Hard Labor

One of the girls on the team works for Compassion International in the U.S. and so yesterday Heather, Joe and I traveled with the team to Vijayanagram to visit a Compassion site. One of the things we saw while there was a stone quarry.

Endentured Servitude

Many of the laborers migrated to this place looking for work. When things don’t pan out as they’d hoped, they take a loan from a wealthy businessman to make ends meet. This wealthy business man happens to be the owner of a large stone quarry, and he agrees to let them work off their loan – and impossibly high interest – by working in his quarry. These people will spend the rest of their lives working off their debt.

The men swing sledge hammers all day, breaking larger boulders into manageable chunks. The women take those chunks and sort them into piles by size, carrying the stones on their heads in baskets. Then a huge lorry truck comes to pick up the rock piles and take them to who-knows-where where they can sell them.

The workers earn about $2 for every full truck that leaves the quarry. Many of these people have been working everyday for 10 or 15 years. Short of their master forgiving their debt, there’s no way out.

Walking around the quarry yesterday brought a new sense of importance to the work Vision Nationals is doing in India. I was looking at the life most of the children in our Children’s Home were destined for before the Lord plucked them out of their circumstance and brought them to us. How different these kids’ lives will be. And their kids, and their kids, and their kids…because of the work being done here. How blessed I am to be such a small part of such great change.

Changing one life at a time.

Heather Moga

Heather and I

Meet Heather Moga. She comes from Detroit, and has been a tremendous blessing to me these past few days. Her mad administration skills and attention to detail have come in handy many a time this week.

We’re sharing a room in Raji and Arjuna’s house it’s been fun to share the time and space with such a cool person. She’ll be staying on in Vizag for another three weeks helping out around campus. God gave me a good gift by bringing her here! So I thought you’d like to meet her too.

VBS

Hannah and Prashanti making a tamborine for craft time.

The team from Mountain Springs has been putting on a VBS for the kids this week. It’s been a high energy VBS and all the kids are loving it!

Nicole and Prasad making tamborines.

They even got the Children’s Director (who was also translating for us) into the action!

Aravind Singing!

One of the watchman’s daughter joined in the fun. She loves the big brothers and they love her. It was so cute watching them teach her how to play with a tamborine.

Big Bro, Little Sis

The kids love VBS!

Pastor Joe!

He did a FABULOUS job! I was so proud!

Joe had many firsts today! It was his first time preaching in another country, first time preaching barefoot, first time preaching with a translator, first time preaching with his notes on his Blackberry (which did give him a little trouble), first time preaching in the morning (instead of the evening).

And he did SO well! I would have never guessed he hadn’t used a translator before. That can be tricky, but he grooved well.

And despite what the picture looks like, he was not only preaching to women. But the men sit on the other side. Here’s a panorama view of the church (and no, that Indian man in the pulpit is not Joe.)

Vision National's Church in Madhurwada

Well, we’re off to one of the newer Church plants now where Joe will preach again. Another first! His first time preaching two sermons in one day!

Telugu Scripture

Arriving in Delhi, Cont…

So…I was interrupted and accidently published my last post. Sorry to leave you hanging. Where was I, oh yeah:

I was more than a little nervous. We were meeting Arjuna’s brother at this hotel. Was he able to find it? And if he didn’t, how the heck were we going to find him in this city, in the dark, at ten o’clock at night?

As we would our way through the narrow alley, passing this lovely mural of King Kong, I was praying things would be okay.

He's much less intimidating in the daylight!

Sure enough, Shekhar was waiting for us in the room. Thank You, Jesus!!! It had taken him a LONG time to find the hotel. And he too was not too excited about it at first. But once you stepped inside you realized it was a good place. The rooms were nice and clean and there was a lift (elevator) and security guards. All was well and we all slept peacefully.

I put up this pic in the pre-funk post. But I’ll put it here again. Though really, the daylight takes away all sense of dread when looking at the hotel sign. Thus Joe’s smiley face. He and I were not exactly smiling the night we arrived!

Our Delhi Palace

Arriving in Delhi

So, I’m going to back up a bit and tell you about our arrival in Delhi.

It was such a contrast to the first time I arrived in India at age 15, ten years ago. Back then the airports were hot, crowded, dark and dirty. As soon as you stepped out of the airport you were accosted by street children and taxi drivers reaching for you, touching your skin, trying to get your attention and money.

When we arrived in Delhi, the airport was modern, clean and air-conditioned. We flew through security and customs and the taxi-driver from our hotel was waiting for us at arrivals with a lovely sign sporting my name. Perfect.

I had booked this hotel online and try as you do to research and know what you’re getting in to…it’s pretty much a russian roulette. The fact that the driver was there to meet us as promised was encouraging.

We drove past the President’s House and the Parliament Building. Past the India Gate and Embassies. I was impressed with how modern Delhi was compared to anything I had seen in India so far. The infrustucture impressed me, there wasn’t much livestock in the street, and I hadn’t seen a slum in about 15 mintues on the road. Very, very different.

But things changed as we ventured into Old Delhi. The streets became narrow, the gutters on the side of the road were filled with trash and who knows what else. The people became darker and thinner – laborers, not business men. After winding around some streets in what looked to me like a market area, our taxi drive stopped in the middle of the street in the middle of this market place in the middle of nowhere.

I was more than a little nervous. We were meeting Arjuna’s brother at this hotel. Was he able to find it? And if he didn’t, how the heck were we going to find him in this city, in the dark, at ten o’clock at night?

Delhi Story Pre-Funk

Well, we are still in the domestic airport in Delhi. We left to board a while ago and got on a bus to get driven to our plane, took a ride around the tarmack and never got to the plane. Then got driven to arrivals, exited the airport, re-entered in the departure side, stood in line to get fresh boarding passes, went through security a second time, and now we’re sitting back where we were an hour ago when I wrote the last post, awaiting our delayed flight…sweatier and just a little grumpy. But we get over it quickly. Joe and I have learned to just look at each other and say “Oh, India!”.

Anyway, my computer is really going to die soon. I hope I can post this before it goes completely. I just wanted to get a few pics up so you could get a taste of the amaziness of

INCREDIBLE INDIA! (which is what we say when we’re not saying “OH INDIA!”)

Joe's cute face and our Hotel-Tara Palace- in the Background

Our trusty travel companion, Shekhar, with Joe at Humayun's Tomb, Delhi.

Me and the Taj and Joe's green shirt. Notice the shine...it was HOT!

Delhi and the Taj

We are in the airport on our way to Vizag. Delhi was wonderful and there are many stories to be told…but they will have to wait since my computer is about to die! Pics and stories once I get to Vizag!

On Our Way!

I am shutting down my computer, meeting up with Joe, and heading to the Sea-Tac airport in just a few minutes! It has been a crazy weekend between a Coldplay concert on Saturday, speaking about Vision Nationals and being sent off by my new home church, Anchor Church, on Sunday, and crazy packing and last minute errands last night!

India here we come!

It was a GREAT concert at the Gorge Amphitheater!

India Coming Soon!

On the 13th of July I will be heading to India with my boyfriend Joe!!!

We will fly into Delhi, where a friend will meet us, and the three of us will spend a few days seeing the Capital and visiting the Taj Mahal (in all my travels to India, this will be my first time at the Taj!!!)

Taj Mahal - Be Here Soon!

From Delhi we will travel to Vizag for the Pastor’s Training Conference. There will be a team coming from Colorado Springs as well as a few individuals from around the U.S. I have been working to coordinate travel with all the visitors for the past couple months and am excited to see things coming to fruition!