Day 2- Part 2 Getting Prepared for R&R Shelter

After the slum church we took some time to prepare for our afternoon with the kids from Rescue & Restore Shelter. The team sorted T-shirts that say "I AM NOT FORGOTTEN". A big thank you to a wonderful man in Kansas who donated the lime green shirts with an important message. We also filled gift bags with treats for the staff. Then it was off to get the puppets and supplies and load up for the drive to R&R. Check back for an update of our time with the kids!!!

Day 2 - Part 1 - faith in the slum church

A light warm breeze was blowing as we pulled up to a very poor slum here in Chennai this morning around 9:00 am. We could hear the singing getting louder as we made our way deep into the heart of the slum. The tiny church was nestled in among lots of small huts, and we joined a group of about 40-50 sitting on the floor on grass mats.

What a beautiful time joining this congregation in worship. They are incredibly sincere in their heartfelt praise. Several from our group were asked to speak, and many hearts were touched and tears were shed. At the end of the service both men & women, young and old, searched the team out and asked for prayer.

An older man approached me and asked if I would pray for his eye sight. If I understood correctly, his job is the main source of provision for his entire family and he is losing his sight little by little. As a security guard, loss of vision means he would eventually lose his job, and not be able to provide for his family. Tears poured down his face as we prayed together. He sobbed. On one hand my heart broke for his pain, but on the other hand his child-like faith was incredibly honest, real, and beautiful. As my prayer ended he wiped his eyes, smiled with gratefulness, and headed out the door.

One thing stands out to me after visiting this particular area several times in the last few days--the people's lives in this slum are being transformed from the inside out. This church is growing, men are turning away from a violence & crime, and families are being changed. Their hope and trust in God is growing day by day. They don't wear shoes, they don't use diapers, but they are rich. Rich beyond measure in faith.

Check back for Day 2 - Rescue and Restore Shelter in the afternoon!

Day 1 - Punjabis & more

After arriving at the hotel and sleeping a few hours, we loaded up in the mini bus and headed out to buy the ladies punjabis to wear during their time here in India. Shopping for punjabis is a pretty wild cultural experience, especially during "festival"season...it definitely isn't like heading to the mall. Hundreds of people were packed into the fabric store, and each person hunted for the fabric of their choice to make a suit. It was great to see Jeff Goldsby getting down and digging through a bin of women's scarves. What a guy!

From the fabric store we went to a tailor shop to be measured and then we stopped running (& sweating, I might add) for a dinner break.

The team members were quite the troopers! I kept them running all day, so they sleep really well tonight and get over jet lag quickly, and they kept up all day without complaint. In the process they got to catch their first glimpses of what life is like here in India.

We wrapped the day up with a time of preparation for a full day tomorrow. In the morning we'll be attending a growing church in the slum, and in the afternoon & evening we'll be at Rescue & Restore Childrens' Shelter.

Check back tomorrow for all the highlights!

Made it safe & sound!

The Kansas team arrived safe & sound this morning at 4:00 am. They're resting right now for a bit and then we'll head out later this afternoon. Stay tuned!

Norway team heads home...Kansas team about to arrive!

Today we spent a few hours with Freddy and Daisy, the directors of Rescue & Restore Shelter. It was a precious time! Then it was off to do last minute shopping, packing and dinner together to wrap up the Hearts of Mercy trip to India.

The team just left for the airport, and they'll be boarding their plane in a few hours heading home to Norway and their families.

What a privilege it's been to have these incredible ladies here in Chennai this week. They are an encouragement to everyone they meet!

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In about four hours I leave for the airport to meet the second group that's joining me--an amazing group of 9 from Kansas! Check back tomorrow to follow our time. For now, it's a quiet four hour reprieve :) Just me and my computer. The guys here in the hotel can't figure out why I'm not leaving! Haha. Little do they know.


Patty

The Slums - Part 2

This afternoon, after a short break from the heat, we made our way to a second slum, which is home to a little under 1,000 people. We visited a small church whose pastor grew up in Rescue & Restore Shelter. As a child he lived on the streets, but was rescued by the directors of Rescue & Restore when he was a young boy. Rahkesh* is a grown man now, and just over a year ago he started a small church in this slum. His congregation has 38 families now who are actively involved, and they are thriving and growing.

Seeing Rahkesh rescued from utter hopelessness as a child to grow up to be a man of influence in his community today gives me hope that this is possible for many more. I'm thankful for my friends here in India that pour out their lives daily on behalf of these kids. It's an honor to know them.

We sang some songs together, joined in with their Childrens program, and encouraged many who asked for prayer.

Tomorrow I say goodbye to my dear Norwegian friends. Stay tuned for more from Chennai....

Patty

*named changed

The slums - part 1

This morning we made our way down a narrow alley to the entrance of one of the poorest slums in Chennai. This slum is home to about 4,000 people. Desperation, hopelessness, and despair can be seen at every corner. Kids run wild, sometimes naked through paths filled with garbage. Many kids scrounge for basic food to survive. Children are abused and neglected. It is one rough place to grow up.

Each day Mary & Sidharth* were left alone in their hut while their mother worked, with only mud and leaves to eat. Because of some abuse she had faced in her past, she wanted to kill them, so she just left them alone & didn't feed them. They were eventually rescued and are thriving in Rescue & Restore Shelter. This is the slum they came from.

In the heart of the slum, right smack dab in the middle of the chaos, sits a beautiful preschool, started by a couple with a heart for giving love & hope to families. The kids come each morning to learn, to be safe, and to receive a hot meal. Most children from the slum don't go to school because their parents can't afford the school uniforms & supplies needed to attend.

This morning we sang songs together with the kids, we loved on them, and we celebrated the priceless treasures they are receiving there.

The school day ended when they ate lunch in a circle. This is the only hot meal that many of these kids will eat today.

Check back later for The slums - Part 2!

*names changed

No one else is just like you in this big world

Sitting in a circle tonight with 28 kids from Rescue & Restore Childrens' Shelter, you could hear a pin drop as the song began...."You are special, and God cares about you. You are special and God cares about you. No one else is just like you in this big world. No one else is just like you in this big world."

Tears streamed down the director's face as she listened to our team sing the song from the back of the room. Later she pulled one of our team members aside and said that the words touched her heart deep inside. Things have been so hard for them in the last few months that she was beginning to wonder if they were alone and forgotten.

This song was like a balm to the kids that live in the shelter as well as the staff who work tirelessly to care for them.

The kids's stories are both heartbreaking and full of hope. Some were abused, some abandoned, and all needed a home with someone to love and care for them. That is what Rescue and Restore is for each one.

Tonight our team had a wonderful time loving the kids, giving them a special meal and letting them know THEY ARE NOT FORGOTTEN. Our heavenly Father knows them, loves them and sent us to remind them of that.

Here's a clip from tonight!

Patty

Arrived safe & sound in Chennai!

Early this morning I walked out of the airport into the steamy air of Chennai and saw my two friends, Freddy & Daisy, waiting with smiling faces. What a wonderful sight after 26 hours of travel!

Just a few hours later the Norway group arrived and we're just getting settled into our rooms for the night now.

Check back tomorrow from our first day on the ground here in Chennai! Here's a picture of our dinner together!

Packing for India

Packing is an understatement. The "stuff" that keeps arriving in the mail each afternoon from wonderful people around the country who love orphans is a steady reminder of the value of connecting and giving of ourselves. It reminds me what's coming in about 24 hours. There will be hugs and kisses and goodbyes.

The last time I was in India, I saw the fruit of consistently going back. There was a new level of trust in the eyes of the kids. One of the kids cried "Patty Auntie (their name for me), we've been waiting for you". I wasn't just a one time looker. I had become their friend, their auntie.

And so, it's time again...time to board that plane. Time to open my heart, open my arms and be Patty Auntie to a whole bunch of kids that I have come to love. My prayer is that God will give them a life & future filled with His goodness. He is a faithful Father, a God who sees each one. He is a pursuing God.

Join me on this journey!


Patty