the ministry

sarah's covenant homes

eMi2 project 8211

I just want to start by saying how encouraging our visit was with Sarah's Covenant Homes. A huge work is being done through the people in Ongole and I feel so honored to serve this ministry.

Sarah's Covenant Homes is an organization who is dedicated to the care of disabled children in India who have been abandoned or relinquished by their families due to their disability or special needs. Often, these children are referred to SCH by government facilities who are completely overcapacity and understaffed. In the government facilities, many children die from completely preventable causes, simply because of the lacking facilities and care. 

To fully understand the weight of what SCH does, its important to understand the broader picture in India. In  the West, there are hundreds of organizations dedicated to the care and empowerment of individuals with special needs and they are widely and comfortably integrated into the public school system. Most westerners view these people as those who need a little extra love and are more than willing to give to them. 

Indian society holds a much different view for many reasons. Disabled individuals are truly regarded as inferior. This is tied to the Hindu caste system, which although is illegal is absolutely upheld at present. The disabled are often believed to have done something in their previous lives to warrant being reincarnated in this physical or mental state. Hindu beliefs emphasize that the only way for one to better their position in the next life is to live out their circumstances dutifully and to the best of their abilities. This is dharma. If a person attempts to better their circumstances this is adharma and though they may live a better worldly life, they will pay for this rebellion in their next life. Similarly, if someone else attempts to prevent a person from fulfilling their given life course, for example rescuing and rehabilitating someone who is abandoned because of disability, they also are preforming adharma and will suffer in their next life. 

Aside from the physical or mental restrictions, the stigma of being handicapped and paying for past adharma may make it difficult for someone in this position to find work. They, then, must use the only thing they have - their disability - to try to beg for food or a little money. This begging further perpetuates the negative light upon the disabled, keeping them oppressed. 

As this is the situation in much of India, parents of infants with disabilities often cannot imagine a viable future for their child, and may fear social isolation or shame for the entire family. Many of these children are abandoned or given over into government care. These beautiful innocent children are the most likely to be abandoned and the least likely to be adopted. Also, due to restrictions from the government of Andhra Pradesh, adoptions in general have been halted for the last few years. Adoption has recently opened up but, in attempt to hinder sexual slavery, is limited to children under the age of 12. Which means, if these children are not adopted by the age of 12, they never will be. 

Enter the brave and loving people of Sarah's Covenant Homes. Sarah, an American is living in Ongole with her husband James, who is from there. (see her full story here) Another American family, Eric and Tisra and their four sweet children have recently moved to Ongole, as well, to help in the administration, daily operations and adoption efforts of SCH. They have been there for 8 months and have already made such a huge difference. (watch their story at the end of the post!)

eric beginning to share the vision of sch with our team

SCH currently has 105 children who have all been diagnosed (and some even misdiagnosed) by the Indian government as 'mentally retarded.' Some of these sweet kids have only minor disabilities. One little boy we met was simply blind, fully mentally capable, but due to lack of care, can hardly walk. He is slowly building up his leg muscles in SCH's Victory Home. There are currently three sites for 105 children, most of whom are living at Victory Home, 80 to be exact. Victory Home is a gigantic leap from the government orphanages and hospitals from which the children were rescued, however, SCH's vision extends far beyond this limited facility. 

the victory home courtyard and two iyas

christine playing with nolan
- he couldn't get enough of climbing up
her legs like a little monkey

david's new friend and dance partner

some of the older girls, doing some home school work
meghan has the big smile in front

We were able to see one flat that SCH currently owns and cares for some younger children in. This is nearer to the ministry's vision of family-style care and living for these children. An American volunteer, Cassie, lives in this flat and acts as a sort of foster mother for a group of eight precious kiddos with the help of an Indian iya or nurse. 

an iya feeding a little one in the family-style flat

This family-centered set-up is really the desire of SCH for all of their children, and the best scenario for the rehabilitation, growth and development of these children by loving foster-type parents until they are adopted by their real parents! This is the vision eMi2 hopes to help them realize. 

eric explaining the idea of the family-style living
(evan's in front and aloe behind him )

After leaving Delhi in January 2010 and returning to Austin for school, I remember just sitting down one afternoon in my house and weeping for the things I had seen. So much beauty, but inextricably intertwined, so much pain and suffering. During my first week back in Delhi in August, I was struck by how hardened my heart seemed to be. Was it protecting itself? Was I trying to close myself off to feeling so strongly as I did before in order to live here for 4 months? I just prayed for God to soften me, to open my heart to these people I so desperately wanted to serve. I knew, conversely, I couldn't afford to be broken and immobilized by empathy, but I wanted to be stirred for them again. 

my little buddy, evan, who I got to see a few times in the week

he had something imaginarily delicious in that spoon
and all he wanted to do was share it with everyone

Standing in that flat and staring into the faces of these sweet little children, I saw the faces of all the kids I have taught swimming lessons to these past 6 summers. Are they so different? I fully comprehended, for the first time, that these children's parents had held them, looked in their innocent eyes and given them up. I felt the weight of the truth that society doesn't believe they are worth a thing, and further that India does not understand or believe in the work of SCH - in fact many Indians think these people who have sacrificed their own American comfort to move to Ongole have completely lost their minds - and not in a good way. As one little boy, Evan, ran at me to share some imaginary spoonful of food, I felt myself about to come undone. I felt hot, sick tears forming behind my eyes, and burning in my throat. He was full of such joy and light, and all it took was a little tickle and he was on the floor giggling and squealing. How could anyone discard him? Luckily, our volunteer architect Mark stole me away to grab some measurements and I could regroup. I felt, then, and still feel now thankfulness that these children are with SCH now and are being loved so well, but it's mixed with a confusion and anger towards the religion that provides justification for this sort of apathy and mistreatment. Maybe God, knowing my fragility was saving my heart in those early weeks to break it for these children who I will be designing for. 

another cutie in cassie's flat, with her loving iya

sweet jamila in cassie's flat

eric + tisra tell their story and share the sch vision better than I can!

check out the 105 in 105 campaign to get all the sch kiddos fully sponsored this year!

www.schindia.com

casting off worry

emi2 project trip 8211

We returned from Ongole, Andhra Pradesh on September 25 and it has taken me what seems like forever to reflect on my time there, working with our team, meeting the people of Sarah's Covenant Homes and seeing the sweet children God has rescued out of the despair of government facilities and placed in SCH's care. 

Part of the reason it has taken me so long to blog about the trip is my own processing time but part of the lag, I have to admit to you is my own worry. How can my words possibly be sufficient? How can I possibly share with you in full what God is doing in Ongole and what he did in my heart?

While we were in Ongole, God kept pressing on me to release my worries to Him. My worries about the children we met, the work that needed to be done, my own abilities, and on and on. First, in my daily devotion Jesus Calling (as a side note: this book was given to me by a dear friend and mentor in perfect timing to see me through some of the hardest days of my life last year. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. I am now in my second year of reading it daily and each day God uses it to meet me and encourage me where I am even in a whole new year in all new circumstances)

It said: 

"Trust me and refuse to worry, for I am your Strength and Song. You are feeling wobbly this morning, looking at difficult times looming ahead, measuring them against your own strength. However, they are not today's tasks - or even tomorrow's. So leave them in the future and come home to the present, where you will find me waiting for you. Since I am your Strength, I can empower you to handle each task as it comes. Because I am your Song, I can give you Joy as you work along side Me."

Within the next few days, I continued to stumble upon encouraging scripture and grew more and more convicted - what is this worry and who does it serve?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight
- Proverbs 3:5-6 - 


     For his compassions never fail.
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, 
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
- Lamenations 3:22-23 - 

Then, just to completely seal the deal in my heart, in our last day in Ongole, John Dallman, eMi's new CEO preached in the local church we attended on Matthew 6 verses 25-34:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

God brought my worry to my attention and in my time since returning from Ongole has already asked me to live out my trust as He has revealed some opportunities, realities and really difficult decisions for what I will do when my time with eMi is over. It's clearly not an easy task to live without worry, and I'm starting to realize that though we can't really control worry or do away with it, we can be in control of our own response and I'm just praying for the strength to answer worry with prayerfulness, faith and thankfulness, knowing that God can use us right where we are and as we are, and though He may allow us to take a few steps in the wrong direction, but will never let us stumble so far that we are out of His grace.

I think my first step towards kicking worry to the curb is sharing all of my project trip experiences and the incredible things that Sarah's Covenant Homes is doing in Andhra Pradesh - so here goes...
Stay tuned - soon I promise!!

our project team, prowling our 11-acre site in rain and mud 

am I settled in?

a lovely and domestic Sunday

The past few days there is a part of me that has just been feeling off and I haven't been able to put my finger on if it's physical or emotional. I've just been tired and sort of in a general haze, not feeling really social or out-going in a lot of ways. After church today, I went out in search of momos for my roommate Alyssa and I. I have to admit I was so suprised at how much I enjoyed walking around the market on my own. I know my way around now, I am oriented to my new neighborhood: Malviya Nagar. 

I have my veg wallas, a sweet younger guy with great english and an older man who is more the strong silent type,  and my fruit wallas, two hilarious brothers who just never quit. It's so encouraging to walk around assuredly, and be greeted personally by people who know me. I have a sneaking suspicion that those two fruit slinging brothers are charging me a slight white tax, but I almost don't care. They greet me and shake my hand even when I don't want to buy anything that day. And they always make me laugh. 

these are momos
they are steamed nepalese potstickers
filled with veggies or chicken
a plate of 6-10 is usually 25-30 rs. (< $1)

None of the momo wallas were out yet, I suppose it was too early. So, I went to my next favorite and slightly less healthy samosa man. I even felt so encouraged when I tried to ask him to heat our samosas several times in english and when I was about to give up I remembered something from my last train ride. Men walking through the cars calling, 'tomato soup, garam-garam! Garam-garam, soup, tomato soup!' And so I asked him 'garam?' and he tossed the samosas on the heat. My spirit silently lifted until I felt like I wasn't standing on the uneven pavement beneath my feet. 

I was so encouraged, in fact, that I felt motivated to cook. I was settling in, afterall, isn't cooking the next step in domesticity? For those of you who know me well, or especially have lived with me, you know I'm a Lean Cuisine kind of gal for monetary reasons, time constraints and just general convenience. I have always told myself that the frozen dinners are the product of a hectic schedule and full course load. But the truth is, I've been out of school for months and I can count the number of completely home made meals on one hand.

Today, I decided to rise to the challenge. Since I arrived at this decision mid-market, I went to the veg stand not really knowing what ingredients I would need. So I just got a few basics - I have been totally craving stuffed roasted tomatoes (alla Bent Tree Country Club), so I got 1/2 kg of tomatoes with that in mind. 

I looked at a few recipes using the ingredients I had and nothing really fit what I had in mind like Roga makes at the club. So I decided to invent. You may ask, with all the recipe sites and pinterest and all the tasty things out there, why would I just try to make something up? That is a good question and one I asked myself several times throughout the preparation. 

The first step is just cleaning the vegetables that you buy at market. And when I say clean them, I mean soak them in poison. Just a smidge.

just one crystal is enough for a lot of veggies

it turns the water purple and then you soak

After you soak the veggies in the poison, you rinse them in a bowl of filtered water. On our project trip to Ongole, our veggies were just rinsed in filtered water, no poison and I think that's probably just fine, too, especially if you are cooking at high heat. I guess the biggest gamble I'm ready to take so far is brushing my teeth with tap water. I'll get there. 

I must say, they look clean

I ended up having to scrub each of the little potatoes by hand to get dirt clots off of them. That was only a slight bummer.

tomatoes halved, seeds removed

cheese grated

I'm not really sure what kind of cheese this is. Cheese is different in India. It's more like velveeta. It tastes sort of like cheese, but different. So after I grated it, it became clear that there would be no 'sprinkling' action... just melting and mushing... so I put it in the freezer for a little while. I wasn't sure if that would help matters at all. Cooking in India is certainly not a science. At least night to a white person.

Just in case the shredded cheese didn't quite melt down into the tomato the way I wanted it to (a total likelihood) I just put some chunks in there for good measure. I also put a tiny dollop of pesto on each tomato half. Christine and I found this deeelicious, but relatively expensive pesto at our favorite pukkah (proper) grocery store, Daily Needs.

I boiled some potatoes to add into the mix...

And then just started adding garlic to things generously - because everything's better with more garlic, right? And who will I be kissing until at least after Christmas, right? Also, I just think that even the garlic is more beautiful in India somehow. 

before going into the oven...

 The other thing that' sort of different is that we have a stand-alone oven box that sits on top of our refrigerator. The heat is in degrees C. Very important detail. 

final product

So, in the end, it took me a long time and it was a simple meal - nothing fancy and certainly not of the local flavor. But I shopped, I did dishes all by hand, I was challenged, I made something from scratch and I spent some time quietly seeking the Lord today at church, in the market and in the kitchen. Really, if I could make one thing every day and spend at least one hour in mostly quiet reflection in God's presence, that would be the tops. I'm certain for me that's enough. 

If you are interested in a blog that has the most delicious recipes (real tried-and-true recipes from people who know what they are doing) you should check out my friends The Cochrans' blog! Someday, I'll get there! :)

http://thecochranlife.blogspot.in/

I am super thankful for the blessing of a rejuvenated spirit today and excited to start this week, ready for it's challenges! In the next few days I will be posting about my project trip to Ongole, Andhra Pradesh (the reason I'm here in the first place!)

Huge thanks to everyone for updates, emails, cards, packages - every way in which you are making the distance between here and home shorter. God has shown me in this time away how important my friends and family are to me and how blessed I am that you all love me so well. It's humbling!!

¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰ where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.

Hebrews 6:18-20

Rishikesh

the second leg of our journey

If Haridwar was dark, Rishikesh was dazzling. The natural glory of this creation spoke, sang rather, for itself. When we got off of our bus, we were to find accommodations for the evening. A handful of guys swarmed us when we got down, as they always do, touting the best place to stay, the best ride, the best price. But we knew by then, it was usually their own interest these young men had at heart and so we decided do decline and look around for ourselves. 

The city looked typical, at best, and I was starting to question the motives of the emi2 staffers who sent us out on this 'adventure.' What is it we are meant to learn again? We went into a respectable-looking guesthouse and looked in one of the rooms. He was asking 900 rs. a night which is only about 18 USD, but the room was awful, no AC and we would have to book 3 of them: two rooms for the 4 of us girls and one for David. Not a good deal. We chatted for a moment before deciding to take our chances with a guy who had followed us all the way from the bus station to the hotel. 

He took us in his autorickshaw through town, a long way through town and up the side of the mountain that overlooked the river (the Mighty Ganga). My heart was filling with hope and my mood was lightening with each foot we climbed in elevation. This city was not typical, it was magnificent. Though it was still very hot the humidity was much lighter and the natural beauty of the river winding through the foothills of the Himalyas was enough to distract from the heat. 

Unfortunately, our new friend's guesthouse suggestion wasn't quite what we were looking for, but after checking out just two more places we landed at the perfect spot. Let's just look at the view we had from our penthouse room and then I'll tell you how much we paid...

the door on the left is the room 
christine and I shared

Now, bear in mind, we did opt for rooms without AC because they had fans - so that knocked our cost down significantly. The penthouse room was 700 rs., the room Alyssa and Amy slept in one floor down was 500 rs, and David's room on the ground floor was 300 rs. We paid 29 USD for three rooms with incredible views!! It was more like a hostel than anything else - and it was more than perfect for five weary travelers in need of a shower.

our room

While they readied our rooms, we grabbed lunch at the charming restaurant they had set up in the courtyard. We talked about what we had seen so far, tried sweet lime and momos for the first time and read a few encouraging and pertinent verses from David's bible. After eating, we showered, changed and hit the streets into this new town with renewed energy both physical and mental!

sweaty, still a little sick, hungry
and ready for some food!

When we went back down into the town, we had so many people to meet and questions to ask of them! It was so terribly hot. Even though it’s still hot in Delhi, a month has made so much difference. In the beginning of September it was sweltering.

so much congestion on the bridge
with many photos and 'namaste's

just a bunch of white gals on a jhula

One major landmark of Rishikesh is Lakshman (or Laxman) Jhula. We were supposed to find out what a jhula is and who Lakshman was. After using our handy triangulation questioning method, it was still pretty clear that almost no one knew or could agree on the answer. We consulted with a man selling books about Hinduism and specifically Uttarakhand. Finally, we sort of learned that Lakshman was responsible for performing a miracle on the site where the bridge and temple now stand. And so the bridge bears his name. I did a little research post-trip and this is also not the case. Lakshman is a god and though there are many differing stories, I think the most common belief is that he is brother to Rama and shared in his exile. He supposedly crossed the Ganga with only wires at the very spot where the cable bridge stands now. 

lakshman jhula
(locksmon joola)

We spent the rest of that day chatting with people, learning the meanings of lots of words, rituals, beliefs, etc. and still had time to come home and rest a while. By the time we were supposed to eat dinner, everyone had fallen asleep - hard. But we got up and went to the outdoor 'nicer' restaurant anyway. Our jet lag had finally caught up with us and we hardly spoke over our meal. The next morning we were supposed to get up to see the sunrise over the Ganga. I got up in time to see the sun already up but it was beautiful all the same. I got to sit on the roof in the cool morning air and write and reflect. It was one of my favorite mornings so far in my time in India. By the way, I got up about 6:30 am and the sun was already up... how early does a girl have to rise to beat that sun? Clearly, it's not something I've accomplished for some time...

what a morning

always lots happening on the bridge

There were many things to be observed in this little gem of a town, the birthplace of yoga. It was the site at which The Beatles studied and achieved the 'enlightenment' that would change their career in 1963. 

'if you love India, don't trash it...'

unfortunately, by those standards
I did not see a lot of love in Rishikesh

There were so many foreigners in Rishikesh, it shocked me how many people still wanted to take photos with us - far, far more than in Haridwar. And everywhere we went in Rishikesh, people were handing Christine their babies... whether they had pants on or not...

wait... where are the pants.. and under pants...

our tall, tall david

Rishikesh was certainly different. The people were colorful and friendly and open. After returning home (to Delhi) I thought about it for a long time. Why were these two cities, so close in proximity, so very different from one another? I don't have a finite answer. Haridwar is a place of Hindu pilgrimage for Indians while Rishikesh is a place of pilgrimage for enlightenment, for yoga, for searching, both for Indians and foreigners. Those in Haridwar are worshipping gods with their time, travel, money, gifts. Those in Rishikesh know that they are missing something, they are seeking something more, something deeper. I think the difference is that those in Haridwar are seeking what they think they've found. They don't know that they're lost and in need. Those in Rishikesh know they are lost and they want so badly to be filled that they will travel great distances.

Our last stop was to find a choti walla, basically a fast food joint before heading to the bus station. We found it successfully. By this point, I think we had all given up on looking presentable - I know I personally stopped wearing makeup about day 2 in India. Alyssa, it seems, decided that one sock was better than one blistered foot. It took us a while to even notice. But I think it's the perfect thing to top off our time in Haridwar and Rishikesh: The Legend of Ole One-Sock Alyssa.

It didn't go unnoticed by the locals. Being white and half of us blonde, we attract enough attention that we can't get away with too much. People were so curious. Is this one-socked look a new American trend. Maybe even if we go back to Rishikesh, we may see a few Indians wearing one lone tube sock...

 

The staff told us that probably lots would go wrong on our trip and that the mishaps would bond us and make the trip. Our trip had been pretty smooth-sailing and we had all gotten along so well. So, of course, something went wrong in the very end. Our bus was meant to leave at 2 pm so we went to the bus station (which seemed more like a gas station to me...) at about 12:15. We were not going to miss our bus! So, it was 1:30 and the bus wasn't there.. then it was 2 and the bus wasn't there... Prince, the guy we were in contact with kept telling us 'another 15 minutes, another 15 minutes.' The bus showed up at 3:30. It was a super bumpy 8-hour ride home. But that was the worst thing that happened to us the whole time.. and that was just fine by me!

toes in The Mighty Ganga