Bamindian

I think it will be hard to come back the same American teen I left as. I have now picked up a bit of Brazilian culture and a lot of Indian culture and have come out this new ethnicity…”Bamindian”. We are the type who talk with a lot of energy and volume while also being very drawn back and quiet. We eat lots of rice and lots of beans any way you look at it. We believe in having personal space but also in hugging constantly. We try to stay away from personal questions but find ourselves asking them anyways. As you can see this cultural mix brings on a multitude of confusing contradictions but let me tell you this. It is a heck of a good time being Bamindian despite the spinning head.
It is especially fun when your name is “Alys” because Brazilians tend to put the hard “e” sound at the end of a lot of their words which changes my name to Alysee which then makes all the Indian girls fall apart into laughter as in Hindi the word “alysee” means “lazy”. You can imagine the clever puns being created over here. This mix is nothing but laughter at the end of the day

Holiday Fun

Hey all, I hope you all are beginning to feel you own summer’s on their way. It has been fun to have mine start a bit early this year. The girls all finished exams by April 13th and everything since then has been a blur of fun. A lot of my time here thus far has been focused around helping these girls as much as I could with their schoolwork and English. But now it is nothing but games and shenanigans.
We just finished a camp program yesterday. I spent all the week before planning it with the group of Brazilian women. We took the girls to a place called a Gymcana. It is a gym, pool, outdoor area, and restaurant all put into one. In raising funds for my trip to India I was able to have an extra sum of money to give to Ashasthan. This sum has provided for this whole summer camp for these girls. So thank you all of you who supported me in this trip because you have also given these girls a highlight to their summer and me a highlight to my trip. A lot of these girls came to Ashasthan right before the school year began so they have not yet had a summer holiday experience here. It was a really healing time for a lot of these girls. The whole week was packed with their joy as they played each new game or sang a new song. The potato sac race was a favorite of the girls to play and the staff to watch.
Being a kid is something Indian children are robbed of in a lot of ways. They are either trapped in poverty and lose a lot of the childlike carefree days they deserve or they are in school here which is pretty demanding all on fronts. There is a lot of pressure put on kids here from their parents and teachers. It was truly a blessing to see these girls completely free of it. To have five beautiful days of playing games, sleeping in the grass, eating samosas, and swimming in the pool, the photos explain a lot better then my words can.
I now have a little over two weeks left. I will be in constant motion until I leave. I will be going fmr house to house teaching a few crafts to the girls and hopefully slipping in my long awaited for hip hop lessons. We now finally have the free time for it. I will be moving back and forth still fmor the house of the smallest girls to the staff home. Then on May 13th I will be headed out of Navi Mumbai and no my way to Delhi to meet up with Grace Starbird. Atie and Nicole Patierno will arrive in Delhi shortly after us. WE have about three weeks together traveling around a bit. It will be really nice to spend some time seeing more of India and preparing for my transition back home.

The Glass is Feeling 2/3 Empty

10 weeks of my 15 at Ashasthan have come to a close and I am definitely feeling the sadness begin to sink in. While someone reminded me today that 5 weeks is still a very long time I cannot help but begin to miss everything already. India has been a hard place for me to not fall completely in love with. I wondered if after longing to come for so many years if I would find myself disappointed. I have found quite the opposite. I have found every expectation more then met. The saddest and most broken parts of India are the ones that complete it for me. I would never wish tragedies on anyone or any country but I have found that it creates a very genuine view of life. The joys are all the more meaningful because of how in touch everyone is with the reality that not every joy is lasting and not any joy should be taken for granted.
Parting with India will be extremely hard but nowhere near as heart wrenching as it is going to be to say goodbye to the girls. They are in every way my little sisters. I have been so grateful for my time with each one of them and feel that God has really poured into my short time here in giving me the opportunity to know more about each one then just their name and face. I was telling them that I have always been the baby in my family and that being their big sister has meant the world to me.
So while I only have 1/3 of the goodness left to drink in and while time will fly in a way that I will feel I have chugged it down, I will savor the taste of it all as it is one to be cherished for a long, long time to come.

Away in Bombay

I got to spend this last weekend in old Mumbai as opposed to Navi (new) Mumbai where Ashasthan is. It was kind of an unexpected getaway that came together pretty perfectly. Grace Starbird, a friend of mine working in Dehli who most of you know, came to visit for a few days. Another friend, Dave Paterson, who is interning for IJM in Calcutta, was also in for the weekend. I got to go take a look at IJM’s Mumbai offices with him and meet some of the staff there which was a really great experience and one I was very much hoping to get.
Afterwards we met up with Grace and began the typical tourist’s day. A ten stop jeep tour around the city where we could get out for as long as we wanted at each stop. The stops included a fisherman’s community, the public baths, Gandhi’s house, the Gateway of India, Tower of Silence, Jain Temple, seaside Marine Drive, the Hanging Gardens, and more. My favorite was defiantly the fisherman’s community. All of these kids were playing on huge floating bags of styrofoam and doing handstand to impress us foreigners accompanied by cameras. Old men all lay taking naps along the shore, perfectly situated between their simple homes and atypical work places. The boats were all covered with flags of every color which contrasted nicely to the very grey back drop of ocean and Mumbai skyline. It was as picture perfect as anything could get for me. It was also so incredible to see Ghandi’s house and read through some of his famous letters. He was such an influential man in the world but specifically India so part of appreciating the development of this country is recognizing those like him who played such a huge part in it.

The public baths were also a really interesting thing to see. Hundreds of pants and shirts lined up inspired the obvious “How do you know which is yours?” questions which were answered by blank stares. The best part about this stop was a little boy who came and just stood next to us the whole time. He was unbearably cute but that is not why his presence struck me. It was because it was the first time I had a child come to stand beside me without asking for anything. He was just content to be there. As we went to the car to leave he followed us to the curb. He jumped and clapped as we drove past him. The view of his jumping frame in the back window is one that will stick with me for a long time.

By the time we reached the last stop we were wiped. We had an ice cream by the ocean right as the sun was beginning to set. The next day we took a thirty-minute ferry to get an incredible view of the whole city. Then we took a stroll down Fashion Street before lunch. After lunch we went to Crawford Market. The hustle and bustle of that place cannot be contained. It seeps out of this very old broken down building into any surrounding space it can find. A short walk through this market leaves you drained of any energy you may have left after two days in Mumbai. We went to take a short rest before catching the double decker evening tour of the city. We managed to be the only ones signed up for the tour so we got the whole bus to ourselves. I could not have asked for a more perfect way to end the weekend. Being able to walk around the top of a double decker bus and take shots of a city that completely stole my heart was like a fairy tale for me. I am a full blood city girl and just two days in Mumbai confirmed it to be true no matter where I am in the world. If any of you ever get the opportunity to travel to India you absolutely have to make a stop in Mumbai.

Grace and I

A shot from are very own double decker

Exam Time

This past week I had to give an oral English exam to all of the Brazilian women that I have been teaching English to four times a week. It was a very interesting experience but also a very encouraging one. Just three weeks of meeting with them and even I can see where they have improved. It is such a joy to get to know them and to be able to give to them in such a simple way. These women are incredible and have dived head first into the work here at Ashasthan. The funniest moment of the exams for me had to be when I was getting them to name objects so I could check how they have retained vocabulary. I pointed to a key and one of the girls responded with “chabi” which is the Hindi word for key. It pretty much sums up how they have spent the last three weeks. Completely immersed in all things new and trying to pick up as much of two languages as they can. I told her I wouldn’t mark any points against her for that one. : )

Front Row Seat to Colliding Cultures

About a week ago Ricardo and Glaucia arrived back in India. They are the Brazilian couple in charge of Ashasthan who went home to Brazil after three years of staying grounded in India. There son was tiny when they left so he was completely unrecognizable to all their family and friends. They were happy to have had time in brazil but you could see they were thrilled to be home. It is so nice to know them and have them back. The girls especially were ecstatic to see them again. It has also been incredibly neat to get to know the 7 other Brazilian women they brought with them. The women range from ages 24-55 and are all very excited to be here. They all come from the ministry school that Dad spoke at during his time in Brazil. This is the same school that started Ashasthan.
With their arrival comes a new challenge set before me. I have now begun three weekly classes with these Brazilian women. It is difficult to teach women older then me but they are very grateful for the help and I am happy to give it. These new classes have helped me grasp a little more the reason God has placed me in this role of teaching English. Ashasthan has been praying for more staff to come in as it is their only hope of being able to open new homes. God has brought the staff to work for this next year, possibly longer, but the only obstacle is the language barrier. I have this incredible honor of being able to help both sides communicate with one another so that on my departure I can see a lasting fruit to my time here in the way these Brazilian women will be serving and loving these girls after I leave. While I still feel completely ill-equipped for the role a lot of the time I am finding new creative ways to try to teach. It was a huge blessing to me to see Glaucia’s shocked face as she heard the girls speaking in English. The improvement has been hard to notice at times for me but her coming in having not witnessed the process brought fresh perspective I really needed.
The other really cool thing about the Brazilians all being here for me has been to watch two very different cultures from my own interact with one another. I have been blown away by this experience and have never seen something like it. I loved seeing the girls all meet them for the first time. The Brazilians are very loud and energetic and the girls are all very quiet and shy at first. Indians by nature are very timid and drawn back for introductions. It was hilarious to watch these women tackle these girls in huge hugs and serenade them with high-pitched squeals. The girls were a bit shocked and one came running to hide by my side. Once the newness wore off the girls were very happy to talk and laugh with all their new Di-Dis (big sisters). Every moment form then on has continued to add to my captivation with this blend of differences I am seeing. It has also proved a delicious blend as I had a Brazilian lunch and Indian dinner today.
Last time I wrote things were a bit up in the air in regards to where I would be living. The plan (at least for the next couple weeks, which is kind of how things go planning wise here) is that I am living half of the week at Sani’s house with all of the younger girls and half of the week at Ricardo and Glaucia’s home. From Ricardo and Glaucia’s home it is a lot easier for me to get to the other 3 homes of girls. This way I am getting to see all of the girls each week, time to experience living on site with them, as well as time with Ricardo and Glaucia. Yet again God has proved himself a better planner of my days.
A little more then two weeks to go now and then the girls will be out for summer break. I think I might be more excited then some of the girls. Summer vacation in India sounds like good times to me! It will be an especially fun way to end my time here. I am so happy I will have got to see Ashasthan both during the school year and the summer break. I am nearing the mark of my second complete month her in India. I am so stunned by this. Time is slipping so quickly by and I am trying to eat as many Indian street snacks, take as many photos, learn as much Hindi, and savor as many of these girls smiles as I can.

Lots and Lots of Laughter

The transition into living in Sani’s home with 9 of the girls has gone so well. Thank you to those of you who have been praying me through it. Living with the girls has given me a whole different view into who they are and has opened up so many more ways to get to know them. Staying up late with the two older teens getting the house cleaned and ready for the day, waking early for morning exercises led by the small girls at 5am, sitting with Sani for a cup of chai when all the girls have left for school or tutoring. These women and young girls are incredible. The more they speak the more I am left with such appreciation for what makes us so unique yet still able to relate.
My housing situation is a bit unsure as of right now but I am happy to go with the flow as thus far I have been in two wonderful homes filled with wonderful people. We just got news today that the couple that lead Ashathan are returning form their 3 month sabbatical and bringing seven new volunteers from Brazil. Everyone is very excited and with the excitement comes lots of preparations to be made and shuffling of housing, which is why I am waiting to see where I will end up! The craziness is fun and I am learning to embrace every moment of cluelessness on my part.
Ok, so more about this past week of moving into Sani’s homes. I wake every morning at 5:00 with the girls, sometimes 5:30 if we’re lucky. I lead the morning devotions for them all and then we have a time of prayer together. Words cannot express the sound of these girls praying all at one time together. Then the day begins full swing. Each girl seems to have a different schedule of when school or tutoring starts. There are times when all the girls are out at the same time which is when Sani and I do a clean of the house and prepare lunch. I am being taught how to cook by about ten different women. It is funny because they all have different ways of doing things so my head is swimming with recipes. Most of the day there are girls coming in and out of the home. I do major “study” time between 12-4 with the younger girls. I use quotation marks because never have I been apart of a study session with so much giggling. At 6:00 the older girls come home. I get to have tea time with them all and then Revadi (who is 16) and I start preparing dinner together. For the next 4 weeks a lot of my time will be spent helping these girls cram for their final exams. They need a lot of help in English before they get to test day.
April 15 will be a day of much celebration as by then all 30 girls will have finished the school year and summer holiday will begin. The books are all put away! I am looking forward to my last month being while the girls are on break as it will hopefully open up the time for some new fun.
For now we do a pretty good job or squeezing all the fun out of exam prep that we can. Yesterday was Holi Day here, which is a festival where people throw water and color all over each other. The girls aren’t allowed to participate which is hard for them all to understand as they watch the festivities from their window, so we decided to get a bit creative. We began to clean the house. Fun, right? Well it is when your whole house has tiled floor and you decided to make a slip and slide out of the whole thing with bubbles and water. Buckets were flying, we were all soaked. The girls were on their bellies sliding through the whole house. It was one of the funniest things I have ever been apart of. Seeing these girls in hysterical laughter is gorgeous.
In a house full of so many young girls you can be sure there is mischief around every corner. I never know when Roshni is about to jump out and scare the life out of me or Angeli is going to perform her favorite joke of blowing in my ear. Arjuna constantly has her hands in my hair creating some new masterpiece. Priti likes to spray me with Clorox. There is so much joy packed into this house even with all the past sadness. At the end of every day I am left so grateful for the time I get with each of these girls.

*I have not had a chance to upload all the recent pics but they will come soon!

Moving Day!

So as most of you know I moved into a home with a couple of the other staff when I first got here. I had high hopes that I would be moving into one of the four homes that the girls live in. As time went on complications came up and it looked more and more unlikely. While I am getting lots of time with the girls it is usually while teaching them and running around from one house to another and then back home. I kept asking God to make a way for me to move into one of the homes so I could be more intentional about getting to know the girls. I had a desire to go into Sani's house which is the one with all of the littlest girls.

Late last night I got a knock on my door saying I needed to pack my things cause in the morning I would be moving over to Sani's. Annamma, the eldest of the staff, who I am living with got a call to say her mom is in critical condition and she needs to get home. While I am so sad about the circumstances this has all happened under, I feel like God has been so sovereign in the planning of this trip for me.

My first month here has been stretching and wonderful in every way. I have found living with the staff a perfect setting to settle in and getting to know them. Now I get to move in with the girls and spend 24-7 being with them. I am running around in a bit of a frenzy to get my things packed into the Indian style U-Haul, aka rickshaw, over to Sani's.

Please be praying for me in the days ahead. I feel so blessed to get this opportunity and really want to hear the voice of God in all that He calls me to do with my remaining two months at Ashasthan.


(L to R: Laxmi, Revadi, and Sani) This is the house leader of the home I am moving into with the two older girls that help her.

These are three of the girls I will be living with. Sonu, Angeli, and Roshni

Individuals

Today marks the end of my fourth week in India. This far in all of my postings I have kept mainly to the topic of Ashasthan and all that I am experiencing within the ministry and in the relationships I have acquired through it. I have left a lot unsaid about what it is I am seeing outside the walls of where I am working and living and outside of the times with the girls.

Because India has been such a distant hope for me for so long it has really taken the full four weeks for my feet on the ground here to feel real. At times I look around and find myself completely stunned like I just got dropped in the middle of this unknown place, which is what it is for me. Not anything I could have read, watched, or heard from others could have described to me the India I have come to know. For this same reason I cannot presume my words will do that job for you. I can only hope that as I share about some of the things that have affected me you can experience a bit of the honesty I have discovered here.

I go on these very early morning walks with the oldest of the staff here. It is still dark when we go out but already the city is beginning to stir. We walk the streets out of the more quiet area our building is located and onto the main road. As we walk we pass a community of pitched tents beside the road. Some are already up and have small fires burning with pots balanced between bricks above but others remain faceless forms completely hidden by blankets as they continue to sleep. It is eerie to see in large quantities because as you look for their faces and find only the curves of a forehead, chin, and nose beneath a blanket it looks more like a row of corpse then it does of people’s beds. As I walk I wish I could be invisible to these people as I feel the weight of my steps in what is the very personal reality of their homes. I want to look and take it all in while at the same time wondering if it is insensitive to look on as if it is a sight to be seen because for them it is not, it is normalcy.

There is this one spot where every morning the same two children are playing. Their parents are always up and about doing something but this young girl, probably about five years old, and boy, maybe not yet two, sit and put their newly acquired energy from sleep right to use. The game seems different every morning but the laughing is the same. The little boy adores her, you can tell, and watches her every movement. Thus far in all I have seen I have come to see children as both the most vulnerable and most resilient part of the picture of poverty. I love being able to recognize theses two children’s faces and finding smiles on them every time.

There is this one other girl who I see often on this road we walk. She also must be not yet two. She has got these huge brown eyes and these wild curls all over head. The other morning she was standing on the edge of the road looking out. Her dress was only up over one shoulder and falling off the other side of her. It was not my place to walk up to her or be part of her morning routine but it was not easy to continue the walk past her small frame that morning and not want to find some tangible way to be more then a stranger.

The sun begins to rise and by the time our walk brings us back home Navi Mumbai’s day is in full swing. So ours begins as well.

I get to the houses of the girls either by walking, taking the bus, or riding on the back of a scooter. My times in transit are when I see the most and find myself trying to absorb a million things at once. I will see something as I speed by that I never get a second chance to reexamine. I am left with all these snapshots of India that I don’t get to observe beyond the one shot.

One thing that remains a constant in all these shots is the commitment with which people work. There is not a moment in my day when I am not surrounded by people racing the clock and pushing their limits in order to be as productive as they can. From my window I can see these two women who have been working all day to move this mountain of bricks form one side of a building around to another. They walk with a basket of bricks on their heads back and forth and have been doing this now for hours. They walk so poised and gracefully over an uneven gravel path with pounds of heavy weight pressing down on their necks and they manage all this while wearing saris.

I see men who are way past the age of an average American retirement carrying huge baskets of produce and setting up shop for the day on a busy corner. As I walk this busy corner children always come running up to me. They motion their hands to their mouth and I am left helpless as I do not know how to respond to such a sobering and real need. The other day this girl of about four came and solidly stood her ground in front of me. I have never felt as sick with myself as when I had to shake my head, smile, and then walk around her. When they stand so passionately in front of me or pinch the back of my arms as I walk away I realize what I must seem like to them, completely heartless to not help them. I try to look each child in the eye so that I can at least portray love in some form. I keep asking God to strengthen me in these moments when I realize the number of pulling hands and pleading eyes is too great for me to fix on my own. I am grateful for the women I am working with and that I can look at thirty beautiful faces every day of those who God has given a home and family through those willing to hear the cry of the orphan and the one in need.

With so much more to say I am going to end this very long and what could be a very depressing post with another photo of the girls at Ashasthan. Looking at poverty as a whole can be discouraging and wearing in every way, but when you realize the individuals that can be reached by selfless love you find you have a place in fixing the problem. I have heard it said a million times but I am finally grasping the meaning of all of this in knowing these girls and hearing what God has brought them out of. May He continue to bring in the workers and supply all the needs so that many more like these wonderful girls can be shown the love God has for them. Thank you for letting me share both the joys and heartaches of this trip for me. I am sustained by the grace of God and knowledge of His sovereignty over our helplessness.

Saturday Fun

This past Saturday I got a bit of down time to just be with some of the girls! This has been rare as I have been doing a lot of teaching and they have been taking exams. I had so much fun at one of the houses of older girls. I talked while they cleaned out their cupboards. Then Farah finished first so she she decided she wanted to paint my nails. She went for the sacred bottle of polish that they all share and generously lathered it on.

Then Pushpa made some popcorn for us all and we sat on the ground to eat and laugh. They tried to teach me some more Hindi as we talked and I fumbled through a few phrases as they said “so nice, so nice!” I am learning that these two words are their response to almost everything.



It was altogether a really fun time. As I was leaving I said “Bye guys!” to which they all started cracking up. They then explained that I had just said “Bye cows!” in Hindi. I was relieved they found it hilarious and not offensive. I took a mental note to take the word "guys" out of my vocabulary for the next few months.

Mom's Day

Two Saturdays a month are set aside as days for the girls moms, sisters, or aunts to visit. Their moms can come one of the two Saturdays. Some of the girls moms have passed away, some have chosen to cut all communication with their daughters, but the others try to come. I don’t think I had true appreciation for the strength these girls have until I saw the way they interacted with their moms. The girls are all at Ashasthan because their homes and moms situations have put them at high risk to be victims of trafficking and abuse. The girls know this and their moms know this but when they meet for a short time once a month it is to show love and acceptance and not to express disappointment or failure.

The girls are so founded in the truth of God’s words which speak to them about His love for them and their worth in Him. They do not shy away from who they are with their moms but show it even more in these beautiful times of honest joy. They sit and they pray with their moms. They hug their moms. They do everything they can to make it such a happy time.

I have to say that while it gave me such joy to watch the event it also made me long to see my own mom, who I am missing beyond words! It made me so grateful for the gift I have in my two wonderful parents and how much I have to thank God for in who they are. Love you, Mom and Dad!

The moms come with all sorts of little gifts hoping to use the time to soak up all of what it feels like to be mom. I think my favorite thing to watch was Mona with her mom. Her mom had brought little tastes of about 15 different dishes, which she hand fed to Mona the whole time. Even when you could tell Mona was full she kept smiling and eating more and her mom just beamed. The feeding could not even take a pause for a quick photo!



The thing that struck me most was this; I had given each of the girls a journal and small bag of candy as a gift when I got here. Some of the girls had chosen to miss out on the treat and save it for their moms. Watching as they pulled the wrinkled bags out of pockets and handed them to their moms was one of the most sincere things I have ever gotten to watch.

With every new day and every new occasion I am finding more to respect in the character of these girls and how they walk out their lives.


Sony and Naina decided that they wanted to come and be apart of the time even though neither of their moms are still alive. I spent most of the time sitting with them.

Somebody Pinch Me

It is very late at night here but I needed to post this while the excitement is fresh. I was on a bus the other day and I saw this huge fake elephant in a park that kids were playing on. I was pretty impressed I thought it was cool. Then I was on the bus again today when out of nowhere there was a real elephant right out my window. Just there! Not in any way fake. I gasped and people around me on the bus laughed.

The bummer is I had left my camera at home but now the lesson is learned and I will have it on me at all times. It was so unbelievable though to have an elephant in the street be so normal.

Feast or Famine

Internet was inaccessible this last week. I’ve been typing up things to share with you all but I just haven’t been able to post them until now. To read in the right sequence you need to scroll all the way down to the beginning. Sorry to post so much at once!

Spaghetti Lacks a Fan Here

Today the women I am living with made me spaghetti and boiled vegetables for lunch. They are worried I am eating too many spices and that I might want food like I eat at home. I am having a hard time convincing them that I am absolutely loving the food here and that I do just fine with all the yummy spices.

So spaghetti it was!

Two of the girls, Taniya and Danish (pronounced with a soft “a” not pronounced like the pastry), were over for the day. It is Saturday and while most of the girls still have school these two had a holiday and so they spent some of it just sitting and talking with us. Taniya is 13 and Danish is 11. Danish looked at her plate very skeptically as Sumitra served her up some spaghetti.

I tried to watch subtly as she took her first bite. Her face twisted and her lips puckered and then she looked up to meet my gaze. At this point I was barely holding myself together. She unwillingly swallowed and then began to laugh which gave me the cue that I could also. Everyone else around the table quickly tuned in to what was going on and joined in on the joke. She ate the rest of the spaghetti that was on her plate but I assure you that it was a pure chore for her to do so. She kept saying, “No spice, no spice” and then would take, what were to her, very bland mouthfuls. At the end of the meal she said, “I know you have good food in America, but THAT was not it!”

They had put a separate portion of vegetables for me, which had no spice on them. While we were cleaning up lunch Annamma held a bite of non-spice vegetables out for Danish as she is every mother’s dream child and has nothing but love for veggies. So she very happily opened her mouth for the bite of boiled vegetables. Boy did she get a shock!

“Salt!” she yelped and ran to the cupboard. Annamma and I were on the ground in tears we were laughing so hard. Finally Annamma grabbed the salt and sprinkled it straight into Danish’s mouth. Ah, relief.

Danish swallowed and then looked at me in shock. “You eat that?!”

Hard Day’s Work

I knew before coming here that the girls at Ashasthan worked incredibly hard but I didn’t truly get it until I got to spend a whole week with them seeing all they do. They wake at 6am sometimes earlier and get ready for the day. They then have devotion time and then group prayer with their house every morning at 7:30. I do not have all of their schedules straight yet as all day they come in and out going to school and then tutoring. Then they come home and spend some time with me working on English, then they complete their homework. Somewhere in this they complete their daily chores. The four houses are so clean all the time. They say it is their act of thanksgiving to always keep the things God has given them in such good condition. Plus they take turns cooking all of their meals. I am embarrassed at how little I can cook when some of these girls are 10 years old and cooking these amazing meals.

They have taught me how to make chapatti which is a whole-wheat pancake type thing cooked on a griddle. These girls love teaching. They tell me to write this in Hindi, say that in Hindi, stir this, taste this, and read this. They are so fun to be around and I am learning so much about India from them. More then that I am learning so much about what it means to have faith that is pure. They have so much they could be sad about but instead they smile all the time and fill every silent moment with singing. They talk about God in ways that would convince even the hardest heart of His love. They praise in ways that make even the saddest things fade away. I love being here and I love getting to know them more every day. I love getting to know God more through being able to witness their lives.

Hard Day’s Work

I knew before coming here that the girls at Ashasthan worked incredibly hard but I didn’t truly get it until I got to spend a whole week with them seeing all they do. They wake at 6am sometimes earlier and get ready for the day. They then have devotion time and then group prayer with their house every morning at 7:30. I do not have all of their schedules straight yet as all day they come in and out going to school and then tutoring. Then they come home and spend some time with me working on English, then they complete their homework. Somewhere in this they complete their daily chores. The four houses are so clean all the time. They say it is their act of thanksgiving to always keep the things God has given them in such good condition. Plus they take turns cooking all of their meals. I am embarrassed at how little I can cook when some of these girls are 10 years old and cooking these amazing meals.

They have taught me how to make chapatti which is a whole-wheat pancake type thing cooked on a griddle. These girls love teaching. They tell me to write this in Hindi, say that in Hindi, stir this, taste this, and read this. They are so fun to be around and I am learning so much about India from them. More then that I am learning so much about what it means to have faith that is pure. They have so much they could be sad about but instead they smile all the time and fill every silent moment with singing. They talk about God in ways that would convince even the hardest heart of His love. They praise in ways that make even the saddest things fade away. I love being here and I love getting to know them more every day. I love getting to know God more through being able to witness their lives.

Hmm, I think I just became a teacher

It turns out there is a greater need for me to be teaching English then they let on. They said I would tutor in English a bit but it turns out I am spending about 15 hours a week teaching the girls. At first they said it would be with large groups but now I have set it so that I am teaching anywhere form 1-6 girls at one time. It is hard and something I have never done before but it is becoming easier as I get to know the girls and we manage to laugh and talk as we work.

The school system over here teaches them all how to write and read English but not what any of it means. They will read a story out loud and have difficulty with the pronunciation but still manage to speak clearly enough so I can understand. Then I ask them what it means and they tell me that they don’t know. The saddest part to me is that all of them are so enthusiastic and want to understand English so much but just don’t have anyone helping them.

While this is not my strong suit and not what I would have picked to be doing the Lord has really been stretching me through it. Each day it gets a bit easier and as it gets easier it also becomes more and more of a joy. I came with a bit of a different agenda as to how I wanted to serve, but be picky about how I serve is a bit of an ironic concept. Serving is being willing to fill a need for someone else and that is what I am trying to do. They need an English teacher so I will take my 17 years of speaking the language and zero training in being a teacher and give it my best shot.

Church Trip to the Beach

We went home from the wedding and had a short night’s sleep before leaving to meet up with the rest of the church congregation. We all piled into four buses and started our drive to the beach. We were going for a picnic!

They said the drive would be maybe 30 minutes. By the time we left it was about 8:00am but this did not stop them from handing out the spiciest samosas I have ever eaten. My tongue was burning and forehead sweating. Sumitra, one of the other Ashasthan staff, took the samosa from me. She laughed and said she would help but I cold tell it was not an extra burden as she ate the whole thing in one bight with no sign of pain.

The bus ride was so nice. It ended up being three times as long as they said but with all of the girls singing in Hindi and all the things to look at out the window I did not mind the extra miles. They kept telling me to sing along so I went for the universal clap to replace my nonexistent Hindi.

When we got there we had a short church service and then we all went for a swim. The water was so nice. Everyone in India swims in normal clothes, jeans, t-shirts, saris, whatever. The girls didn’t want to get out when it was time for lunch. We all went to eat. I always sit next to Sonam, yet another staff, when I eat because the chances are I cannot finish my meal it is so big and even though she fits in child sizes she is always ready to scrape my plate clean for me.

We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting, talking, playing football (soccer), and then having big group games. A lot of it felt very familiar to COSC, same family setting. They pulled me out of my chair and made me join in the relay races! I got paired with this very very elderly woman who seemed to think we would win. She was so ready and was beaming at the challenge ahead. Truth is we lost miserably as her shoe fell off half way through. It was a disappointment she took very well. : )

After games we piled back into the bus and everyone fell asleep for the ride home. Annamma, the oldest of the Ashasthan staff, assured me every weekend was not as busy as this!




Annamma (the oldest staff member) taking a swim with the girls.


Sonu (the baby of Ashasthan) and Shireen

An Indian Wedding

On my second full day in India I got to go to a wedding! It was beautiful. Because it was a Christian wedding it did not have a lot of the traditional customs you would see in a Hindi wedding. The bride wore a gorgeous ivory sari and the groom an almost metallic looking tux. There was worship both in Hindi and English and then the pastor brought a word for the newly married couple.

There were two power outages during the ceremony but the service continued in the pitch black without the fans working and with the preacher making up for the microphone loss with a full volume yell. Just as the power came back on and everyone’s cheering subsided, I kid you not, a marching band came right beside the church. Not even the microphones would help the preacher now. Every word he said was lost in the clanging symbols, but he kept on preaching. It was a valiant effort but I am pretty sure no one heard him.

What made the day really wonderful was that it was the first time I got to meet all of the girls. They were all dressed up in their best dresses, which had been given to them as Christmas gifts. Some of them were so shy and would not even look at me but others were not at all. I think the funniest moment was when Tara who is 16 came to introduce herself. I thought she was much younger. It is so hard for me to read ages here based off of looks or actions. Usually when I think they are young they are older and vice versa.

Anyways, Tara came to sit next to me during the wedding. The first thing she said was,

“So when are you getting married?”

I was stunned speechless and then laughed a bit.

“Um, I’m not sure.”

She moved on to the next question,

“Ok, then what do you want to be?”

I was looking at her thinking; you’re kidding me right. I have no idea what the answers are to these questions. She could tell I had no answers so she went on to describe what her life plan was. She said she was going to study to become a doctor, then marry off her oldest brother, then marry off her next brother, and then get married herself at age 28. “Well maybe 27,”she said.

Tara’s was the first introduction of many that day and each one was different from the one before it.

After the wedding ceremony we went downstairs for the reception. The number of guests seemed to double when mealtime came. Everybody grabbed a plate and pulled up a plastic chair to eat and talk. The bride and groom entered again and were showered with small foam balls of every color. The bride was now changed into a fiery red sari. It was a wonderful evening, full of color, laughter, and incredible food.


My first Auto-Rickshaw ride was on the way to the wedding! (This is Sumitra who is another Ashasthan staff)


Here are some of the girls awaiting the ceremony to begin.


The bride and groom


Most of the Ashasthan girls with the happy couple

I'm alive, all is well!

I literally have all of 30 seconds to write. So I am basically posting to say I will write again soon.

So much to tell! 

missing you all!

Bug Bites and Scooter Rides

I am just at the end of my first 24 hours in India and I feel like I've expereinced it all! I am sure I will wake up tomorrow and be prooved wrong by this amazing country and all it offers me.

Ok, so the best thing to do is probably just give you bits and pieces of what has gone on. I said goodbye to Mom and Dad at 5:30pm at Dulles. : ( Four months without them will be the hardest part for sure. I then arrived in Zurich, Switzerland at 2:00 am (your time still) I grabed a bar of swiss chocolate and headed to my gate for my next flight. On the next flight I managed to score 4 seats to myself and I slept pretty much the whole time! Now it is, Jan 29th and I arrived in Mumbai 10:30 (mumbai time). After a very long and confusing converstaion I found the welcoming commitee with sign in hand!

It was very late and I was kind of out of it with all the time change but they were the opposite. I have never seen three women with so much energy. It was the funniest ride form Mumbai airport to their home in Navi Mumbai. We dot stuck in a traffic jam at 11:30 at night which is amaing to me. They could see I was a bit surprised they laughed and said, "This! This is not busy." I don't thik I will ever complain in DC rush hour again! (especially as we have lanes!)

Ok, so I finally made it to bed at 2:00am and got eaten alive! I think the mosquitos over here acctually like deet. When I woke up I was a bit in shock. A "where am I?" moment definitly happened and then i looked out my window and could not believe it. I am in India!

So, I have barely made it through the first 12 hours and this is already getting long. Here are the headlines of all that followed.

A banana for breakfast that is not the banana I know. Much better. A STRONG cup of Indian tea. A long quiet time in my very orange room. The best lunch I have ever had. Wow. It took them all of like 10 minutes to make. They said they'd teach me how to cook. They offered me a fork, I refused, they laughed. I then had a scooter ride to one of the homes to meet some of the girls. I have seven new best friends, they are beautiful and so funny. I then went to to the D-Market which is basicallt an Indian target. Two of the younger staff picked out an Indian top for me which they said I HAD to have. When I put it on they cheered, I am now officially Indian. Everything is so amazing. I am so in awe of how God has planned this trip for me and how spoiled I feel by this experience. Thank you for your prayers that got me safely here.

I can smell dinner is ready so I better run! I don't have time to spell check this. sorry!

I miss you all already! xxx

Where am I going? What am I doing?.......

On January 28th I fly to Mumbai India where I will be living for the next four months. I have had a desire to go to India since I was about ten years old. This might have been the result of seeing Bollywood films, but of course there is no way I am admitting to that! : )

I decided to complete an accelerated highschool education in hopes of spending my last semester overseas. Sure enough, here I am, red-eye ticket in hand and feeling nauseous from malaria meds. A dream come true.

Truthfully it really is though. I got the privilege once of watching an IJM montage of photos and video clips to the Sara Groves song "Add to the Beauty". It was the first time I had a focused look into what I wanted to be apart of in India. My heart goes out to the girls who are victims of abuse and neglect. The ministry I will be working with was started in 1998 and was the vision of Lagoinha Baptist Church in Brazil. The church saw a need for Christians working amongst the vulnerable youth in India and they decided to fill that need. Their work has grown so that they now have four homes with a total of about forty girls in their care. Having been established for over ten years now, they have reached the point where they are raising up staff members from within the homes. One girl I will be working alongside is eighteen years old and first came to the home when she was eight.

While I am there I will be tutoring the girls in English. About half of them speak English and the other half are starting to learn. I am also interested in starting some sort of arts curriculum with them, offering opportunities for them to explore areas of art, music, and dance. I will know more about my day-to-day responsibilities when I settle in, but to begin with they just want me interacting with the girls and getting to know them all. They have expressed a huge need for more people to be there to love and encourage these girls and assure them that they are known by name and cared for.

If you want to know more about Ashasthan please visit their website; 

http://ashasthan.org/Aboutus.htm 

Parts of it are outdated but it is a great way to get a picture of their work and vision.