Well, it seems as if we just got here, thinking back to when we met with A.M. Mathew and the orphanage in Mumbai on the second day of the trip. We are back in Mumbai now, preparing to make our way back home. Our flight leaves at 2:30 am tomorrow, but we are leaving from here at 10:30 pm. It's wierd how Traveling makes you lose all concept of time. Sometimes its hard to remember what we did an hour ago, or even what day it is. We have traveled so much this we compared to last week, so it just kind of flew by us.

From Angamoly we went to two smaller orphanages outside of Angamoly, ones that dont get visitors very often because it is so hard to get to them. We rode in the bus about four and a half hours, riding on the bumpiest roads you have ever seen. The first one we went to was where the tsunami happened, and a lot of the children were tsunami victims, or their care takers were affected by it. Some of the kids had parents, but because of the tsunami of other things were not able to provide enough for them to live with them. The last time someone came to visit them was last year, and it was actually another one of our teams . There are about 18 children there, and they all were so sweet, and were soo excited to see us. There was one girl, I think her name is Suni, that survived the tsunami. She was around seven or eight years old when it happened, and she was out in the water for two days. She survived by holding onto a piece of wood. How amazing is that! Everyone thought there was no hope, and she was gone. So you know that God had his hand on her, and kept her alive and safe until she was rescued. There are tons of incredible stories like this, and I'm so glad that we have got all the children's testimonies written down, so they can be shared with everyone. Mabu, the orphange director, was in terrible debt, but did not ask for anything but prayer. I couldnt even begin to tell you how humble and greateful he was when he was given money to help him out. He actually was in tears, and was speechless. Oh yeah, we bought a cow! It was for the tsunami orphanage, and will be used for milk, because it is so expensive to buy there. The second orphanage was about a hour and a half away from the last orphanage. We had a blast with the kids, doing bible stories, songs and playing games. Evey orphanage we have been to has just been so kind to us, and this one was no exception. They greeted us with the really good smelling flowers and gave us food and drinks. It's so amazing how fast these kids attach themselves to you, holding your hand and just wanting your attention. We could not explain how greatful these kids are that someone was coming to see THEM. Just the joy that we get to see on their faces is worth the trip itself. Every orphanage it was getting harder and harder to leave.

From there we went back to Angamoly and then Ten Kasi. The most beautiful place I have ever been! The mountains are awesome, the rivers and waterfalls, everything was so beautiful. We surprised Dr. Sam George, the orphanage director, at the orphanage. It was funny because he actually seemed kind of irritated because we just showed up, but was really thankful that we came to see them. What we learned was that his wife actually raised Veer from when he was 5 to adulthood. We had a lot of fun there, and were actually there for twelve straight hours. The orphanage is a school and a bible college too, so there were a variety of different ages there. The kids were awesome, and were funny too. There were two little ones that were actually found in the train station. I have heard so many stories, and I have to say that they are staring to run together, so I dont was to give you any wrong information. I'll let Cliff tell the testimonies, bacause they should be accurate. We got to spend time with the bible college students for a while, and get to know them a little. Some of them that I was talking to are graduating in Febuary, and asked me if I was coming. I told them I want to, but wasnt sure if I would be able to. One of the girls said that I will come and she will be praying that I get the money and everything to come back. Elizabeth, Sam George's wife went shopping with Allison and Eric and got all the kids new shoes. The kids were so excited about them. The one thing that really sticks out is a woman named Reba. She was found on the side on the road, and was so close to dead. I can say that I have never seen anyone that skinny in my life, she was literally skin and bone. She was so tiny and couldnt walk or barely talk. Mary and one of Sam's daughters Alison gave her a bath, and Allison and I were holding up a mat, and got to experience what was happening. I still dont even know the feelings that I had as I was witnessing this. We had a chance to pray for her, and it was awesome that she even let us, even though she was falling asleep at the time. They were going to take her to the hospital the next day, and take care of her until she didnt need to be anymore. Sam George and the kids took us to their new land that the India team actually broke ground on the year before. They made so much progress in only a year, starting out with only land and now having some building up, and stared planting vegetables, and a few more things. The Lord has really blessed that land and all they have done and are doing with it. They are planning to make that when the new orphanage will be. It's funnt because Sam George did not plan to have a huge orphanage and everything that came along in time. He planned to have just a small orphanage with just a few kids, but God had a different plan for him:) Now he has an orphanage and school with around 57 kids and students.

Well, we had a flight from Tivundrum to Mumbai yesterday, and that went good. Tia and I almost got off the plane when we were not supposed to. I dont know what we would of sone if that had happened! I definitely did not miss the smell of Mumbai, but actually wasnt too bad, because we have all got used to it. Today instead of shopping, we decided to go to A.M. Mathews orphange, and got to see them before we left. It was so wierd and sad thinking that we would not be going to any more orphanages.

So, I think thats it. Again I want to thank you all SO MUCH for keeping us all in your prayers. Just keep in mind all of the orphanages and the pastors and their families. Also, Veer had a flight and is home now. He is an amazing man, and I am so glad to have met him. Just keep him and his family in your prayers. The last thing is, I have some sort of rash thing that developed a few days ago, and I have no clue what it is. It started on my hand, but is now on my arms and legs. There just a bunch of timy little bumps and one of my fingers where it started is swollen and it itches. So, again thank you, and I will see some of you when we get home!

God Bless,

Kelly

Posted by Kelly Morrell at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Her name is Reba. She didn't know how old she is or how long she'd been in Tenkasi. All she knew was her name and where she'd come from. When they found her, she was immaciated, filthy,sick and near death. She looked like something out of a WWII concentration camp film clip, nothing but skin and bones.

It was the first real look for us at the reality that is this place. Millions live like this...no concept of time, no family, moving from place to place eating garbage until they're too old or too sick and finally starve to death, alone and unnoted. No one has cared for Reba her entire life, she has no family, only barely even has a name, and now that someone cared enough to notice, it is probably too late.

When the girls reported her to the school, they agreed to take her in. There was no hesitation or grudging cooperation. They simply did. Mary bathed her, one of the girls at the school fed her, and the team prayed for her.

We don't know what will happen. They said they would care for her until she was healthy enough to decide what to do or she died. We're praying that she will become a story that exalts God's glory, rather than a story that rends hearts. It is in his hands.

All I know is that unlike the millions of others, her life will not pass unnoticed. I will never forget what very little I learned of her.

Posted by Jeremy Brookins at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sam George came to our hotel yesterday morning to see us off. After that we headed down the mountain to the airport in some city (forgot the name). I kinda have to throw myself under the bus for a minute here, but Kelly & I found it so funny that after the plane was up in the air for only about 30 minutes, it landed & we thought we were in Mumbai already. We saw everyone stand up to get there bags, we even saw Jeremy stand up, so Kelly & I thought "Oh well, guess we're here" As we went to get of the plane, both Allison & Eric called from behind us & said that this wasn't our stop. I'm glad that they were sitting close to us, cause we would've gotten off in Cochin wondering why our pals weren't getting off! Sorry, I'm not used to planes stopping to let people off like a city bus or a train does. Back in Mumbai now & we went went back to see the kids at Mathews place. It was a secret so when we got there, they were excited. They remembered our names and wanted me to dance with them this little dance that I made up off the top of my head but it was a hit there! I got to see my soccer kids, That's right, I'm on a Mumbai team. We went to the market for just a little bit, like an hour and a half, and headed back. We are all in 1 room right now, we didn't want to pay for all of us to have rooms for just a few hours. We will grab a bite to eat soon & head off to the airport around 10ish for a plane that leaves around 2:30AM.

I'm going to miss this place, the kids, the pastors. Everything. I think the plane right to London wil be better than the one from London to here. I will have plenty of time to go back over many parts and events of this trip. Oh yeah, I have also been given many new names here in India. Since my name sounds like "Tea", I have been called Chai or Chaia, and then on one of my plane tickets my name was "Pia"! I'm shocked that I still remember my real name!

I miss everyone & can't wait to see you all. We have asked God to bless you as you have prayed for us here and for our safe return.

See you real soon.
Much Love
Tia

Posted by Tia Longhouser at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Or is it?

Have you been reading these blogs and said to yourself "That's so cool! How can I be a part of that?" If so, you may already have your answer.

Even as we have been doing the work this trip, my thoughts have already turned to the next one in February. We have been pulling together all of the information and making preparations while we are here. We want to take several teams all over India in the spring and do the same things you have been reading about. So, here's the simple first step. Answer the question...Am I supposed to go? If you answer "yes" or even "maybe", it is simple. email us at: give@i58projects.org. Also, here is my phone number if I can help answer any questions: 352-246-4452. It doesn't obligate you, but it does put you on our list of people who are praying about going. We can help answer any of the questions like "How long would I be gone" or "What do i need to bring?" Maybe we can help answer these questions and make things easier for you to decide.

This will be my last posting from India, but I wanted to say again that I am so thankful for each and every one of you. See you all very soon...

-eric

Posted by Eric Stocton at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How do I say it? - I cannot! - As we have traveled the orphanages over the last two weeks, and traveled the streets of India - I look - homeless people everywhere. - The Orphans we see are slender but are being taken care of - still in need. - But...

There she was, A women - not yet gray, likely not that old. ......Cliff and I were sitting with Elizabeth (Sam George's wife, MA Thomas's daughter, and Sam Thomas sister) - gathering the children's stories when up runs Allison Thomas (Elizabeth's daughter) - Though I could not understand the words, I could clearly see that she was speaking of someone in distress and was pointing down the road. It was then Cliff and I abruptly left our meeting with Eizabeth to take our bus to 'Reba' who someone had noticed was laying on the side of the road - not able to move. As we jumped out of the van - I could not believe my eyes - What? I have only seen this on the TV... someone laying on the side of the road, not moving, lifeless, 'stuff' coming from her mouth... and the smell without even being near her was literlly the worst smell I have ever smelt in my life. - I began to cry - trying to hold back the tears... Cliff then went to her, picked her up and layed her in the back of the van. - Silence - what could we say? As we got back to the orphanage, Allison T. then looked at me and asked ' Do you want to help me bath her?' - It is amazing what you can do with God's grace.

As we were awaiting for them to prepare the bath items, I prayed over her - and cried - and prayed over her - and cried. Our Allison and Kelly had joined us by now - and they began singing over her. - Still we wondered, what could we say.

The bath (a bucket of water, soap, etc..) was ready. -Allison T. and me picked her up to move her to a place to site her for the bath - Cliff commented earlier that she could not have weighed more than 40 pounds - I have to agree, there was NO weight there. - We moved her to an open area - outside, on cement, near a drainhole. Allison R. and Kelly then held a mat to at least somehwhat block the view to others. - As Allison T. and I began to undress her - my herart began breaking even further - As now I could truly understand the reason she weighed so little. - I cannot descrbe in words what I was seeing - right in front of my eyes. - This woman was literally nothing but bones - Everyrib, everybone in all parts of here body was seen, only the skin over them - I could touch my thumb to my pointing finger and completely wash down here arm and most of her legs - Every vertebra... - I am sorry, to speak so bluntly - but It is the only way I know how to describe so that you can understand. - I did not see any meat on her body- Anywhere. - Not being a docter... I don't know how much longer she would have lived. - In my opinion - it was not much longer. - God rescued her physical body - I asked that he rescue her spiritiual one.

After cleaning her up, and after she took some rest, we tried to learn what we could about her - She was not coherant - we did manage to get here name and that she was from somehwere in Northern India - far from here. - She did not know her age - and from what we gathered she had no family and no one had been taking care of her. - Sam\Elizabeth were to take her to the hospital today - we will follow up to see how she is doing once we return to the states.

For us - This was death - staring us in the face - for us - it was new - for us - it was beyond our comprehension - even though that is what we are here to do - we have not fully seen these as up close and personal. - Yet, Those working the orphanages.. and those here in India see this everyday - I heard that the TenKasi group takes on this situation about once a month - though I would belive they see more.

What else can I say - There is so much need here. guess I will share more when we get home.

I Love you guys - keep up the prayer... and thank you for those you have provided.

...ml

Posted by Mary Lyon at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the orphanages that we visited was on the southern coast in a village called Kayam Kulum. We met a celebrity there named Sumi. She is ten years old and she reminds me of the princess in the Disney Movie "Alladin". She made the front page of the local paper because she was reported dead afetr the tidal wave hit her village. Some people had seen her on the beach just before the wave hit so they listed her among the dead.

Two days later, local fisherman found her floating in the ocean clinging to a small piece of wood. The local newspaper heard about her and came to the orphanage to take her picture. Sumi lost her father to the tidal wave and her mother is missing, however she has been reunited with her younger sister, Subi and they now live together.

There are eighteen children living in this orphange and each one of them are victims of this natural disaster that the world has forgotten about. We learned that we were the first Americans to visit this place since it was founded two years ago. Additionally, this place has received no financial support since February of this year.

When I heard Sumi's story and realized how desperate the circumstances were here I couldn't help but think what a tradegy it would be for this tiny girl to lose her parents and her home, survive two days at sea only to starve death for want of a bowl of rice, a piece of bread and some clean water to drink.

Each time I visit a new orphange on this trip I meet another Sumi, another miracle child that should not be alive today except for the grace of God and the kindness of these orphange workers. Each time I hear a voice in my head that says " we can't care for all the orphans in India but we can care for the ones in these orphahges"!!!

The Pastor in Sumi's orphanage asked us for the same thing every other Pastor has asked us for on this trip "Please pray for us that God would provide our needs". No one has asked us for money but we provided money just the same. To say that this trip happened in the nick of time is an understatement. We have been able to provide food, clothing, toys, medical supplies and many other needs thanks to the support of i58 donors. The stark reality is that if we had not made this trip NOW many of these children may not have survived much longer.

Please remember Sumi's story and please pray for her and the other children in the Kayam Kulum orphanage that "God will continue to provide for their needs".

God Bless,

Cliff White

OKB

Posted by Cliff White at 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ok, so it's been a bit of a delay. There wasn't an opportunity to really do anything since the last time. Tia was willing to stay up late to post the other night on the hotel's one dial-up computer, but I don't think anyone else had enough energy left. Probably has a lot to do with no one else having a chai tea addiction.

For the record: Chai Tea in the US is total garbage.

Anyway! Tenkasi is now probably one of my favorite places ever. It reminds me of Colorado Springs with a sub-tropical climate. Mountains, waterfalls, a constant breeze, and about 56 orphans plus an additional 65 Bible College students.

The first thing I noticed was that the "feel" of the place was different from the others. To me, it seemed warmer than the rest, with more of a family feel. This is not to say that the others were not. The others were all great places that worked very hard to be the family those kids don't have.

I think it boiled down to a couple things. The pastor and his wife.

Samgeorge was a very affectionate, "you're here so you're family" kind of guy prone to bad jokes and huge bear hugs. He fed us (oh man, did they feed us...if you visit, eat slowly. He figures a plate that is less than full needs more food on it!), he actually put us to work (100kg bags of rice are heeeeavy) and he introduced us to just about every kid that wandered by. Many of the children would walk up and grab his hand or hide behind him while they peaked around at us. None of the children at his orphanage have anyone to claim them, so he introduced each as his own.

The other thing was his wife, Elizabeth. She is Dr. Thomas' daughter, looks a lot like her mother, and is an amazing woman. She was fantastic, and as I understand it, pretty much runs the place. We learned that she practically raised Veer from 5 to adulthood and it was obvious as you quickly saw where he got many of the traits that we love about him. It would make sense that, having been in this since the beginning, she would be a big piece of the orphanage she runs.

Both of them are extremely solid christians that seem to have no doubt whatsoever in God's support of their work. There was no mention of money, no expression of concern of the future despite growing debts, and they expressed that their ministry had been built on faith in God's goodness and would continue to be. Samgeorge said that he came to Tenkasi with a small vision of 5 or 6 students and a few orphans and God had made something much, much bigger.

The stories here were amazing...I wish we'd had more time to hear them. They got children out of train stations, a couple newborns (one only 3 days old), and even a child left unclaimed at the hospital for 3 months after she was born. We didn't even get a chance to get into the bible school students stories, but you could tell just by looking at their faces that there were all kinds of backgrounds in that group.

It was a great time with more kids, some college age kids, and I honestly think I could spend months there. I didn't get the chance to do more than play with some of the kids, learn a few names, and speak (again), but the place just...clicked with me. I enjoyed my time immensely and didn't want to leave. If I had to pick a place to spend months at, this would most definitely be it.

Posted by Jeremy Brookins at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We are leaving to come back to the states in about 7 hours. I am sitting in a run down cyber cafe in Mumbai trying to reflect and capture what God has been able to do through our small group of 8 people. I say 8 people because our friend Veer has been with us every step of the journey. He left us early this morning to go back to his family, but before he left we spent some fantastic time in prayer. We talked about God, the trip, orphans, and pastors. One particular story sticks out in my mind...

Apparently, we had a silent 9th member of our team. His name is Thomas. He was our Indian bus driver for the past week. Veer told us that he and Matthew were talking yesterday (they were always talking during the long drives. What they were saying, I did not know at the time) and Thomas was commenting on how different our group was from the other "Americans" that he had driven around. I am paraphrasing Veer's comments "They are different because they don't just talk about things, they go out and do them. They work from sun-up and well into the night. They don't just give some toys to the orphans and leave, but they pray, tell bible stories, and spend their time and money with the children. They are an encouragement to the pastors and these children" Thomas was proud to be a part of our group. At first he was very quiet and did not interact at all, but i think as he saw the heart of God in what we were doing he was drawn to it. We never said anything to him, but we could see him getting closer and closer to the action as we went along. By the time we hit the last orphanage in Tenkasi, he was in the middle of the fray, playing catch with the kids, smiling and laughing out loud. It is a testament.

I don't say these things to compliment our team, (although they certainly deserve it) but rather to glorify the One that has changed our hearts and given us the grace to carry out His mission. I am so grateful to have been given the chance to be a light in this place. By God's grace, the team has been able to go out and:

Purchased computers for the children in several of the orphanages
Bought several thousand pounds of rice and other food
Helped buy 57 pairs of shoes
Bought clothes for the boys and girls
Bought school supplies, textbooks and materials
Bought a cow for an orphange near Angamally (as far as i know, an i58 first :)

In addition, we have given out a lot of financial support to the orphanages who so desperately needed it. These are just a few of the things we have been able to give out as we have visited the kids. We will post the full list when we get back! It is amazing...

Thanks again to our team back home. You might not have been able to make it on this trip, but we knew you were here. The blog was a hit, and we will continue to use it in the future. Without your support and your prayers, we could not have done what we set out to do.

All for the Glory of God who makes it possible.

-eric

Posted by Eric Stocton at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, we have skipped a few days of blogging cause we have been extremely busy since our last time online. Tuesday, after we blogged & grabbed a bite to eat, we went back to play with the orphans in Kerela. Like I said, there was 120 of them. I think this was our biggest group... Kelly & I got plenty of excersise at this place. The children like being picked up, spinning around in circles by their hands. They love to climb on you just to reach your face. They want to hold your hand. They want to kiss you on the cheek. They want to sit in your lap during prayer. They want to braid your hair & marvel at your painted toe nails. Can I just say tht India is the only thing that has ever made me want to have atleast 100 arms so that I can hold every single one of them...

Well, we would raced back & forth in the yard, played more football/soccer. We gave out candy, HAHA, they LOVEEEEE them some candy, lemme tell ya!!! It's funny because I didn't know that one of my many jobs on this trip would be singing, but it was & I did it. I have been singing so much & I'm so glad that their pretty little voices are loud enough to cover up mine. There was a girl & a boy there that we prayed for before we left. One had a fresh open would on the back of her head & the boy had had a deep cough, I'm hoping it wasn't his lungs, but we prayed over them & will continue to, of course. After we left there, we headed back to our hotel & called it a night, we were a little beat, but we had to be up to go to the other 2 orphanages that were about 3 or so hours away. This was where the tsunami had hit & one of the places that housed the orphans was only cheap becase the lans was where the tsunami was & the people that had owned it were not found after it hit the coast. We met tons of children that were effected by that tsunami in 2004. There stories of survival will send chills up your spine. I won't go into their stories, but Cliff & Mary have been great about obtaining stories about the children & taking pictures to go along with that, so I'm sure we'll have something up & running for everyone not long after we get back. The other place we went to (I wish I could remember the name of it) was just as amazing. They gave us flowers we sang more songs, we even did a choo choo train in the yard, all the kids were lined up making train noises! That was cute. Jeremy & Veer played soccer with the boys & veer was playing so hard that he lost his lunch if you get my drift! I'm sure it was worth it : ^)
I ended up arm wrestling with some of the boys I got beat a few times, but I did win once, I think he let me cause I'm a girl & he saw me losing so much. We played duck duck goose & ended up making new rules to make it more fun & then I got to draw & paint a picture for one of the boys. I didn't get to finish it, but when I asked him to finish it for me, he wasn't as sad. Then the long drive back & we met up with the Chester team for dinner & our devotionals. Oh yeah, & before you heare it from anyone else, I love Indian food & they are laughing cause they say I can put away some food. Let me just say thatI am enjoying the food very much & it is no lie, I love spicy food all, but they have video of me pigging out (Hellooooo, it was curry!!!!), ok not really, but they thought it was funny cause I was in my own little world while they were talking.

Ok, so yesterday, we spen 8 or so hours in the bus driving through the mountains to Tenkasi. Can I just tell you how BEAUTIFUL this place is!!!! The weather is beyond perfect & the scenery is post card perfect. We woke up this morning, had breakfast & Kelly had a mosquito in here eggs, but she is a champ cause that didn't stop her (can I just say we have adapted) then we were of to Sam Georges place. We spent the whole day there. We did our bible story, sang songs, taught for about an hour & a half, hung out with the bible students, went to the new site were they are building, I got to get pushed around in a wheelbarrow (sp?) with the kids, got to play on the roof (What a view), we bought them tons of rice, shoes, toys, stuff they needed. I was binging back one of the girls from playing in the field when Mary, Cliff & Elizabeth (Sam's Wife) were rushing off to get a woman out of the street from up the road, they brought her back in our bus & she was so weak she couldn't walk. She was so skinny and probably hadn't eaten in a while. She couldn't talk, they carried her out to give her a bath & they are taking her to the hospital. Her name is Reba & she is not well at all. I wish I could explain her condition more, but I just can't it brings tears to my eyes. We started to pray over her & she was just looking up at us. She was in pain & we could feel it. Please pray for Reba's recovery. I'm sure we will be able to get updates on her condition as we keep in touch with Sam's place.

We will stop by Sam's for just a moment tomorrow & then have a 4 hour drive to get on a plane back up to Mumbai. We will stay 1 day & then Fly out heading back home this weekend. I can't grasp how fast this trip was, but I can honesty say that this has changed my life. A part of me is kinda looking forward to sleeping in my bed, hot water in the shower & a cold glass of milk. The other part of me, a larger part doesn't want to go & kinda won't mind if Allison loses my ticket home. Seriously, though. It's hard to leave behind. I already can't imagine not waking up early in the morning just to have tons of children wanting you to love on them. Anyways, we have to be up early & I will get back on in Mumbai.

Posted by Tia Longhouser at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This footage was taken by Jalali Hartman in 2005.

We currently have teams on the ground in India.

Posted by Cliff Rainer at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It has been so great to see the children of Angamally again. I recognize many of them. Most of them have all wanted to know when "Jalali and Cliff Uncle" are coming to see them again :) We had a chance to play with the children this morning before they went to school. While they are at school we are shopping for the things they need. We are in between shopping stops and got a chance to write a couple of blog postings before forging on. If you know what it is like to shop in India, you will know what I mean. :)

I sat down with the head of the orphanage and asked him what he needed most. He gave me a list of important items like medicine, beds for the children, rice, food, etc. It was such a great feeling to be able to say "yes, we can help with these things" We checked off the entire list. The man was speechless. He had no words, except these "Jaime ce' ke", which means "Praise the Lord" in Hindi. A couple of guys, including Kevin Taylor from Chester came shopping with us and they bought a washing machine amd related things for the orphanage. It has been great seeing them all. It is such an encouragement to our group to be able to spend time with them. Between our two groups, we have been able to overwhelm them with the love and compassion that Christ calls us to display. It has been a blast.

Tomorrow, we will be going to the lesser travelled orphanages. Something that has been on my heart for a while now. I want to get out into the villages, and see the pastors that have noone to help them. We want to help. We want to come into those places like a whirlwind and meet as many of the needs as we can. Thank you again for all of your help, and your giving these past months. You are the reason we get to do these kinds of things. We are busy capturing the stories, getting updates on what happened this past year, and getting their vision for the future. Once we get back, we will send out a list of the things we bought for the children, and a recap of what we have been able to accomplish with your help. If you could see the look on these childrens' faces, you would know why we do what we do...

In Him,

-eric

Posted by Eric Stocton at 3:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

We finally arrived in Angamaly late last night - We got up this morning to meet this children before they went off to school. We also met some of the other local pastors. - We are now on our daily shopping spree for the orphans while waiting for them to get out of school. -

Mostly just wanted to give a quick hello and let you know we are here safely - Though we did just hear an 'Air Raid Siren'. - Since no one here flinched I guess it was normal.

We only have a few minutes so will give you and update on our next trip.

Love you guys... Keep up the prayer... ml

Posted by Mary Lyon at 3:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Really quick, I was feeling rather bleh yesterday & I was looking at the time back home. I was thinking about how everyone was at church & then ministry night. Kelly & I got to talking about how nice it would be to get a pocket sized Matt Green with a pocket sized guitar so that we can put him in our pocket and have him just sing where ever we go. Kelly ended up having some of Matt's older stuff on her Ipod so we listened to that & then we heard Flint start talking. I thought that was pretty cool. I kinda closed my eyes & pretended I was there for a bit. It really did get me geared up for today!

Posted by Tia Longhouser at 3:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The othe night we were on the train on our way to Angamaly, lets just say it wasnt as nice as the last one, but it wasnt too bad. The only thing worth metioning really is Tia getting kicked out of her bed. She was on the middle bunk above a guy we didnt know, and when it got around 8:00, he wanted to sit, so he asked her to get up, so he could sit. We were all unaware of the 8:00 rule, so we were all kind of thinking that he wasnt the nicest guy for doing that. I am very proud of her for acting the way she did, because I was sort of expecting her to say something, but she didnt. It may of been that he wouldnt let her get a word it, when she was telling him she was moving, but... Veer was a gentlemen and gave up his bed for her, and sat up the rest of the time. I dont know what we would do without him, he has been a lifesaver. Thats just one out of many things he has done for all of us. Also, at the train station, there was a kid that kind of stuck with us for a while, and we got his story, and was actually surprising. He was a begger, but had parents, and wasnt forced to beg. He said he enjoyed do it, and kept the money for himself, and like the part about getting to eat. I guess there are many stories like that, but I dont know, It's what they grew up around I guess. It's just like you dont expect a little boy to say he enjosys begging, especially when he doesnt have to.

We went to the Emmanuel orphanage in Angamaly, which is a beautiful place, and a very nice school. The teachers are very nice and have huge hearts for the children. Actually met up with the South Carolina team, it was nice getting to see some fresh, familiar faces. We are actually with Kevin and Jeff shopping for the kids right now, and had some time to get on the blog. We got some games, and are getting a washer and dryer, and the children really need backpacks, because most of them are so full the zippers wont even close, or they are broken. The kids are so precious, and again all with huge smiles on their faces. They greeted us with flower necklaces, and smelled so beautiful. The South Carolina team was actually here yesterday, and the kids love them! We got to see them interact with them, and I took some video clips of them doing some songs and playing games with them. The kids are at school right now until 4, so I cant wait to get back there and spend time with them. We are here for two days, but some of us are going to Kottyam tomorrow, which takes about 5 hours to get their.

The hotel we are staying at here is called The Providence, and is not as nice as the last one we stayed at. They are trying to get us switched to the hotel the South Carolina team is staying in. It's not too bad, just some bugs, stains on the sheets and cold showers. Who could want more?

It was nice last night because we had a little worship session with Matt Green in our room. So it was like we were at church, and got to relax a little. I had a worship session on my ipod, and during the middle, guess whos voice appears... Flint. You can just say that Allison was so excited to hear his voice, it scared her. :)

Well, I think thats all for now, thanks for all your prayers. I love you!

Kelly

P.S. Wendy: Yes we do get to read your comments, and we all appreciate them very much! Thanks!

Posted by Kelly Morrell at 3:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

So we got here last night after a long, and yet again, much delayed train ride. This time in 3rd class, which is 3 bunks high instead of two. However, aside from a single incident brought on largely by poor understanding, the people were really cool and we met a couple of locals.

One thing was interesting was that we met a small boy, 5-6 years old (though he claimed to be 300!), that lived in the train station. He hung out with us quietly, ate chips, drank sprite, and played with Allison's uno cards while we waited for the train. I wish I could remember his name, but Tia has his name written down. Hopefully, she will relate some of his story as she interviewed him and Mary got pictures. He was a good kid with an easy smile and seemed quite content with just being near us.

The hotel is a bit sketchy, but it looks like we may move to another one that's much nicer and only 5 minutes from the orphanage (instead of 45), so I'm happy. Even if we don't move, it's not too bad. Just very loud and without hot water, and quite below the standards of most americans...Veer also has recommended we not eat there, so we've walked down the road to a much nicer place for meals. haha We missed a really nice hotel by about 150ft...and the price differences are insane. A nice hotel here is about 1750 rupees a night. That equates out to about $40-$45 US. Often, the price difference between "nice"and "scary" is about $5.

We went over to Varghese' orphanage today. He has about 125 kids. We only got to introduce ourselves before they had to run off to school, but it was very cool. The kids gave us real flower lei's though I don't know what they call them here. Varghese says that about 70% of the children are true orphans, while the other 30% are from broken homes or abandoned. It's hard to imagine, really.

He also has a school for the younger orphans and accepts children from the surrounding area. He only charges 100 rupees as school fees for the local children and his teachers work for a lower than normal wage. It's very cool to see the "complete" product that was only a foundation and some walls last year...well, complete in the sense that he's designed it to be able to build up to 3 stories, but it only has one.

Down here, they don't speak Hindi (almost at all) so they brought in another pastor from over 125km away to translate for us. That pastor also has need. I don't know if there is anything we can do, but I hope so.

I'm on a 30 minute timer and I don't have a lot to say right now as most of our time since last was travel. Hopefully I will have more to say later, once we've had a chance to hang out with the kids a bit. Today was school for them and market day for us. I want to get the kids some backpacks as many were running around with broken zippers or bags almost too small to carry their books.

Finally, pray for our health. Cliff has been fighting something for a while and though he's getting better, he wasn't healthy enough to go out with us today and remained behind. Everyone else is doing pretty good, and we'd like to keep it that way!

Posted by Jeremy Brookins at 3:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Our train was late the other night but not as late as the one in Mumbai, so seriously, no big deal. I think we were all coming off of a sugar high because we chose not to eat dinner so we grabbed some snacks instead. Veer came back on the bus with chips, chocolate, cookies & soda. Our crash happened at the station, so we got tired fast. Anyways, on the train we were stacked in 3s, We were all kinda, well, lets just say we weren't perky cause we were all so tired. I was on the 2nd bunk from the bottom & some guy was telling me to wake up because he wanted to sit up (his bed was under me). So I got kicked out of my bed, Veer saw what happened & decided to give me his bunk, poor guy, he ended up staying awake. It's funny how things happen. I can't believe I was so patient during that whole thing!!! Thank you, Jesus!!! We are now in Angamaly, taking a break from our shopping trip. We just picked up tons of toys for the orphans here. There are 120 of them! And they are beautiful! They put flowers around our necks & guess what, they love making funny faces!!!! I think it's funny when a kid can make funny faces back at you, especially when it's 120 of them. We are about to go look at a washer for clothes & maybe some lunch, by then, the children should be out of class. I guess I'll add more later. Until then..... : ^ P

Tia

Posted by Tia Longhouser at 3:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Over the last several days, as most all of have written about, we spent the last several days in Goa - One of the most beautiful places I have seen in my life (landscape - beats Hawaii hands down - but can't say the water does). - It is amazing to see this beautiful place that God has created, yet it somewhat confuses your brain when within that masterpice you see the desaltion, opression, and starvation... amongst other things. - Actaully Goa is one of the weathiest places in India and you can tell - but it does not escape the poverty and the opression.

Spending time at.. and with the orphans has been wonderful - each day has been special - from walking in on them during their bible study the first night, to spending the day at the beach with them and the pastors yesterday, or taking them shopping for clothes today. I asked Jaison (the man running the Orphanage) if they had ever been taken shopping like this before - He said no, not all at once. - They have only been able to take one or two at a time - It was really neat to see them all in the store together and being able to pick out pants and shirts that THEY WANTED...not what was passed off to them - From the littlest to the Biggest - There was first a sense of 'what do we do' to then big smiles... that we will never for get.

After Shooping we went back to the orphanage for some of Melona's (Jaison's wife) home cooking - Indian all the way with spices toned down - It was by far the best meal we have had while in India - Yes Cliff the 'younger' - we agree - she is the best cook in India, and we ate some for you too!

From there, Cliff the 'Elder' and I broke off with Melona and began getting stories of some of the children - We learned that four of the older boys were able to particiapte in school Futball (Soccer), and criket and running - all four were asked to participate in state level games for Goa last year - and were given a 21 day trip throughout India to play for the state of Goa - What a blessing this had to be - they beamed as they spke about it. They brought us their ribbons and tropies. - However, the story of these boys past is not special - Each were either left by thier living parents, one or more of the parents may have died - or some were just received with no knowledge of any family - Many of the children here, including several of the boys mentioned above actually came over from Manipur - As state in the far North-east - The is the same state when Sam Thomas has mentioned the 10,000 orphans that they are taking in due to ethnic clashes. I got to meet many of them two years ago - but time was limited so didn't hear many stories. After spending the aftenoon talking to Melona, who is also from Manipur, and meeting many pastors from there (inlcuding her cousin 'Joe' who is a riot!) - My heart once again breaks for so many little ones with no control over their lives - where will they go, what will they eat. - She left me with a picture she had taken of her 'Manipur' - so that I could see it and pray for them in Manipur. - I did not want to take her picture - as I know it was special to her - but it was more important to her for me to have this picture to remember the people and the heritage she cares to deeply about - I think I will scan it when I get home, and send it back to her.

As I leave my thoughts with you, Manipur has many' recent' ophans...but the other 80 million still walk the Indian streets everyday - looking for somthing that you ... and me... both have an opportunity to help with -

Pictures cannot express it - though I try my hardest - it cannot capture the essence of India.

Live from a training station - somewehere in India...

Love you guys... and keep up the prayer.

...ml

Posted by Mary Lyon at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This morning we visited Gilgal Bible College to visit some of the younger guys we met yesterday. On the way there, I was feeling nautious, again. I have been feeling like this off and on since about a week before our trip and I dont know what it is. When we got there, I was dragging, I was tired and nautious. We talked and introduced ourselves, and then Eric felt like we were supposed to worship. So, some of the guys and teachers went up to the front and pulled out their instruments and song books, then began to sing. Let me tell you, you could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in that room. The faith, love and gratitude they had for God was so strong, and it came out through their songs of praise. Mukesh, the warden and teacher at the college spoke a few words, and you could just see that he was so in love with God. All they wanted to do was praise God, and that is so awesome! I dont know what happened to me, but I walked out of that place just so overwhelmed with joy, I guess you could call it, that I couldnt even contain it, that they said I was glowing. I really cant describe it, all I know is that I didnt want it to leave, it was very comforting. I think we all needed a little reboost, and I know I got mine.

Right now I'm sitting in a cyber cafe at the train station, trying to put these thoughts and feeling to words, which is very hard for me. I cant wait to get on that train and go to sleep. For some reason the train is very comforting to sleep on it's almost like it's rocking you to sleep. It's and overnight train ride again, so we will be able to get some rest, because It's probably going to start getting harder and harder as the trip goes on.

After we went to the college, we went to the orphanage, and got all 13 of those kids plus three adults loaded into one vehicle to go SHOPPING. (All of us were in another vehicle) They were piled in there like a bunch of sardines. It was really an awesome experience because it was the first time they had ever gone shopping all together. Although some of us got a different version of the story, in which that they have never gone shopping period. They said it was VERY unusual for them to go all at once. They were so excited, all their little faces were lit up and had huge smiles on their faces. They were able to get two shirts and one pair of pants. You could imagine the chaos of everyone picking out what the wanted, trying things on, ect. So after they piled up again, we went back to the orphanage and ate lunch. I have to make a correction for a mistake I made in another blog. Melona, Jaison's wife, is who I was referring to, sorry for that. Anyways, she cooked lunch for us, and It was, again, wonderful. That woman is so sweet, and has a very kind and loving heart.

So today was our third day in this orphanage. For me, it is so much different than the last one, being that I actually got to spend time with the kids. At Emmanuel, I went shopping, so I really didnt get to spend time with the orphans. After hearing everyone's stories of what happened, and what they had been doing with the kids and what they felt for them, I guess I was kind of discouraged because I did not get to experience that. I wanted to, but it just wasnt there. Now that I've got to spend time with these children, I can say that I know what they mean. It feels so awesome, it really does make you not want to leave. We were playing with them, most of them are so talented at so many sports like football and cricket. I was playing volleyball with a few of them, and had a blast. It was kind of funny because they were not speaking English, so I couldnt understand what they were saying, which I think they wee meaning to. I had a feeling they were talking about me and plotting something. I finally figured out that they had been trying to get me all covered in mud from the ball, because everytime it would go in the puddle of clay they hit it towards me. But I was too good and they couldnt get me,:) even though I have stains all over my arms and feet. I actually have bruises on my arms from hitting the ball. I dont know what to say, thay are all just so precious. They were singing to us again, and their song are so beautiful. I really wish we were able to post some of the videos and pics, but it just hasnt been working out. We did our bible story today, and they all seemed to really enjoy it. A question Cliff asked when it was done was who wanted to be a Pastor when they grew up, and EVERY SINGLE had went up. It was like, wow, and you know most of these children grow up to become Pastors amd many other great things. Those children have almost nothing, but are so Blessed with so much more than just earthly things, like money or nice things, and even families. Although, they are all like one huge family, and it's so cool to see all of them together. I cant even begin to tell you how sweet they all are. I wasnt able to hear all of their testemonies, but from what I have heard, they are incredible, and I cant wait until you are able to read what they have all overcome, especially at such a young age.

Well, I feel like I need to say a lot more, but I cant think right now and I'm running out of time.

It might be a while before we talk to you again, because we are going to places which wont have internet. So I LOVE YOU and miss you! Please keep praying for us and the orphanages, and all the people we are going to incounter.

Kelly

Posted by Kelly Morrell at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ok, I'm sitting in an internet cafe at the train station. It's 10pm-ish, our train isn't here till around 11:40, at which point we will have about 2 minutes to dive on somewhere before it starts going again. If we miss it, we're...well, lets just not think about that, shall we?

Yesterday, I spent most of my time with the pastors and Bible college students. I met another Job (making 3 or more of them) that runs an orphanage in Manipur. He teaches the pastor training course they give here every year and travels 6 days by train one way to get here. He's probably one of the coolest guys I've met so far. Very friendly, energetic, and very funny. He's the kind of guy that always seems to be smiling. He's 33, recently married and runs a hostel while taking care of 3 orphans. I think Allison has their names written down somewhere. He was telling us about them, but I'm absolutely horrible with names. haha

The people I've been most interested in are the Naga, which are related to the people of Nepal. Asian in appearance, they speak hindi primarily and apparently are mostly Baptist. I found it particularly interesting that I met so many from there this time. Job, Jaison's wife Melona, over half of his orphange, and several of the helpers, teachers and bible students are from that region. They've managed to keep much of their traditions without appearing to compromise on their christian beliefs. I don't know...something about that area has grabbed me from day one.

I was pretty excited to meet him as I've wanted to go to Manipur since I first got introduced to the idea of India. Manipur is in the north east region, on the other side of Bangladesh. It has been closed to outsiders for years (barring a special visa) and is considered a UN hotspot due to tribal fighting. Job has assured me that if we wanted to come, he could get us the approval and that the fighting has died down significantly. I'm planning it in my head already. (;

Today overall was pretty cool. We visited the bible college, talked to the students briefly, did some worship and listened to one of the teachers share his testimony. It was amazing and words are hard to find that would describe what I saw.

The school is an old run down house, concrete floors, very sparse and utilitarian. The front room was the classroom, students stayed on hard beds lined along the walls in another room and the teachers/professors stay in a seperate room off to the side. The kitchen is in the back, which consisted primarily of a gas stove, some counter space and all the non-refigerable food laid out on burlap sacks on the floor. I think there was a small refrigerator, but I'm not exactly sure. It's pretty crazy by our standards, for sure.

The best part was listening to Mukesh, the "warden" (Dean?) of the school share his testimony after we sang some worship songs. I kept looking over to Mary thinking "you're recording this, right?" His style strongly reminded me of the Black gospel churches in the states, and while I couldn't understand much of what he said, it was hard not to get into it or not be encouraged by what you heard.

Jaison and Trevor had referred to him as the biggest man in Goa, even though even I seemed to dwarf him. It became obvious why very quickly. He was passionate and his story was amazing. He talked about how he actually started at the bible college before he was a christian. He grew up very poor, and a pastor in his home town would come by every so often and feed his family. He didn't know God, but he felt he should repay him for helping his family, so he went to the bible college when the pastor asked if he'd like to go.

Mukesh could not read, write or speak any language but Hindi. He didn't even know John 3:16 when he was asked what it was 1 week into the school. On June 19th, 1998, he committed his life to Christ and was baptised. Furthermore, his embarrassment at his lack of education spurred him into working very hard to overcome those obstacles rather than becoming discouraged, and within 3 years, he graduated with his class able to speak at least 3 languages, read, write and had an indepth knowledge of scripture. Just his accomplishments alone were amazing, but it's even more amazing to see him become a leader inside the very school that gave him a chance. He does it with great joy and thanks God every day for this amazing opportunity.

Today was also the first day I got to really talk to the kids at Jaison Job's orphanage. I've been running around with the adults and the students. It's a great group of kids. I'm sure the rest of the team will be pouring in tons of details, but from my perspective, they were great! They all were very happy, full of personality and some of the coolest kids I've ever met. Some of the younger ones will kill you just with a smile (Of which I think is all Pough does...He and another Jaison are the cutest boys I've ever seen, but I don't think I heard either of them speak once!)

We took them to the market to get clothes, hung out with them, played badminton and taught them things we never should have taught them (I hate the Gators!). We also did some other stuff that I don't know if I'll discuss quite yet, but Jalali is going to love it. All in all, it was a great day and none of us really wanted to leave.

Oh yeah, and Cliff: You were right. Malona is an amazing cook. We made her day when we told her you had made a big deal out of that and she proved to definitely live up to the hype. (; I don't think I've had food that good at any point here and I doubt I will get food that good before I leave.

Posted by Jeremy Brookins at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Right now, we are sitting in a train station killig time on the computer. After we "blogged lastnight, we walked to the hotel, which meant in the street, that was scary. Today we woke up bright & early, got picked up by Jaison to go back to the Goa orphanage. We 1st stopped by to see our bible school friends that we made yesterday. They worshipped with us, it's exactly what we needed. We praised God with song & laughter & friendship. They are very amazing people, brothers & sisters in Christ is what we are & making us feel like family wasn't a problem. THEN (my favorite part) we picked up the children & took them shopping for new clothes!!! They were so excited because they have never been shopping before. I got to pick out outfits & make sure they were getting the right size. HAHA, I can't stop laughing cause the look on their precious faces was priceless. They were gratefull & were having a blast. They are to cute for words. There is a guy here named Yang Mi, he is 25 & takes care of the children in the lower half of the orphanage. He used to be an orphan himself & has decided to follow the path that God has made for him to walk, and he does it proudly. We talked with him a little outside while we were waiting for everyone to pay for the childrens clothing. Compared things about our parts of the world, talked about God (Hello, my favorite subject!). We headed back to the orphanage where Melona, Jaison's wife, had been cooking for us the whole day. I love rice! what can I say, I love curry more!!! I love spicy food & I haven't met my match here yet, but I'm enjoying taking on the challenge. I think I may be the only one who can hang though, cause the others don't seem fond of it, the super hot stuff, that is. You guessed it, I took her up on seconds. I decided to go down to the boys rooms & see what they were up to. I walked in & they were playing with the toy cars we got them. Yang Mi showed me the gifts they made us. They had drawn pictures & made crosses that were yarn stitched. These boys have talent! These pictures were so amazing! Then they sang more songs to us, some of which I learned so that I can teach my kids when I get home. Then we went upstairs to sing some more, we did our bible story. They had a blast doing it! I absolutely love interacting with these children. We played more badminton & I almost took quite a fall skating through the clay mud, my feet are stained cause I was wearing flip flops (that's right, I gave up on the sneakers)! I got to listen to Yang Mi's testimony and found out how much he loves to sing, helloooo, I so knew that by watching how he alsways sings with the children. I got to talk to him for a good while after that & feel like I made a good friend. I have a pen pal now, yay!!! It's heart breaking to hear some of the things we do in the states aren't even going to be possible for some people here or in other countries like India. A plane ride for example, they just know they won't get to, and they don't even mind, all you do is share with them the fun of it & they find that just as amazing. We prayed for the children & then they prayed for us. It's amazing how they pray out loud all at the same time. The Holy Spirit, I'm telling you guys, He has been drenching us with His presence. I love this place. I love these children, I love this trip. When we were saying by yo the children, I turned around and just cried. I really just want to stay here with them. Bleh, I'm tearing up now just thinking about it. But I know that it's going to be harder in Kerala leaving them. I guess I'm tired of leaving. I always just want to stay. But I really like Goa & hope that The Lord needs me here again soon. I have this video on my camera that has the boys singing the most beautiful song & I have played it over & over again just to hear their angelic voices. Anyways, keep praying for us, dear friends. And pray for those children, too! One of the 1st things I've decided to do is support an orphanage here when I come home. I'm hoping that with these stories we are sharing, that you might want to come out here and see for yourself & make the same decision I have.

Much love & blessing,
Tia

Posted by Tia Longhouser at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hey everyone. We are going to be out of touch for a day or so. We are heading out to the orphanage in Angamally tonight. The train is scheduled to run at 11pm, which by IST, (Indian Standard Time) we will be leaving around 4am.

I have searched high and low for an internet cafe that would take a video upload. We have some great pictures and video footage of the kids. We will keep trying...

Talk to you soon,

-eric

Posted by Eric Stocton at 7:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We are know on the southern coast of India meeting with a man named Jason Job and his family. Jason has two children of his own and cares for thirteen young orphans. In addition to providing care for these children, Jason manages a training center for other orphan caregivers. Currently, there are 65 men participating in a ten week training program. These men have travleled from all parts of India at their own expense to obtain the skills necessary to care for orphan children.

Jason is an excellent example of how this program is working. Jason is an orphan himself who was dropped off at a train station along with his younger siblings. His father said "wait here I will be right back", but his father never returned. I wanted to ask Jason how long he waited at the station before he realised that his father was not ever coming back but I could bring myself to ask the question. I could tell the experience was painful even though it occured almost twenty years ago.

This program works, it just needs additional support from people like us. We don't have to give a lot because a little goes a long way for children who have nothing. You have to come here and see this miracle for yourself, words are inadequate....

Hi to my family,

Thanks for the cards, I love you very much. The seperation is hard on us but I will be home soon!!!

Posted by Cliff White at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Well - I did it, I drank coffee for the first time in my life. Really - I've have never drank it before, I have tried on a couple of occasions -and could not stand it - bitter...bitter...bitter - Tried forcing it down (you know those long car trips) but could never get past the first sip. But... out of courtesy to our host orphanage, it was all they could offer and therefore I accepted - And man was it good!. They make with mostly milk, lots of sugar and a little water - no bitterness whatsoever, I couldn't belive it. - Then tonight, I did another first - hot tea...with Milk, basically the same as the coffee but wiith tea instead. - It wasn't too bad either.

I could write about all we did today - which was awesome, but I know that everyone else is already writing the details so I'll save some of mine up.

One item to note, I did get my luggage last night - I know that everyone around me (litterally) is happy now. It really didn't bother me... I've been able to hack it in the woods for weeks before - this was relatively - not too bad - I pack light anyway. - I thought we were supposd to be roughing it here.

We tried to download some pics tonight, but it crashed the PC - We will try again at another site.

Once again, Love you guys...and Keep praying.

BTW, How is Mark and the Girls doing? - Is someone looking after them? - We seem to keep missing each the on the phone. - And yes, Mark...you can post a comment here.

Lots of love, ...ml

Posted by Mary Lyon at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Soooooo I didn't get to update like I wanted to. I will try to do some over the next couple days. Anyway, it's been pretty great. We lost time due to unfulfillable plans, but it also gave us great opportunities to see more of India and it's people.

The other night, we spent 4 hours sitting on the floor of the train station playing cards. I think we were more amusing to the people than we were amused by the cards. We had a large number of people watching us discretely (or not so discretely) and our poorly played game of slapjack brought many laughs. Veer says that cards are extremely rare in these parts.

It also gave us an opportunity to shine a little light into a couple kids lives. They may not have been huge things, but they were a chance to do a little something. Eric showed his iPod to an inquisitive 12-13 year old (It's hard to tell ages around here.) He wanted to know where the batteries were as it was so small. He got to listen to some Third Day (I think) and loved it.

Cliff gave another boy his extra set of headphones to listen to his radio with and a piece of gum. He was no more than 12 and traveling alone. His smile was priceless even if he understood nothing of what we said. The kids here grow up much faster than they do back home...I watched a one year old drinking from a regular cup with no difficulty and many kids are taking care of themselves on the streets by 5 or 6. These kids have very little time to actually be children.

Like I said, little things, but in a place like Mumbai, it seems to me that kindness is a commodity little seen.

Today was quite difficult, I assure you. Hanging out with 65 or so pastor students and the orphans on a beach. I don't know how I ever made it. The volleyball, soccer (those kids are GOOOOOD) and getting to see some of the most amazing shoreline ever is quite draining. No, really....haha

It was fun! We taught the pastors how to play volleyball (albiet without the net) and got to spend time watching the kids play football (soccer) as there was no way we were going to be able to even get involved without losing badly. (;

The beaches are amazing. Rocks jutting up out of the surf, some in places you can walk out to and climb up onto. Green, rocky hills that drop right down into the water, and the obligatory shacks on the flat places. It was a great opportunity to just get to know some of the pastors and create frienships.

Later, the team split up and Cliff and I ended up having to speak VERY briefly to the pastoral students. I don't know if what I said was any good as I think I was sparse on details due to nerves.

However, it was a chance for me to pass along something I had been feeling from the first glimpse I got of Mumbai. These guys walk a walk every day that is almost completely incomprehensible to us. They live out the concept of our glory being to suffer for God every day. They have been jailed, beaten, insulted, starved and chased from their homes. We were sent to encourage them and give them a little hope.

The truth is that they very deeply encourage me as well. How can I not look at these guys and not see the example of what I've always thought christianity should be? These men and their families walk in solid faith and amazing compassion that is challenged every day, even unto their deaths. I can only hope to one day be even one tenth of that.

Posted by Jeremy Brookins at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last night I found myself sitting in a small damp room with a giant. I respect this man more than I do most men twice his age. We first met two years ago in the orphanage that he grew up in. He remembers sitting on "Dr. Flint's" knee learning about the black dog and the white dog.
Now he is a pastor in India. (I cannot say where for fear of reprisal) Some of you may know Veer, or at least heard about him. He is small in stature and soft spoken. Honestly, if you looked around a room, he would not be the man you would pick to pastor your church, yet he is one of the bravest and strongest men I know.

He told me a story (one that I had to coax out of him, because he would rather not talk about himself) about what happened to him while teaching the orphans one day a few months ago. He looked out the window when he saw an angry mob of Hindus with sticks coming toward the school. They were threatening him to leave his town.

They said that he would be dragged from the school into the market where they would pour fuel on him and light him on fire. He picked up the phone to call the authorities, but the phone line had been cut. Veer pulled out his cell phone and called 7 of his congregation members to warn them of what was going on.

It was about then that the mob quickly broke through the first of two doors and started destroying the inside of the school. Others took motorcycle fuel and poured it around the building. As they did this, he backed into a school classroom. It was about then that his congregation members came in a side door of the school. They came to stand between Veer and the mob. They said they would not let any harm come to their pastor and that he was a peaceful man. After a short while, the mob lost both their interest and motivation to fulfill their threats and left.

The men appeared to have been very poor and without jobs. They were paid 100 rupies (about $2) by some wealthy men to burn the school and hurt Veer to keep him from coming back and preaching the gospel to the children. When the authorities came, they took Veer to the police station. Veer asked to file a case against his attackers.

Even as I am posting this entry, Veer is telling me that the police will not prosecute them because they are backed by men in power, but he does not care. The police even told him that he did not have any chance at seeng any progress. I asked him why he was seeing this through, and he told me that he did not want to put the children in danger by letting the mob think they can get away with things like this.

I asked him what he was going to do next and he said "I used to be scared of being hurt. I did not want to be beaten, then this happened and things have changed in me. I praise God for this trial, he has used it to teach me to depend on Him in all things, even bad things like this. Now I will not leave this place. I will continue to preach the gospel, and I will continue to have orphanage." I have never felt more compelled to help this man than I do right now.

His story is as true an example to what is happening here as I can find anywhere. Jesus is rescuing His orphan children, showing His grace, teaching His gospel, and using these great men to rescue others like Veer...

Praise the God we serve,

-eric

Posted by Eric Stocton at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Today was another great day. It was our second day in Goa visiting Jaison Job's orphanage. Goa is absolutely beautiful - a tropical paradise. The roads here even have lines on them (not that the drivers pay any attention). :)

This morning we met Jaison and his family, the orphans and about 65 pastors (who are in town for an annual training session) for some quick sightseeing at an historic prison ground. Between squalls of monsoon rain we paused for group photos...In light of recent events, I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of photographing dozens of smiling pastors standing atop the walls of this crumbling fortress. Our God will certainly continue to have His way in this country.

Getting to speak with these pastors was pretty amazing. All of the ones that I spoke with have, or hope to have their own orphan ministries. Many are orphans themselves, and have never had a second thought that the way they are to use their lives is to rescue children as they have themselves been rescued. Each pastor that I spoke with, though, wished he could do more, support more children, if only he had more funding. The children are waiting to be taken in. If they had the money, they would do it in a heartbeat.

This is why i58 contributions are so important.

After visiting the prison and stopping for lunch, our entourage made its way to one of the most picturesque beaches in the world for some playtime. From the moment we got out of the car, we were swarmed by young women selling jewelry, saris and other odds and ends. These "ladies" do not take "no" for an answer. :) They followed us down to the water and, strangely enough, I found myself walking down the beach not with the orphans or bible students, but a clique of these stubborn, sassy professional beach vendors. There were about four that I just could not escape. Half a mile later, when they realized I really, REALLY did not want to see their portable displays, we actually got to talking.

Rosa, age 16, has been selling jewelry at the beach since she was 6. She never attended school because her family was too poor to send her. She has excellent English, though, which she picked up entirely from conversations with tourists at the beach. She even has a fake British accent. She was the clown of the group, and picked on the other girls as we talked.

Natasha, age 21, sells ankle bracelets and saris to support her two daughters, ages 2 and 9 months. She hopes to afford to send them to school one day. Her husband works as a "builder", which I think is her fancy term for day laborer. She also never attended school.

Stephanie, age 19, got married 3 weeks ago. The ceremony was three days and two nights long - she and her husband had to sit in silence for most of it. He is not very happy about her job, but they need the money.

The further down the beach we walked, the more these girls turned into real people to me. People that, at first, I was trying to ignore and outrun. I asked them about their dreams, their culture and their faith, and tried to share mine back. I told them I'd rather talk to them than look at their jewelry. So they talked. They sang songs, and they goofed around like girls do whenever they are alone together. And an hour later, when I did leave, I did give each of them money, so maybe in the end I was a sucker after all. But, as someone wiser than myself pointed out, this is why i58 is so important. i58 saves children from this kind of hopeless life. i58 "rescues" kids in every sense of the word. It is impossible to come here to India, see the poverty, desperation and hopelessness in these people's eyes, and not want more for them. At least we have the vehicle of i58 to provide just that.

Posted by Allison Rehmeyer at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

We left Mumbia on Wednesday & had some time to spare so we went on the boat to check out a mountain. I guess I'm just not prone to getting motion sick, cause man, this boat was all over the place.
It ended up being an emotional day for me, I didn't want to leave Mumbai cause I wanted to see those awesome kids again. I won't go into it to much, but I know that The Lord is working on me here. Sooo, we went to catch a train to Goa & out train was 4 hours late, so we sat on the floor & made the best of it. Played cards & read the Good Book and then a novel. I learned a new phrase T.I.I. meaning "this is India". On the train, I did my normal thing, then fell asleep. for a whole 12 hours. I went to sleep @ 4am & woke up at 4pm. I had something to cover my eyes & then some earplugs. So, now I'm back on the time at the states when I get up for work! As soon as we go to Goa (oh yeah, Mary tried jumping from the train, she fell and rolled & rolled, I'm glad she was laughing about it cause you better believe I was!!!) we dropped our stuff off an ran straight to the orphanage. We walked in while they were doing their devotionals, then they began to pray & when they prayed, they prayed out loud, all at the same time. It was so powerful, I couldn't describe the feeling in that room at first, but when they started to sing, the most beautiful song I have ever heard, I knew that what I was feeling in that room was the Holy Spirit. Amazing! The Pastor & his wife were so hospitable, very nice. We met the children & Yungami, who takes care of them. All were very amazing. We came back to the hotel, did devotionals & we all got letters from our friends back home which was great timing for me, & the rest of us I'm sure, but it made me feel like I had that person right there with me cheering me on, So THANK YOU, my friend!!! That meant more to me than you know! We woke up early & met Pastor Jason downstairs, he took us to a Fort with the children AND 65 other pastors & bible students. Again, these people were awesome. We went & ate lunch with all of them and then we all went to the beach to play. I spent a majority of the time with the kids playing soccer/football (I'm getting better at this game). This is also one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, also had the biggest waves, too. We went back to spend more time with the kids back att he orphanage. Allison & I sang songs to the kids & then they sang songs to us, it was really funny cause I think I'm on video dancing or something, then Kelly, Allison & I played badminton, that was fun, but it's Monsoon season so the clay dirt was slippery & all of us were all over the place, but it was funny to all of us, I don't think anyone fell though, which is good. Then it was time to go : (
It's hard to leave them, but we have one more day with them tomorrow, then I'll pout, but not until then. Sooo, I'm trying to figure out how I can just come back to Goa after the last stop in India, and just stay here. I'm dreading the day it's time to go home....

Posted by Tia Longhouser at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A lot has happened in the last two days, but it seems like everything has been going very calmly, like we have had a lot of down time to just recouperate from everything. First of all, our train to Goa was about four hours behind schedule, then it moved to about four or five. Everyone says it's not a real train expeience unless your train is late, so... All the women from our group went into a women's waiting room type of thing, and we got to stay there until it was time to go. It was nice because it was pretty safe, and we really didnt have to worry about people coming in and taking our stuff. We played cards for a while, and just had some time to ourselves. The train came and we all boarded and got everything situated. We were all kind of at the point of being so tired, we were kind of hysterical and delirious at the same time. A bunch of hilarious things happened on the train, so you can probably imagine we had a good time. We all slept pretty much the whole train ride, well some of us. I can definitley say that I needed it. It was so beautiful along the way, the mountains and rivers, also there were some villages that were pretty neat to see. It was raining when it was time to get off, and Veer was saying we needed to get of as quick as possible. So as you know Mary had a little tumble off the train as she jumped off of it as it was still moving. :) There have been so many things along the trip that have just kept everyone laughing, which is really awesome to be able to do, even when your having a hard time.

So yesterday, since our train was a bit behind schedule, our plans got a little moved around( which is expected). We arrived about five hours late. We got to the hotel and went straight over to the orphanage in Goa, and walked in as they were reding their bibles. There are 13 boys, ages ranging from 7 to 14. After they were done, Yanga Mi, (a bible college student, and watches the boys in the orphanage) Started to tell us what they pray about. He also was an orphan at this orphanage. When he started to pray, everyone that was in the room started praying out loud, and I have to say, you could feel the power in their words. It was just so amazing to see this happening. After that, the orphans sang us a song that almost made me come to tears, I think it was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard, and it just made my heart, I don't know, it was so beautiful.( I took a video clip of it and we are trying to get it up and running tonight if we can) Job, the man that runs the orphanage, his wife was Marta was so awesome. There was a glow (as Tia put it) comimg off of her, and she was very nice. I have never liked coffee, ever, but I have to say that was the most amazing coffee I have EVER tasted! Oh, it was so, so, so, so, good :) AND she is a great cook! We had Fried bananas and lemon pound cake. It was REALLY good. He he, thats for Cliff R.!

Today, First we went to a Portuguese fort, with around 65 pastors and bible college students. For some reason there was a lot of peace with them. After that we ALL went out to eat at a vegetarian resturant, and then to the beach. It was beautiful, we were surrounded by mountains and giant rocks to climb on. Most of us got down and dirty playing fuutball:) and volleyball with a bunch of cow pies lying around just for us to fall in. We were also bombarded by a mob af roaming women venders, constantly in our face and following us everywhere. All of us were completely covered in sand when we were leaving. The weird thing is, is that we kind of feel like celebrities, because all of the pastors and people we were with kept asking us to take pictures with them. Tia and I think we were pretty much on every camera. A reason for that is probably because Cliff kind of announced to everyone that we were single and was trying to marry us off. :) We went back to the orphanage in Goa, got to play with the kids for a while. We played badminton the whole time, and the ground was kind of muddy, so we were all slippin' and slidin' all over the place, it was a lot of fun. Those kids just always have a smile on their face, and it makes you smile when you see them. Their was one that I feel in love with, his name is Poah ( Poe) and he had the cutest smile. They are all really awesome, and I hope we get to know them better tomorrow. They are all so disciplined, getting up at 5:30 and having prayer, going to school, coming home for luch and having prayer and devotionals, going back to school, coming home and having more prayer and devotionals at night. It's pretty amazing and it makes you really think, why dont we have that much discipline. I know that it's pretty much necessary to have that here, but it doesnt give us any excuse for not doing it where we live.

It's great that we are all building relationships with each other, and they are growing even more all the time. The one thing that never stops is our laughter, which has been pretty much a constant thing with this group, and is much needed. I was actually having a hard time in the beginning, just with some different things I personally have been dealing with, but as each day starts, I keep feeling so much better, I dont even know how to explain it. I think that this group is helping each other so much, in so many ways, and I'm just excited to keep seeing what God is doing through us and in us. I am still having a problem with stepping out in prayer, I'm not sure if it's fear, or what, but if you could pray for that specifically, I greatly appeciate that. Again, I thank all of you that have been gratiously giving your time and praying for all of us, we definitely couldn't do this without God and your prayers and support. If you could also pray for Veer and his family. His kids, if you didnt already know, are home and were very sick with a viral infection, and it was very hard on Veer not being able to be their for them. They are getting better, but of course could still use your prayers.

Wow! God is just so AWESOME!

I love you guys so much, and I miss you!

Love,
Kelly

Posted by Kelly Morrell at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Hello All...

Smiling brightly... Cliff just called! He sounded good and said they are having a great time... he said there's a lot of cutting up between everyone and it's made the trip even more special.

Tomorrow they're taking 13 orphans shopping to pick out clothes, shoes and other items needed. Then it's off to the beach... can you imagine how awesome that's going to be! A day on the beach... remember the feeling we all had as children when our parents would take us to the beach! It'll be an experience they'll treasure forever.

Mary's luggage caught up with them today... sorry, no shopping spree for her! But I can see Mark's smile now (save, save, save)! hehe

Prayers are definately needed! Veer's son, Jeremiah and two of his orphans are sick... fever, throwing up and diarrhea. He doesn't feel called home... but it's been extremely tough on his wife. So please pray for them!

Last night as I prayed I felt the urge to pray for each team member by name... Cliff, Eric, Veer, Jeremy, Tia, Mary, Kelly and Allison! I'm not sure why I was lead to do that, but I do know it felt more powerful! Thought I'd share...

Lots of Love ~ Amy

Posted by Cliff Rainer at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remind me never to follow Jeremy again. - As Veer warned the stop was very quick and we must get off the train quickly - we all line up with our bags attached Jeremy first - then me... the train was still moving but at a reasonably slow pace... Jeremy lept... and so did I - But as someone yelled just before my foot hit the ground "Watch out - it's slippery' - I got caught in the slow motion movements of my mind - Run fast when getting off...or watch your footing to not slip.. - It was then things sped up again, I took about 5 or six steps and the next thing I knew my HEAVY camera bag was thorowing me forward and... down I went - I don't know how many rolls I took - But I know it was fun and it was a good laugh for everyone. - No worries - It was more funny than anything.

So that was leaving the train - but getting there was a whole other stroy. - As we had spent the day out and about it began raining.. and raning and it rained most of the night (actually I think it has been raining ever since). After dinner we left the for the train station around 9:30 pm for and 11:00 overnight train ride - upon getting there, we learned the train was running about 4 hours behind - So we got to spend an enjoyable night at the hotel de Mumbai train station. Veer took us girls and all the luggage to a 'Ladies Waiting room' - He said it would be safest there and for our luggage. We must all stay together and physically be attached to the luggage - we could not go to sleep - we had to stay alert for both us and the luggage sake. The guys stayed out in the 'general boarding area' it was not pretty there - We spent the first hour playing cards and then Allison slept, Kelly charged her ipod, Tia read and I wrote in my journal. - Which if I was smart, I would use it when writing here - but never seem to have it with me when writing here. - At any rate, we were fortunate, the train came in earlier than we expected and as I wrote my last line (which commented that we will leave when God is ready for us to), up in the window shows Cliff and Veer - The train was about here and we were ready to leave.

God's timing is always perfect - We just have to learn that... and learn that... and learn that.

Most of you know, I prefer to share my thoughts through pictures - vs words - so without being able to share my pictures has been hard for me - but soon I will. - So yes Cliff, I do have plenty of pics, I brought an extra battery and a little bit more memory - next time we can share - thanks for the thoughts.

God is Good - and I love you guys - Keep praying, the fun is just beginning.

...ml

Posted by Mary Lyon at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Quick note: I'm posting right now from Jaison Job's orphanage in Goa. This place rocks! Goa is definitely much nicer than Mumbai.

We got in late as our train was 5 hours behind schedule, so that hurt our time today, but not to be discouraged, we ran over here real quickly to introduce ourselves to the kids. They're awesome!

It's a small orphanage with only about 13 boys. Jaison's parents are also in town as well as a Pastor from Kota named Trevor. They are doing a 10 week pastors' training conference here as well, so tomorrow, we're going to the beach with all the kids and the pastors...it'll probably still be raining. hahaha

They all remember the team that came last time, though they refer to Cliff Rainer as "Camera" as they thought it was very funny that he was walking around taking pictures of everything. We also passed on his high praise of Jaison's wife's cooking and so far whole-heartedly agree. Between the cake, the banana chips, and the coffee, I don't think I'll need to eat for a while. (:

Ok, that wasn't so quick. I'll post more later from the hotel as writing with people standing over my shoulder makes me twitchy.

Posted by Jeremy Brookins at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Lord willing we will be leaving for India tonight around 9:00 p.m. from New Jersery.

Keep us in your prayers!

Steve

Posted by Steve Bishop at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Hello Family...

My big smile is on again aka "night light"... you may have to put on
sunglasses! LOL

Cliff called at 2:30pm (midnight in India). He sounded so good...
excited is more like it! I haven't heard that in his voice in a long
time. They spent the day with the orphans in Mumbai (Mathew AM's
orphanage) and he said the children looked healthier than last year. Praise God!

They were heading to bed because they are traveling to GOA tomorrow...
sounded like a long day of travel. Everyone is doing good... all
suitcases accounted for except for Mary's. They're hoping it'll catch
up with them in GOA... if not a shopping spree for Mary (every girl
likes new clothes, hehe).

I specifically asked about Kelly (Cody's 15 year old cousin, for those
of you who don't know her). Cliff said she was doing great! I know
the Lord is going to do great things with her... she is a special young lady!

That's it for now... I'll continue to update!

Please continue to life them in your prayers...

Love To All ~ Amy

Posted by Cliff Rainer at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I learned that I can sleep standing up, this seemed to amaze Allison & Eric. I think Allison & I are competing for a title to see who can sleep the most or in the weirdest places. They find it odd that we can both sleep in the taxi's here on these roads! I can now sleep sitting up, too. It's weird cause I'll be wide awake & then somehow my eyelids wont open ; ^ )

Posted by Tia Longhouser at 2:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Many of you know my infamous distaste for shopping, but there i was in a hot, sticky indian