Many of you know my infamous distaste for shopping, but there i was in a hot, sticky indian market in deep negotiations for a washing machine. We were a few hundred rupies apart, when the indian shop owner finally surrendered to my superior bargaining skills. It was delivered to the orphanage a couple hours later. We didn't notice though...We had moved on to a courtyard soccer match. It was classic. 12 indian boys in a lot the size of your living room. I kept thinking to myself how much Carlos and Jimmy should be here right now. They would have had a blast. I need team mates...

A couple of days ago i wrote to you about the 57,000 rupie debt that the pastor had for the children. When we got there, the need was much greater. They needed food, medical supplies, and beds for the children. I should also be clear about the washing machine. It is not what you and I would considere a great convenience. It was manual. The kind where you have to turn the crank to spin the clothes. When I asked him why he would want that, he told me he did not want an automatic because the wear and tear would cause it to break down and he would not have the money to repair it. If he just had the manual, he could fix it and it would last longer. The pastor's wife kept trying to hold back her tears. She was so happy. Can you imagine what it would be like to wash clothes for 37 people by hand?

As we were leaving, the pastor came up to me, took my hand and said we were such a blessing to him. Noone comes, not even to a well-travelled place like mumbai. Last year he only had 4-5 groups come (one of them was ours). "They all talk, they say they will help, then they go home and nothing happens. Your team comes and you pray for us, you play with our children, and you give money to support our work here. You don't just talk"

Praise God

-eric