End of a journey.

I am exhausted. But I am thankful. I am home and I had a wonderful trip.

The last two days have been a blur. After leaving Kolkata EARLY Thursday and arriving in Doha, Qatar, I had the opportunity to walk around the city.

Our group walked the coastline towards downtown. We passed house boats and ferries that looked they were built one hundred years before the city.

We opted to go for a cultural experience instead of shopping in Doha. So, we went to the Museum of Islamic art.

It was fascinating to view each piece but I only made it through one level before the dim lighting and quietness got to me. After eleven days of constant noise, motion and light, the museum was no match for me.

I opted to spend the rest of the afternoon watching what I would describe as wealthy Saudi men, British scholars and Korean tourists take tea in the lobby as I listened to their conversations-- clearly not understanding any of it!

In the evening we returned to our hotel-- Holiday Villa where the people watching was just as intriguing.

Did you know that Harley Davidson is popular in Saudi Arabia? Well there is a SA motorcycle club-- according to their cuts anyway. I was surprised but intrigued. Lots of men were gathered-- presumably for the squash competition (don't ask me what squash is- i'll tell you it's one vegetable I rarely eat). It was just incredibly interesting to watch even though I couldn't understand anything.

Then early this morning, 5am Doha time, we boarded a shuttle for the airport. And I've been up ever since.

As I sit here in the LaGuardia airport I can barely keep my eyes open. I'm exhausted. But thankful for the past two weeks. I never got sick even though I often felt exhausted and on the verge of being ill. I saw so many wonderful sights and had some incredible experiences.

In addition to all of that, my eyes have been opened to the impact poverty has on a child, their family, the community and society. I hope I have been able to accurately portray the reach of the poverty in India while also conveying the hope and perseverance. India is home to amazing, beautiful people and part of my heart will belong especially to the children there.

If you are interested in having an impact on the children of India I encourage you to check out sponsoring a child through Compassion International. Their holistic approach is unmatched.

Thank you for your prayers and comments. I appreciate them both and look forward to sharing more with you personally :)

See you soon!

Variety. A day full of excitement.

At 8:30am we were boarding the buses to travel to the CDC which we would be serving for the day.

On our bus ride I put my camera down and tried to really take it all in. There are so many hard working people here. They set up shop early with fruits, vegetables and fish. Seeing the cats crouched on the bench near the fish made it obvious why we were told not to eat anything out of a street vendor.

The colors are so amazingly vibrant. Tomatoes and mangos are deep red colored-- without dye! With the exception of the meat, everything is beautiful. The colors and designs of the fabric reflect the beauty of the natural surroundings-- flowers, plants, birds..

But the day had a different kind of beauty as well. Playing with and teaching the children, aged 6 to 14, was such a joy. They were all smiles and hugs today-- wanting autographs and telling the women they were beautiful.

We also had the opportunity to do another home visit. Today a group of us went to the home of a young boy who lived with his parents and grandparents. He is an only child. The five of them live in a one room house which they had six of us ushered in to. We sat on their bed and leaned up against the family bicycle while the boy told us that he enjoys the Bible stories and playing games with his friends. He wants to work in an office when he grows up.

The most touching part of the visit was at the very end though. As we began to leave the grandfather began to cry. The translator said he was upset because his family was too poor to afford seating for all of us. He asked that we pray for his family to have a better life.

After all of the ups and downs of the day we returned to the CDC. One of the staff members gave us an amazing handmade cross before we left. Her picture is below. She has such an amazing ministry to the children though her crafts. Please pray for her for continued blessings upon her.

Joy

Today's word is joy.

After a relatively brief ride to the neighborhood where the child development center (CDC) was located, we were told the buses were too large to navigate the last few miles. We would take rickshaws from there.

Hooray! It was such a fun experience! I sat up front. Our guide looked at me and said "hold on or you will fall out" with a very serious look!

It was great to ride through the jungle area and see everything from a normal point of view instead of up high from a tour bus. The coconut and banana trees were amazing. The smells were overwhelming-- both good and bad.

When we arrived at the CDC the older children were prepared in marching band fashion with a song to welcome us!! All the younger children lined each side of the dirt road as we were paraded in. Even in the sweltering heat it was fantastic!

Every little boy and girl wanted their photo taken and we all obliged them. Mothers would shove their children forward to have their little ones memorialized in our minds forever.

We enjoyed fresh bananas as we listened to the priest talk about the work that Compassion is doing in the area. He oversees this particular CDC alone and he asked us to pray for him. The Muslim and Hindu religions are equally popular in that particular area and although there have not been any issues, he is alone and would like another Christian leader to come alongside him to help with the work. Obviously the Compassion staff are there but to lead the church and oversee the project is a huge undertaking.

We were able to hear stories from mothers enrolled in the child survival program (CSP) and visit some of their homes. The home my group visited was really like an entire village!

The grandfather (a Muslim), his daughter, his granddaughter (the mom enrolled in CSP), grandsons and grandchildren live together in the same section of the cluster of homes. Despite his religion, he welcomed us in and wanted us to take pictures of him and his family.

The joy that the CSP enables is evident on each face. One mother brings back valuable information to her entire village and the CSP offers programs and meetings for the entire family-- especially targeting the in-laws who's religion is mostly Muslim with some Hindu.

These mothers learn life saving health information that especially benefits themselves while they are pregnant and once they give birth. But those lessons carry over to all of the other children as well.

While enrolled in the program they come together with other moms and moms to be for Bible study and quizzes. They sing songs of praise and dance. They pray for one another.

Seeing the impact of the CSP was so wonderful today. God is doing amazing things and each mother enrolled is doing his work.

Please pray for the CSP's here in India and all over the world.

In awe.

Compassion provided every sponsor with a trip journal with questions to help us focus in on the most meaningful parts of the trip for us individually. Good thing I opened mine today.

The first question is this: what ONE WORD best summarizes this day for you?

Awe.

I was in awe of nearly everything I saw or smelled or touched or tasted.

There were a lot of things about today that I'm sure I won't soon forget but two things really stand out in my mind.

The first is visiting Mother's Home. This is the place Mother Teresa worked out of. Watching a young girl sit and pray at the foot of her tomb was sobering. The people of India need another mother. There are so many needs here but the people that we met ask prayers not for their circumstances but for their children and families to know the joy of Christ.

Looking into Mother's room where she lived and then died was amazing. It was as though God was saying "this is it. This is all she needed." She even refused a fan despite the suffocating heat and heaviness. I just stood and stared. To be that dedicated and selfless awes me.

The second thing about today that moved me was visiting the orphanage Mother Teresa worked in.

At first I was excited to visit with the kids and play with them but our first stop at the orphanage was the room for children with disabilities whose parents just dumped them like trash.

Many of the children couldn't walk or had a mental handicap. But the joy they had when we picked them up was amazing.

Some of us just sat on the floor with the smallest ones, rotating their limbs, massaging their palms and the bottom of their feet to stimulate their muscles.

That's where I spent my time. I sat with a sweet little boy who could barely hold his head up. He was probably about 18 months old, maybe older. He didn't change his expression much as I wiggled his toes or massaged his back but every once in a while he would smile.

There is a saying that goes "let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God."

That little boy was it. It was heartbreaking to leave and wonder when or if someone would take him home and give the attention to him that every child deserves.

Poverty can have such an impact on a child's life but God's impact is so much greater.

Kolkata. Day one.

This morning started off with a fairly tame bus ride to the CDC. The traffic here is more calm and there are far less motorcyclists. Less motorcyclists mean less babies on the back tied to the frame!

There were a lot more food vendors on the side of the road today. The fruit, vegetables and fresh fish are everywhere.

It's not as busy as Chennai, it's more Westernized and the differences in poverty and wealth are more dramatic. Instead of having large areas of poverty it alternates from house to house and one side of the street to the next.

The slums are in the shadows of high rise apartments. Trash is piled on top of roofs while modern shops are brightly lit next door.

The weather was breezy today and helped relieve some of the suffering of the other sponsors. Many of them are suffering for food poisoning and are pretty miserable. The cooler temperature was a welcome relief.

Please continue to pray for our group as many of them are not feeling well and it's impacting them physically and mentally. Pray for positive attitudes and a wonderful rest of the trip.

Another busy day

Our day started bright and early-- we were on the bus by 8:30am and headed north of Chennai to a Child Survival Project (CSP) where mothers are taught how to take care of themselves and their babies.

The project partners with a church so they are given spiritual as well as medical guidance. There are about fifty women in this particular location but each CSP has about the same number.

Some of the mothers sang a song for us today. They gave their testimonies and told us to pray for their sponsors. They said without their sponsors their children may not be alive and they wouldn't know the saving power of Jesus Christ. Amazing.

We got to sit in small groups with the moms and ask questions and play with their children and hold their babies. Some of us brought baby clothes.

It was a wonderful experience. These women were so appreciative of everything.

Then we drove south to the airport to catch our plane to Kolkata. And here I am! The Sonnet hotel in West Bengal is very nice. The food is far less spicy here than in Chennai which appeals to some in the group.

The food in Chennai was SPICY. I enjoyed it but our first meal tonight was good- lots of yummy identifiable vegetables!

The temperature is about ten degrees cooler here than in Chennai as well. It was in the 90's there but it's so nice here and less muggy. I'm glad we are on the home stretch of the trip here because ending in Chennai may have been a lot to handle!

Time for bed- tomorrow is a busy day- of course!

IN-509: fish and loaves

I'm exhausted from spending the day with the kids.

We went on three home visits.

We plate volleyball and futbol.

We gave hugs and held hands.

We sang, we read scripture and prayed.

We signed autographs and took LOTS of pictures. And then we took MORE pictures.

Read the story of the boy who brought loaves and fish. We shared that with the kids today but it also applied to our resources and overall day.

I'll explain more when I'm rested :)

For now here are some of the MANY pictures of the day....

Excess- American Poverty

This morning we got up bright and early to drive to the child development center (CDC). It was about a 40 minute bus ride but who knows how far away it actually was. It seems that in India the streets ate more circular than on a grid and traffic makes everything seem much further away.

It doesn't help that the cattle get in the way too!

When we arrived at the CDC it was obvious that Compassions help is necessary. The slums of India are a thousand times worse than anything I've seen in America and a hundred times worse than what I had imagined. In the actually city of Chennai everything is covered in dust. In the slums they live in it. Their houses look like forts my brother and I would have made as kids.

The thatched walls and roofs sometimes have a variety of materials supporting them. Roofs can also be covered with fabric. Water sits in narrow ditches where men spit and cattle lounge about.

One building can look as though it will topple at any moment while right across the street is an apartment building rivaling the nicest in Akron.

As Valerie, Mary Lu and I wandered, we went down alleys and tried it take it all in. Women and children came out of their homes to have their pictures taken. One woman took my hand and then showed me an injury on her arm. We assured her we would pray for her.

Despite the living conditions the people in these areas are grateful and joyful. They love having their photo taken and want to talk with you. And they ALWAYS smile when you are with them. It is truly incredible.

As an American I tend to think that poverty doesn't impact me individually but today I realized-- as did many of us-- that our poverty is that of excess. We don't truly realize how blessed we are and are missing out on truly being grateful, thankful for all that we have and what we can do with those resources. Our ignorance is where we are lacking-- not food or clothing or shelter-- but our appreciation of all we have.

Today we heard from three leaders of different CDC's and they told us how Compassion impacts about 250 kids in each project but that impact is even wider because I their families and friends and communities.

The people here work for a daily wage. It is truly hand to mouth. Compassion is able to give them resources to develop skills to help them become self sustaining and to save for a future.

The CDC's offer Monday through Friday help for the kids with their school work but also spiritual growth. Thy are also provided with a daily meal. Saturday's are their fun days and Sunday's are days of worship.

The centers also have de-addiction programs-- mainly for fathers addicted to alcohol. It is a challenge to get them to attend though. Those who do complete the program are forever changed and their families are grateful.

There are so many things to learn from these people. Their perseverance is incredible. They do not subscribe to the fatalism they are taught because if the caste system. They recognize they are a new creation in Christ and strive to do things that honor that.

I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings... We will meet some of the children who attend the CDC and teach, play and eat together.

Please pray for the continued health of our group and the interactions we have in the CDC.

Unity in Diversity

Today I met Nagaveni for the very first time. It was wonderful. She has grown into such a smart, beautiful young lady and has aspirations that make me as proud as a mother.

All of the sponsor children in South India arrived at the hotel this morning to ride with their sponsors to the amusement park-- Queensland-- which by the way would be shut down in the US for its safety!

Anyway, Nagaveni pinned jasmine flowers in my hair and I shared a phot album with her. She showed me her sports trophies-- she brought them with her!! And told me about her brother winning a karate trophy. As we walked around the park together sometimes she would hold my hand-- even my left hand-- and say she was glad I'm her sponsor.

Her aunt is her guardian and she was with Nagaveni as well as the project coordinator from her home in Bangalore. The three of them took the train overnight to arrive by morning.

Although none of their English was strong we were able to communicate and smile. She told me she wants to be a doctor and that science is her favorite subject-- the complete opposite of me!!

She and her aunt asked about my brother and I think they were all surprised that I hadn't been accompanied by a parent or my brother as is customary here. Despite all of the differences in culture and language, we are united in Christ.

It was such a blessing to sit and talk and share a meal and pray with her today that our goodbye wasn't difficult.

She and her aunt told me I need to visit them in Bangalore. One day....

The last 24

Between New York and Chennai I lost a full day. The flight to Doha was long but I was able to sleep most of the time-- without snoring or drooling I might add. Qatar Airways really caters to their guests. They served meals, Ben & Jerry's ice cream and snacks. But I slept.

Doha airport was busy. We were a spectacle I'm sure. But the layover was brief.

We finally arrived in Chennai, India around 3:30am local time. That was the first time I encountered the hole in the ground in the bathroom stall. I opted to wait until we got to the hotel instead I'd figuring out the hose situation. Hopefully I will make it the full two weeks without having to figure it out.

Even at the early morning hour the whole area was awake and alive. Taxis were lined up outside with even more taxi drivers surrounding the airport exit. They wanted their pictures taken by all of us. We took a bus to our hotel. During that dark ride I got only a glimpse of the poverty that engulfs this nation.

As soon as we got to the hotel we went to bed. Some of my fellow sponsors are from California- I can only imagine their jet lag.

This morning came too soon. We were up just five hours later and off to visit the Caruna-- Compassion South India office. We met the country director and many of the project facilitators. They welcomed us with flowers in our hair, rose water sprinkles on us, sugar candy and a paste on our skin to keep us cool. Then we were each presented with a garland/ lei of beautiful flowers.

Then we got to know the staff. They shared their success and goals with us but emphasizes the God sized gap between their resources and the need.

Facts:
- 40% of the worlds poor live in India, in fact, all of Africa's poor don't even add up to the total of poor in ONE Indian state
- 47% of Indian marriages are child marriages
- 5.3 million children are in the sex trade in India

BUT:
- Caruna has been in south India for ten years an their outreach is growing
- there are over 300 projects (child sponsorship centers)
- there is hope

The leaders of Caruna asked us to pray for three very specific things and I ask that you would pray as well:
1- that the world would see beyond the image of India as a wealthy, needless nation and recognize the poverty that is so overwhelmingly evident
2- pray for the Compassion staff
3- pray for perseverance to fill the God sized gap

It was a lot to take in.

We finished our day with a bit of shopping and our final stop was the St Thomas Basilica church/tomb. It is a beautiful building and mass was in progress when we arrived.

Tomorrow I meet my first sponsored child- AN. Please pray that her travel to the center is easy and that our meeting is meaningful.

While your days have just begun its lights out here. Goodnight.

My living room is a disaster zone.  I have luggage, water bottles, clothes and craft supplies strewn about.  Or more accurately- thrown around.

Let me explain why.  In middle school I had a phenomenal experience at a Christian music festival.  I learned more about God and his love than I had learned up to that point.  It was at that festival that I learned about Compassion International and the Christ-like love they show to children around the globe every day.

Compassion is a ministry which focuses on children's poverty in every sense of the word.  They attend to the spiritual, physical and social needs nearly 1.2 million children and their families around the world.  Their work in 26 countries continues to expand and bring hope to some of the darkest places of the world.

It will be ten years ago in May that I made the decision to sponsor my first child, AN.  Over the past ten years I have received letters full of hope and joy, carefully hand-drawn  pictures of peacocks, cartoons and houses, and of prayers that my loved ones would be blessed.  Even in the poverty of her daily life she found the hope to praise God in those letters and to ask Him to bless me.  Many of the letters have brought me to tears, although for those of you who know me, that's a pretty common event.  But the joy I have upon opening those letters is unmatched.

AN- 2011

A few years back I decided to sponsor another child, this time a little boy from South America.  I continued my correspondence and sponsorship of both children but my little boy left the Compassion program.  It wasn't until last year that I decided it was time to pick another child.  In the meantime, AN had grown into a young woman, still drawing pictures but now, writing her own letters to me, in English no less.  And with better grammar than most Americans, myself included.  In February 2011, Esther became a part of my life.

In her first photograph to me, she looks like a sweet little girl who could knock down any boy on the playground.  Cute but with a scowl that says "I really can't believe you're taking my picture right now," she captured my heart.

Esther- 2011

It was in the fall of 2011 that I decided I wanted to commit to meeting them and my opportunity quickly approached.  I signed up and paid for my trip by Thanksgiving.  Now, as I look around my living room at the pile of clothes and gifts and supplies, I cannot begin to fathom actually being in India. I leave in less than 48 hours.

I will updated you as I can.  There are so many things I want to share already! My itinerary is beyond anything I could have hoped for! Chennai and Kolkata, India will be home to a group of 40+ sponsors over the next two weeks.  This is truly going to be a life changing trip.

Friends, I could ask so much of you and I know you would support me in any way you could, but now I ask this: please keep these amazingly strong girls in your prayers.  Their families and the Compassion ministry do so much for them but God can do so much more. 

India. A Trip of Compassion.

India. A Trip of Compassion.

Follow my trip through India on Trip Color