Lizzie In India

Thanks for all the prayers - my fever has dropped to 101 - which feels great compared to the last 30 hours! I ept almost that entire time, so hopefully have gone through the worst of this. Please pray for continued recovery and for Gloria and her cold as well.

We are headed back to chennai right now and leave for our final location, Hyderabad this afternoon.

Ok, spoke too soon. Before leaving zamar and these beautiful children the fever spiked again to 102!

We are heading now to visit the area where the children of zamar live - the slums of chennai. It is so easy to forget when they are wearing their uniforms that they experience a different world outside of the classroom.

I have a high fever that is not breaking - it has been holding steady at 102. Aches, cough and can’t even take a hot bath because there is none.

But enough whining - get this - the thermometer gypsy bought was old school glass and mercury. That means those are still being used here - and we all know the dangers of mercury. It saddens me when I think about all we have - safe food, water and thermometers - and that our country’s wealth, and the resources of the church (us, not a building) have not been fully shared with the world.

I’m working very hard at the moment to not be annoyed by one element of this country’s culture. The horn. The constant, incessant beeping of the horn. And I’m in the car for the next three to six hours (depending on traffic). Praying it is only three, or that I can just tune it out.

I’m also starting to cough a lot, so prayers for good health are needed.

As far as work goes, we are getting so much done at each school. I feel so blessed by this whole experience and am loving it all.

Except for the blasting horns.

Well, we’re back in Kolkata for a quick break before heading on to the next school - a chance to recharge our batteries, both literally and figuratively.

Having shot over 1300 images in 24 hours, you’d think I’d feel exhausted.  I haven’t felt this alive in a long time.  I’m sleeping less - waking at 3 am each day, feeling as if I could take on the world (but unfortunately am stuck in a train and can’t even take on the next car).

We took a train 16 hours from Kalkata to Kesinga, in Orissa, to visit New Life Orphanage and School.  What I experienced there was one of the sweetest times of my life…..

As we drove up to the orphanage, these 75 children stood in line, all dressed up to present us with a welcome to their home.  75 Beautiful faces.  75 apprehensive smiles.  75 little hearts.  All in a row.

How do I even put in to words what these children have done to my heart??

“Sister, sister!” I heard over and over as they asked for another “snap” and to see the picture I took.

I got to hug, cuddle, tease and play.  I got to dance (Indian style, and apparently I’m pretty good at it).  I learned how to pop leaves in my hand, and saw that children who have no toys can turn their flip flops in to a game.

What I didn’t see was an orphanage lacking in love or hope.  These children are being lovingly raised by a family & staff who have dedicated their lives to serving others, and are being cared for and supported by prayer & donations.

These children praise God in ways I have never heard or experienced.  They may not know the love of their earthly father, but they do know God’s love, and you can see it on every one of their faces.

Of course I wanted to pack one up (ok, maybe two or three) and bring them home with me….but I also know that I didn’t leave them in a place lacking in love, grace, truth, and hope.

To learn more about new life, you can visit our website: http://us.wwcs.org/slumschools/slumschools_newlife.html

To see pictures of these beautiful children, click any of the images on the left.

To see my heart, go to Orissa.  I think I left it there.

Ok, I was warned.

And re-warned, and re-rewarned.

About how utterly, devastatingly dirty and crowded it is.

But I wasn’t warned about how utterly, devastatingly beautiful it is.  The people, the faces, the sea of humanity - - each one an image bearer of my beautiful God.

Before I left one of my coworkers shared a great devotion about Christ leaving his divinity to enter our humanity - and how it would be like us turning over a rock, seeing a sea of ants, and deciding to go and live and become like an ant (it’s an analogy, not theology).

I thought I might look at this like something in to which I would never want to step.  On my way here I prayed constantly to God, asking him to see beauty, and to see him wherever he looked.

And I have.  Wow, have I ever.  Instead of just seeing the stinking sweat of bodies, I look in to eyes, see faces, and heard chatter, and laughter, and seen a community not just individuals.

I have so much in my head, but as I am here, awake, at 2:30 in the morning, I’m just so in awe.  In awe.

Of this beautiful disaster.

Not too long ago my boss talked to me about potentially going to India this summer for work - and of course, I was intrigued…..and said “why yes, of course I’d like to go.” He set a pretty aggressive fundraising goal for us, which we hit….

And this isn’t a fundraising letter (FYI), though if you CHOOSE to do something, I am of course appreciative.

Through our 2009 campaign we are attempting to raise one million dollars for three school projects in India - for a number of purposes (sponsorship, building projects, sustainable income generation projects). I’ll be going to do primarily photography - of children, schools, the projects. Talk about a dream come true!
Just this week we received notification from one of our major donors that they have set up a matching gift of $25,000 for The Slumschool Project - the only caveat is that they have to be new donors, donors who haven’t given in a couple of years, or donors who give a larger gift than one they gave in the past two years….so it’s a big challenge, but one we will work hard to meet.

If you are at all interested in giving in any amount - $10, $25, and on up (we love up), please…give. These children have nothing….and we hope to give them hope.

http://us.wwcs.org/?action=view_catalog&Join_ID=273075

If you want to be kept up on what’s going on while I’m there, or want specific prayer requests we have, please let me know.

There will be many pictures later - so stay tuned!

Thank you!

The frantic packing begins with a photo