...think again! The thing that I had stolen and broken was a good thing; something that needed to be stolen and needed to be broken - my heart. Before I write about the events preceding this, I must inform you that it has been a long time since I have felt the kind of joy in my heart that I felt yesterday. It has been a struggle trying to bridge the gap of the language barrier but yesterday I was reminded that smiles are universal and joy is contagious.
Okay, now let me get to the point. Yesterday I began a service-based internship at an organization called Families For Children, or FFC. It is a series of childrens' homes for orphaned children (as well as specializing in special needs orphans). Because the director of FFC was gone yesterday, I got to spend my day loving children who need it. The first children's' home that I visited was called Leo's House, a nursery for mentally handicapped infants. My heart broke. The children were so helpless and all I could think was something that has been on my heart since my senior year of high school: there aren't many people out there who are looking for a special needs child. This haunts my thoughts as my mind drowns in a whirlpool of realization that most of these kids will never have a family, because people want to adopt the cute kids, but not the ones who require even more money and time and attention, not the handicapped kids, not the ones with special needs. But, to continue, I spent half of my day in a special needs classroom with 5-7 year olds with severe learning disabilities, which is where my heart began to be stolen. The first child that impacted me was named Rakesh. Half of his body was paralyzed, so we worked on high fives with his less mobile hand. He had such a fun time and would just fall into a position of resting his head in my lap. His happiness and joy was so contagious, and a child's joy was just what I needed to bring me back to a good place. The rest of the day, I hung out with the other orphans during song time. They loved singing songs and playing with a newcomer, which just reiterated my gladness and happy heart, making me so thankful that I was there, spending time with very beautiful children. I recently stumbled upon the quote, "joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm,"said by Helen Keller and I think it does a good job at describing the way that I have been feeling.
Now, let me backtrack to a week ago. Wednesday of last week was actually my first week of service placement, at a different orphanage. It went terribly; no one there spoke any English, the kids were in school so I never got to even see them, and, to make matters worse, there was nothing for me to do, so I was locked in a room to "rest." There was a bed and a bathroom so I spend my time reading Colossians and then took a nap. I was so downcast and upset and it was the first time on the trip that I really thought to myself, "why am I even here?" So, in contrast, my new placement was even better, and just one more example (although these seem to come almost daily) that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him.
Let me go into the rest of the week, so I can clue you in on everything else that has been going on, which is a lot it would seem. Last Sunday, after attending a contemporary worship service (where songs were led by students from our school), our whole group attended a service at the Gurudwara, a Sikh temple. Sikhism is a widely-followed religion here in India, and if you are unsure of what it is, it is a faith rooted in the Punjab region and followers worship a god who is found in their holy book. The book is treated as if it were a person; it sleeps in a bed in an air-conditioned room, and is fanned when it is out of its room. Women of this faith are unrecognizable, but the men never cut their hair (not even facial hair), and they roll up their beard hair and, with the rest of their hair, they put it in a bun under a turban. They stand out; what makes the men even more hardcore, though, is that they carry around a double-edged sward at all times. The service was really interesting, and I am thankful that I was able to be a part of it, even though it is so far from what I believe to be truth. The service consisted of chanting worship and prayer, and is followed by a free meal for anyone who is interested in joining. The Sikhs were so hospitable and I think that people of all faiths, Christians included, could really learn from the love of neighbors that this people group show to their neighbors. Reaching out to the community as a whole every single week, and putting almost all offering proceeds to the meals is really neat to see and be a part of. Don't get me wrong, I am surely not becoming a Sikh, but I did respect the ways that they reach out to others and my heart yearned to see that as a similarity of more Christians. My heart also ached for these people who strongly believe that what they believe is the truth, so, if you feel so inclined, send a prayer out for the Sikh people.
Monday and Tuesday were packed with classes, which are still an adjustment. Our schedule literally changes every single day and our classes are different lengths each time we have them. All of the sudden this week homework was piled on and out of nowhere, we were all scrambling to get things done. For the first time since summer school, I was up late finishing a paper. I guess that might be a good thing, but only in that it feels a little bit more like normal school. Don't worry, though, I'm getting stuff done before the deadline, just like I love to do. I had 4 papers due Monday and got them all turned in today (Thursday). Score!
This weekend, we will be traveling via train, which, as I have heard, will be quite a unique experience. I'm ridiculously nervous and equally excited. So, just wait for stories upon my return. This week has such a blessing, and God's faithfulness and love has been so evident. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here, even though at some times things frustrate me almost to the point of tears. A couple of song lyrics have been on my mind all day: "Everyday I know that I am learning, so we open up the door, let the music take us further than before, we open up the door, maybe there's an angel standing on the porch." This has been speaking to me because I am learning so much about life and God everyday, especially through the daily struggles and the things I'm going through and wish I wasn't, but I have felt God's presence and seen Him at work, even in the short time I've been here. Its amazing.
Okay, now let me get to the point. Yesterday I began a service-based internship at an organization called Families For Children, or FFC. It is a series of childrens' homes for orphaned children (as well as specializing in special needs orphans). Because the director of FFC was gone yesterday, I got to spend my day loving children who need it. The first children's' home that I visited was called Leo's House, a nursery for mentally handicapped infants. My heart broke. The children were so helpless and all I could think was something that has been on my heart since my senior year of high school: there aren't many people out there who are looking for a special needs child. This haunts my thoughts as my mind drowns in a whirlpool of realization that most of these kids will never have a family, because people want to adopt the cute kids, but not the ones who require even more money and time and attention, not the handicapped kids, not the ones with special needs. But, to continue, I spent half of my day in a special needs classroom with 5-7 year olds with severe learning disabilities, which is where my heart began to be stolen. The first child that impacted me was named Rakesh. Half of his body was paralyzed, so we worked on high fives with his less mobile hand. He had such a fun time and would just fall into a position of resting his head in my lap. His happiness and joy was so contagious, and a child's joy was just what I needed to bring me back to a good place. The rest of the day, I hung out with the other orphans during song time. They loved singing songs and playing with a newcomer, which just reiterated my gladness and happy heart, making me so thankful that I was there, spending time with very beautiful children. I recently stumbled upon the quote, "joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm,"said by Helen Keller and I think it does a good job at describing the way that I have been feeling.
Now, let me backtrack to a week ago. Wednesday of last week was actually my first week of service placement, at a different orphanage. It went terribly; no one there spoke any English, the kids were in school so I never got to even see them, and, to make matters worse, there was nothing for me to do, so I was locked in a room to "rest." There was a bed and a bathroom so I spend my time reading Colossians and then took a nap. I was so downcast and upset and it was the first time on the trip that I really thought to myself, "why am I even here?" So, in contrast, my new placement was even better, and just one more example (although these seem to come almost daily) that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him.
Let me go into the rest of the week, so I can clue you in on everything else that has been going on, which is a lot it would seem. Last Sunday, after attending a contemporary worship service (where songs were led by students from our school), our whole group attended a service at the Gurudwara, a Sikh temple. Sikhism is a widely-followed religion here in India, and if you are unsure of what it is, it is a faith rooted in the Punjab region and followers worship a god who is found in their holy book. The book is treated as if it were a person; it sleeps in a bed in an air-conditioned room, and is fanned when it is out of its room. Women of this faith are unrecognizable, but the men never cut their hair (not even facial hair), and they roll up their beard hair and, with the rest of their hair, they put it in a bun under a turban. They stand out; what makes the men even more hardcore, though, is that they carry around a double-edged sward at all times. The service was really interesting, and I am thankful that I was able to be a part of it, even though it is so far from what I believe to be truth. The service consisted of chanting worship and prayer, and is followed by a free meal for anyone who is interested in joining. The Sikhs were so hospitable and I think that people of all faiths, Christians included, could really learn from the love of neighbors that this people group show to their neighbors. Reaching out to the community as a whole every single week, and putting almost all offering proceeds to the meals is really neat to see and be a part of. Don't get me wrong, I am surely not becoming a Sikh, but I did respect the ways that they reach out to others and my heart yearned to see that as a similarity of more Christians. My heart also ached for these people who strongly believe that what they believe is the truth, so, if you feel so inclined, send a prayer out for the Sikh people.
Monday and Tuesday were packed with classes, which are still an adjustment. Our schedule literally changes every single day and our classes are different lengths each time we have them. All of the sudden this week homework was piled on and out of nowhere, we were all scrambling to get things done. For the first time since summer school, I was up late finishing a paper. I guess that might be a good thing, but only in that it feels a little bit more like normal school. Don't worry, though, I'm getting stuff done before the deadline, just like I love to do. I had 4 papers due Monday and got them all turned in today (Thursday). Score!
This weekend, we will be traveling via train, which, as I have heard, will be quite a unique experience. I'm ridiculously nervous and equally excited. So, just wait for stories upon my return. This week has such a blessing, and God's faithfulness and love has been so evident. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here, even though at some times things frustrate me almost to the point of tears. A couple of song lyrics have been on my mind all day: "Everyday I know that I am learning, so we open up the door, let the music take us further than before, we open up the door, maybe there's an angel standing on the porch." This has been speaking to me because I am learning so much about life and God everyday, especially through the daily struggles and the things I'm going through and wish I wasn't, but I have felt God's presence and seen Him at work, even in the short time I've been here. Its amazing.
 |
| Rakesh and I. |
No comments:
Post a Comment