It is Sunday night, and by now we have each reached home and, no doubt, had some joyful reunions with you all, who we have deeply missed during our two week trip. When Eric and I left Rhode Island, the grass around our house was dead and we had to wear jackets outside. Now, it is a rich green everywhere, and even some daffodils are blooming in our yard. It is absolutely beautiful here.

We came home yesterday morning and found wonderful "welcome home" surprises on our coffee table from our Sherpa Family: a beautiful Indian patterned card, an album containing all of the blog postings and comments, a bottle of wine and pack of Red Bull (guess which one Eric snatched immediately? :-) ) Thank you SO very much! We love you and missed you, and we can't wait to see you tomorrow...

Part of my mind and heart is still back in India. This was such an amazing trip, and one that was drenched in God's grace. Looking back at the amount of miles we covered, the things we were able to see, the safety, health, laughter and friendships we enjoyed - it is nothing short of a miracle. We were planning to see 7 or 8 orphanages; we visited 11 orphanages, 3 slums and a leper colony. We had no travel issues - no lost luggage, no flat tires, no accidents and no scheduling problems. Most of all, we come home with tons of information about the children, orphanages and pastors, having conducted countless interviews and taken hundreds of pictures.

And we have memories in our hearts that will never disappear. I am so thankful for each child I met, for each hand I got to hold, and each smile exchanged. Here are some moments, both joyful and heart-breaking, that I pray will always stay with me:

The laughter of a 2 year old village boy as he sat on my lap outside the church in Anantapur
Praying together with a mother for her blind 5 year old son in Rajumundry
Shaking the fingerless hands of a man living with leprosy in Faridabad
Having a 14 year old orphan girl ask me to take her to America at O. Palouse's house
Hugging Veer and Belssy good-bye in Beawar
The singing of the children at Abraham's orphanage in Delhi, who sang the following song:

I have a maker,
He formed my heart.
Before even time began
My life was in his hands.

He knows my name,
He knows my every thought,
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call.

I have a father,
He calls me his own.
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go.

He knows my name,
He knows my every thought,
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call.

I am so grateful for all of your love, support and encouragement. Eric and I could really feel your prayers during the trip. Whether or not you ever step foot in India (and I hope that you do), I hope that the orphans' and pastors' stories have stolen a piece of your heart. Who better to lose it to? :-)

God Bless,
Allison

Posted by Allison Stockton at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday was by far the hardest day of the trip for me. Lack of sleep, a mild concussion and a hotel room that should have been condemned were beating down my spirit. It was hard to smile. We arrived at the Church last night totally drained... we were all worn out. I had nothing left to give until we sat down and were swarmed by all of the smiling little faces.

Children truly are a gift from God aren't they? As I got up and began to play with the children there for the service I felt a renewal of spirit, it was like I was being recharged. I forgot all about my throbbing headache and began to take pictures.

"One more photo please!!" rang out over and over and over.... they love the camera. It was just what I needed.

This morning I woke early and watched the sun rise from the roof of the hotel. It was quiet and as I was praying a monkey decided to join me. He just came right over and checked me out. I am getting used to the stares so it didn't bother me. I gave him an orange. :)

We are off to Bangalore for our flight back to Delhi. We will see all of you very soon.

Herb

Posted by Herb Jones at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We have had a busy couple of days. On Monday, we took a 16 hour train ride from Rajumundry to Anantapur, arriving at our hotel at 6 am on Tuesday. After resting for a few hours, we went to Pastor O. Palouse's home for a great breakfast. Then we went to his orphanage, which now has 7 children. Six of the boys were there for us to play with, while Mary, the only girl, was back at the house to help prepare lunch and dinner for us with the Pastor's wife, mother and grandmother. We noticed right away that there were no toys on hand for us to play with, just one flat soccer ball. So, Mike, Herb and the pastors headed out for some sports equipment while Mat and I came up with some silly games. The boys now know how to limbo, play musical chairs, and (of course) play slaps. When the rest of the team returned, there were soccer balls everywhere and a cricket game began. Adam also played some indoor badmitton with Pardesh for at least an hour.

I have had so much fun with the kids over the past days... The girls I've met have been teaching me Indian dance moves, we've been spinning til we're dizzy in the yard, they've been braiding my hair and pinning in flowers, playing Simon Says and collapsing on the grass in laughter. It's been a blast. So, at O. Palouse's orphanage, I found myself looking out for the little girls again. And then there they were, on their knees peeking into the orphanage hall where the guys were playing with the boys with their faces and fingers pressed against the entryway steps and stoop. They were the extended family of the orphanage's watchman, and lived in the run down "house" adjacent to the orphan hall. This was just what I needed!

I spent the rest of my time on the front porch with these 13 people, 6 of which were little girls ages 1 to 6. I got to paint their tiny fingernails pink. Their hands were so small that only 2 light touches of the brush covered their entire nail. It was so sweet to sit with each of them, and then to watch them move into the shade afterwards, with their fingers spread wide apart, and sit still for the polish to dry. It was fun to see their mothers pushing the babies toward me and to have them help hold the little ones still. It was very special to hold the girls' little hands, see the dirt caked under their nails, and see their smiles as they felt they were becoming more beautiful with each brush stroke. I'll never forget it. :-)

Now we are going to check out of the hotel, have breakfast at O. Palouse's home again (our 4th meal there - excellent food!), and ride 4 hours or so to Bangalore, where at 4:30 this afternoon we catch a flight to Delhi . Tomorrow we are visiting our last orphanage in Delhi before boarding the plane back to the States. This was not a planned stop, but will be amazing, I'm sure. It is an orphanage with 130 children run, almost single-handedly, by a woman named Anita.

We will blog more tomorrow! We love you, miss you and can't wait to see you next week! Oh, also today is Mike Clowe's birthday! Send him an email or post a Comment - he is turning 22!!!

Love, Allison

Posted by Allison Stockton at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was the last day we had our guardian angel Emmanuel with us. He was such a blessing, he strengthened us with his laughter and dedication to the ministry here. He approached the request to guide us with a servant's heart and worked non stop to make us as comfortable as possible. We just prayed over him and sent him back to his village outside of Vijawada with many new memories and well wishes. I know that I will see him again and when I do I look forward to seeing the growth in his orphanage and Church.
We are in Antanpur, a very small, poor city in the SE part of the AP. The entire area suffers from a huge water shortage and the heat is stifling. My watch read 108 while I was playing cricket with the orphans today. Yes, 108 degrees.
Mike and I went with the pastors this morning and bought badmitton rackets, birdies, soccer balls, cricket bats and balls and an indoor board game called Carams for the boys in this orphanage..... they had absolutely NOTHING prior. They loved the carams game and flocked to it quickly...it warmed the heart to see having fun.
My prayer prior to coming was that I would have the strength to hold nothing back but would pour myself completely out on these people and as we slowly wind our way back to Delhi I feel I am almost there. I am emotionally drained but in a strange way full of new strength. I really could stay. Part of me wants to.

Until tomorrow,

Herb

Posted by Herb Jones at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hello all. After a 14 hour train ride, we are all safe in Anantpur to visit our last orphanage before we head back to Delhi. So just as a quick entry, I thought I would list several quotes by various team members that have kept our spirits up and laughter loud:

1. "How far? Just five minutes."
2. "tii...This is India."
3. "Yee Haw...hooh doggy" (from our Indian tour guide)
4. "Emanuel, you just took a dirt nap"
5. "Can I have my cipro back"
6. "But I don't want to put a cork in it"
7. "Have you seen the chickens around here?"
8. "What movie?"
9. "Is that pee?"
10. "Is that pee, again?!"
11. "I shaved so you didn't think I was a terrorist."
12. "What big city do you live near in Ohio?" "Columbus." (thinking) "What NFL city do you live near?"

More quotes to come, which all will be explained in our post trip out-takes.

Sincerely,

Spicy Spice

Posted by Adam Lapp at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This morning we are in Vydjawada, Adrah Pradesh. By 9:30 am it was already scorching. We took a short bus ride into the heart of the nearby slums, unloaded from our bright purple AC Coach bus and stood in the alley not knowing what to expect. Our new guide, Emmanuel, led us briskly up and down sets of uneven concrete stairs, through very narrow walkways, around broken water pumps and under dangling electrical wires to a small, dark 6x6 room which turned out to be the home of 5 children. We all piled into the space, ducking our heads under the spinning ceiling fan. Emmanuel introduced the kids to us and asked us to pray for them. Two of the girls (ages 4 and 6) had just lost their mother to AIDS. A picture of her hangs on the wall. Their father, also HIV positive, works all day in construction, so they are mostly alone. Then Emmanuel dropped the news that these sisters, too, have HIV. They are the prettiest, sweetest girls. We got on our knees, they put their hands together and squinted shut their eyes, and we prayed. It was the only thing we could do and the most important thing we could do, all at the same time. When we climbed out of that room, we wiggled our way through more of the slums (to the residents' great surprise) to the very edge of the riverbed, where there is a small orphanage for about 25 children. The "river" is completely dry. Children were using the land to play cricket. It is also about a 50 foot descent to climb down from the slum's edge. Separating the river from the slums is a landslide of trash that doubles as the community bathroom. We were quickly surrounded by at least 50 dirty and curious children. They seemed fascinated by Mike, Mat and Adam. The group following me showed off their English skills in a little pointing game -- naming the colors of their shirts, the surrounding animals (dog, water buffalo, bird, eagle). It had to be over 100 degrees and we were all looking like we came straight out of the shower. The pastor of the orphanage showed us the 15x15 foot foundation where he dreams of building his church for this forgotten community. After spending a little time with the kids near the riverbed's edge, we climbed back up into the slum to an 8x10 patio. We introduced ourselves to the smiling children, prayed for them, and sang "Amazing Grace" in the middle of swarming flies and the stench of raw sewage. Then, in a matter of minutes, we were back on our purple AC Coach bus and in the heart of city traffic, all wondering what had just happened. This trip has been a birrage of surreal experiences, and we will not come back the same. Our hearts are broken for these people, but I pray that each scar we are experiencing builds up our faith. I just keep thinking that we have so much to learn about how to love each other. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we travel 4+ more hours today by bus. Please pray that we continue to be a unified and effective team, and that we can bring joy into these undesireable and unloved places. Megan, thank you so much for your letter to me that you sent with Eric. It really touched my heart. I love you, I hope you are feeling well, and can't wait to see you on the 26th! We hope to write again very soon. Love, Allison

Posted by Allison Stockton at 2:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)