Hello Again Hong Kong

Nice to see you again. We leave you now and will stand on American soil in roughly 14ish hours. Hamburgers, we miss you!

 

Debriefing

A brief on our debrief.

Goodbyes led to lasting memories. We shared stories with each other and talk about the challenges and excitements of returning home. 

We are leaving our debriefing location soon, but will spend the rest of the time here sharing more stories over a last meal. We'll post more pics soon. 

We look forward to sharing our stories with you when we return. Thank you again for your prayers and to those who made this trip financially viable. 

We love you and will be home shortly. Blessings to all. 

Memories

Faith Kids India trippers, comment with your favorite moment while in India. Add pictures if you can. 

Day 11 - :-(

Sad day. We are finished at the school, but with all the planning we did to wrap things up, God had other plans.

We did get to meet with two of the classes, one per team, but then there was an incident in the town where the school is located. Government officials came to the campus and demanded that all the students be sent home. There was at no time any danger to us or the school itself, so we're guessing they just wanted to be cautious. Very opposite from what we would do in the states. We'd be on lockdown.

With kids gone, we waited and waited and waited for the time to tick by. We had our last parent training tonight at the church you can you can barely make out in the background of the picture.

The parent training was great and gave us a last chance to see some of the students that had to leave school early. We covered trainings on oral hygiene, preventing water contamination, and building a single bucket Sawyer water filtration system (awesome filters). We also sang some songs (with one of our Indian friends pictured) and loved on some kids with hugs and gifts.

Overall, pretty great day but also a bit bitter with goodbyes. We all are looking forward to seeing family and friends again, but it's still hard to leave when the work, friendships, and fellowships are blessings beyond measure.

We will never forget them, the students and staff and parents. They will remain in our hearts and prayers for a lifetime. Thanks be to the one that makes it all possible.

Day 10 - School Holiday, Will Shop

School is out today due to a Hindu holiday, so we headed out for some sightseeing and shopping.

We first stopped off at Charminar, a historical monument in the Muslim section of the city. It looked like there had been an all-night party prior to our visit as street vendors were cleaning up their shop extensions that spilled into the streets, and the sweepers (both mechanical and human) were busy at work. We believe it has something to do with Ramadan.

Moving on we headed for some shopping at an Indian flea market. Lots of authentic Indian items up for grabs at bargained prices.

It was then lunchtime, so we were taken to a westernized "mall" for a meal and another opportunity to pick up an item or two. Don't get me wrong, Indian food is awesome, but a little meal variety is a good thing.

Finally back to the hotel for dinner, birthday cake (our dear Lauren is becoming a big girl now), and gift wrapping for tomorrow; our last day at the school with the kids and teachers. We also have a parent meeting/training in the evening.

All of us are anxious to see the kids again, and no one is liking the idea of leaving them at the end of the day. 

Blessings to you all, and thank you for your continued support.

Day 9 - Small Village, Big Blessings

We attended small village churches today (our two teams went to different villages) to get another dose of the culture and to be a blessing for those attending. Just so happens that the tables were turned on us as we were the ones receiving the blessings.

Indian services, especially in the smaller villages, are somewhat "scheduled" but often flow with the needs of the people. Songs last FOREVER! They would be singing a song, and it seemed like it was slowing down and would end, but then would pick right back up to do it all over again, a couple of times. We also got to take communion with the fellowship. Very sweet to commune with believers on the opposite side of the world.

Many requests for prayer in the congregation. Hearts are heavy here in India and lives need healing. He brings hope to a hurting world and healing to those in need. Please lift our brothers and sisters up after reading this. Many want loved ones to know Him, others need healing for sick and injured, and for the pastor and his family to be effectively serve their community that needs the light.

Blessings to you and peace be with you.

Day 8 - Work Hard, Play Harder

Super fun day with the kids today. Out of the classrooms and onto the field playing games and various activities. Some played circle soccer and full soccer, others volleyball, duck-duck-goose, bubbles, and water relays. Kids loved it, and we loved it because we were with them.

That evening was our third parent meeting to share more health and hygiene information. The time prior to our meeting is special for connecting with adults and students, and it is a pleasure to serve them.

Can't believe Tuesday will be the last day we see them. I'm confident it will be a difficult day for all of us. We have made some great new friends and look forward to keeping in touch.

Day 7 - Life Changing

Life changing is an understatement! The men and women split today to visit a slum church and a girls' home respectively. Both are shocking and a good dose of reality for those of us who worry about retirement.

Collectively we have a hard time understanding the meaning of it all, but one thing is for sure, man's pain in the greater sense is much more than missing out on a promotion, or having your air conditioner go out in the midst of summer, or getting a flat tire on the highway.

Many people in India are truly living in subsistent conditions, prone to serious diseases, lacking clean water, and overwhelmed by social issues like alcoholism and domestic abuse. This is a place full of pain, but fortunately pain has a solution. We share that solution when able and trust it will take hold.

Later in the day, the tempo changed for the men as we took a tour and met with some old friends over coffee and cakes. We then were fortunate to ride in an "auto" (a.k.a. tuk tuk, a motorized rickshaw) all the way home to our hotel (a check on the bucket list). The women were a little jealous of our adventures, so hopefully they will get a chance to enjoy a ride before we leave.

All in all, a spectacular and moving day. A life changing experience for us, and we hope for you as well.

Day 6 - Learning Their Stories

Heavy hearts all around on our last day of curriculum teaching as we learn more about these kids we have fallen in love with. Many children at the school go to school with baggage. Not their backpacks, rather the pressures and disappointments of their home lives.

Some are facing the challenge of not having either parent and of living in an orphanage of forty others in cramped spaces. Others are missing one or the other parent an find themselves in subsistence conditions. Still others are fighting for their lives in a daily bout with terminal diseases. Just the other day, a three year old girl was found walking the campus outside the school grounds. She is all alone and living with HIV. I'm finding it very difficult to complain about not having coffee when I want it.

Our work is emotionally draining, and yet spiritually satisfying. Most all of the students have made the significant decision, and we revel in the understanding that we will rejoice with them again some day. Others we continue to lift up and know He is working in and around them.

Earlier in the day we experienced a celebration for older students entering a teacher training program. This is big deal as it is rare to receive an invitation to a celebration such as this. It was filled with marching, music, dancing, and ceremony. Quite different from my experience as a teacher in training.

This evening was also the second of three parent meetings this week. We continued our health and hygiene training, providing parents with the information we had given to their children the past couple days with some added instruction of how to better take care of them if they get sick. A message of hope was also delivered and many were encouraged.

Kudos to all of our team members for making this week awesome for the students and informative for the parents and to those supporters back home who made, and are making this experience possible. We look forward to tomorrow's endeavors. Day 7's post should be a doozy!

Blessings to you all.

Day 5 - Rainy Day Schedule

Forecast called for a slight rain until 10am, yeah right!. Indian forecasts must be like Indian time, you never know if it's right. We had a steady light rain today which we would like to blame on the hour and a half delay of our transportation to the school today. Yet, you can't rule out a steamy cup of tea as the culprit.

We finally arrived at the school, and all went well as soon as we started teaching. Time was short, but we continue to wear our flexibility hats. The topic for today was thrice gross, funny, and a shocking reality; parasitic worms. We talked about how worms can get into our bodies, symptoms of the condition, and how to treat it. The look on the students' faces was priceless when we told them that worms could potentially come out of their mouths when they cough or out of their bottoms when the females lay eggs. Sorry if you were eating.

We also finished up teaching our "Big ... Book" with the opportunity for students to make a change. We believe most previously have, but are hoping for the future of others.

We heard the girl that starred in the Not Today movie was a student at the school. We finally recognized her (she's aged since the production of the movie) and got to talk to her about her experience. She is such a sweet girl, unassuming, and very smart. Continued blessing to her and her family, and to the Not Today movie that so accurately portrays the appalling issue of human trafficking. If this is an issue you are concerned about, you can find more information and ways to get involved at the Not Today Resources website.

We currently have a few sick people that are in the process of getting better. Please keep them in prayer for a swift recovery.

Don't know if it will be raining tomorrow, but we have a long day in store with lots to do. Thanks to all our supporters and prayer warriors. You are helping us make a huge impact into the future of some awesome kids.

Blessings to you all.

Day 4 - A Long Day

Yesterday was our second day of teaching. We are already forming relationships with the students and are inspired by their warm smiles and positive attitudes.

After school, we were able to spend several hours playing with the students as we were once again being flexible and waiting for the adult teaching service to begin.

Today it hit us that we only have a few days left with these sweet students who we are growing close to. We have been so grateful for the time The Lord has given us with them.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement as we continue our journey here.

Blessings,

Lauren and Maddie

Day 3 - Put Your Flexible Hat On

Two words, ohmygoodnes thatwasanawesomeday!

We started out with more questions than we had answers for. Blessings to Becky and Mickey (our co-leaders) for working the logistics, but even though you plan and plan and plan for the work to do, India has a way of slapping you in the face to change it all.

Some advice to any future overseas workers, make sure to put your flexible hat on daily, and add a change of underpants in your backpack for the bus rides (the traffic is mind-boggling).

We finally got our hands dirty today with some teaching. We have two teams of eight people. We then divided each team into two groups of four to teach bible lessons, memory verses, and a health and hygiene curriculum to four classes of roughly 30 students each. The verse for today is:

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. ~ Psalms 139:14

We also taught students about germs and how they can spread to cause disease. We showed them how to prevent spread with proper hand washing and minimal water usage.

It's been a long day and tomorrow's even longer. We will teach classes again, and additionally teach nearly the same curriculum to adults in the evening. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Blessings to you all.

Day 2 - Worship Like An Indian

A day late but certainly worth sharing. It's so awesome to attend church in other parts of the world. When it all boils down after and hour of worship and announcements, then a message that seems like it's going nowhere but then blows your mind away when the application is finally presented, God is at the center of it all. We were provided a worship experience that was both entertaining and soul provoking. The people by the stage in the picture above were encouraged by a church leader to dance for the Lord; so much fun.

On another note, God has been gracious to us with very nice weather and accommodations. Thank you so much for helping us all to get here and continuing to pray for us while we do the work that God has for us. 

Day 1 - Stay Awake

Hussain Sugar Lake, Hyderabad, India

Got to experience a little bit of Hyderabad today. Driving around the city is much like driving around any developing community; riches and rags, well-to-do and well in need, satisfied and surviving.

We saw driving that, by American standards, would be considered insane. We saw smiling faces and waving hands from a bus next to ours. We saw cows roaming free and a boy pooping on the side of the walk way. We saw desperation in the pleas of a mother and her infant child. How does this happen? How did we as humans allow "religion" to separate us from what is really important, loving and taking care of one another?

Today we are trying to stay awake. In the coming weeks we will meet the needs of a desperate people neglected by their own culture. One day we will ask Jesus when we saw Him hungry and fed Him, thirsty and gave Him drink, a stranger and invited Him in, naked and clothed Him, sick or in prison and visited Him. Jesus will answer us, "to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."

Visa Update 2

Business kills a blog, so this is to quickly get you caught up on what happened with our visas.

A week prior to us leaving, we had people on the ground in San Francisco trying to find and push the applications through. They came back with some good and bad news. Lost apps and passports were found, but the process was being delayed by the Indian consulate and disorganization at the company contracted to process the visas.

A key figure at Friends (our partner here), went back to SF for three days prior to our departure on Thursday. With his determination, relationships, lots of prayers, and unexplainable miracles, all visas were obtained two minutes prior to his meter expiring and ensuing departure from SF.

Why does God have us sweat it out? Why do we have to wait till the very last minute (or two if we're lucky)? If not, how then would we be able to experience His presence and witness His miracles? Praise to Him and Him alone. There is no possible way this process would have been completed if left to the work of man alone.

Visa Update 1

So far a bitter sweet evening of information. Bitter because a few visa apps are missing (seriously, untrackablly missing), and sweet because the rest are showing various statuses that give hope for timely returns.

The enemy is clearly hard at work, but our God is near and wants us to find peace in the midst of the storm.

It reminds me of the story when Jesus was walking on the water to His disciples through a raging storm. He could have commanded the storm to stop, but He chose to meet them amongst the chaos.

Where Art Thou Visa

Less than two weeks till take off and still no visas have arrive. Faith is able to move mountains, therefore faith can move visas. Join us in prayer for patience for delivery of visas prior to the 25th.