers with my Madison and enjoying her favorite flavor of ice cream. But while Chrissie is happy and free, her parents and family are hurting, gripped with grief at the loss of their precious girl. Please join me in prayer for Chrissie's family. My heart hurts for them.

Evil Little Monkeys

2010-05-06T15:17:00.001-07:00

Our SCH kiddos are all simply adorable but not EVERY little thing in India is cute. These little things are kind of evil looking and they aren't very nice. If you have food or drink in your hands, they will steal it from you and they WILL fight for it if you don't just let it go!

You don't want to leave your balcony doors or any windows open because they will come inside and make themselves at home. Monkeys didn't bother me when I was there January - March, but I've heard stories! At the request of my grandson Juan, I am posting some monkey pictures that were taken by Theresa at the apartments in Ongole.

Don't they look like they could play the part of little demon monkeys in a horror flick?

Here they are waiting... we dare you to try to get by us with that banana in your hand!

When Love Takes You In

2010-05-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

That's the title of one of my favorite Stephen Curtis Chapman songs.

Today Sarah made me cry with her latest post about our Victory Home girls. I know what you are thinking... it doesn't take much to make Erin cry! Ok, you're right. But every time I see a child like Felicia who blossoms from a wilted and dying flower into a beautiful Rose, I can't help but marvel at the hand of God!

THIS is what happens When Love Takes You In...

Felicia in January. One 1/2 months after we received her.

Felicia in May. After 5 months with us at SCH!

...When love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in... Stephen Curtis Chapman

I DARE YOU to read this!

2010-05-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

If I post about boob jobs, maybe I'll get tons of readers and responses!? Well, I only say that because I was just on a Blog Frog Community where someone posted about boob jobs and she got a FAST 90 responses while my plea for prayer got only 1 response.

Yes, I am trying to get your attention - only because I think it's an important message. So please keep reading and I promise I'll comment on boob jobs later in this post!

I'll bet you didn't know that...

* One in every ten children is disabled in India.

* 95 in every 1000 children born in India, do not see their fifth birthday.

* 70 in every 1000 children born in India, do not see their first birthday.

* 40% of India's population is below the age of 18 years which at 400 million is the WORLD'S LARGEST CHILD POPULATION.

* Less than half of India's children between the age 6 and 14 go to school.

* Over 60% of children in India are anemic.

* While one in every five adolescent boys is malnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished.

* 23% of India's children are underweight at birth.

* More that 50% of India's children are malnourished.

I got these statistics from http://america.cry.org/site/index.html - a site that advocates for child rights all over the world.

I am still amazed at the number of people who ask me why I would want to spend my time and efforts to advocate for children in India when we have so many needs here in America. It really frustrates me when people ask such an ignorant question - one that I feel is actually pretty selfish in nature! I have said it before and I'll say it again... there are so many opportunities and programs available to children in the US that are not available elsewhere. Even our most destitute children here, are provided with food and medical care through government programs. And did you SEE the statistic that 1 in 10 children are disabled in India!!?? This shocks and greatly saddens me. Simply because, I know that disabled children are viewed and treated as a curse in India and that families usually do not keep a disabled child, either because of the medical expenses they cannot afford or because of the social stigma attached to birthing a disabled child - how many more children like Sarah's are alone, neglected and dying throughout India? Oh my how it GRIEVES my heart to even consider the answer to that question!

Luke 12:48 says "...when someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." (New Living Translation)

We have so much. We in America have problems paying our bills because of debt, we accumulate loads of 'stuff' that we don't even use most of the time. We go out to eat and spend loads of money on those kinds of things and we say we can't afford to do anything to help others. I am guilty ya'll. When I point a finger at anyone I have four pointing back at me!

I am not saying that you should do what I'm doing and sell all that you own and move to India. God's call for me doesn't mean it's God's call for you. But God does call us ALL to love one another. He does call us ALL to care for the orphan and the widow.

Please pray today about how God might be asking you to make a difference. Whether it is supporting a missionary to go and work and care for these kids or whether it is sponsoring a child or helping to fund raise and spread the word, you can do something with what God has given you. You are important and you can make a difference. You have been given much - what is God requiring of you in return?

On to the boob jobs....... I don't need one. Not sure if I would get one if I did. Have friends who are glad they did. And, sorry but that's about all I have to say on that ;-)

And last but not least... This is Victoria. Isn't she adorable in her little pink shoes?

Changing Destinies

2010-04-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of spending an evening with a truly incredible family. They are one of the families who adopted a special needs child through the agency I worked for when I was the SN adoption coordinator. As I watched their little girl playing - this little bundle of joy and energy just running and climbing and talking up a storm, her daddy was telling me about a revelation that God had given to him. He said God showed him that when a family adopts a child, they are making a declaration to the devil "Not THAT one! You CAN'T have THAT child!" (my own emphasis added). I thought, WOW. Chills went up my arms and tears came to my eyes as I thought about what he had said.

For the next several days, I could not get his statement out of my mind. I knew what it meant but I still looked up the word 'destiny' on Wikipedia. This is what I found... "Destiny refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual." I thought, "predetermined based on what?"

I believe with all my heart that circumstances and experiences may lead a child's life down a certain path, but I know from years of personal experiences and from watching miracle after miracle in the families I worked with, that dramatic changes take place in a child's heart and life when he or she finally knows the unconditional love of a committed forever family. Yes, I believe an adoptive family CAN and DOES change the destiny of a precious child.

As true as this is for children who are orphaned and then adopted, it is also true for any child whose life is impacted by someone's love and commitment to him/her. My teacher friends, this means you! My foster parent friends, adoptive parents, biological parents, ministers, volunteers, WE - you and me, we have the power within us to change the course of destiny for a child! I'm determined to do so. Want to join me?

Thank you Chester for letting me share your vision. I invite you to visit Chester's website to read more about what he has to say about Changing Destinies.

Calling on my health nut friends...

2010-04-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

I need your advice! With the MRSA, Pneumonia, Meningitis, etc. that has been going around, I need to take care of my health so that I can give my best to Sarah and the kids. So this is the deal, I have this friend who buys her vitamins from a Christian nutritionist. This nutritionist sells vitamins that are totally natural - not made with any type of chemicals in the processing or the preservation. They are supposed to be the best but the price is a lot higher than what I can get at Wal Mart - which I know is just junk. So, he told me that I need B Complex, a Multi-Mineral that helps your body absorb the nutrients of the others, Vitamin C, and Garlic - all 3x's a day. Since I won't be coming back to the states until September, I need 4 months worth. When he told me how much it would be, I was like WHAT!!?? The total came to $357 - yeah. That's just out of the question!

Do you know of any very good but cheap vitamins? What would you suggest?

2010-04-26T15:41:00.000-07:00

I know this blog is supposed to be about India and my work with Sarah's kids, but I really feel the need to vent and it's not related to India - I hope that's ok?

I was just watching tv. A rare thing for me. A show came on about life in the ER - a reality type show. Seeing this one scene where they kept trying to resuscitate a man for the 6th time, reminded me of when I was working for the State of Texas and watching this man, an inmate who was serving a life sentence, and who was completely brain dead, be resuscitated for the fourth time!

The State of Texas was paying about $40,000 dollars a day to keep him alive on machines waiting for his family to come and give consent to remove him from life support. Thing is, his family NEVER visited him in prison and yet the State had to pay to keep him alive in case that's what they would want?! I'm NOT joking, $40K a day to keep this brain dead inmate's heart pumping! Why? Because it's his right and his family's right. I think it was 7 or 8 days before he finally died and even the machines could not get his heart going again. Almost a quarter of a million dollars on an already technically dead criminal.

I was livid! Really, it's sickening that our government would pay for his care while we have good, honest, working people who don't have insurance, who can't afford to go to a doctor - but because they work, they are not eligible for government insurance. How do I know? The whole time I worked in International Adoption, I did not have insurance. I don't support Obama or any of his plans but seriously, something has GOT to change.

And now, as I work with the kids in India, I am acutely aware of what every dollar can do. As we work on raising the funds for life-saving emergency equipment, I cannot help but think that less than HALF of what the US government spent to keep that inmate alive per day would LESS THAN HALF - would totally pay to equip us with our own mini-emergency room. Something we desperately need.

Now that I have vented, I am giving it back to God. I know that the God I serve is not scratching His head wondering - how will I come up with the money Sarah needs? How will I come up with the money to send/move Erin there? etc. No, God has it all under control so once more, I give it up to Him.

I know this is BIG ...

2010-04-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

But thankfully, nothing is bigger than God and His ability to do BIG things through His people. So, here it is.

I want to get a speaker system and CD player for our two children's homes. So many of our children are not mobile at all and I want to be able to play music and stories on CD for them. Music is so therapeutic. I can only imagine the difference music will make.

I know I have friends who are 'techies' and who may even have connections to get the equipment? Does this sound like a project anyone might feel inclined to take on? Maybe one of you has a church family that may want to do this for the kids? Maybe you work in a school or an office that may want to take this on? If you get the equipment or the funds, we will get it there and get it installed!

It's ok to dream big for them right?

My mind's so full!

2010-04-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

I just realized I have 4 posts that I've started and not ever finished and posted!? Can you say ADD? Notice I did not say ADHD since I have definitely been lacking the energy I need to keep up with myself.

Seriously, my mind has been all over the place lately. I have been so focused on ideas and plans and spreading the word about SCH and trying to fund raise for immunizations for the kids, etc., while also trying to firm up several important personal details here in the US to be ready to go back to India at the end of May, that I feel like my mind is literally split in two. I guess it is... two countries - India and the states. I know for sure my heart is! I need to slow down and pray.

I do have really great news though ... God has provided for my airfare and my flights are booked! I will leave on May 31 and return on September 18. I have the kids faces continually running through my mind. I've been thinking about all that I hope to accomplish this summer and praying God will use me to be a blessing.

Every day in my prayer time, I find myself thanking God again and again for allowing me the opportunity to work with Sarah's kids. I am also thankful for all that God has done in rallying others to get on board and advocate for Sarah's ministry, and words cannot express my gratitude to my friends who have given toward supporting me to be able to go help Sarah. Thank you! Thank God!

Now that my airfare is covered, I only need to raise $1,690 for the remaining funds needed to cover my housing, travel expenses in India, food, etc. I have estimated approximately $500 per month for expenses in India but if this ends up being high and I don't need that much, I know that there will be needs for the children that I will be able to meet with any extra funds.

Of course, I really can't end this post without sharing another beautiful child with you!
This is 'Jason'.

Jason is really so bright. Not just mentally, but see that sparkle about him? That's just who he is! He is really just a beautiful, bright boy that lights up the room around him. Jason has a hearing impairment and his speech is affected, but he is such a quick learner and is eager to please the adults around him. He loved to play with my pocket calculator. I even have a video of him playing with it and Theresa having him sound out the numbers as he pushed the buttons. I just hate how birth families and even the government institutes in India, are so quick to cast these children aside without even taking the time to realize how much potential they have to learn and to thrive! He's worth so much more. They all are.

I want you to meet Meghan...

2010-04-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

Actually, when I talk about her, I often call her "MY" Meghan because although I love ALL of our SCH kids, this girl like Andrew, Shalene, and Jaron, has me really all wrapped around her finger.

There is something very special about Meghan. She has Cerebral Palsy with tongue thrust. Sweetness, joy, and kindness just emanates from her and you just want to hug her and hug her. I remember when we took all the kids in for their immunizations. I was leaving the 'shot room' with one of the children and I saw Meghan sitting in a chair holding and attempting to pat the back of one of the younger kids. This is no easy task for her because although she can use her hands and arms, she doesn't use them as easily as a child without CP could. She's just got a really great heart but if one wasn't paying attention, it would be easy to miss out on seeing that in her.

Meghan is not demanding of attention but I can tell how much she loves it when I sit next to her and talk to her and take her hand and take her to make the rounds in the different rooms with me. I wish I could communicate with her. I don't know how much she understands since I don't speak Telugu and she doesn't speak at all but I strongly suspect that she is a whole lot brighter than people might initially think and I believe she has tons of potential.

I am really missing and thinking of Meghan today. Can't wait to see her in June!

Goodbye Sweet Elizabeth...

2010-04-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

I received some sad news this morning that our dear Elizabeth died. She had spastic cerebral palsy and epilepsy and the doctors said she died of an unknown neurological cause. Elizabeth would have turned 3 in August. She was such a beautiful girl, she loved to be held and to swing. She loved to kick her legs and listen to the jingle of the bangles on her ankles. She was just a precious, precious gift.

My first reaction was sadness and tears. Then, I thought of all the things she is doing at this moment for the first time. I saw her running through fields of flowers, picking them, and putting them in her hair. I saw her holding my Madison's hands and dancing and being lifted up high in the air by Jesus with a huge smile on her face. How can I be sad now, thinking of all the joy she is experiencing? How can I be sad when I think that even though she was very loved by her Ayah's and Sarah and all who have gotten a chance to know her here on earth, she is now experiencing the greatest joy and in a body that works with perfection?

Please pray for Sarah and her Ayahs as they are there dealing closely with her loss.

My sadness is because I won't see her again here on earth but how wonderful it is to know that I will see her again in heaven with my Madison. Goodbye sweet Elizabeth. Thank you for the love and joy you brought to me when I got to meet you here. I love you and can't wait to see you again in heaven.

He SMILED!

2010-04-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Today is just the best day. I just read a post on face book from Sarah announcing that Thomas SMILED for the first time today! I remember holding him and playing with him for what seemed like hours and just getting no more response than his little eyes seemingly staring at me but not connecting. I remember the prayers poured out over him - not only by me but other visitors too. I remember feeling sick thinking that this beautiful boy has never been able to make a connection with anyone BUT knowing at the same time that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think!

I just wanted to share my praise and thanksgiving to God for Thomas today. I believe that this is just a first step in many for this precious boy. God has created this child with a purpose and how fortunate are we to get to watch God's plan for him unfold?

Here is a picture Sarah took of Thomas. Still waiting on a smile picture. I can't wait to take one for you myself when I go back this summer. God is good and Thomas... well he's sooo worth it. Don't you agree?

Tapping into the Beatles

2010-03-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

"With a little help from my friends". Ok, so maybe it's not the BEST song to reference LOL. And no, I'm not seeking to get high with you guys. It's just that I find myself in a real time crunch to get things done and I really need your help.

I have been working on a team and individual volunteer manual for SCH and have been doing some administrative stuff for Sarah from here while also trying to raise the funds needed to go back and work with her and the kids for the summer. The problem is, I am just not a fund raiser. Really, I see this as a problem since I feel called to do this work with Sarah's kids as an ongoing mission and unless a missionary is just independently wealthy, they must be able to raise the funds in order to be able to go volunteer their time to help others.

The thing is, I have no problem asking for help when it comes to getting wheelchairs or diapers or surgeries for the kids. That's easy. But the reality is, if I don't raise the funds that I need to fly there and to cover my expenses while I live there with no salary or income, then I just won't be able to volunteer my time in this way. I wrote letters to my friends and I received $40 and I praise God and am grateful for every dollar. But, as the time draws nearer, I am watching air fare prices go up and already airfare is going to cost me approximately $300-$400 more than last time.

Here is an estimate of costs for me to volunteer with the kids for the summer:

If any of these estimates end up being higher than what I need, I will put additional funds towards any immediate needs at SCH. For example, the last time I was there, I had the additional funds to be able to pay for a blood transfusion for a little boy and to buy diapers and Pediasure while I had children with me at the hospital in Hyderabad.

$1,600 Round trip Airfare

$300 Housing for the Summer

$350 - 650 Food and Bottled Water for the Summer (This depends on where I am at. If I am in Ongole and able to cook for myself, I can probably make it on $350 for the summer. But, if I have to travel to Hyderabad for medical treatment or surgeries for children, I will have to eat out and it will cost double what it costs to cook for myself)

$400 Transportation in India for the Summer (Includes pick up and drop off fees from the airport and daily driver and gas fees for the summer in Ongole)

$60 Internet Access for the Summer

$80 Phone Access for the Summer

$200 Necessities and Emergencies

$3,290 Needed $40 Raised so Far

I am asking my friends to please pray about whether or not God may use you to help me help Sarah's kids. If you want to help, there is a donate button linked to paypal on the right side of my blog screen. If you missed my post about the things I hope to accomplish there this summer, you can read about it here. Thank you everyone for praying and for helping me to spread the word!

I will leave you with this cutie pie. Her blog name is Genevieve. While I was there last time, I saw this weak and sick little girl gain such strength and her personality just flourished. The first picture is of her the day Sarah brought her home in December. The next is a picture of her in February. She learned to walk and on the day before I left to come back home, she was toddling around the courtyard kicking a ball! It was just the cutest thing :)

href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3NlI0qWU3Ck/S646zJSzKTI/AAAAAAAAAOI/cwiQVWGMcts/s1600/Genevieve+Before.JPG">

Andrew and Aloe

2010-03-16T04:43:00.000-07:00

Doesn't he just look like a proud big brother here? Oh how I LOVE this boy!

Now faith is...

2010-03-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

I am really missing the kids already. Thinking of the sweet welcome when I get out of the car and they all come running, crawling, hobbling over for hugs and kisses - it's really the most precious thing ever!

I am working on sending a letter to all of my friends. Just feverishly trying to spread the word about returning to work with the kids in June since plane ticket prices are going up and really need to be booked this week. I don't know if this is the way missionaries do things... hmmm just all so new to me. Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." So I am doing the legwork by spreading the word and also standing in faith that because these are HIS children and HIS work, God is going to provide in time.

Here is a copy of the letter I am sending out:

Dear Friends,

I just returned from India, working with the children in Sarah’s Covenant Homes. My time there was incredible and I saw God move in amazing ways. In fact, I ended up extending my trip by an extra month because there was just so much work to be done and God was really moving. Several of the new children who had just come to Sarah and who were literally so sick that they were dying, began to gain strength and health as we were able to pour out much needed extra TLC (that, and a ton of Pediasure). Some of the new children as old as 3, 4, and 5; who had been so weak actually began to crawl and walk for the first time ever! I brought 100 pounds of medical supplies and donations – all such a blessing to Sarah and the kids. I spent a few weeks in Hyderabad, taking some of the most medically needy children to specialists for evaluation and treatment and I helped Sarah to complete some very urgent administrative tasks.

During my time there, it became evident to me that working with Sarah to help her to continue to rescue and care for these precious children, would not be just a one-time mission trip; but rather, I feel strongly that it is where God is leading me into full time missions work. Sarah’s ministry is only 2 years old and she is already caring for 84 orphaned or abandoned special needs children. The needs are just so great.

This is a totally new realm for me, working on a fully volunteer basis, without any income and trusting God to provide the way for me to work with these children through the financial support of others. Right now, I am preparing to return there with my son to work there for the summer and then next year, my focus will be on working a temp job in the states and being with my son as he finishes his last year of high school and prepares for college. Once he graduates and goes off to school, I will be moving to India to work there full time.

Here are some of the things that are on my list to accomplish there this summer:

· Work with several of the children on walking and basic life skills

· Intensive focus on the children who are still struggling with their hemoglobin
levels

· Take another group of children for surgeries and follow up treatment in Hyderabad

· Work with Theresa (another full time missionary there) on several projects. One
being the Communication Matrix (assessing the children's current communication
skills and developing a treatment and education plan)

· Provide more intensive training to the nannies regarding the children’s
physical, developmental, and medical needs. This will require hiring an
interpreter because the language barrier makes it difficult

· Help Sarah with Administrative tasks (one such task being updates on the
children that Sarah is required to provide to the government)

My reason for sending this letter to you is two-fold. First, I need your prayer support; and second, I need people who will partner with me financially in order for me to be able to go and continue to do this work with Sarah’s kids. Until I move there full time next summer, I do not yet need a monthly partnership but I do need to start raising the funds now for this June since I need to go ahead and book my flight. If my work with Sarah’s kids is something you would like to help with financially, I have a Pay Pal (Donate) button on the right side of the page on my blog at: http://allrpreciousinhissight.blogspot.com

I will be spending the next two months preparing and fund raising for both my trip this summer and direct sponsorship for Sarah’s kids. I am also currently working on projects for Sarah’s ministry from my home. One of the fund raising ideas I was given is to speak to churches and organizations about the mission of Sarah’s Covenant Homes and my work there. Please let me know if this is something you might like for me to do at your church (have car, will travel).

Thank you so much for allowing me to share this ministry with you and for prayerfully considering how you might be able to help me continue this work.

May God richly bless you!

Erin

What do you think... does this sound ok? You know, it would be sooo much easier if I could just win the lottery! But then, I guess I would need to actually PLAY the lottery to win it. LOL. It's a good thing that my father God has all things in His hands.

Culture Shock

2010-03-10T04:45:00.000-08:00

I think I am experiencing culture shock now that I am back in the states. Seriously.

Yesterday I was in Wal Mart (buying my much missed Dr. Pepper) and this 6 or 7 year old little girl was in line with her mother in front of me waiting to pay and she was throwing a tantrum because her mother would not buy her a toy she wanted. I assume from the little girl's fluffy animal purse and her Hannah Montana jacket and matching rain boots that she was not suffering or lacking in "stuff". Patient child-loving me found myself being disgusted by this little girl's tantrum. All I could think about are the hundreds of thousands of children in India who have literally NOTHING to play with at all and they entertain themselves happily with dirt, rocks, sticks, trash, just anything they can find.

I thought of the children at the orphanage and how when they get something (like a toy), no matter who gets it, they automatically share it with others. They don't throw fits over it, they seem truly happy to share and they are truly grateful for anything and everything you give them. Sharing is just normal to them. I thought even of Sarah's daughters and how they are such incredible givers at the ages of 6 and 7! To see this child throw a tantrum over a toy really shocked me at first. Then it just made me so sad.

When I was cooking dinner last night I was reminded of how when I cook I try to really vary things so that we aren't eating the same thing several times a week. I do this because if I cook the same thing too often, even if it is a family favorite, my family is likely to complain. Then I started thinking of how in India every single meal includes rice and some kind of curry. They all taste almost the same with some variety but it is daily some kind of rice, vegetable, and lentil. EVERY meal, EVERY day. At first that was hard for me but I found myself getting used to it and by the time I left, I actually ordered the Indian meal on the plane! Many Indians are just grateful for a meal period, because they know what it is like to go hungry.

I passed Pappadeaux Restaurant and thought of how one big curry meal purchased on the streets costs approximately 40 rupees (just under 1 American dollar)and how many times a family in America may go out to eat and spend 100 dollars - that could feed 100 starving people in India! Don't get me wrong, I have spent plenty of money over the years myself, on Mexican meals. I love eating out. But now, it just seems like such a waste.

On my way home from the store, I passed a house with a furniture truck outside and the family probably just bought a new couch/sofa because they put a couch out by the curb. The couch they put out looked still NEW to me and I thought man, in India they sit on PLASTIC chairs if they have chairs at all. They sleep on roll out mats on the floors or if they are more fortunate, they have a cot that is woven that they can sleep on. I thought of the many cots that could be bought for the people sleeping on floors with the cost of just that one new couch that replaced the almost new one that was being thrown out to the curb.

On my way back to Hyderabad, passing the many homes that are simply straw huts on the side of the road, I found myself thinking about how it is about to be Monsoon season in India - a season when the rains are so bad that the streets and villages are constantly flooded. When the people and the children and babies are wet all the time with no place to go to dry off. The wood used for fires is wet so there isn't even the chance of using flames to heat dry clothes or to cook meals. The floors of their homes are flooded so they travel to as high ground as they can find and sit on the wet ground where at least they aren't sitting waist deep in the water that is in their homes. Any belongings they may have are often swept away with floods and winds from cyclones. And this is just "normal" life. Makes me grateful for just a roof over my head and a dry place to sleep.

Gosh, how can I ever care again about "stuff" when I know the magnitude of suffering in the world? How do I come back to America and fit in here when my eyes are so open to how spoiled we are here and how much need there is everywhere else? We live in a country where every child is given a chance to receive an education, where people are not denied medical care based on their ability to pay, where food stamps are available or food pantries are provided to people who cannot buy food. Where foster children are given a paid college education - giving them the opportunity to have a full and successful future. Where there are shelters for the homeless, and even in the most difficult and desperate situations, help is available somehow, somewhere. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to upgrade libraries for colleges or to build new buildings. We pay pro-athletes unbelievable amounts of money to play a sport and yet - people in other parts of the world are LITERALLY DYING, STARVING, WET, COLD, SICK, HOMELESS, etc. We are blessed. But how do I just come back to this spoiled life in America and forget the suffering there? I don't want to. I don't want to forget - ever. I am glad that I am going through culture shock here in America and I pray that God will use what I have seen to change me so completely. I pray that I will be even more motivated to use my life to bless others - both here in America and when I return to India this summer.

Time is coming to an end... waaaay toooo fast!

2010-03-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I cannot believe that I only have 5 days left here in India! I haven't even said goodbye and I am already missing everyone. I am sad at the prospect of having to leave with so much I still want to do for the kids. With our driver in the hospital and teams in town, I haven't been able to get a ride to individually take out some of the girls I wanted to take for ice cream. I will have to put that on the top of my (already LONG) "to-do" list for when I return this summer. The list is way too long to post but here are some of the highlights:

Work with several of the children on walking and basic life skills
Focus on some of the children who are still struggling with their hemoglobin levels
Help Sarah take another group of kids for surgeries and follow up treatment in Hyderabad
Spend more time with the boys at Angel Home
Spend some quality time with Megan and Shalene and Jaron... just several of the older kids who spent far too many years of their life being neglected and overlooked
Help Sarah with Administrative tasks (updates Sarah is required to provide to the government)
Work with Theresa on several projects. One being the Communication Matrix (assessing the children's current communication skills and developing a treatment plan)

and ohhh so much more.

I really believe that working with Sarah and her kids is exactly where I am called to be. My plan right now is to return here in June for the summer and then to work next year in the US and enjoy my time with my son while he finishes his senior year in high school and prepares for college, then to return to India to volunteer with SCH long-term. The current Visa requirements are that I can stay no more than 180 days and then must stay out of the country for 2 months before I am eligible to return. I can't imagine living this far away from my children and grandchildren for 180 days at a time, so they will just have to move to India with me! Right? How do other missionaries do this?

For now, I am already starting to focus and pray for how I will both earn and raise the money to return here to volunteer this summer. If God puts it on your heart to partner with me in this work for Sarah's kids, I have set up a Pay Pal donate button on the right side of this page. Also, any missionary fund raising ideas are welcome! One of my friends asked me to come and speak at her church about this mission work when I return home. What a blessing to be able to share about SCH and all the precious kids in that way.

Ok. I must sleep. I am still working feverishly on administrative stuff for Sarah - things that need to be finished before I leave. I hope this post wasn't too boring. It's just that I have been so busy and here it is, the middle of the night (it's 4 am here) and I thought "man, I need to post to the blog". Unfortunately, what you are getting is my middle of the night brain fog as I write out the things that are running through my mind as I try to sleep.

Here, let me make up for the boring(ness) by leaving you with my sweet Andrew's face....

Just. So. Sweet.

Even the chicks are colorful in India!

2010-02-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

Not sure how they get them totally dyed - don't think I want to know.

The ummm GOAT ate my reciept :~

2010-02-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

Do you think that excuse will work if I try to return something at the mall in America without a receipt? I didn't think so. But REALLY, the goat DID eat my receipt today when I was out shopping. Thankfully, it was just a receipt for a little 50cent container to put the milk in after it's opened and I didn't need it anyway. The receipt blew out of the bag and the goat outside the store snatched it up. I tried to get a picture of it with the receipt in it's mouth but it was too fast for me. Thus, all I have for you my friends is a picture of the goat outside of the store, after enjoying his afternoon 'snack'.

I know I haven't posted in a while. I'm sorry. I am so bad at this - really I do love to blog but dealing with bad computer connections makes it so frustrating. America's fast internet has spoiled me for sure. That, and my computer has been shocking me! Seriously, when I plug it in, even with the International adapter and surge protector, I get shocked when I touch it.

I've spent the last week and a half, mostly shut up in the apartment, working on kids medical files. I have been HAPPY to help Sarah in this way and am willing to do anything that is helpful to her but I know that administrative work isn't what you want to hear about. And I KNOW how you like pictures too - well let me just say that NO, I would NEVER forget my camera 3. TIMES. IN. A. ROW. when I went to the kids home! No, NEVER!I think the lack of Mexican food and Dr. Pepper is seriously messing with my brain ;-)

So let's catch you up...

We have been seeing lots of miracles taking place with the kids. A LOT of miracles. Praise God! Several children becoming mobile, children who are coming out of their shells and giving us beautiful smiles for the very first time ever, and the awesome news that my Andrew has gone from a 6 to a 10 Hemoglobin(time for the happy dance)! The doctors said it would take months for him to reach that but GOD is great and my little guy is a fighter.

Sarah has been able to get photos and even a few videos uploaded to her blog and she has shared several great photos with stories of the miracles that are happening. Rather than tell it all over, I invite you to visit her blog to read all about it. While you're there, check out the video of my Andrew on his little car! I just KNOW he WILL walk.

There is a really exceptional team of young people who are here for ICM and they have been giving 4 mornings of their week to Sarah's kids. They have been painting and tiling at the children's home and moving in filing and storage cabinets. It's been kind of crazy there. Our driver Bujji got very sick and needed to have an Appendectomy so we have been without a car. Today, Theresa decided we could take the car on our own and go run some errands and go to the kids home. She drove when she was in Kenya and she felt pretty confident about being able to manage here so off we went. Let's just say it was an adventure! Theresa did great - really. But driving OR riding in India is ALWAYS an adventure. Two white women driving alone in a car, we were a sight to see and boy did we ever get stares! Especially when we turned down this side street and it started to get narrower and narrower until we realized we could not go that way and had to back all the way down it with crowds and crowds of people on foot and on bikes and motorcycles behind us. I should have snapped photos of the looks the people were giving us :)

Then, we got a call that Sarah's daughter had cut her foot and needed to be taken to the hospital so we took off speeding through the streets to get to Sarah's and we got stuck in a total bottle neck where the only way out was to again back our way all the way down a street; all while, dodging tons of people, food carts, water buffalo, oxen, cows, and goats. When we finally did get off that street and into moving traffic, we were speeding right along until we were held up by a man riding slowly in the middle of the road with his cart being pulled by oxen and no amount of beeping was going to make him move over! Like I said, it was an adventure. Theresa amazed me. I would have run over someone for sure. We had planned to take Shalene and Glory out for ice cream but we had to reschedule that since Sarah needed the car to go to the hospital.

We have been taking turns taking care of Aloe. She needs to be fed through her GTube every 2-3 hours so it is literally like having a newborn in the house. She is so precious. Here is a pic of me holding her but I took it myself and I look like a goof. She sure is cute though!

The other night I was at the children's home getting more files and of course I had to take some time to play with and love on the kids. They were getting in their jammies and getting ready for bed. They are always so excited when visitors come and tonight was no exception. I was holding Promise in my lap and singing to her and several of the other girls came and sat at my feet. Aren't they SWEET?

For any of you who follow Sarah's blog, you know Promise - our miracle girl. She was so so very sick when she came to Sarah. She still has multiple needs but she is truly happy and loved now and it shows. One of Promise's needs is that she is blind. When I was holding her, I was taking her hand and putting it on her face and saying her name and then putting it on my face and saying my name. I did this over and over and then one time I accidentally said her name when I put her hand on my face. She laughed and laughed and laughed. It was so adorable! I had to do it again and get a picture. Here she is laughing with me. What a sweet sound :) Of course I look like a goober again - good thing it's ALL about the kids! The picture below it is of Glory, Promise, and Amy when Sarah first got them and they were on the way home after their SCH 'gotcha' day. Promise is in the middle. And the one below it really shows the horrible condition she was in when Sarah got her. Isn't it amazing what love can do?

Ok, I'm off to feed Aloe and work on some files. Stay tuned for ice cream pics with Glory and Shalene!

Oh my sweet Jesus

2010-02-13T19:59:00.001-08:00

I am bawling my eyes out after reading a blog post from a woman who is working with orphans in Haiti.

I know the conditions she is describing. The children starving and dying daily, the needs so great. Nobody there to touch them or love them - just basic feed when available and a rinse off every now and then after the poop and urine have built up until the flies won't leave them alone. Children dying without a mother's arms to hold them, dying without anyone to shed a tear for them. It is just beyond horrible. Like a nightmare that you can't wake up from.

It so grieves my heart so much to know that this is not just happening in India or Haiti, it is happening to children in places all over this world. Sarah's kids came from the same kind of conditions where children died regularly from malnutrition and neglect. Some of Sarah's kids died before the government even finished the paperwork to get them to Sarah and a couple were so sick that they died soon after Sarah received them. Thank you sweet Jesus, that they were finally loved by someone when they died. Someone (Sarah) was there to love on them, pray for them and then to grieve for them. Thank you Jesus for the 84 we have now in Sarah's homes - thank you for rescuing them.

It really makes me want to also say thank you so much to those who have helped me financially to be here to help Sarah with the kids. To be a set of arms to hold and love them. Hands to feed them, to sing to them (even though my singing is awful) and to play with them and make them laugh and smile.

It makes me want to tell everyone I know that when you support a missionary to go and do this kind of work, it is as if your own hands are also doing the work. You get to be a part of every miracle and you have contributed toward every smile. Just. THANK. YOU. I think these kids are worth it!

And last but not least... I know, I am inundating you with Andrew photos but he was with me 3 weeks and I have some catching up to do with the other kids. Here is Andrew with his balloon. He was having so much fun.

And here is one of Wendy showing off her purse she got at the fair. And finally, Christina showing off her style in her sunglasses from the fair. The simplest things bring so much joy :)

Sheep, buffalo, blaring horns, new photos, and thoughts of Andrew

2010-02-11T03:58:00.000-08:00

So here I am, writing this in the car on the way from Hyderabad to Ongole. It's another of those insane India thrill rides, dodging sheep and buffalo, constant horn beeping, tossed all over the place with the twists and turns and slamming of brakes. I don't even really watch the road anymore. It's definitely bad for my blood pressure.

Everyone in the car is asleep except for me and I think, the driver - (but you might not think so if you were watching the road.) The driver's name is Bujee. I have no idea how it's spelled. It's actually pretty funny to see me try to communicate with him. He speaks Telegu and very little English and when I talk to him he acts as if he understands but I know he is really thinking "this is one crazy white lady!".

We were thrilled to finally get Aloe out of the hospital yesterday. She now has to be fed by G-Tube which is new for me. I am so glad Sarah is experienced in G-Tube feedings. When the doctors told us she needed a tube, they also told us they didn't have the size tube she needs because she is so small. In case you don't remember, Aloe is our miracle with Primordial Dwarfism and she is about the size of a preemie baby born around 25-30 weeks. TINY, BEAUTIFUL, DAINTY, FUNNY - these are some of the words I would use to describe her. She is just like this itty bitty little lady. The way she moves her hands, so lady-like. Her smile and her beautiful eyes are larger than life and it just feels good being around her.

Last week started with a miracle when a pastor from Washington showed up with the G-Tube we needed for her. I was reminded about what a very small world we live in when I found out that the pastor was from Walla Walla, Washington and I jokingly asked if he knew my friends, the Smiths. He said "yes, they go to my church!" I thought he was joking right back but it turns out that yes, he DOES know the very same Smith family and they DO go to his church! God is so cool.

Here is our Aloe just kicking it in her hospital bed. Is she adorable or what?!

And this is Zoe laughing at me when I was making funny faces at her while we waited for her X-ray results. Zoe does not talk but she does love to smile and one of her favorite things to do is to startle people. It is adorable! We will be riding along in the car on the way to or from the hospital in silence and all of the sudden Zoe will burst out with a loud scream, making everyone jump and then she just giggles and giggles. Too cute :)

This adorable little girl is Jeanette. Remember, we don't use the kids real names on the Internet so this is her name on Sarah's blog. I took this when we were waiting for her eye exam. She would not cooperate so she had to be mildly sedated, thus the cute little hat and gown. We were hoping to find out that Jeanette has the ability to see or to have surgical repair on at least one of her eyes but sadly, she is fully blind and surgery is not an option. This precious girl is just so smart and inquisitive. When I pick her up, she feels my face and my clothes and my necklace and anything else that is near her. She wants to explore everything. Bless her heart.

Remember the little boy I told you about - Andrew? He is the little guy who has my heart pretty much completely and forever. Here is his photo on the day that Sarah received him. He was so weak and sick. His hemoglobin level was only 4.5 and he was literally dying from neglect. He is almost 4 years old and is the size of a 12-18 month old baby. I can tell that he was rarely or never held and that like Sarah's other kids, he just existed at the government home he was in.

We took Andrew with us on this hospital run because while he is a little better than he was when Sarah got him in December, he was still so weak and sickly. Andrew has almost constant diarrhea and infections. He desperately needs surgery but he can't get it until his hemoglobin level reaches a 10. He was hospitalized for bronchial pneumonia while we were in Hyderabad and this is a photo I took when I was giving him a breathing treatment. The one beneath it is a photo I took during his blood transfusion. Please pray for my precious boy. Even with Sarah's loving care and Pediasure, iron supplements, and his blood transfusion, it could still take months for his hemoglobin level to reach a 10.

On a positive note, I am so excited to tell you about all the wonderful things that Andrew learned to do in the last three weeks. When we left Ongole with Andrew, he was just so weak that he laid in my arms most of the time. We had seen that he was capable of learning because one time the team was in the room with him and he was stacking blocks of sponges and knocking them down. None of us had any idea at that time how truly smart this little guy is! Now, when I ask him to point to his body parts, he can point to his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hair, teeth, chin, and toes. I kissed him so often over the last three weeks that now he freely gives me kisses, even surprising me sometimes by just grabbing my face and puckering his little lips and smacking them on my cheek. It is the most precious, adorable thing ever! He is just full of laughter and smiles. His giggle comes all the way from his toes and you would have to be dead to not smile when you hear it. He has learned that he can have an opinion and that he can ask for things and refuse things. He is O.R.N.E.R.Y! I bought him a ride on car to help him learn to use his legs and in the first night, this little guy who would only have limp legs all the time, sat right up and started to learn how to put his feet down and move the car with them. Now, he's fast on the car and we really have to watch out for him around stairs or open doors. He stands up (yes, he STANDS) on his little weak legs while he is propped forward on the couch, and his legs are growing strength. The other night, he amazed me as I tried to get him to climb from the bed on the floor to the bed above it by leaning him up and he grabbed right on to that bed and stood on his legs and put his leg up and pulled himself right on the bed! Then, he amazed me by scooting himself around and climbing right back down! If you only knew him before, you would know that this is HUGE for a boy who 3 weeks ago went limp when you picked him up and would only give small weak smiles in between hiding behind his blinking eyes. Yes, he would blink his eyes like he was trying to hide because he was not sure how to react to people talking to him and giving him attention. It seemed to really overwhelm him. Now, he almost never does that at all with me or with Sarah but he does still do it some with strangers he is not sure he can trust. He loves to be read to and is copying all these words. This precious boy who never talked is babbling all the time! What miracles in 3 weeks time. God amazes me.

The other day I gave him a bath in the bucket. He was scared at first since he's probably never sat in water in his life but when he realized he was safe and how good the warm water felt, he loved it! He had so much fun playing with the pitchers and his toys in the bucket. Isn't he just adorable?!

I bought him a balloon when we went out to eat the other night and he had so much fun playing with it. He loves his first pair of shoes and even takes them to me or Sarah to put them on him when he is asked for them. He has been learning to crawl on his hands and knees but he still mostly scoots across the floor sitting 'Indian style' and scoots on his bottom. I call it his 'Boot Scoot Boogie!". Another big new thing for Andrew is that in his time with me he has discovered that he likes popcorn and Pringles. You would just have to be here to see how cute he is when I give him his very own bowl or bag of something. He just grins and looks so proud of himself! I'm not sure the Aya's (nannies) will appreciate me taking their sweet, quiet baby who never brought attention to himself and returning a loud, laughing, squealing, babbling boy who wants to climb up and down and play with everything he can get his hands on and definitely has his own opinion of what he does or does not want. Specifically, he has now entered the 2 yr. old tantrum stage. When it's time to go to sleep, he is just having so much fun playing he does not want to stop - even when he's exhausted. The last few nights, he has really thrown some big tantrums when I have tried to make him go to bed. Oh won't the Aya's love me? Well, I wouldn't change a thing. I am so proud of this very precious boy. He has grown so much - physically, developmentally, and socially in the last three weeks and I believe that this is just the beginning for my Andrew.

Finally some photos!

2010-02-05T22:53:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to tell you that Sarah just bought a new external card reader and she let me use it to upload my photos from my camera. Thank you Sarah! I also wanted to thank all of you for praying and for your feedback. I am staying another month here and then my son and I will return in the summer. God has been providing and has shown me that He will keep providing a way for me to help Sarah and her kids if I will only continue to trust Him. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to help get some of these important things done and most important of all, to have more time to spend with these children who are so in need of being singled out and given extra love, time, and attention.

Here is my Shalene I told you about. This is the photo I took of her at the fair. She has a little hat on her head because it was in the 80's that night and the Aya's (nannies) think that is cold so they had hats on all the kids :) It was so good to see a genuine smile on her face. She has not had anything to smile about for so many years.

One of the members of the team that came when I first got here, told me that when she was working with Shalene, she saw how truly smart she is. I also found out that Shalene has the ability to learn to walk and I look forward to working on walking with her too. I can't wait to get back to Ongole to see her. I think we need a girl's day out - what do you think? Maybe a trip out for a (buffalo milk) ice cream? I want her to know that she will never again be put aside in a dark partitioned area by herself and forgotten. Now that she is at Sarah's, I want her to be able to begin to heal and to reach her fullest potential. I want her to feel loved and special.

At the fair, Shalene loved picking out bangles for her wrists and she counted them over and over. She also picked out a flower and a little necklace with the letter 'S' on it. Her hair once shaved from lice will grow back. Sarah is insistent on letting the girl's hair grow so they can feel pretty. I think that is wonderful. I told Shalene we will go pick out some hair ribbons and barrettes when her hair grows long enough - I think she's worth it!

What to do? What to do?

2010-02-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

I am asking for some feedback here. I have been in Hyderabad now for almost 3 weeks with a handful of the new kids who most urgently needed to be seen by specialists here. The hospitals and doctors are just so much better here and the equipment more advanced. I prayed that God would use me where He needed me most and this is where I've been and I've been happy to be here - really, I have - even though there hasn't been much exciting to post about. I have been reflecting on my time at the kids home in Ongole and also enjoying my time with the kids we brought here and even feel like God has given me some clarity about what my future role may be in helping SCH.

And, I say all that with a BUT...

But, I have also missed having the time I planned to have with the kids in Ongole. I wanted to work more with Shalene and Jaron and some of the other kids more and I also wanted to visit the boys in Angel home, which is an hour or more away from Ongole. Here I am now, 5 days from having to leave India and I feel like so much will be left undone. Sarah also has a very important project that she and I planned on me working on for her and the kids and it will take another 2-3 weeks to complete. I know I will be coming back to work this summer but this project is one that can't wait. Of course, God can send someone else to do this work but I feel strongly that He sent me and that I am supposed to stay another 3-4 weeks to get it done. I have talked to my son and he says he has no problem with me staying a little longer, so that isn't the problem. The problem is, I have literally 4,000 rupees to my name (about 86 American dollars) and I would have to pay $250 to change the flight and pay for my luggage again as well as support myself here for another month. So this is where I ask myself - do I step out in faith or is that irresponsible?

I am not a fund raiser. It's not comfortable for me at all. I would just really like to win Publisher's Clearing House and be able to do all that is in my heart to do for SCH without any fund raising at all! I have never spoken to other missionaries about this but I wonder if this is a common dilemma for them? How do I know for certain that what is in my heart to do is God and how do I raise funds God's way? How do other missionaries do it? Guess I'd better learn since Sarah's kids and her work here is something that I know I am called to be a part of.

Right now, I am sitting in the guest house in Hyderabad and typing this and watching 'Andrew' playing at my feet. I have been working with him a lot the last several days and he is making so much progress. I am so proud of him! A few minutes ago, he was asking to be picked up to get on the couch with me and I took his hands and pulled him to standing - leaning him on the couch with his feet on the floor and legs extended. Then, I let go of him and let him stand there on his own for about 3 minutes and he didn't fuss about doing it. He was smiling like he was proud of himself. So cute! I am sure that with more one on one work, he will walk soon if only we can get his health issues worked out.

Anyway, any of you with missions experience or just praying souls... please pray for me and I would really appreciate feedback here. I have only about 1 more day to make up my mind and either take the road of faith and stay another month, or go home as originally scheduled.

And, I want to thank you all for praying! I sure have felt it.

Much love.

Yes, I'm alive and well!

2010-02-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

Just not doing a good job blogging in the last week. The internet is really unstable here in Hyderabad. I have been knocked off 3 times already just trying to get from facebook to blogger! Also, I am really bummed about not being able to get my photos from my camera to my computer.

Ok, here is the scoop... I have been staying with Sarah in Hyderabad and we have been taking some of the most medically needy children to different doctors and specialists. Last week, one of our boys was admitted for a few days and later in the week, one of our baby girls was admitted to the NICU. It's been a really busy couple of weeks! We did not count on staying in Hyderabad this long. We really thought it would be just a few days to get all the children seen by the different specialists and to get through all their tests, MRI's, scans, x-rays, etc. but we are finally almost done here and ready to head back to Ongole.

One day after leaving the hospital, Sarah and I stopped at the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and I was approached by a well dressed Indian man who pulled out his business card and told me that he makes movies. I was so tired, I think I must have said something like "yeh right." Then he asked if I would come to his studio to be in a scene. I think I looked around, sort of expecting an Indian version of "smile! You're on Candid Camera!". I told him no thank you and said that I am here to work with children in an orphanage from Ongole. He said oh that's fine then, just one day. Ummm NO - I started having even worse thoughts than Candid Camera and wanted to ask what KIND of movies he makes. He kept pushing and I kept saying NO until finally he went away, ending my chances to stardom in 'Bollywood' LOL.

What a whirlwind couple of weeks! Sarah and I have spent hours on end spent going from one specialist to the next and back again. A few of our new children urgently need surgery but they are in such poor condition - so sick and malnourished that it will take a little more time in Sarah's care to build up their health enough for them to be strong enough for surgery.

I am torn about whether or not to blog about this next subject. Mainly because I don't know if I can do it without crying and it's just so serious to me. Ok, here it is... I am in love - deeply and unequivocally.

I expected to fall in love with the children here but I never expected that one particular little boy would wrap my heart all up in knots. His name on Sarah's blog is Andrew. The first time I saw him in a room full of children, I was drawn like a magnet to his big brown eyes and the sad, lonely look on his face. 'Andrew' is one of the new children to Sarah's Victory home and he has been severely neglected for his whole young life. My precious boy is almost four years old and yet he is so small that he wears 12 month clothes. He is so malnourished that his body is weak and he is seriously anemic and also has a low hemoglobin level. He had been left laying on his own without attention for so many years, never being held or stood up to strengthen his legs or arms and right now, he does not walk. When I picked him up, he melted into me like he was my own child. You know that feeling that you get when your child just 'feels' right in your arms? Behind his big sad eyes, I saw a very smart little boy that just really needed to be rescued. Thank GOD he was one of the children the government gave to Sarah! Seriously, this boy has my whole heart. He needs surgery badly. The issue he has is causing him to have continual infections but his body is too weak for surgery right now. I have kept him with me day and night the last few days and he is really blossoming. He has started laughing and smiling all the time. He was completely quiet before and now he is chattering non stop. I bought him a ride on car to sit on and push with his legs to help him to learn to start using his legs and he is so smart - right away, he was scooting a little at a time and today he really got it going! He was so proud of himself, just smiling and laughing and talking. I got it on video but uggh - hope when I get home I can figure out some way to get it all from my camera to my blog. I have also taught him to give kisses and there is nothing like that sweet little face next to mine when he puts his hands on my cheeks and smiles and then surprises me with a kiss! Priceless. As I type this, he is sitting at my feet, pulling the bottom of my long skirt over his head and playing peek-a-boo with me - squealing and laughing every time I say boo! I have a really awesome son at home and four beautiful and wonderful grand babies to go home to and I miss them so much and even though I am coming back this summer, I feel that I will be leaving a huge chunk of my heart behind in India when I say goodbye to 'Andrew'.

Sorry, so much more to say about this last week and the internet went off and on again. I don't want to lose this post so I will try again tomorrow. Love y'all!

Call off the paparrazzi!

2010-01-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

Being a white woman in India gives me a small taste of what it feels like to be famous and to be followed by paparazzi. Seriously. I cannot go anywhere without people pulling out their cell phones to snap photos of me or they will simply gather around me and talk about me while they watch my every move. The other morning I went for a short walk and got a coffee and sat on a wall to drink it. Within moments, there were men and women gathering around just standing there staring, clicking photos with their cell phones and talking. I mean really, am I that fascinating? Not! But, I guess that even in Hyderabad, the sight of a white woman alone is a strange sight to see.

India is a country of such disparity. You might see a beautiful home with doors and windows and landscaping, while right next to that home is a row of straw or concrete huts where the people live on mats on the floor. There is a lot I don't yet understand - like how many people have cell phones here - how they are very advanced in some ways but they still don't have soap in their bathrooms to wash hands. They are a modest culture with the women dressing in traditional Indian Saris or Punjabis but on Indian television, there are music videos of women in very revealing outfits. The cow in India is considered sacred and therefore, cows are allowed to freely roam the streets of the city and beef is not consumed in India. However, the 'sacred' cows appear skinny and starving. Sweepers keep the stores and streets clean but on the side of the road there are piles and piles of rotting garbage. Believe me, it felt very strange for me to 'take out the trash' for the first time. I guess growing up with the 'don't mess with Texas' ads have been so ingrained in me. I asked where to put it and was told to throw it over the balcony to the ground. I felt like at any moment the police would pull up and give me a fine for littering! The wild pigs were happy though. They came running to tear open my garbage to see if there was anything they could salvage.

The other day while driving to Hyderabad from Ongole, I experienced the same wild Indian thrill ride only this time we actually hit a water buffalo! Ok, we didn't hit it hard, just bumped it really but where else in the world do you have to stop for herds of goats or buffallo? I wish I had gotten a picture of the look that buffalo gave us though. It was hilarious! Where else in the world do you have to keep your doors and windows closed so the monkeys don't come in and pillage your home?

It's crazy but I love it. I love the people and the children and although India is stinky, dirty, and overpopulated, it is at the same time colorful, beautiful, and wonderful.

Don't throw your pearls to the pigs!

2010-01-21T19:23:00.000-08:00

This is what came to mind as I was praying this morning. The verse in Matthew 7:6 "Do not give to the dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls to the pigs..." This verse is referring to preaching the gospel - not wasting your time preaching to people who have purposed in their heart to reject it, who will not appreciate or receive God's gift of grace. However, when I read it this morning, it made me think of the children.

Certainly in God's eyes (and mine) Sarah's children are pearls, treasures that are worthy of God's best but in India, children with special needs are often considered a curse or the result of the sin of a family member. Unloved and unappreciated for their unique beauty, these children were cast before the swine until Sarah found them.

Jaron is a perfect example of one of God's pearls that was thrown to the swine. When Sarah got him, Jaron had been left in a government hospital where he was starving, withering away to nothing, left laying in his bed (or more likely a mat on the floor), eaten up with 'bed' sores and covered in lice. Today, Jaron is really improving. His sores are healed, his lice is gone, and he soaks up any love and attention like a sponge. I have been making a point of spending time with Jaron every day. I go in and lay on his bed and just talk to him, sing to him, and pray for him. I tell him all about God and His son Jesus and heaven. I talk to him about running and jumping and playing one day in heaven and I even talk to him about snow cones. Yes, random I know but I love snow cones. I told Jaron I think he would love Cherry even though my favorite is Pina Colada or Blue Rasberry with cream and he smiles and looks at me like he understands. He no longer has the look of pure agony on his face that he had when he first came to Sarah. To see him smile just makes my day. I mentioned before that we only have one CP wheelchair, so taking Jaron outside in the wheelchair doesn't happen as often as it could if we had more wheelchairs. I pray God will put it on somebody's heart who has the means to do it, to send some CP wheelchairs for the children.

Today, I am in Hyderabad. I got really sick yesterday with a high fever by last evening and chills and nausea. It was awful. I think my fever broke about an hour ago because I began sweating and started feeling a little better - weak and achy all over, but a little better. I could not help but lay there so miserable and think of how it must have been for the children before coming to Sarah and all the children out there in this big world who still have nobody to hold them or comfort them in their sickness. I pray that Jesus visits every one and holds them - after all, they are His children. Hopefully, I can post photos next week when I get back to Ongole. Theresa has a external drive 'thing' that may work for me to access my photos. Will post more soon!

Don't know when I last laughed so much!

2010-01-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday night was just the best. We took some of the children to a local fair. It was like a carnival with rides and booths of food and toys and games and things for sale. We took mostly the older children and the children who function at a high enough level to be able to really enjoy it. This was the last night that the visiting team would be here so we decided it was a perfect time with all the extra hands to be able to do this kind of outing with them.

I decided to take one of the new girls with me. Her name on Sarah's blog is Shalene. She is a young teenager with MR and foot deformities. She cannot walk and has probably never in her life experienced anything like a trip to the fair. Shalene just seems so unhappy most of the time and her facial expressions make me think she is often in pain. Shalene is the kind of child who never really demands attention. She is so quiet and often unemotional. It's just the look on her face that tells me she isn't really happy. When she was at the government center, she was sat in a partitioned area by herself next to the bathroom and that was basically her life. Shalene is one of the newly referred children. I have been working with her all week to teach her the sign for I love you. She has two of the fingers down but I think she must also have CP because it's difficult for her to fully open her hands. When I tell her she is beautiful and special to Jesus, she shakes her head no. Well, tonight I got the blessing of seeing a whole new Shalene underneath all that pain and rejection. Thank God she is finding out what it feels like to be loved now that she is in Sarah's care.

When we got to the fair, we went straight for the ferris wheel. I had help getting her on it and when we first took off, she looked so terrified. I sat across from her and held both of her hands and as she relaxed and began to look around, this HUGE smile spread across her face and she began to laugh! I told her I knew she was my girl now because she likes rides(I am a lover of anything that tosses, turns or drops and the faster the better). It was so incredibly awesome to see that smile and hear her laugh. I took some wonderful pictures of her smiles, but can't upload them until I figure something out for downloading them since my memory card is stuck in my laptop. (oh and I did invest in a new card today. I just couldn't see spending another month here and not be able to take pictures!

Earlier in the day I took Promise outside with some of the other kids to play. She is an older girl with multiple, serious special needs and she is blind. She frequently stands by herself and sways back and forth. When we got outside, I took her hands and started singing "if you're happy and you know it" with her. It was so funny. She liked the clap your hands part and gave me a little smile but I was limited on what she could do so I said, "if you're happy and you know it wiggle your arms" and I took her arms and wiggled them all around. That precious girl started to laugh so hard it was adorable! It was so good to hear her laugh. If you read Sarah's blog, you may remember the condition Promise was in when she came to Sarah. It was horrible. Although she still has multiple issues, she now has gained weight and looks so much healthier. It is wonderful to see her strong enough to stand and walk and even more wonderful to see her beautiful smile. It was a great day all around.

I hope to be able to post some of the great pics I got as soon as I can figure out how to do it without my memory card.

I'll update again soon!

The sweetest gift

2010-01-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

I received the most precious gift from one of the children in the home. His name is Caleb. Several children made bracelets with one of the ladies from the visiting team. He came to me to proudly show his to me. I told him it was beautiful and gave him a big hug and he took it off his wrist and he grabbed my hand and put his bracelet on my wrist. Of course I told him thank you but I really didn't want to take it because in an orphanage setting, children have very little that they can claim as their own. I felt guilty letting him give his bracelet to me but if you could have seen his face - Caleb is not verbal but his whole face was lit up with the most beautiful smile and how could I not let him do something that obviously made him feel so good. Ok, I can't even type this without crying. There is just such a purity in the hearts of these children. They are so unselfish, so giving and so full of love, despite the circumstances that they lived in before coming to Sarah's homes. These children have so much to teach us about love.

Here is Caleb with his house mother. And, I can't believe that in trying to get my camera card in my computer to upload a picture of the bracelet he gave me, I put my card in wrong (in the dark) and now it's stuck!? Uggh - how stupid was that?!

It was so cute when I went back to the home yesterday, Caleb came right to me and I showed him that I was wearing the bracelet he gave me and he just beamed. Some of the smallest things give them such great joy.

The last couple of days we have been working on getting the lice situation under control. It was great to have the team here because we had several sets of hands to help wash, rinse, and comb. In a way, getting the lice under control feels like a losing battle since the nannies come to the homes with lice and they are with the children every day, and because the only way to wash bedding is by hand and it is hung to dry. Still, it's important to Sarah to keep trying in order to allow the children to keep their hair rather than shaving it. Their hair really does give them more dignity and confidence, especially the girls. They are so proud of their hair and they love to have their hair braided or put up in a way that makes them feel pretty.

It has been a real learning experience for me. The cultural differences are huge and I can see I will really have to adjust my thinking in order to effectively help to train the nannies about things like germs and sanitation. Theresa, the missionary who has been living here to help Sarah has been working hard to teach them about germs and the importance of hand washing and hygiene but since the new children were placed here, several new nannies were hired and also need to be trained. Germs are a totally foreign concept and teamwork is also something that they completely don't get. If any of my readers knows of good training material or videos about germs and hand washing, please let me know. We could have it translated into Telegu.

My precious little guy Cedar, he is feeling a little better but seems to be suffering from mal-absorption and is also likely to still be suffering from Sepsis. He is being given Pediasure and vitamins in addition to his meals to try to help him gain weight but he's still so very, very skinny. We will be leaving early in the morning to take him and a group of children to the hospital in Hyderabad to be seen by specialists there. I am looking forward to some one on one time with him to try to get him fattened up and nursed to health. I am so in love with him already. It is strange how it feels like I have been here forever with the kids, how much I am already so attached to them, how I think about them all the time and look forward to seeing them each day and also am sad to leave them at the home to go to my apartment at night. Thank God, THANK GOD they have been rescued and are now in much better care with Sarah. Please pray for Sarah and this ministry as she faces the many obstacles that come with a new ministry and the multitude of needs that also comes with it.

We are desperately in need of good wheelchairs for CP kids. Without good wheelchairs, the children have to spend much of their time laying down flat on either their beds or on mats when we take them outside for fresh air and play. Right now, there is only one CP wheelchair and many, many CP children who must wait their turn to be able to sit up in it. The best alternative so far has just been propping them up on pillows but that really doesn't work too well for a child with spastic CP. I wish you could see the joy on their faces when they are taken outside in the CP chair that supports their head and torso and I wish you could see how good it makes them feel to be able to sit up and watch all that is going on around them. Please pray with me for chairs to come to us.

We are also desperately in need of new homes and more nannies but all of this requires financial support and sponsorship. I have this dream of finding 84 churches who would be willing to sponsor one child each (we currently have 84 children). Wouldn't it be great to get 84 churches, or children's churches or Sunday school classes to commit to one child - they could make it a missions project and it would be a great way to teach the children about missions and giving. They could commit to praying for that one child and to help raise funds to meet that child's needs and to cover the costs of surgery or medical treatments, education, assistive equipment, clothes, vitamins, supplements, food, nanny salaries, etc. If you are interested in approaching your church to sponsor a child, please let me know! The needs are so great but as one big body of Christ, I am confident that together, we can meet them.

I will leave you with these photos that were already downloaded before my card messed up. Are they precious or what!!!?

Let's try this again.

2010-01-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep so I thought I would get online and try to finish the post I started last night. Let's see, where was I? Oh yes I was going to tell you about this precious little guy...

He's making this 'mad' face in the picture with me, but really, he is always laughing and smiling and he walks all over the place like he owns it, in and out of every room and up and down the stairs socializing with everyone.

He is adorable and such a huggie bug as you can see in this picture of him with Theresa.

This little one was sick with a fever and he had to go to the hospital. He's like this little adorable monkey who wraps his arms around my neck and holds on tight. Bless his heart. This photo was from the first day at Victory but in the next photo, it was taken the second day there and he was feeling a little better. Today he showed off how incredibly smart he is by stacking up the textured 'blocks'. He's so funny. He looks at me like he has so many serious thoughts going on in his little brain.

I really haven't taken many photos yet because I always have my hands full! One thing that stands out to me about today is my time with little Nicky. He's the new boy I introduced to you in my last post. There is a team visiting for the week and they were in the courtyard sitting in a circle and playing with the children, throwing foam balls back and forth. The kids were loving it. I went and got Nicky from his bed and took him out with me. I took a chair and sat in the circle with him in my lap and I took his hands and helped him to catch and throw the ball. He just laughed and smiled like crazy. Every time we would throw it, he would stiffen his whole body in excitement and he was trying so hard to physically do it himself. I think with some physical therapy, he is really going to progress and be able to do things he never thought possible.

It is so sad to realize that before these children came to Sarah, their life consisted of merely existing in a very bleak setting. Now, they are valued and loved and are being given the chance to thrive and to reach their fullest potential. I think God is pleased. Yes, I think He's very pleased indeed since these children ARE His most precious treasures. I'm sure I will inundate you with pictures in the weeks to come.

Going to try to sleep again. It won't be long now till the constant honking starts in the streets below, accompanied by the blaring Hindi music and the jingle of tambourines and chants as the people walk the streets to wake up their (dead) gods. I'm so glad to serve a living God who never sleeps!

Toto I've a feeling we're not in [Texas] anymore!

2010-01-15T07:07:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry it has taken me a few days to update but I have had a whirlwind few days, literally going from early morning to late at night but it has been wonderful!

When I arrived in Hyderabad, I got my first wonderful surprise in the form of a precious new addition to SCH. He had been abandoned the day before at a local church. Sarah named him Nick because his hair was sticking up like my Nick's hair in one of my photos :) The Indian staff call him 'Nicky' because it's easier for them to say. Since my plane arrived in the middle of the night, we stayed at the guest house in Hyderabad. Here is a picture of Nick in my huge bed on our first night. He was all smiles and giggles. What a great beginning!

The next day we drove from Hyderabad to Ongole where Victory Home is and also where the apartment I am staying in is located. Have you ever been to an Imax theater simulating a ride on a roller coaster or in an airplane, etc.? I have decided that riding in a vehicle in India would be a great thrill ride for Six Flags. Seriously. It is a non-stop game of chicken! One second you are riding along with motorcycles, a herd of goats, cows, auto rickshaws, and pedestrians sharing your side of the road and on the other side of the road there is a huge bus heading straight for you, full speed ahead. Your driver waits until the bus is 20 feet away from you to pull into the buses lane and he floors it as if he is trying to see how close he can get to hitting the bus head on before swerving at the last second before impact, back into your lane. He comes within inches of taking out a few goats!It's really better if you don't watch the road while riding in a vehicle here.

When we drove up at Victory Home, the children gave me the best greeting! We just dropped off 'Nicky' and didn't stay long because it was already getting late. The next morning I went to Victory home and spent the day meeting the children. Oh my. You would not believe how tiny little Aloe is! Here is a photo of her next to Cassia. Cassia is the size of a "normal" newborn baby and is wearing newborn clothes that are big on her and yet, see how tiny Aloe is next to her! Aloe has Primordial Dwarfism. She is very alert and very strong considering how teeny tiny she is. She can hold her head and body up all by herself and seems to really know what is going on around her.

The new children are really starting to blossom. We had a 'baby' dedication and prayer time for each of the new children. I didn't get pictures of it because my arms were constantly (and wonderfully) full. I was so happy to see Justin. He still needs your prayers for recovery from his stroke but he's doing so good. Today, I took him outside while a visiting team was in the courtyard playing with the kids. He was so excited to go out, he kept making these sounds of joy and laughing and pointing at everything.

I have so much more to tell you but I have to cut this off because the Internet is going in and out. I will try again in the morning to finish this.

Love to all!

Erin