The Work

So what am I going to do for the next four months? If I could think of a way to help others using all the gifts and skills and desires in me at once, I could not have dreamed up a more perfect plan. I am excited to be doing something useful in an organization that I respect for its integrity, responsibility, sustainability, and heart of service. But here's the thing about plans... they usually don't work out the way we plan them. Especially in India, where life is less structured and more flexible. Things could change at any moment! But for now the plan is:

Teaching:

I will be teaching English at New Hope School in Chillakallu for about 120 village children. I have a degree in English but no teaching experience, so this will be new for me! When studying English, everyone assumed I would be a teacher. I didn't want to at the time--mostly out of pure stubbornness. But teaching runs in my blood (with generations of teachers in the family), and I have always thought I would be a teacher someday, so I look forward to it.

Why teaching? Education is not readily available to many children in rural villages like Chillakallu. And for some of those children--especially the untouchables, born into the Dalit caste--education is the best hope for them to escape poverty. Speaking English and having a degree means the difference between being poor forever and having the opportunity to get a job someday. Economics isn't everything, but being able to feed your family is important. Giving these young people an education gives them hope for the future.

Writing:

Prabhudas and Ruth have many amazing stories of the miracles they have seen in Chillakallu: truly astounding tales of God's faithfulness. I have often sat and listened to them in near-disbelief as they tell of the terrible persecution they have faced, of the way God has provided for them and rescued them, and of the lives that have been radically changed. I thought about how wonderful it would be to write these accounts down, to enable them to share their story with others beyond a spoken word. I mentioned this to Prabhudas one day, and said that I would be willing to write their experiences down if he and Ruth would like to tell them to me. He was a little stunned. "We have always wanted to do something like that, but never had anyone to help us," he said.

I was a little stunned, too. And overjoyed. I have always loved to write, and true stories mean more to me than fiction. Undertaking a project like this is an honor that I will tremblingly strive to live up to. I hope that compiling these stories will be of use to Prabhudas and Ruth as they continue ministry and pass on the legacy that God has built in their family. I can't wait to share some of their beautiful stories with you!

Loving:

I will be living in Prabhudas and Ruth's home for the duration of my stay, on the same grounds as New Hope Children's Home. I have built a connection with the orphaned children who live at New Hope over the past few years. It has been a privilege to get to know them and to watch many of them grow up! They come from a variety of backgrounds and castes, but they all lost their families (many to HIV) or were abandoned by them. They yearn for love and acceptance in a world that has only discarded them, and they are loved at New Hope. They all want so much to be remembered by me and the other team members who visit... they have been forgotten so much that being remembered means the world to them.

Loving these children, living with them, tutoring them, and spending time with them will be a joy. I love how they call me sister or akka, and I call them chelli (little sister) or tamudu (little brother) and can't wait to hear their voices again. Expanding my family to include 100 orphaned children has been such a blessing. I think I have been more affected by our relationship than they have, more challenged to love recklessly and give with abandon.