India 2009!

Today Michelle and I decided we wanted to teach the children some conversation phrases! We paired everybody up and had them stand in front of the room practicing things like “How are you?” and “What is your name?” Afterwards we split them into two groups – an “inside-the-house” group with me, and an “outside-the-house” group with Michelle. Then we took them around and picked up different objects and taught them their English names. The kids LOVED this and paid such good attention!

Afterwards I spent some time jumproping outside with Heena, Tanu, Kajal, and Vikash. Little Gun-gun kept sneaking behind me and trying to grab my camera, which I always keep hanging around my neck. She’s adorable and I’m so excited she’s finally not scared of Michelle and I! When we all got too hot, we went back inside where some of the older children were sitting with Michelle. I went and sat against the back of Neelam’s knees and started braiding some of the girls’ hair, just listening to all the children talking to each other in Hindi – understanding the gist of some things, completely missing some other things – and couldn’t help but think of how much the situation reminded me of Notre Dame. The most important part about where Michelle and I went to high school is how everyone in our class, no matter how different our personalities were, felt like a family when we were together. That’s exactly how it feels here with the children. That feeling is so rare and special I actually still can’t believe that I’ve been lucky enough to find it in two different places in my life.

After lunch, we spent some time with Joy filling out some forms we received from Free for Life Ministries, an organization that provides SOUP with some funding. Joy has an individual file kept for each child, and what Free for Life wants is to transfer that information into an intake form, which Joy is going to start regularly using for each child that is admitted to his shelter home. There’s also a tri-annual update form for each child, and a discharge form. It was actually really difficult to work on the forms because each child has such a complicated and meaningful story that it was hard to fit everything about them into the few lines we’re given on the intake form. But we were both really excited to finally get started working on something tangible that will have long-term benefits! With these forms, Free for Life will be able to keep better track of each child that is staying at SOUP.

Afterwards I helped a few more children – Neelam, Vikash, and Tanu – get their Gmail accounts set up. I was having them email my mom and my sister, so I went on Facebook to pull up pictures of them to help explain to the children the concept that they were actually sending a letter to a real person. It made me realize how badly I wish I could bring my whole family here to show to these kids!! I also just love showing them all the power of the internet. The smile that they get on their face when they realize they are sending an actual letter halfway across the world is priceless.

When we were finished, Joy took Michelle and I to the village where everyone who attended the conference last Thursday and Friday lives. I know that there is a lot that is not good about Indian villages – they have difficulty finding access to running water, electricity, schools, healthcare, all of that – but I honestly after seeing a few of them I honestly think that they are one of the most beautiful places in the world. They just seem so peaceful to me. The first thing I noticed when I got out of the car was that I could hear children from faraway laughing – it has been so long since I have been able to hear things without honking and noise in the background. As I got closer I could see that groups of children were standing on the roofs of buildings flying kites.

We first went to Anju’s home, where we got to see the sewing machine that SOUP has given her. While we were sitting around it, she and her family brought all kinds of food and soda for us to eat and drink. This was really deeply moving for me because I could appreciate all the effort this family must have gone through to get that food. Not only did it cost them more money than they could afford, but they probably had to walk really far just to find a store that sold it. After eating Joy asked us to say a blessing over the new sewing machine. I think that is the first time in my life I have ever been asked by a pastor to say a blessing!

Afterwards we went to the meeting center, where Christian families from all over the village had gathered for a prayer meeting. The meeting was run by Jeanette and her husband, the two new employees for SOUP (Jeanette grew up in SOUP’s shelter home). It was easily one of the most beautiful religious experiences I’ve ever had. Let me just explain the situation to you. It is about 115 degrees, there’s no electricity, and all of the people sitting in front of us had just finished a long day of working, either caring for their families at home or working in the fields. Who knows how far they’ve had to walk to get to the meeting place. Jeanette herself is 8 months pregnant with twins. Yet nobody in the room is frowning or complaining. Instead they have these huge smiles on their faces, crammed together in this unbearably hot room to listen and celebrate their faith. They’re laughing, and singing, and clapping, and shouting “Hallelujah!” after almost every single sentence Jeanette’s husband is saying. After celebrating together, a few men and women stood up to give individual testimony to the presence of God in their lives. Anju stood up and thanked God for her new sewing machine; another man stood up and thanked God for the strength to get up each morning and go to work. After some more singing, everyone stood up to give each other the sign of peace. Except here they say “Praise the Lord,” or “Jay-mah-see-kee” in Hindi when you shake hands. Michelle and I both loved the chance to look each person in the face and say a phrase that we both could understand.

After the prayer meeting, it had gotten very dark, and everyone brought chairs and beds outside the meeting room, where we sat and had tea and these DELICIOUS snacks which I can only really describe to you as a fried leaf. We all basically sat on one bed together – Joy, his wife Grace, his daughter Angeli and her friend Rajiv, one of the SOUP workers, Mangla, and Jeanette – and looked up at the stars, which are BEAUTIFUL out in the village! We all just talked and laughed and made fun of each other, as if Michelle and I were just an extended part of their family (that had perhaps inherited a strange albino gene, or something.)

Finally it had gotten late and was time to head home. Easier said than done. See, in India, when you have a marriage party, instead of renting out a reception hall, you have the party legitimately right in the middle of the street so that nobody can pass through. We ran into this problem about 2 minutes after leaving the meeting place. It was pitch black, we were in a giant black SUV, and had no idea where we were. It took us about 20 minutes driving through a legit obstacle course of narrow dirt roads, gigantic black cows, and huge tree roots before we finally found the main road.

We headed back to Joy’s house for a little bit. Gautam showed me how to make tea, which was very exciting! Chotu and Michelle got into a waterfight, which really wasn’t a problem because wet clothes dry in about 30 seconds in India. After about a half hour though it finally hit me that I was seriously dehydrated, so Michelle and I headed home for the night. Tonight was I think the first time I realized just how dangerous the heat can be here…when we got back to the apartment I was shaking, the room was spinning, and my head was pounding. But the solution was simple! I simply chugged a liter of Gatorade and another liter of water!