India. I didn’t know why God called me there all the way back in October 2015. But I know enough about the God that I serve to know when He calls you somewhere He has a reason. I was lucky enough to be accepted on the short-term trip with AIM, I packed my bags, and traveled almost halfway across the world. It is impossible to count the number of things and people that touched my heart there, along with the experiences that led me to hear the sweet, familiar voice of God whisper, "this is why you’re here”.        

The moment I first saw the children of SCH I remember being struck by how much joy they had. We live in such a material culture, and to watch these children overflow with joy with nothing but a plastic pool full of shaving cream overwhelmed my heart. The way they ran up to perfect strangers and took our hands, calling us sister and brother and inviting us to play reminded me of only one thing.

Jesus, inviting us to come to Him as little children. Jesus, calling us to love the least of these. Jesus, loving without boundaries and pouring it all out. These children were reflecting Jesus’s heart right back at me. I was halfway around the world, I was (and am) a very white girl surrounded with beautifully colored skin. I didn’t understand the culture or the clothing or the language, but the immediate response of these children was still to love me without restriction.

There were many things that we did in India besides having the opportunity to love on these sweet children. We painted walls and cleaned storage rooms. We washed car seats and strollers and carried furniture between houses. We prayed for the caregivers, who are the gentle women who pour themselves out every day to love these kids and nurse them to health.

In each moment, I was reminded of Jesus. In a country where only 2.3% of the population is Christian, I often felt Jesus in India more than I do in my hometown in the United States. I learned that there are no boundaries to His love and that nothing can stop His arms from reaching us.