Hello to friends and family at home! The team is doing well! We've spent several days ministering at AH and local leper colonies. We also toured Delhi and traveled (6 hours each way) to Agra to the Taj Mahal! As I'm writing this, it is Tuesday night and we have 2 full days left here. The time has passed so quickly! Tomorrow we will minister at a leper colony and then go to a market. Thursday we will go to another leper colony (the one written about below), and spend the rest of the time at AH, saying goodbye to the little ones here. We'll fly out Thursday night.
Internet hasn't been as available as we originally thought it would be, so this is the first blog update. Please know that everyone is doing well and that we are loving it here in India!
The update below is written by Rachel Ross.
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India will grab at your soul and break your heart at the same time.
In our short time here we have seen brokenness and despair, but at the same time God has reminded us that He is at work in India. When it is so easy to forget about the great need in the world, God reminds us through children praying in an orphanage that He IS active in India. With heads bowed and hands folded, these children are the picture of God's amazing grace. We have had the great privilege of working with a Christian orphanage for the past few days. Really, we can't call it work. We get to play with 32 of the most precious children in the world. When they see us each morning, they all walk up to us, hug us, and say, "Good morning, Auntie!" If that doesn't make you smile, nothing will! :)
Many of these children would have been sold into slavery had they not been brought to the AH. Many of them faced abuse and sickness prior to coming to AH. At the orphanage, they are shown love and are cared for--they are reminded that they have infinite worth and a Savior who loves them unconditionally. They are taught about Christ through devotions, prayer time, and the example of amazing men and women who take care of them.
Victor and Simini Prafulla and Lincy Ullas founded AH with a vision to care for and share Christ with at risk children in India. Together, with their amazing staff, they care for these 32 children--physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Here the children are not only safe... they daily learn about the love of Christ. They study the Bible and pray for those around them in need, not even aware of how bad their situation would be without AH. They are thankful for things big and small, quick to hug, laugh, sing, and dance. They dream of becoming teachers, nurses, worship leaders, and beauticians, of sharing the gospel in India. God has given them a great love for their families and their country--they want the people of India to come to know Him.
In addition to spending time at AH, we've also had the opportunity to visit a leper colony. While we don't speak their language, we are able to build a relationship by bugging them and showing them we care about them by just spending time with them. We brought nail polish and a few of them wanted us to paint their nails. It was a great way to build a relationship with them and see them enjoying themselves.
A leper is an outcast in Indian society, so us spending time with them demonstrates respect for them. This was a unique opportunity to minister to someone when you can't speak the same language they speak. Even though I don't know all of their names, I have seen their faces and I have prayed for them silently while sitting with them in the colony. I pray that I will never forget their faces or their need to be shown Christ's love in a world that sees them mostly as outcasts.
I thank God for His mercy and provision for AH and that Victor, Simini, and Lincy are constantly teaching the children about God. Please continue to pray for AH as well as the ministry to the men and women in the leper colony. Matthew 9:37-38: The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."
