Last Day in India

Today is my last night in India for this year. I traveled down the Ghat Road, today, to Madurai to catch my first of three airplanes to Chennai. I will leave for London at 5:30 am on Tuesday morning and arrive in the United States at 8:30 pm on Tuesday evening.

It has been a long while since my last blog so I am going to try to catch you up on what I have been up to.

I spent my last week, entire week, in Poombarai. This is where I truly felt comfortable and at home during my trip. I connected with all of the students at the special school as well as all of the teachers. I am truly going to miss them, they were an inspiration to me.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we had typical days in Poombarai. We started with exercises and snacks in the morning. The students then did their daily lessons on chalkboards. In the afternoon we played on the roof and watched some Indian dances on the television. On Tuesday Paramadas came to the center, so I watched and played with the students so that they were able to have a staff meeting. On Tuesday, Paramadas also told me that Copel was at the Respite Center once again. Thank you for all your prayers, God has truly been looking over the people in India especially at the Respite Center.

On Thursday I went to Poombarai. The morning was a usual day with exercises, sitting outside, and having snack. In the mid-morning, Paramadas came to the center. Before the lunch, the kids had a race with water. They filled water bottles using their tea cups to see who was the fastest. It was really fun to watch and the kids had a blast. Martun was completely wet after the race. It was great to see all of the students involved.

In the afternoon on Thursday, the staff had a going away reception for me. Paramadas spoke to the teachers about the privilege of me being there and sharing with them. He thank me for spending so much of my time in Poombarai. I then thanked all of the teachers and students for allowing me to spend most of my days with them. It was truly great to feel comfortable and welcomed every morning when I arrived and throughout the day. The teachers gave me a going away gift of a purse and the students made with a card with all of their fingerprints on it. It was very surprising and unexpected.

On Friday, I went to Poombarai for my last day. It was a sad afternoon as I slowly had to say goodbye to all of the students and teachers. We ended the day with friendship bracelets, stretchy frogs, and candy. I also gave each of the teachers a scarf that I had crocheted throughout my time in India, as a thank you gift for their graciousness throughout my time there.


















On Saturday, I took it easy and started to pack for my return trip home. Jay and I went for about an hour walk throughout the villages.

On Sunday morning, I went to Poombarai with Jay for the last time this year. We went to pick up one of the local school kids. The kid's name is Kannan, he is a semi-orphan. His dad has passed away so he currently lives only with his mom. He also spends a lot of time with his uncle. They currently live in a rented place that is no bigger than a small closet. It was a very humbling site to see, I sometimes forget how fortune I am as an American.


Jay has kind of adopted him as a son, which is inspiring. Jay is such a man of God and does amazing things with the kids and residents of Poombarai. Kannan came with us to Madurai for two reasons. The first reason is that he has never seen an airplane or airport so he asked his mom for permission to come with us. The second reason is that Kannan currently has stomach pain. His stomach is sensitive to touch so Jay is going to take him to the hospital in Madurai to get checked out. Please Pray for Kannan's health and for his mother also.
Kannan is a very fun kid to hang out with. He is trying very hard to learn English so we conversed in both Tamil and English throughout the day. I am very thankful that I was able to spend my last night with such an amazing kid.

I am not ready to leave India for multiple reasons but I know that I will be returning many more times. I love being in India and being surrounded by people who are open and friendly whether they are a stranger or someone you have met before.

Thank you to all who have commented on this blog while I have been in India. I am very much appreciative and your words have been inspiring and encouraging throughout my adventures.

Respite Center

On Thursday, due to still having a little cold, I went to the respite center and spent the day. In the morning, we did exercises and yoga. After the yoga session, Vijay and Rueben went for a walk. Vijay has down syndrome and diabetes so he walks around the block in order to get exercise. The last time I was at the respite center I joined Vijay on his walk so this time I was expected to go also. This time we walked three times around instead of just two. After the walk, we had tea and biscuit which is a common morning snack break in India.

After snack, Rueben, who is autisitic, wrote the numbers on the chalk board up to one hundred. Rueben is also able to drawn pictures and the tamil words for them even though he doesn't know their meanings. In the morning we also build a big structure out of Jenga blocks.

Around noon, Paramadas one the Bethania workers at the respite center asked if I wanted to go visit Copel. Copel is a young man who lives with his parents in a house way off the road in the fields. Typically he would be carried to the road by his father because he is unable to walk on his own and has tremors. His father is no longer able to carry him to the road, due to age and illness, and his mother is unable also. The path to his house is incredibly difficult, it is very narrow through fields and over a small stream. I cannot imagine carrying someone along this path as in my uncoridinated fashion, I slipped twice while walking back to the road. Paramadas and Jay are trying to find and praying for a solution because Copel should really be at the Respite center during the week so he can get proper care. Please pray that God shows them a solution to this situation.

On Friday, I went to Poombarai for a half day. The students only had a half day because they needed to get ready for a festival the next day. The festival was to honor their relatives that have passed away. It was a typical day in Poombarai otherwise, the students watched a video in the morning before lunch. It was good to see the students again as I had not been there for two days. There wasn't much else happening so we walked to the bus stop early to catch the 1:30 bus instead of waiting until 3:30.

On Friday night we went to an engagement ceremony. The engagement was between a tibetan lady and chinese man. They currenly live in London but the girl went to Kodai International school so she had a lot of relationships build here in Kodai. Her parents currently live in Kodai. It was neat to see the Tibetan community of Kodai adorn the couple with shalls of white, they were completely covered by the end. It was a very neat and interesting ceremony.

On Saturday I went to the boys home, Bethel to spend most of the day. Kumar and Ruby are the caregivers at the Bethel home. However, Kumar is currently in the hospital in the plains having some type of treatment. Please pray for his recovery and overall health. In the morning, I played some soccer (football) with the boys. We also played with the last of the beach balls. This time the boys had it destroyed within an hour, I think next time I need to bring stronger beach balls, oh well. We went inside after soccer and I taught some of the boys how to play memory with matching bible cards.

They really enjoyed this game and after lunch they continued to play even without me being around. It was great to see them enjoying the game. We also did a lot of coloring, the boys were great at sharing the pages and crayons. They tried to teach me some of the colors in Tamil but I don't remember any of them. They taught me a lot of different Tamil words yesterday which are all confused in my head today. After lunch we played ring toss which is a game with a rubber ring that you toss back and forth to each other, this is a game that I can handle. Before leaving, I gave each of the boys a friendship bracelet that my students in the US help make, the boys really enjoyed them. It was a great day of hanging out and spending some quality time with these boys.

Please pray for the boys at Bethel and the Respite Center. Please also pray for Kumar, Ruby, Paramadas, and Jay as they are truly doing God's work here in India

-Darcy

Pictures of Poombarai

I spent Monday and Tuesday in Poombarai, hanging out with the kids which is always enjoyable. On Monday, I was little bored so I went for a walk through the villiage and took pictures. I also learned to say and write some more tamil words. I am more comfortable writing them than saying them. On Tuesday, I talked to some new people on the bus. The bus is sort of segregated without being forced. Women and men sit in separate seats as part of the culture. So in this way, I normally sit by people I don't know, especially when traveling back from Poombarai. I sat next to a teacher yesterday, we had a nice conversation about the states, teachers, and her family. I also sat next to some university students on the way to pallangi, they asked me some questions about where I was from, family, and my job. It was interesting to talk to all of these people, especially because they went out of their native language to talk to me.

Today I stayed home this morning because I have the start of a cold due to weather changes and rain. According to Jay and Paramadas, it is because I go to Poombarai everyday but I am still going to go there. The cold is more annoying than anything and I dont' really feel sick. Oh well, I will definitely be going somewhere tomorrow.

Here are some pictures from the walk in Poombarai

Thursday through Sunday

Thursday morning we rode the bus to Kodai at 7:30 as usual, however, it was not a usual bus ride at all. The bus got a flat tire about 4 bus stops away from where we get on the bus. A long way from Kodai, so we started walking. On the way, we were picked up by one of Jay's friends who had a small lowry (truck), already filled with school kids. Kids were riding in whatever vehicle would pick them up as they didn't want to be late for school. We made it into town safely and were then on our way to Poombarai. Thursday was a normal activity day in Poombarai. I learned four letters and four words in Tamil, the words that the students were learning. They are in English: Mommy, Goat, Leaf, and Housefly. I also learned how to write them in Tamil which was very interesting, there are over 200 letters in the tamil alphabet. In the afternoon I taught some of the teachers and tailoring students who to crochet. They don't have crochet needles, only knitting needles so i am glad that I brought extra ones along wiht me. I was also taught how to make a coin purse by the tailoring teacher. I am feeling more comfortable with communication amoung the teachers at Poombarai, it helps that I am with them almost daily.

On Friday in Poombarai we went for a picnic which was really just a long walk since we didn't take any food with us. We were driven by one of our usual drivers from Palangi. I think he was in Poombarai for something else we hitched a ride out to the side of the mountain with him. We then walked back to Poombarai from the lookout point. It took an hour and a half to walk back with the kids, but we also took some breaks since it was all up hill. While we were walking I took off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waist like a common american. All of the students who had coats copied what I had done, by the end of the walk all of them had their sweatshirts tied around their waist, it was really cute.

On Saturday, I went to Shalom. Shalom is the girls Bethania home in Kodai. It is run by Josephine. Shalom currently has 32 girls ranging from 2 standard to 9 standard. Shalom is in a new rented building then the one we visited last year. There is a lot more room in this facility for the girls and plenty of storage space. Plus it has grassy yard next to the facilty for the girls to play in. I spent most of the day here. I hung out with the girls in the morning while they had other visitors from Kodai International school. After they left we played volleyball and badmitton. We also played with a beach ball that I had brought from the US. By the end of the day the volleyball was destroyed, I had already patched it twice. Some of the girls didn't understand that it could not be fixed and wanted to continue to blow it up. I ate lunch we the girls which consisted of rice, beets, and banana. I still have not gotten the hang of eating with my hands so the girls got a laugh out of how I was eating. After lunch I played chess with the oldest girl in home, she won all of the games except one. That either means she is really good or I am really bad, probably the last one. I thankful that I was able to spend time at Shalom and I am going to try to go again before I leave.

Today I went to church at Kodai International School. The service was English which I am thankful for. We also sang some very familiar songs: Refiner's Fire, This little light of mine, and Above all. The sermon was on Matthew 13:31-33. These verses tell two parables; the first of the mustard and the second of the women who makes bread with only a small amount of yeast. The pastor reminded us that everything starts out small, sometimes insignficant, but in the end is Great and Wonderful. She reminded us that each of us has a mustard seed within us and that by God's amazing Grace that mustard will be turned into something great. This was especially meaningful to be because sometimes I feel like I am not really doing anything meaningful for the students in Poombarai. Today, God reminded me through his word that the littlest things are just as important as the Great Majestic things.

Please pray for the girls at Shalom and the students and teachers in Poombarai.

-Darcy

Last three days

On Monday, I went to Poombarai with Jay. We had a pretty normal day without anything exciting happening. The power was out in the afternoon which is a normal occurance in Poombarai, so all of the students including myself laid down and took a short nap. We also played a game with the beach ball I had brought, it was like hot potatoe so the last person with it had to sing or dance for everyone else. I sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

On Tuesday, Jay had a function in the nearby village to attend. I went to the Respite Center. The Respite Center is a home for men who have physical or mental handicaps. There were three men there yesterday. They come on Monday mornings and leave on Friday mornings, so they are with their parents during the weekends. In the morning, a women from the National Institude of India which watches over all indians with special needs, came to see the Respite Center. She runs homes for special needs individuals in Chennai and Bangalore. She gave Amala, one of the Bethania workers, some ideas for products, such as reed bead curtains and paper product desks, that the boys could make and sell. She also said she could help market these projects through her organization. Amala will need to see how many the boys can make in a month. Mid-morning, we did group therapy which consisted of puzzles, beads, and blocks. Visaj did the puzzles with me. Amala explained to him that I was friends with Jay so then Visaj automatically said that we were friends, it was really cute. In the afternoon, I learned how to play carromwhich is a cross between checkers and jacks, here is a website that explains it since I was kind of confused while playing. http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Carrom.htm It was fun and relaxing anyway, plus a way to be involved with the boys.

Today we went to Poomparai. Paramadas joined us on the way. Paramadas is a Bethania worker who oversees the Respite Center, Poomparai Special School, and Manavoyour tuition center. He is a very easy going man of God who has great ideas. He is also very easy to understand and loves to teach the kids and visitors new songs, poems, words, etc... Today he taught the kids a song called "We shall overcome" in both Tamil and English. He also taught me some basic words in Tamil which I am going to practice tonight so I can try to use them tomorrow. This morning after we had learned the new song we made a train and walked around the center. It was a blast and the kids really enjoyed it. Everyone of the kids and three of the teachers were involved in the train, it was great. Here are some pictures on the train parade.

Summary

Sorry that I have not blogged in a while. The following is a short summary of the last few days.

On Wednesday I took the day easy. I stayed in Palangi, finished a book, crochet, and relaxed. I talked with Manjula our cook and housekeeper, it was nice to relax.

On Thursday I went to Poombarai on the bus. We did exercises in the morning which I helped led again. After morning snack all the kids and teachers went for a walk. We walked to an overlook where you could see many different mountains and villiages. We could see Palangi from the view. It was a beautiful view. After the walk the teachers and kids were tired, I wasn't, it really wasn't very far but for them it was. As the kids were laying around, I opened the plastic snakes that my mom had left with me. The kids were scared of them at first as were the teachers. After a few minutes the kids were stretching and pulling on the snakes while trying to scare each other. The one little girl was still scared of the snake at the end and would run out of the room if one the kids chased here with it. It was a very amuzing experience. I am sure that some of the kids scared their when they went home with them.

On Friday at Poombarai we had a relaxing school day. We did our exercises in the morning, one the students led. They think it is funny when I try to do yoga because I can't really sit with my legs in the proper position. After snack we went through the numbers using a puzzle that said them in English. We also looked at a puzzle book with pictures and English words. After lunch, Jay and I tried to catch the bus early but it didn't come so we went back to the center to wait for the 3:30 bus. During this time, Jay talked and did PT on a man who was a Post Master from a nearby village. I sat with the kids, they were having a dance party. They all did dances for me including the boys.

On a side note because you would not see this in the US. This chicken was alive Thursday morning after snack time. We were all watching it on the roof. In the afternoon as I was standing outside a man grabbed, went across the street and killed it. When he was done de-feathering it, he brought it back across the street. I still find this unbelieveable.

On Saturday, I stayed in Palangi and hung out. I was little bored because Jay had gone to play cricket with his club of boys from the nearby village. I hiked to the middle of the mountain and sat for a while. The fog formed around me, it was very peaceful and relaxing. I also walked to the end of the road where the bus turns around, it took about an hour. I am sorry I didn't bring my camera so I dont' have any pictures of the villages along the way.

Today, Sunday, I went to the market with Manjula. It was very interesting to walk around and see how Manjula picks out the vegetables and fruits for the week. They were also butchering chickens and fish in the market today.

I will pray that everyone has a peaceful and relaxing Sunday.

-Darcy

Pictures

The blog for today is below, I thought I would add some pictures, that you might enjoy, from my adventures so far.

Sorry this are the only two that would load as the computer is deciding to be slow at the moment.

Poombarai

I think I need to learn some Tamil. Today and yesterday was kind of struggle because I don't know what the teachers at the center are trying to tell me or ask me. Today was a little better. There is always so much going on, it is hard for me to focus especially because I don't understand what is being said. Oh well, I know that God will continue to show me how to communicate with those around me.

I spent the morning in Poombarai at the center. We did exercises and yoga. There is one girl is very interested when I am there. So today she wouldn't turn around and look at her teacher because she was looking at me. The teacher had me go up front by her so that this girl would face the front. I helped led the exercises with the teacher. After the exercises we had snack. We then sat outside and watched the school children.

Today the kids in Poombarai were celebrating a famous Tamil leaders Birthday. They paraded down the street through town then around the temple and back to school. I believe they were shouting his name but I dont' know for sure. After they marched through town, they gave speeches about this very important leader. Due to the Birthday the students only had a half day of school today.
We left Poombarai at 12:30 to walk the 1.5 km to the bus stop. The bus stop is on the top of the hill outside of Poombarai. All the way up to the bus stop we had a small bunch of boys with us. They tried to teach me their names, which I was able to say the easy ones. They also taught me how to spell my name in Tamil. One of the boys took my camera and carried it up the hill. About half way up it took it out of the case and started taking pictures. He was one of the boys who used it yesterday during the sport events so he already knew how to use it.

No exciting adventures on the bus today.

God Bless -Darcy

Back in Kodai

On Sunday we went into to town to the Market. On Sundays everyone goes to the market. So Jay decided to take me so I could see how crazy it was. But lets start at the beginning, we went on the bus. In India they put as many people on a bus as can fit. We got on the bus early so that we were able to get a seat. It was sure an experience, I have never seen some many people on the bus. The market was full of people also. At the market you can buy any vegetable or fruit you could want. You can also buy any material item you want also, from clothes to knifes to household pots. After the market we walked around the lake and on the Coalker walk, a walkway around a garden.

Today we went to Poombarai on the bus. We left Palangi at 7 am and arrived in Poombarai at 9:45. I spent some time with the kids at the center in their morning prayer and yoga. We had snack and sat outside. The school in Poombarai had sports day today so the kids were running through the streets. They had running races, jump roping races, sack races, and hoping races. It lasted all morning, it was very enjoyable to watch. Everyone in the village was on the streets watching. To end the morning sports day the little girls played musical chairs, except there weren't any chairs. The girls just ran in a circle and then went to the middle when the music stopped. After the girls had a chance, their teachers played musical chairs also. This time they used chairs, it was very enjoyable to watch.

This afternoon I was asked to draw pictures that the students at the center could color. It was very funny to see my drawings as they weren't not good at all in my opinion but the students enjoyed coloring them.

On our way on the bus from Poombarai our bus broke down. Many different men tried to fix it but they weren't successful. We decided to get on another bus, except the bus didn't really stop. I had to jump on the bus as it was moving, yes mom I did it without falling off.

Please continue to pray for the people of India and Kodai.

-Darcy

Second Day in Madurai

I just got back from the Madurai airport. I dropped off my mom and aunt as they fly back to America tomorrow morning at 5:30 am. They had a wonderful trip in India, I am glad that I was able to show them around. God is doing great things in India and I am thankful to share that with my mom and aunt.

Today we visited with Richard, Annie, and Christina Samuel. They are christain based workers in India who run an organization known as CCM, Community of Christian Ministry.

Annie has started a home for destitude women. These are older women who are thrown out by their families and forced to live on the streets. Their families either don't want them or cannot take care of them. Annie with the help of local pastors and social workers, listens to their stories, shares with them the ministries at their homes, and then asks them if they want to stay at their home. These women have incredible stories of how they have prayed to God day after day for comfort and God has answered their prayers. One of these women lived in a temple for two years with very little food, only what people and a local temple leader would give her. She prayed to God for help and comfort, she is now in the women's home. It was very inspiring to visit and see these women praying. Truly God driven work.

We also visited Richard's retreat center. This is a place just starting to get under way. It is located near the hills in Madurai. It is a place establish for peace and reflection with God. Richard is working on building places of quiet worship, cottages for retreats, and other spots where people can come and be with God without distractions from the outside world. I found this place very relaxing and a place where I could find quiet with God.

Please pray for Richard and his family as they continue their ministry in Madurai and throughout India.

-Darcy

Madurai

Yesterday, Wednesday, we traveled down the mountain from Kodai to Madurai. We had a new driver because Mr John, our previous driver, his aunt died. So he was at a funeral and could not take us to Madurai. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. We drove to Kanavari where there is a childrens home. This home sits on 13 acres of land with lots of trees and vegtables they are quite self-sufficient.

Today we were met by Raymond Samuel. Raymond is in charge of an organization known as SISU. This organization has about three different projects up and running currently. These projects are run in small villages outside of Madurai. In these villages, live the poorest of the poor in India known as the untouchables.

The first program that Raymond started was to save babies. In India, girls cost a lot of money for families because the women's family pays a dowry to get her married. Due to this dowry in the small villiages they were killing their second and third girls. Raymond's parents started helping this by bringing the babies to centers in Madurai. When Raymond saw this he was moved by God to do something in the villages so that they could help themselves and each other to save the babies. They now have women and men organizations that help save money so that they don't kill their second and third girls.

They also have pre and post pregancy care for the mothers at risk of killing their girls. This is the second program through SISU. They have nurses that care and monitor the babies and mothers. These nurses also care for patients in the villages and send them to local hospitals if they are not able to treat them.

The third program which I felt was remarkable is the loan program. SISU has a three step loan program in these remote villages. The first step is 3000 ruppees. This money is given to villagers so that they can start a small business to earn money. They have to pay so much of the loan back a week. When they are successful with the first loan, they are able to get a bigger loan to improve their house or to buy animals to improve their income. Most of these villiages are small farming and agricultural areas.

It was amazing to see the women organizations in these communities. They were bonding together in order to earn a living and support one another. They are also saving money so that they can get more education on farming and maintaining a village. God is truly working in their lives and in their communities.

A women and her daughter. The young women in this picture wants to be a teacher. She has applied to go to Chennai to college, however it will cost her 300 dollars a year to attend. Raymond is trying to work on a scholarship for her. Whe will be in school for 4 years. Her mother will have to pay 15 dollars a month for her food if she can get the scholarship. She is willing to work in her village after college to pay back the loan / scholarship. She was a very bright and intellectual young women.

Raymond is a remarkable man of God, and I thank God that he was called to these villiages.

Please pray for the people in these villiages, that they may continue to be blessed and given opportunities through SISU.

Kodaikannal

This morning we visited a Gersha, I don't think I spelled that correctly, which is a Day Care Center in the United states. The kids at these centers are 3 to 5 years of age. The new sessions start in June so some of the kids are quite young. At the Deborah Center, there were two sets of twins, the younger of the sets were crying the whole time we were there. Today we decided to sing Head and Shoulders since the kids were so young and they are learning the body parts in English. After they attend the Day Care Center at age 5 they will begin school. It was great to visit and play with the children at these Day Care Centers.

We also visted the Respite Center this morning. This is a home for adult boys with disabilities. There are 5 boys who live at this home from Monday morning through Friday afternoon. On the weekends their parents take care of them at home. Since I don't really have a lot of words to share with you today, I thought I would leave you with a lot of pictures. Since there pictures are very meaningful and convey a message also.

A young women at the women's empowerment center learning sewing. When she has earned enough money she will buy her own sewing machine to work out of her home. She will then be able to help support her family.

Line-up for handwashing before snack. Snack was a type of orange oatmeal and warm milk.

The following are some of the students at the special education school in Poombarai

Poombarai

We went to Poombarai this morning with Jay. It is about an hour drive from Palangi where we are staying. You have to drive through kodai then through a national forest to get to Poombarai. Poombarai is a small village with strong traditions. Jay told us this morning that Poombarai is a village that has been there for over 100 years. There is a lot of fields in this village so farming and crops is how the village makes their money. However they do spend their in ways to help their village, they spend a great deal of the money on temples to their Gods. This village is Hindu so there are temples throughout the area. There are only about 20 Christian in the area. Bethania is sharing the Gospel by being in the village and sharing with the people.

Due to lack of sanitation in this village, the women continue to have children with handicaps. Bethania has a school in this village that helps the students with handicaps and retardation. We were able to spend about two full hours playing with the kids. My mom and aunt played blocks with three of the boys. One of the boys has CP, one is deaf and one has moderate retardation. I played catch with three girls who all have mild and moderate retardation. I also spend about an hour working with one of the girls on matching cards with letters and pictures. It was great being able to spend a significant amount of time with these children.

It is wonderful to see the growth from last year to this year with some of the kids at this school. Paramadas, Jay, and all of the teachers in Poombarai are truly doing God's work with these children. I feel God calling me to spend some more time in this village.

After lunch we took a walk through the village. School was just getting out so there were a lot of children on the streets. I always feel like I am making a scene when I walk through these villages because everyone wants their picture taken. But it is also interesting to see how the village is setup. We met some of the elders of the village and the owner of the Bethania building. I also took some pictures of some older women or were around the village.

Please pray for the kids in Poombarai. Please pray specifically for the boy who is deaf, he would truly benefit from the CP center and learning sign language however his father and grandfather are not willing to let me go yet.

Here a bunch of pictures from Poombarai:

Ashrivad and Kodaikannal

This blog seems late since I am know a day behind in letting you know what is happening. On Saturday we were still in Chennai for most of the day. We went with Bishop John to Ashrivad. Ashrivad is a home outside of Chennai about an hour and a half away in a very remote village. This home is not owned by Bethania yet but they are working obtaining the home with Bethania staffing and resources. We were able to spend about two hours here which wasn't enough for me. Unlike our Bethania homes were you can see the love and spirit of God through the kids, here the kids could use a lot more attention and love. There is very few staff at this home so it hard for all of the kids to get the attention that they need. The kids sang some songs and recited some verses for us. We then sang Jesus Loves Me with actions. Afterwards, we tried to play sleeping cow but we couldn't get the kids to laugh. We then decided to play Duck Duck Goose which the kids absolutely loved.
We flew to Kodai on Saturday night and drove three hours through madurai up the mountain to Kodai. We were very tired when we arrived as it was about midnight.
This morning we woke to the beautiful gardens in palangi at Jay's Granner house. We went to church at Kumar's church. Kumar's helps his wife Ruby run the boys Bethania home in Kodai. The church is a small building on top of a hill. There was a lot of praise songs in Tamil the local language. It was interesting to listen to the great worship of the people here in India. I am always at their conviction for the Lord. I was asked to give a sermon about 15 minutes before we arrived at church. This was a little rushed for me as I was not prepared for this. I read Phillipians 4:4 to 9. These verses talking about being thankful for God. Verse 4 says to rejoice in the Lord always. I believe that if we are tahnkful to the Lord then he will continue to bless us. My talk was quite short so Paramadas added more at the end.
I need some easy song suggestions for teaching the kids as we are getting tired of Jesus Loves Me.
Please Pray for the kids in Kodai, Poombarai, and Manavayor we will be visiting with them tomorrow.
God's Peace
-Darcy

Day in Chennai

We started out the day a little worried. Our driver Jepa Kumar was over an hour late. When he arrived he told us that the tire on our van had exploded. We were all glad that God had watched over and he was safe. He took us to San Tome where St. Thomas one of the twelve disciples is buried under the church. We first looked at the inside of the church which was amazing. It reminded me of the national Cathedral in Washington DC. We then went to the back of the church to the musuem where St. Thomas was buried. He is buried under the church so we went into that place of worship. There was a mass occurring so we were able to see some of the worship. It is amazing to witness Indians worship and ask for healing. It always floors me to see the conviction and dependence on God that Indian people show. We Americans could learn alot about worship through these individuals.

Afterwards we traveled to Mahabalipuram, which is a village about an hour outside of Chennai. Here we saw the butterball which is a big rock that is balanced on three points. This big rock survived the tsunami. We then went to the shore temple which is a Hindu temple on the beach.

This evening we traveled to Panayor to visit the kids. Bethenia has a new place in Panayor, different from the place last year. It is a community center with three huge floors including a dinning hall. It is a great place for the boys with lots of room. Last year the older boys were sleeping the roof, they no longer have to do this. It is wonderful that we are able to rent this place. The kids welcomed us with traditional Indian garlands and necklaces. Bishop John said prayer to begin our welcoming. Then the children showed us a bunch of dances. These kids are amazingly talented dancers. Some of the boys from last year whom I remembered did dances again this year. After the dances we gave greetings fromt the US and taught the children the actions to Jesus Loves Me. We had some time to goof around, take pictures, and the boys and girls competed to see who could sing the loudest song, the GIRLS Won so they went upstairs to eat first. After dinner we played with the kids some more. I can see God's love poured out through these children, I am very greatful to the opportunity to visit them again this year.

Please pray for the children in Injam Bakkum and Panayor, may God continue to bless them in all that they do.

God's Peace

-Darcy

Travel Day to Chennai

We left Rajahmundry this morning, which was sad. I loved being in Rajahmundry, hanging out with Max and the boys. I hope that Max had a wonderful last day with the boys.

We arrived in Chennai and were picked up by Jepa Kumar our driver. We went to the hotel and unpacked. I then met with Bishop John to discuss our schedule with the children in Chennai for Friday and Saturday. We will be visiting the girls at Injam Bakkum tomorrow night, Bishop John is going to bring the boys from Panayoor also. I am excited to see these kids again as we spent a large amount of time with them last year.

This afternoon we went sightseeing with Jepa. Our goal for the afternoon was to buy sweets and to go to the department store to buy Salwars and Sari's. There is a language barrior between Jepa and myself which is at sometimes fustrating. We did eventually make it to the Department Store. Also on tour of Chennai we went to the beach and to Mylapor.

As we were touring the beach area we were told where the tsunami waters reached. As we toured Jepa showed us one of the slum areas of Chennai. It was very sad and disheartening to see little kids running around with hardly any clothes, playing in sand that was full of trash. Words cannot the conditions that some of these families were living in. I know that sometimes I take for granted all that I have, today made me remember to be grantful for all that God has provided for me and my family. It makes me appreciate the Bethania homes, but I know that there are so many kids that we are unable to help. Please pray for these families may they find comfort, love, and sequirity in these conditions.

Rajahmundry

Today was a jam-packed day which was very rewarding in multiple ways. We started the day in Narendraburam, the village where the new Bethania home will soon be built. It is great project being undertook, when finished the boys will have a new home and the village will have a community center. In this way, Bethania will be ministrying to both the boys and the residents of the village also. A lot of the villagers are Hindu but since Solomon has been more active in the community they are beginning to be saved and to become Christian. We visited with some of the people in the village and prayed with them. We also were able to see the church where Max has led Sunday School while he has been here.

After we left the village we asked Solomon to if we could visit a High School. We visited a High School where Solomon's wife, Vijaya teaches Science class. It was interesting to see how the classes were arranged and taught. I take for granted how much material and resources I have to teach with. In the classrooms they had boards to write on and one small chalkboard to write in the front of the room. But each and every student was engaged in the learning process which was amazing to see.

After the school we joined the boys at the Bethania for a Welcome, lunch, and hang-out time. In the welcome the boys sang some songs, danced and Pastor Solomon spoke some words from scripture. Pastor Solomon is a pastor at St. Peter's Lutheran church which is currently under a new construction project. He is a very spiritual and inspiring man of God. I enjoyed hearing is word on knowledge from God as a gift that God has already prepared for us.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing games and running around with all of the boys. It was great to just "hang-out" as we do in america. I played a couple games of chess and did not win any of the matches. I also tried to play cricket, what a confusing game but the boys were very nice about my unathletic abilities.

Tonight before we left the boys home we annoited them with oil and said a prayer for them each individual. This was a great opportunity to spend time with God and each of the boys. We all were moved by the Holy Spirit through each of the boys today. Naveen is one of the boys that I was able to pray for tonight. Naveen was not at the boys home last night because he was at a funeral. His father died early this week, Solomon also said that he doesn't have a mother either. Please pray for comfort for this young man.

It was sad to leave them this evening but I know that they are all in the hands of God. Please continue to pray that God opens new doors for us.

First Day in India

We arrived safely in India at 3:25 am. We made it through customs, I need a new passport picture, and we had no missing luggage YAH!! We were greeted by our driver Jepa Kumar and his wife, donned with garland in typical Indian customs for welcome. It is wonderful to be back in India with all the people and smells of India.

We left Chennai at noon this morning and flew to Rajahmundry. We were greeted graciously with flowers by Max, Solomon, Smiley, and Monica. We were quite tired from all of the traveling so we went to our hotel to take a nap.

Tonight we went to the boys home. At first they were a little shy at seeing and greeting us. They quickly warmed up to us and wanted to share everything. They were studying their school work when we arrived and were deligent. We took pictures, shared signatures, and one of the boys drew a pencil drawing of me. To close our time with the boys we sang Lord I Lift your Name on High with motions and the whoops. We heard a bible reading 1 Samuel 28: 3 to 24 from one of the boys and an explanation that we need to obey God in everything we do. It always amazes me at how all of the Bethania Kids are willing to share their faith without hesitation, I wish that american Christians had so much willingness.

We finished our time at Solomon's house with dinner. Traditional India food of rice and mutton which was excellent. Also lots of fresh fruit.

God's Peace

-Darcy

Day Before Travel

I am officially packed and ready to go to India. I leave tomorrow night, Sunday, about 7 pm and will arrive in India at 3:30 am Tuesday which will be 6 pm on Monday in the US. My mom and aunt will be traveling with me for the first two weeks of my six weeks in India. I know that God is preparing the way for them to experience India.


We will be traveling all around India during the first two weeks. Here is a short overview of our travels. We will visit Max in Rajahmundry before he returns to the US, then we will travel to Chennai. We will continue our travels to Kodai which is my favorite place, so far, in India. We will finish our travels in Madurai. Then my mom and aunt will return to the US and I will return to Kodai.

I am excited to see what God does during my travels in India. Please pray for safe travels and eye opening experiences.

-Darcy