Downtime

Perhaps my most favorite time while I am here is whenever I have downtime, time that I can spend as I wish. Every time, I choose to spend this time with the kids because they are the reason I am here. But, I am quickly realizing it's because they have become my best friends, my brothers and my sisters. I treasure this time I get to spend with them simply because we have so much fun together. We play cards, tease each other, dance, look at pictures and videos, tell jokes, learn Tamil (well, I do!), play games (cricket, football, cho cho, kickball, hide and seek) and we truly enjoy being together.

Today was spent in our rooms because it rained nonstop all day long. This evening's downtime was one that I don't want to ever forget in this lifetime. The majority of it was spent without electricity; not that electricity played any significant role in it anyways. After a tasty tiffin of sweet payasam with the girls, we had "prayer" together. It was completely spontaneous, of their own doing; I simply agreed to join them. We all gathered in a circle in one of their rooms. Together we sang praise songs, told Bible stories, shared testimonies and prayed. While all of these moments were precious to me, it was praying that I treasured most. Picture it if you will...about 25 girls, ranging in age from 4 to 18 years old, and myself in a circle, on our knees praying by candlelight. Each taking turns praying for a variety of different prayer points that were mentioned prior to the beginning of our prayers. Many of their prayers were in Tamil...a few were brave enough to pray in English. It was such an incredible feeling to be praying with these girls, whether I could understand their prayers or not. To me, their prayers were beautiful. They melted my heart. Nandhini thanked the Lord for having a nice place to stay, nice dresses to wear and food to eat. Gomathi prayed for her studies as she is in a very important school year (X standard). Joyce prayed for her brother, Gabriel's studies (also in X standard), for all of their US sponsors, and for the team's upcoming arrival in Dec/Jan. I am so thankful that I was able to hear these girls' prayers because they showed me the wonderful relationship that they have with the Lord. It filled my heart with an immense amount of joy to see the amount of love they have for Him.

After prayer with the girls, I headed to the boys' rooms for a little while before dinner. The older boys were sleeping, but the younger boys were singing praise songs. Again, it was not a planned worship time, they were just doing it of their own accord. It was so great to listen to them praising God (in their own language and English) and to have the chance to join them in doing so. They practiced a wonderful skit of the story of David and Goliath, eager for me to correct any of their English mistakes. Their skit was incredible for a group of boys ranging in age from 4 to 13 years old! Afterwards, we simply sat together telling stories and speaking about their questions about America; innocent questions that clearly they were very curious about. It was such a sweet sweet time to be able to sit with these amazing young boys and just chat with them.

I can't quite describe to you why this time means the most to me. It might even sound a bit boring to you (I certainly hope not, but I don't know as I am not coming from your perspective). You really have to experience one of these downtimes to truly understand what I'm talking about. Hopefully, my descriptions have given you enough detail to be able to imagine them. I feel so blessed to be able to fill my downtime with these children. They are the reason for my happiness each and every day. It is because of them that I can spend six months away from my friends, family and home, and not be incredibly homesick every minute of every day. I love them too too much. For Jesus said in Matthew 18:3-5, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." Never have these Bible verses rang any clearer for me than they have tonight. Thank you, Jesus.  

Heartbreak

On Sunday, I had an experience that I know will stay ingrained in my heart for a very long time. I am going to try my best to put it into words because I know that sharing it will help me and it is most definitely an experience that needs to be shared with as many people as possible. This past Sunday, I traveled to a place called Bethel with Backie, Freena, Rachel and some others. Now, before I get any farther, let me provide you with a little background to make things a little clearer.

Backie and Freena are married with two children, Ridley (12th standard) and Rachel (6th standard). They are the couple that began Carmel Ministries. They planted the seed and have helped it to grow into what it is today. To give you a small idea of what they have accomplished, what started out as only an idea grew into 3 intricate parts of an amazing ministry. The first part is a private Christian school with a total of over 1,000 students and nearly 45 teachers. Another part of Carmel Ministries is the hostel (within 20 minutes' walking distance to the school), which is home to about 63 children. A few of these children have no parents, many have only one; but all of their families cannot afford for their children to live at home with them. The final part of Carmel Ministries is its FKP program, which stands for Family Knit Program. Almost all of the children at the hostel (in addition to about five hundred students attending Carmel School, other government schools and colleges) are sponsored by families or individuals in the U.S.A. The sponsorship pays for school fees, uniforms, food, textbooks,etc. The sponsors give these children the opportunity to get a good education and to learn about Jesus. It's truly incredible what Backie and Freena have created out of nothing with the help of some very generous people and churches in America.

Backie and Freena wanted to begin this ministry because they themselves grew up in a very similar setting, almost identical. Freena was dropped off at the Bethel home when she was about two and a half years old and Backie, around the age of seven. They both grew up there. Freena never saw or heard from her family ever again. As you can imagine, the children that they grew up with as well as the staff that took care of them became like family. During my stay here, I have heard about and met many of Freena's Bethel brothers and sisters.

Every year, the Bethel home holds a "Harvest Day" and each year Freena and Backie attend. The Harvest Day consists of many friends and former Bethel children coming to Bethel to make and sell different snacks and other toys and knickknacks. There is also a raffle and an auction of a variety of different things (clothing, appliances, dishes, live animals...the list goes on and on) that people bring as their donation to the cause. All of the funds support the Bethel home; so when it comes down to it, it is like a fundraiser of sorts. Anyways, so that is where we went on Sunday.

It was about an hour and a half drive, maybe two hours at the most. Our car was filled to the max: Freena, Backie, Rachel, myself, Renuga, Kalai and three of Backie and Freena's Bethel brothers/sisters (yes, that makes a total of nine people in one car, none of which were small children). Hey, you think that's a lot, just think we had two live turkeys added to our load on the way back!!

When we arrived at Bethel, one of the first things I noticed was how big their grounds are. Later, Backie told me they have 120 acres. They have three or four homes for the boys, three or four homes for the girls, a baby home, college, school, church, auditorium, staff quarters, and much more...all on the same campus! We cooked and sold all of our banana leaf snacks (verdai, if I remember the Tamil name correctly), raising 1,450 rupees for Bethel. After the auction finished and we had some lunch, Freena took me to the baby home as she had been promising me. She knows how much I love babies as I am always sharing photos with her of my friends' babies and all my Rainbow Fish babies from my job at a daycare at home. It's pretty easy to see my love for babies as I'm sure many of you know!

It is at the baby home where my heart felt like it was shattered into a million pieces. These babies all varied in age, the oldest probably about three years. We walk into the first room and I immediately notice all four walls are lined with cribs or small beds. These babies were older toddlers, I'd say. Some were sleeping and a few were awake. It is those awake faces that caused my heart to break. The look in their eyes is something that I'm sure I won't be able to accurately describe, so hopefully these photos help.

 It seemed as though they were just looking for someone to love them. Their eyes seemed to be pleading for any kind of affection as they lay there, motionless in their rusty metal cribs.

One girl had a deformed right hand with only two fingers, the thumb and forefinger, but had a smile that could light up an entire room, I'm quite sure of it. She was adorable to say the least.

When we walked into the next room, I fell in love. Trust me, I am not exaggerating. The next room had small babies, all most likely under the age of seven months (that would be my guess). A few of these babies were very ill (as seen below), but the majority were as healthy as could be.

It was when Freena called me over to "come look at this baby" that my heart felt a love like never before. I crossed the room, leaned over the cradle and looked into the most beautiful pair of dark brown eyes that I have ever seen. She also had the most gorgeous head of soft, thick black hair.

 When I looked at her information tag, the thing that struck me immediately was that she had no name. My heart melted for this nameless stunning baby girl. I cannot remember her exact age, but I want to say she is less than two months old. When I held her hand and made her smile, my heart warmed and I had the happiest feeling in the world. I still am not sure why, but I felt such an incredible connection with this beautiful baby girl. Walking away from her was like pulling out my heart and leaving it lying there next to her in the cradle. Leaving this room shattered my heart and filled me with a sense of such sorrow that I cannot even begin to describe it. On the car ride home, I listened to some Christian music to help out all of the thoughts that were going through my mind and the all of the tears that wanted so badly to come racing down my cheeks.

Even writing about it now, I still have a million different thoughts going through my head. At first, I struggled the most with the thought of how on Earth could these parents make the decision to give these gorgeous babies away? Now, after thinking about it a little more rationally, I know there is a lot more that goes into the equation such as lack of money, lack of birth control and a strong desire for boy babies (boys take care of parents as they grow older, make more money and don't require a dowry to marry). But, to drop your baby at an orphanage when it is just five days old?

There was also a set of twins in the nursery, who Freena later told me got brought to Bethel because their parents already had four children. How do you go about choosing which of your children to place in an orphanage, never to see you again and possibly grow up without ever having the love of any parents? How does one even make that decision?

I know that there are many people in the United States and other countries who are struggling to have children of their own and are completely devastated by it, refusing to adopt for fear of not establishing a connection with the child. On the other hand, this experience opened my eyes to all of the children that are in desperate need around the world, who want nothing more than to be loved. I myself can attest to adoption being equivalent to having biological children. Though it's not from a parent's perspective, I think it still counts. My sister was adopted when she was just three months old from South Korea, two years before I was born. I have NEVER EVER in my life not felt as though she does not have the same DNA running through her veins. We are best friends and I am always the first to stand up for her. She is my sister through and through. I love her more than I can put into words and am SO PROUD to call her my sister. I am beyond grateful to my parents for making the decision to adopt my sister. I don't know what would have happened if they hadn't.

Adoption is an incredible opportunity to help children in need. I truly believe that adoption is the Lord's way of reaching out His hand to those who are unable to help themselves. It is not the adoption agencies that match parents with children, it's God who is hand-selecting these precious children for incredibly lucky families. I have always held adoption close to my heart, but Sunday's experience has made it that much more of a passion.

Another thought that I can't get out of my head is this. How many expecting parents in America have their child's complete wardrobe sitting in drawers, furniture and toys purchased and an entire room decorated just for their baby before he/she is even born? Too many to even try and count. And, here I am, staring into the sad beautiful eyes of babies whose parents got rid of them five days after bringing them into the world or didn't even select a name for their child before giving her away. Babies who are spending the first few months of their lives not being cuddled and loved by their parents, but by lying in a crib with a small white kerchief tied around their waist acting as a diaper.

As you sit at your computer or laptop or smartphone or iPad reading this post, I ask that you remember these precious babies who have no one to love them besides the Lord. Look at these photos and pray for each one of these sweet faces, that the Lord may work in their lives and give them someone who will love them with all their heart. Especially for my sweet brown-eyed girl, that God knows her name and has a wonderful plan for her life. I know that some of these photos are hard to look at because I think my camera managed to capture that look I described in some of the children's faces. All I ask is that, as you go through your daily routine, don't forget there are children living in poverty and in orphanages all around the world, waiting for love to enter their lives.

If I've learned anything on this trip so far, it is this: "Do everything without grumbling or complaining" (Philippians 2:14) because, in all seriousness, where do I have room to complain? God has blessed me in more ways than I can even remember to be thankful for sometimes. These infants, just months old, are laying in cribs not knowing the love of a mother's touch or the sweetness of a father's embrace or even the softness of a freshly laundered baby blanket. It is all that is on my mind. I know God does not mean for His children to grow up in this way, but why these children? They are so small, so innocent; precious is not even a good enough word to describe them. Why do they not get the chance to grow up without the everyday 'necessities' that are daily taken for granted by many? I wish I could reach out to them. Bring them home with me. Buy them blankets, soft squishy toys and adorable, new clean clothes. Give them all the love that they deserve and more. Cuddle and kiss them all day long.

But here I am. I am 25 years old and living out my dream of living in India for six months teaching kids that I adore with all my heart. I spend every day with 63 children and 8 amazing adults who have become my family and my best friends. I teach English to 400 students five days a week from 9:30-3:30 to students who are so eager to learn. All I know is that I am here for a purpose. So I am loving these kids with everything that is in me and more because I can. That's why God has given me this amazing opportunity. While I don't even want to think about it, I know that March 9, 2014 is probably going to be one of the most difficult days of my life, but I have so much time before then. And I plan on filling every precious waking moment of it loving these kids and the incredible staff of Carmel and showing them all how much God loves each one of them.

Sunday truly opened my eyes. I hope my words have done justice for what my heart felt and my eyes saw. I am still thinking of that sweet brown-eyed baby girl as I sit here typing this post; praying each day for God to show me what purpose He allowed this connection with her to take place. I hope this post encourages you to love your family, be thankful for what you have and get out and help those in need. God is at work.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

This week, I am changing things up a little. The saying goes "A picture's worth a thousand words." Well, I think that these pictures are worth more than that. My post this week is going to be through 5 photos with some small captions underneath. I'm celebrating the fact that I am finally able to upload photos (hoorayyy!!!!!)! I hope that these photos give you just a small taste of the beauty that surrounds me at Carmel. I am in awe of the children who surround me every day that I am here and this week I am dedicating my post to all of them through these few photos. Also, check out my new photos on my blog that I updated as well. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do...

Coming home from school to a beautiful sunset

Some boys enjoying a game of cards with the boys warden, Rajesh. 

The 3 boys I wrote a post about a while ago: (from left to right) Sathish Kumar, Udaya Kumar and Lokesh Kumar

The girls having a blast attempting to break a very large branch! Just take a look at their facial expressions!

After arriving, I did a week-long teacher training for the teachers of Carmel Matriculation School. These are the incredible teachers who I am lucky enough to teach beside every single day.

My thought for this week....

I'd like to just take a minute. As I am sitting here thinking about how I haven't had a bad day yet, the reason just struck me. I have the extremely fortunate opportunity to be teaching the best kids in the world. They are so eager to learn and anxious for what each class will bring. Their smiles each day bring me more encouragement than I could ever hope for! I don't know if I will ever love teaching as much as I do right now. Therefore, I am taking in each moment that I have teaching these kids who need me more than any other kid on this planet.

I am doing God's work and He is reaching these children through me. This morning, after my IV standard class finished, I had a boy come up to me and ask "Aunty, you like Jesus?" to which I replied "Yes, I love Him very much." The boy's response was "I also love Him very much." God is at work in ways that amaze me each and every day that I am here.

If these kids do not understand the meaning of kindness then I don't know who does. Daily, they bring me flowers and, on their birthdays, they always share one of their birthday chocolates with me. One boy, Vijay (in IV standard), has given me a pen and a bracelet. Another boy, Zion (in VIII standard), presented me with an English copy of "The Jungle Book" the other day. All these gifts have been given to me for no reason other than from the kindness of their hearts and the longing to share with someone who is showing them love. I know that I am reaching the goals that I set forth for myself and all I can do is smile and Praise God!

I am in awe of what God is doing in my life and could not feel more lucky that it is me who He chose for this journey. Thank you, Lord, for giving me the chance to enjoy each and every day that I am here. Thank you for giving me such pure joy through the smiles and love of some pretty incredible kids. Thank you for giving me the most wonderful students that a teacher could ask for. And I still have 5 months to go!!! I am beyond excited to think about all that God still has in store for Carmel and myself over the upcoming months.

On another exciting and more personal note, I received my first package from home this week! Hooray!!! I was filled with pure bliss when I unpacked candy corn, Lucky Charms and chocolate milk!! Boy was that first chocolate milk a taste of HEAVEN!! Yummmmmmmy!! Thanks, Mama and Padre!!! <3 <3 <3

Blessed beyond belief!

I am feeling blessed beyond belief this week. Blessed to have this incredible opportunity to spend six months at one of my favorite places on Earth. Blessed to play football every day with boys who warm my heart. Blessed to wake up every morning and praise God with children who inspire me. Blessed to teach the most awesome students on this planet. Blessed to know each one of these children and be the reason they smile each day. Blessed to teach alongside the wonderful teachers of Carmel Matriculation School. And lastly, feeling blessed beyond belief to be able to enjoy each day that I am here even though I miss my friends and family more than words can say. Is it hard some days? Absolutely. I am not saying that this is easy as pie. Instead, I am saying that I am focusing on the positive and counting my blessings. I am being thankful for what the Lord is giving me instead of missing what/who I don't have next to me at this moment.

This week, I want to focus on one young man who I am feeling particularly lucky to know. His name is K. Karthick, aka "Triple K." He is 20 years old and he lives and works at the hostel doing all sorts of odd jobs; he also works on the schoolbus every morning and afternoon (helping children on and off the bus). I am very fortunate to know Karthick and consider him a great friend.

About a year and half ago (I think), Karthick tragically lost his right arm while riding a bus. A drunken man got on the bus and forced Karthick to move against the window with his right arm hanging out the window. I don't know if you are familiar with Indian traffic or Indian bus rides, but to say the least, it is very crowded and chaotic. Cars, buses and trucks all pass one another within mere inches of each another. So, when Karthick was forced to move by the window, another vehicle came along very close and that was the end of his right arm. But this is not the part of Karthick's life that I want to focus on, because it is not the part of his life that HE focuses on. Instead of dwelling on what he cannot do without his right arm, Karthick chooses to focus on what he CAN do with his left arm.

This young man inspires me in more ways than I can even begin to describe. He is one of the most hardworking young men I've ever seen. He is also am amazing football (soccer) player...probably one of the best here. He plays a mean game of badminton and volleyball. The other day, I watched Karthick stitch together a part of a football that was coming apart using his left hand and his teeth. I was in awe. Karthick can do more with his left arm than many people can do with both of their arms. I'm pretty sure the only thing he is not able to do with his left hand is write. Karthick has this unbelievably determined spirit that I think is very hard to find in young people today. Never do I see him struggling or asking for help. He just boldly goes forward, doing whatever he can with his left arm. He is such a compassionate, determined and loving young man. Just sharing about him with you leaves me speechless.

Karthick's smile is one that makes everyone in the room smile because it is contagious. He smiles and so does everyone around him. His happiness spreads to whoever is near. His smile could also probably light up an entire building...I am sure of it. It is a gorgeous smile. He has one of the best laughs I know...AND, he would most definitely be embarassed if he knew I was telling you this, some pretty sweet dance moves! He loves music. Whenever I see him around, he is always listening to music on his cellphone. One of my favorite things to do with Karthick is play football, joke with him and make him smile that gorgoues smile of his!

I do not have a photo to post of Karthick even if I had the ability to upload one and I will tell you the reason why. Now, this is not something that I know for sure, I am simply going off of my own gut feeling. Karthick does not like photos taken of him. The photos of himself that he has in his wallet are old, from a time prior to his accident. My belief is that it pains him to see himself without his right arm. So, I plan on respecting that wish because he is already doing a wonderful job not dwelling on the pain and loss that came from his accident. So, if not seeing photos of himself helps him with that, then I will do my part to help him.

Karthick, I dedicate my post to you this week. God bless you and everything that you do. You are an amazing young man and I hope with everything that is in me that you come to realize this. You deserve nothing but the best for all that you do to help others. I know that the Lord will do wonderful things in your life.

Love never fails

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

These past three weeks have taught me that that passage of Scripture is my one of my favorite Bible verses. In fact, I have decided to learn it in Tamil; which I'm hoping to begin this weekend. I am thinking about this piece of Scripture tonight in 3 different ways...

1. There are three brothers that live at the hostel. Their names are K. Lokesh Kumar, K. Udaya Kumar and K. Sathish Kumar. They are 9, 12 and 13 years old, respectively. These boys have no parents. Their father died of HIV/AIDS. Their mother tragically committed suicide after being misinformed by people in her village; she also had HIV/AIDS. When I was told of this story, it was very difficult for me to try and wrap my head around this story...well, not story because this is someone's actual life. It is real...these 3 boys are living it. They are living without a mother and father. All three of them have the chance of having HIV/AIDS, which I am praying every day that God might save them from this disease. I think the part that bothers me most is how a mother could take her own life when she has three incredible young boys with their entire lives ahead of them. These boys are extremely special. All three of their smiles could light up a night sky. They are some of the most hard-working and intelligent young men that I know. Udaya Kumar is a fantastic football player. Sathish Kumar is always helping around the hostel, doing all kinds of work. Lokesh Kumar has incredible English skills and is so so sweet. I think of them as I look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 tonight because I want to make sure they get to know this kind of love. The kind of love that comes from God. I want them to know that God loves each one of them and will never leave their side. He is their true Father in Heaven and loves them more than words can say. It is my hope that I can show that to them during the time that I am here. They might not see this love from parents, but I sure am going to try as hard as possible to give them that love from me.

2. The children here have shown me this kind of love that is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. The children of Carmel portray that love to me every second that I am with them. Last night, I had the first homesick moment I've had yet on this trip, exactly three weeks in. I had not been missing home at all for three whole weeks. Why? Because these children have been giving me an extraordinary amount of love that I have not even needed to think about home for the past three weeks. While I may not be able to hug my Mama or talk sports with my Padre or spend "sistertime" with my sister, these children are here. They say "Good morning, Aunty" and it warms my heart. They smile at me and my heart bursts with joy. They sit next to me and I feel like the luckiest person on Earth. I do miss home. I miss my family so much. I miss my friends. I will be missing all kinds of events and holidays over the next six months; however, if I were home, I would be missing this incredible life-changing experience at Carmel. I would not be able to bless the children as they have so abundantly blessed me in the past. I am here because of this love. I am here to spread it to as many people as I possibly can reach. I am here to share it so that more people can receive it. I am here because God loves me, God loves his children and I love the children of Carmel.

3. Finally, Backie and Freena live this love. They reach out to a poverty-stricken community every day. They help those who are most in need by giving education and a home to their children. They find the people that need God's love the most and share it with them. They have shown me such an outpouring of love ever since I arrived; I almost feel unworthy of it.

So you see, I see this love everyday. I feel so lucky. Not everyone gets to see such a special love every day. In fact, some people never see this love in all of their life. It is those people who I pray for tonight. I pray for those that do not know the love that is spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Open your Bible. Turn to it....read it. Pray about it. And maybe one day you will accept that love that comes from Christ Jesus...because His love is waiting for us. All we have to do is accept it.

Off to a great start!

Just came in from yet another football (soccer) game with the boys...Probably the 20th game I've played since arriving (that is just a guess!). We laughed so much, it was hard to stop laughing to actually play!! How one could have so much fun goofing off during a football game? Only me and the boys seem to have figured it out!

These past two weeks have absolutely flown by. It is truly amazing how much the statement "time flies when you're having fun" rings true! I am having such a fantastic time...I cannot even begin to describe it. Carmel is truly my home away from home. These children amaze me each and every day that I am here. I began teaching two days ago (on Thursday) after the children had their quarterly exams and a 10-day quarterly holiday. I am teaching 4th-9th standard; in all, a total of over 300 students. In 5th standard alone, there are 88 students. That is my largest class and probably my most difficult! I am loving every minute of teaching these kids. They know so much and and are so much fun to teach. Never have I been so happy teaching as I am when teaching at Carmel Matriculation School.

God is using me in so many ways here and it has only been two weeks. So far I have done the following:

1. Taught a 5-day teacher training on strategies for teaching spoken English
2. Taught a 2-day spoken class for students in standards 5-9 at the hostel
3. Preached a sermon one Sunday
4. Led chapel each and every morning at 6:30; doing the message about 90% of the time
5. Played football with the boys almost every day
6. Acted as nurse multiple times; I am now a pro in giving first aid!

And that, I hope, is just the beginning. Backie and Freena also want me to lead a spoken class for some of the FKP sponsors here at the hostel in the evenings for 40 days. I think this would be a wonderful opportunity to use what I learned at LEI with the children. I look forward to using specifically those techniques that I learned for that class. I look forward to that class very much!!! I also would really love to start a Bible study with some of the older students; hopefully that will come in due time!

The thing that has most amazed me since I've arrived (and this is just one out of MANY) is the children's schedule. This is the schedule of any weekday (not Saturday or Sunday). On Saturdays, they have school until 3:00 and have an easy day (games, acitivities, playing outside, etc.).  Here's what Monday-Friday looks like:

5:00am - Wake up (10th standard students wake up at 4am to study)
5-6:30am - Study
6:30-6:50am - Chapel (devotional time: praise songs and brief message)
6:50-7:15am - Morning duties (chores around the hostel)
7:15-8am - Prepare for school; wash, dress, etc
8-8:15am - Eat breakfast
8:15-9am - Finish preparing for school; study
9am - Leave for school
9:30-5:30 - School (hostel students are the last to leave school because they have to wait for the buses to finish taking home children)
5:30-5:45pm - Change clothes, afternoon duties
5:45-6:30pm - Play
6:30-8:15pm - Study
8:15-8:30pm - Eat dinner
8:30-9:30pm - Study
9:30pm - Go to bed (10th standard students go to bed at 10pm)

Yes. You are seeing correctly. On an average weekday, the children (these are kids ranging in age from 4 years old to 18 years old) get about 45 minutes each day to play. It is one of the most difficult things I have to do, when we have to stop playing at 6:30pm (sometimes 6:20) for them to go and study. These kids inspire me in every way. That is why I am here. I am here because they inspired me to be here.

It is like I said in my Sunday sermon, which I am quite proud of! On my first trip here, I experienced a special kind of love from the children. It was something that I had never quite experienced. I now see that it was God's love shining through precious beautiful faces of sweet and innocent children. The reason that I am here is to give that love back to them. To return it to them and give them even more!!! I am here to love these kids and to show them how much God loves them.

Praise God that I am off to a great start!!!

P.S. To all my family and friends, I'm sorry that it took so long for me to get up my first blog post! I am still waiting to get internet for my own laptop and am currently using Backie and Freena's. I promise pictures will come as soon as I get internet for my own laptop. (Backie and Freena's laptop does not have an SD card slot) Thank you for your prayers and support!!