From India with Love

We are finally here and settling down, happy to lay down flat to sleep and take showers. It’s 5:45 am and we’re just getting ready to wakeup and start the day. Todd and us six ladies toured three slums yesterday. It was such an amazing experience. The children are so adorable with their big bright brown eyes and sweet voices, they sang several songs for us, both in Bengali and in English. We loved to see their shy grins as they sang wonderful songs to heaven. All of the children and people love to have their pictures taken and we would happily snap a shot and show them the picture on our cameras. Tina, Stace and Chenecua read them a story and we sang songs together. At the conclusion of each stay we would pass out candy, three to each boy or girl. Some would hide the candy behind their backs and ask for more and all of us would happily give it to them, until they would get in trouble for sneaking and then be told to “go”. At our last stop we were adorned with fragrant “leas”, or at least that’s what we would call them. This last visit was so special, they had a banner made to welcome us, taught the children special dances and songs, they even had “Thumbs Up” or Coca Cola for us to drink! We sat there thinking that WE had prepared so much for this trip and it was moving to see that they had prepared so much as well, and gave from what they hardly have, No Words. The most amazing to each of us was how we felt a strong connection at each of the stops with at least one of the children/teens. We just met with our eyes and solidified with a long smile. We will never forget these precious faces. Several of us jokingly asked, “How can we rescue them and bring them home?” It was very apparent that they all put on their Sunday’s best just to meet us and we are so thankful to have been embraced so sincerely. The memory of singing praises together in the sun will never be forgotten when we reminisce on this journey.

Oddly enough we found that many of the people there were cleaning the entryway of their homes and brushing their teeth almost as if to say “we are people too and we are not forgotten”. The streets are busy with traffic and many things share the road including cows, dogs, rickshaws, motorcycles, buses, bikes, and let’s not forget lots of people! The horn is the main source of communication on the road….no words….just horns, and LOTS of them! The kids seem to enjoy flying kites as a pastime and the residents enjoy a good party in the evening as we can hear the music starting at 9pm until late into the evening. We are awakened each morning promptly at 5am with a very loud call to prayer in Hindi that can be heard through the area. We all battle this prayer chant individually with our own personal prayers to God to bless the people of this community and to reign in the hearts of many for eternity, AMEN!

Today is a big day as we will be ministering to 60 women in the slums, teaching them basic hygiene, nutrition and sanitation skills. I (Kim) will be delivering a message speaking to the hearts of these women entitled, “The Beauty of a Woman”. We expect that this day will be honored by God as we are in the hand of the Master, being used for His glory by allowing us to be His hands and feet. We pray that God will pour out of us and onto these wonderful people His blessing and His grace! We know this day will be life-changing as just this morning I (Kim) was wakened with a frantic call from my husband that our home had been ransacked. I praise God that my family wasn’t home, but there is a fear and a violation that shakes me to the core and I know that God has His hand upon this situation and on my family. Please pray for all of our family’s safety and wellbeing, as Pastor Steve said this morning at breakfast “we are on the front lines”. I will say that as a team we are NOT shaken by this and we will keep putting our trust in The Most High. Stace stayed behind with me so I could gather myself for this exciting teaching and so that I could stop shaking and focus on God’s special word to the women of the slums. We sit here journaling our thoughts and preparing to meet up with the rest of the team this afternoon for lunch, we are gathering strength to do the good work that God has already ordained us to do. We are thankful for the opportunity that God has blessed us with and we are at peace with what is in store for us as a team, God is Good!!

Much Love,

Kim & Stace