Updates!

Hello, everyone!

Just a couple of quick updates. First, some wonderful news!

We got our FCRA number! If you don't know what that is, an FCRA number is the Indian government's equivalent to our U.S. 501(c)(3) number. Basically, this grants us official non-profit status in India! We have been working toward this goal and asking for your prayers concerning this matter for the past 18 months, and it has finally happened! This was a very difficult process, and at times the outcome looked uncertain, but we are thankful to God that this roadblock was eliminated. This will allow us to send money straight to Isaac and Sanctuary Home without being taxed and without incurring suspicion from the government. Up to now we've had to be careful about how much money we send and to whom, causing everyone a lot of stress, but finally we have been approved for Indian Non-Profit Status! Thank you, God, and thanks to all of you for your prayers!

Second update: For those of you who have been trying to order photos from Flickr but have been unable, we have resolved the issue that was making that impossible. From now on, if you would like to order Sanctuary Home photos on Flickr, all you need to do is go to your Flickr account and add Sanctuary Home as your contact. We will receive an e-mail letting us know that you added us, and then we will add you, also. After that, it's smooth sailing! If you do not have a Flickr account, it is very easy to create one (and free!!), and we will be happy to walk you through any questions or problems you may have.

We have a new Flickr URL, also! http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanctuaryhome/ Hopefully this will make it even easier for you to remember our website and come see our photos!

Let me know if you have any problems with any of this.

Peace,
Grace
grace@sanctuaryhome.org

Post-India Reflections

By Grace

First of all, the nights of VBS that Amanda missed were fabulous. The kids got to do a little talent show one of the nights and they took turns singing songs, doing tricks and generally showing off. I was excited to see Anusha get up there and sing all by herself, especially since she just came to SH a few months ago. Akhil sang a song all by himself, and even though we couldn't really hear him, he just looked adorable, hugging himself while he smiled and sang. Naga Prasad and one of the other boys (I couldn't tell who it was through all the makeup) dressed up as girls with dresses and wigs and everything and did a really cute song and dance with groups of the SH girls.

The kids also did their rendition of The Prodigal Son, complete with awesome fake mustaches, vigorous yelling and pointing, and blind pigs. Let me explain: Some of the younger boys were recruited to be the pigs that the prodigal son looks after, but nobody cut holes in the masks for them to see through, so they just kind of slowly crawled across the stage, reaching their hands out in front of them to make sure they didn't hit anything. There was also one plate that the pigs were supposed to be eating from, but since they couldn't see where the plate was, they just kind of snuffed around wherever they happened to be. This was also just about the most Scripturally accurate children's play we'd ever seen. There was a girl who danced and took the prodigal son's money, the boys had empty bottles they pretended to imbibe from, and at the end two kids pretended to be the pigs who were slaughtered for the feast and another kid used a stick to pretend to kill them. Jana let out a sharp half-squeal, half-laugh at that one. They did such a good job, though. We could all tell that they had worked very hard at practicing, and it was obvious that Rajanikanth had put in a ton of work helping them. It was great to see them present something that they felt so proud of.

Leaving those kids was so incredibly hard. All of the team was crying when we had to say goodbye, and most of the SH girls as well as some of the SH boys were crying pretty hard when we pulled away. I thought that we'd be the only ones crying, but it was kind of nice to see that they were as upset at us leaving as we were. I wasn't sure that we'd mean as much to them as they meant to us, but it was obvious that they didn't want us to leave. I'd become so close to those kids and to the Palaparthi family that it felt wrong leaving with the rest of the team when it came time to get on the plane. I really felt like I was supposed to be saying goodbye to the team and so I could head back to Tenali with my Indian family. This was reinforced even further when I got back to Abilene. When our team pulled up at the church building everyone had someone there to greet them, and most were being reunited with their family. I wasn't sad or lonely, really, but it just made it even clearer to me that while most people on the team had concrete reasons and relationships that were pulling them back to Abilene, I didn't, and the most immediate relationships I felt a connection to were the ones back in Tenali. I have a family in California who loves me and whom I love very, very much, and I know they would have loved to have been there to greet me, but without them there in Abilene my life has seemed fuzzy and vague.

Life in Tenali really was something completely extraordinary and completely... other. On Sunday, Amanda, Jana and I just sat for a minute after class and talked about our re-entry into American life and how strange it's been. I mean, for two weeks I didn't have keys! I didn't drive a car, I didn't do laundry, I didn't have a cell phone or a laptop... and I had 75 younger brothers and sisters! When we tried to talk about the fact that the trip only lasted two weeks, Jana's eyes got big and she said "There is no way that was only two weeks. No way." She didn't say it in disbelief, either. She said it as a fact. That trip did not last two weeks. It lasted a whole other lifetime. I still dream about India and my family there and wake up a little confused as to where I am and where my Indian family has gone.

It's really been hard to talk about this trip. It's just been too big. Not even in terms of all we did (and we did a lot), but just in terms of the experience. The experience was too big. It feels like I'm diminishing or downplaying our time there by putting it into words. Especially when all the words I could use are completely trite and generally without meaning. "It changed my life." "I came back a different person." "I fell in love with the people there." "It opened my eyes." "It gave me a whole new perspective on my life." All true, but all inadequate. It doesn't... it's not enough! It just isn't enough. I think one of the hardest parts of being back in the States is going back through the pictures of the kids from before they joined SH. Seeing Ch. Gopi standing outside a grass hut with no shirt and a solemn face, seeing Naga Prasad drying fish to sell, seeing Bhaskar standing alone with his large, other-worldly eyes and a shaved head... These are my kids! I want to reach through the picture and pull them away from all that. I want to hug them. Seeing Elizabeth's picture now, with that far-away, empty look in her eyes just kills me. (By the way, from everything I can tell, Elizabeth is a smart, bright, active, normal and healthy girl with a smile that could flatten boys from a mile away. I think she was probably traumatized and possibly under-socialized when she got to SH, but she looks bright and beautiful now.) I never realized how much of my time in the States is spent by myself, but after being with a big team and a big Indian family and 75 beautiful, boisterous, brilliant children for one lifetime, it's very jarring to come back to this lifetime.

I never knew that I would be called to India. I always thought I was better suited to a cooler clime, but God knows best and I'm kinda dense, so I'm gonna go with it. I told the kids and the Palaparthi family when I left that I was going to put a jar on my desk to start saving up money so I could go back as soon as I can, and after I finish my grad work I would really like to spend time doing a long-term mission there. I can learn Telugu, teach the kids English, and help mediate between the Indian team and the American team. I know this is big, and I know it's rather fast to state my intention for such a big commitment, but if God is at all willing, I've got the desire and I've gotta go. I say this knowing that God knows better than I do (as I said, he's God and I'm dense) and that things may change according to what he wants me to do, but this just feels right.

My heart officially has an India-shaped hole.

Our Photos

Our team is currently in the process of uploading our photos to flickr. You should be able to see them with this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22715495@N04/. They are not in any order and most do not yet have descriptions, but if you're yearning to see them, go ahead! In the coming days, they will slowly be organized and manageable, but for now, we're just trying to get them online. Thanks for looking!

VBS

We had four nights of VBS, which was more of an assembly with participation. I missed the last two nights (sick), but from what I heard, they were just as wonderful as the first two. Jana was the director, and she assigned parts to all of our team members. The stories were: The Fiery Furnace, Jesus Calms the Storm, Joshua and the Wall of Jericho, and The Big Catch. Ellen did a fabulous translating job each evening. First, Ellen would read the story from the Bible in Telugu, and many of the children would follow along. Next, Jana would tell the story (dramatically) in her own words, with Ellen translating. Then parts would be assigned to the team members and a number of the kids, and finally we would all act it out. The kids loved it! We also did some singing, with the kids leading Telugu songs and a couple of English songs with motions that we had taught them. The last night, Cynthia led VBS since Jana was sick. Even on the nights I missed, I could hear the children singing and clapping from next door. I think VBS had a big impact on them, and I know they won't forget it. On the third night, the kids did their program for us, the story of the Prodigal Son. Please, someone else on the team, blog about this! I heard a little about some blind pigs that were particularly entertaining and I am so sorry to have missed it.

Saturday

Saturday morning, we visited the first slum area, one of the same places we visited last year. I've already written about the boy who was so sick, and I am happy to share that someone has offered to sponsor him and take care of his medical expenses. Thank you! (The other children are still available...) The people in the first slum area were very kind and orderly, lining up and taking turns. Grace wrote about our very different second slum experience, so I will skip that. In addition to handing out food, we went into a little church in the first slum area, and we were told that their prayer request is to have a slab for their dirt floor and plaster for their rough concrete walls. I wish we could make that happen, but there are so, so many needs. We were honored to be taken into their church and treated so well. It is humbling to be the go-between, and often there is no explaining that all of you back home are the real providers of these gifts. Thank you. Everyone does understand that the ultimate giver is God.

Later in the day, several of us (Isaac, Mary, Anil, Ray, Charles, Jana, Amanda) went to purchase the refrigerator for SH. The appliance store was interesting, mostly because most of the products were small by our standards and in lovely bright colors. (Who wouldn't love to have a cute little orange fridge?) After a very long decision making process involving Charles, Ray, Isaac, and multiple salesmen, the fridge was selected. For reasons I didn't understand, we left then for another store, and returned later to pay for the fridge. We went a few doors down to select and purchase a huge metal safe/file cabinet for Isaac's SH use. He previously had a closet stuffed full of SH papers and documents, and there was no real good way to keep them organized in there. In the future, he would like to have a desk and an office chair for SH use as well – we just don't have the money for that yet. The furniture in his home is minimal, and there isn't any place to work on SH paperwork. They have two beds, a dining table and four chairs...and that's about it. A desk would be really useful, and I'm sure we'll help with that eventually. After we chose a safe/file cabinet, we headed back to the appliance store. On the way, we noticed a fascinating contraption painted bright blue and yellow and surrounded by heaps of sugar cane. There was a woman feeding the sugar cane stalks through the machine and selling little cups of sugar cane water. We took some photos and tried the drink – it was delicious! (Deceptive, though, since it had to be the culprit in the food poisoning we experienced.) Back at the appliance store, completely unaware that we were harboring some nasty little germ, we looked at other items while we waited. Mary explained that SH also needed a super sized grinder. Since we don't really grind our own food in the US, it was hard to understand what we were even talking about. Mary showed us some small grinders and explained that the various women working at SH were currently doing the grinding by hand, and that it was difficult and time consuming. I remembered seeing Mary's grinder, a huge stone with a round bowl area in the middle, where she would put the grain (wheat, rice, corn, dhal). It has to be pounded down and ground finely, and doing it by hand means pounding with another big stone, or a large piece of wood. I can see how it wouldn't be easy, but would suit a family of four just fine, but I guess grinding for so many people would be very difficult and time consuming. I just took it for granted that if they used wheat or rice powder they would be able to buy it in the already ground form. The grinder they needed was about $200, and one of our team members decided to buy it for them on the spot. It was a wonderful gift! I can't remember which day each item was delivered (by bicycle rickshaw), but we had special ribbon cutting ceremonies and prayers for the new refrigerator as well as the grinder. It was an honor for the person who got to plug in each appliance and flip the switch to turn it on. People opened and closed the fridge and freezer doors, marveling at the blessings God is providing. They also passed out candies to celebrate the occasion. It was a big deal! The joy and excitement over the addition of these appliances to SH reminds me to be thankful for things I take for granted.

Friday

On Friday, we learned that Isaac' uncle had passed away the night before. He was 75 years old and had worked up until ten days before his death. He was also Isaac's brother-in-law, since he married Isaac's older sister. We were in the home of this family on our last visit and remember them fondly. Isaac and Mary had risen very early on Friday to make a brief trip to Vijayawada to be with the family during this time. Because of this, we rearranged our plans a bit, which was no problem at all, and decided to spend our shopping day in Vijayawada on Friday instead of later in the week. That way, Isaac could leave us to be guided by others and he would be free to spend time with his sister in her grief. First, though, we would visit her and see the body and the family. Mary had already gone to work and we waited while she tried to arrange a change in her days off. We finally left Tenali around lunch time, and when we arrived in Vijawayada, we went straight to a little restaurant called Sweet Magic. It was delicious and cheap, as usual. While we ate, there was a brief power outage, and we sat with our food for a few minutes until the generator came on. We are always offered “water” or “cooling water.” Cooling water is very slightly chilled, but still an improvement. I am craving a big glass of ice water at this point! With small refrigerators, frequent power outages, and not many people who care for cold drinks, there isn't really anything truly cold to be had. Not a complaint – just an observation.

Once we finished lunch, we went directly to Isaac's sister's house, where many people were gathered and a tent or awning had been erected in front of the house. Under this awning was the body of Isaac's uncle, laid in a simple wooden coffin which I saw later had a plain cross on the top. The coffin was open, and he looked very peaceful, most of his body covered in a sheet, multiple garlands of flowers around his neck. I remember that he still had his glasses on. I wasn't sure exactly what was expected of me, but I tried to pay attention and act appropriately. Virginia didn't want to see the body, so she stayed back. There were so many people around mourning this man that it wasn't like the experience of an American funeral home where people file quietly past the casket. This was more like a crowd of mourners, family members and church members, gathered for the burial. I don't think there was any embalming, which I assume is why the body was buried the same afternoon. We had deliberately put away our cameras, not knowing if we would offend, but several of the family members took photos to remember. After viewing the body, we sat for a few minutes in the church building, which was a few doors down. They brought the coffin there and set it up on two plastic chairs, gathered around, and prayed. Soon after that, and after a little hand shaking and condolences, we headed back to the car. Isaac stayed. As we drove away, we witnessed the coffin being carried on the shoulders of some of the men, leading a procession to the burial. As they walked, mourners threw flower petals on the now closed coffin, and I couldn't help but think of the flower petals that had been thrown for us with such joy.

Still Recovering

Hello! Sorry I dropped the ball on the blog. After I posted about being sick, I thought it was over, but I was not fully recovered yet - and I still don't feel back at 100%. All of us made it safely home last night to Abilene; now we're just dealing with the jetlag. I do have some posts that I wrote when I didn't have internet access, and I will post them now. I will be posting about the rest of what we did on the trip, so even though we're home, the blog isn't quite finished. If you've been reading, don't stop yet! -Amanda

Ray's Top 10 List

Written by Ray.
Now that we only have about 3 days left in India, I've been reflecting on things that I will and will not miss.

Top ten things that I will miss about India:

1. Motorcycle rides through busy streets (so exhilarating)
2. Hot Indian Tea in the morning
3. Great service and hospitality everywhere we go
4. Having children wave at you when they see you looking at them while they're squatting on the ground
5. Loose-skinned oranges
6. Playing cricket
7. Affordable medical care
8. Rajanikanth's cooking
9. Lack of isolation (people here have to live in community with others; I like that)
10. All of the smiling and laughing Sanctuary Home children

Top ten things that I will not miss about India:

1. The lack of ice (for cold drinks)
2. Power outages
3. Dirt (it's everywhere)
4. Having water with every meal (even though water is healthier than the other things that I would be drinking)
5. The daily sound of vomiting (it's either one of our team members, or one of the neighbors)
6. The smell of sewage
7. Watching where you step (anyplace there is ground, there is a bathroom)
8. Mosquitoes
9. Standing water in the bathroom
10. The constant noises (from beeping in the streets to amplified speakers when when I'm trying to get to sleep)

Even though there are inconveniences and annoyances here, I wouldn't change anything. The people here are wonderful and hardworking. They enjoy life and take nothing for granted.

Not a Bad Place to Be Sick

Monday 3pm, written by Amanda. You may have been wondering what happened to us since there have been no new posts for over 24 hours now. It's been a little crazy here. Apparently we had no business trying that sugar cane water on the street yesterday! It was delicious, but there was something bad in it, and Ray, Jana, and myself really suffered from it. Charles drank some too, but he didn't get nearly as sick. It started with me about this time yesterday, and as the evening and night wore on, Jana and Ray were sick too. After some attempts at home treatment, I was taken to the doctor for two injections and several prescriptions. I was told that since it was night time on a Sunday, I would have to go to a more expensive doctor. The consultation, injections, and medications totaled about $10, so I was fine with that cost! You can't beat that. Diagnosis: food poisoning. I don't think I've ever felt that sick. In addition to the vomiting, my whole abdomen hurt so bad, front and back. I ached so much. I don't know that I've ever moaned from pain for two hours before. Instead of feeling sorry for us, please know that this isn't a bad place to get sick! While I have never been so sick before, I have also never been cared for so well. We were blessed so much by our hosts ministering to us.

Mary prayed over me, and although I didn't understand her Telugu words, the emotion in her voice was comforting. Isaac, Mary, Ellen, and Rajanikanth made trips to the pharmacy for us, brought us anything they thought would help, and did it all with so much care. My back was hurting so bad, and Mary and Ellen came in with a basin of hot water mixed with antiseptic, soaked towels in it, and applied them to my back over and over. I can't tell you how much that simple treatment helped! After that, I was able to sleep. Once the pain had lessened and the medicines had started to work, they still watched over me. Isaac slept on the dining room floor with just a sheet in order to be available should anyone need anything. I was awakened shortly after midnight and given coconut water (naturally anti-diarrheal) mixed with electrolyte powder. Rajanikanth was sitting on the floor chopping the tops off of coconuts, and they also woke Ray to drink some. Rajanikanth said that they had been to many shops, but all were closed since it was so late, and that these coconuts had come from their own place. I clarified this in the morning, and Rajanikanth himself had climbed a tree in the middle of the night so we could have coconut water.

Jana kept saying if you have to get sick, this is the place to be. I would never have though that being sick in the midst of so many people would be bearable; when I am sick I want to be left to my misery. But this has totally changed my attitude. The Palaparthi family honestly care deep down, honestly feel that we are family, and I continue to be so moved by that attitude of love. I almost feel blessed by the experience. It will definitely help me be a better caretaker the next time anyone in my own family is sick.

Ta-Daaaaa!!

By Grace

I MILKED A WATER BUFFALO TODAY!

Okay, admittedly I was not very good at it, but I did it! I figured the water buffaloes would be totally used to people and I could just waltz up to one and try milking it while laughing and with a gaggle of people around. Wrong! The poor thing was so skittish. While watching the woman feed and prepare the water buffalo, I had the revelation that I would try to be very calm when I was milking it. I turned to Emily to share my very wise and impressive foresight, and she just looked at me like I was a very stupid sort of person and said, "Well, yeah. You always want to be calm when you're down around a cow's legs."

Well. Pardon me.

My moment of genius thus shattered, I proceeded to very clumsily attempt to milk the poor thing. I'd never even seen a cow milked in person, much less actually done it, so I had no idea what I was doing. In fact, the first time I even touched a cow was last fall at the Abilene Fair, and I nearly lost it because I was so nervous and it was so big. They look a lot smaller when you're driving past them on the highway.

Oh, but first. I had decided that this morning I would wear jeans since we were getting up early and I thought it would be very difficult to milk a water buffalo in a punjabi or, heaven forbid, a skirt. However, nobody in that area wears pants -- not even the men -- so the water buffalo was so freaked out at the sight of my jeans that they had to grab some material and wrap it around me. My wrapping in place, I walked around to the back side of the water buffalo and sidled up next to the woman who usually milks it.

I was TERRIBLE. They had been telling me to just kind of squeeze and run my thumb and forefinger down the udder thing and milk would come out, but it totally didn't. I could feel the milk rushing back up past my fingers, and besides creeping me out, I knew that couldn't be comfortable for the water buffalo. The lady tried to show me, but I don't speak Telugu, she doesn't speak English, and I was nervous. In the end I had to pinch, pull and smash the poor, tender-looking little appendage to get any milk out, and all I could think was that it looked very painful, and I wasn't producing much milk. I think the water buffalo was quite annoyed with me because she kept swishing her tail and smacking me in the face, but hey, turnabout is fair play. Some video, some pictures, and an interesting encounter feeding a goat that ended in it trying to head butt me, and we were done. The family, members at Isaac's church, asked us to pray before we left and I noticed that they had written over their doorpost "God is Love." I thought that was very sweet and meaningful, more so than any of the store-bought signs in America.

As we were riding the auto-rickshaw back (Cynthia and I got to ride on the motorcycle with Rajanikanth on the way out there), we stopped at a Hindu temple. Bryce, Cynthia, Rajanikanth, the auto-rickshaw driver, another SH helper and I all got out and walked around inside. It was very interesting, and they had a recording of a chant playing over and over while an older man and two boys played drums and sang. I did my best to be respectful of these people and their beliefs, but the idols were just so dead looking to me. I couldn't understand how someone could actually think this statue could help them. As we were leaving, Rajanikanth said it best: "They are human creations." And that was that!

While I'm here, let me tell you a little bit about yesterday's slum experiences. The morning experience was wonderful, just a line of patient, hungry children waiting for their turn to get their food and have their picture taken. The afternoon, however, was a completely different ball of wax, and I think it's primarily because of the addition of adults to the mix. No one would stay in line, everyone was pushing, several people were hitting each other, and when you tried to give out food you were bombarded by hands on every side. When I was handing out the food I finally had to stick both hands up in the air and yell "HEY!" in my best coach voice. They gave me a little room after that, but not for very long. I think the thing that bothered me the most was that the old people and the children were being hit and pushed out of the way by the grown-ups because they wanted their food first. I got so angry at that! I wasn't angry necessarily at them, but at human nature and at how cruel we can be to each other. If the morning was blissful tranquility, this was an angry mob.

I also just got so angry because we went to two slums right near each other, and tons of people from the first slum followed us over to the second slum and tried to get more. I saw one little boy from the first slum line up again and get food, only to have it snatched from his hands by an adult, who then shoved him back to the front to get more. The people that did get caught trying to get seconds didn't seem sorry or scared that they wouldn't get enough food for their families -- they were laughing!! They thought they were trying to pull a good one over on the people who had come to help. It made me sorry I'd even brought them food. I talked to Emily about it and she encouraged me to realize that I have no idea what their situation is like, and I know she's right, but I just wanted to snatch the food back from every pushing, selfish adult and give it to the kids and old people. I mean, in our home, if you push and hit to get something, that gets things taken away from you. It's just not okay. Oh, and the only help we had from the slum people was from a drunk guy who was physically fighting with a couple women and another guy who had a stick and kept hitting at the people's feet to get them to move back. Isaac, God bless him, yanked the stick out of his hands and clearly promised to hit the man himself if he did that again.

It definitely wasn't my favorite experience of the trip, but I think it was important, too. I guess those people were just extremely hungry, but it sure felt a lot like they were looking out for number 1. I truly hope that I don't sound harsh or uncompassionate, but I think that it is a very difficult thing to understand what it is to not have your basic needs met. I mean, we haven't even had a chance to get hungry before a meal since we've been here because Rajanikanth and the Palaparthis have been feeding us so much and so (!!) well. I'm trying to understand, but I see the ugliness of the mob and it hardens my heart. I think it helps me understand even more how amazing Jesus was that he could pray and forgive and love the mob that crucified him while I became bitter and hard-hearted when I got pushed a little.

I've been having such a fabulous time here, but I'm ready to come home, I think. I could live at SH for the rest of my life, but the rest of India is a little stressful for me. Plus, we're all dying for some pizza.

Peace and love...

More Sponsors Needed

As we expected, more children have been identified as very good candidates for SH. We accepted the first three on the spot: Swathi, Mouneka, and Lakshmi, because we had sponsors waiting. Since then, we have been asked about five more. I'll share what I know about them at this point, and I'm praying that someone reading this blog will want to sponsor. I wish I could sponsor them all. In case you don't know, sponsorship of a child is $30 per month, tax deductible. We also request a one time additional donation of $50 the first month (to total $80) to cover the start up costs of school uniforms, personal toiletries, a sleeping mat, school books, etc. The $30 per month pays for food and recurring expenses for that child. Here are the children.



Raj Mahendra - His father died in a truck accident, and his mother is wasting away from some lung disease, although we were told it wasn't TB. He is currently a dish washer and hasn't been to school for a long time due to poverty. He very much wants to study. I was shocked to learn that he is about 15 years old because he is so small. Isaac says he has had very poor nutrition. Even though this boy is already 15, providing him with a few years of education can still make a very big difference in his future.





Kavitha and Surekha- They are both girls from the tent area, or some of the 'outside people.' Shortly after I blogged about how much I appreciated being sheilded from requests that had not been pre-screened, I was cornered by two women and their daughters from the tent area. They were emphatically pointing to the girls, and then to SH, and saying 'school.' I think it must have been difficult for them to approach us, but they must see it as a chance that cannot be passed up since their daughters' entire futures are at stake.


Kavitha - Her father left them and her mother is a fruit seller with several children, as is so common. She is 14 and would very much like to go back to school, which she had to stop once her father left. Her mother cannot afford to feed all of her children, and certainly doesn't have enough money to send them to school.











Surekha - Her father is a drunk and abuses both Surekha and her mother. Due to poverty, Surekha no longer attends school. Her father is tired of feeding her and is ready to put her to work as a dish washer in a restaurant. At age 12, she will soon be working for a meager living with no hope of a better future. I asked Isaac if the fathers of these girls would cause trouble and take the girls out if their mothers admitted them. He said that these girls are both in situations where their fathers want to be rid of them, and he said there is no chance of trouble from the fathers.






When we were asking Isaac about the two tent girls last night, he mentioned two other girls he has in mind. He described them as two beautiful, sweet, neat girls that he would be happy to admit. They are sisters from an area church. Their grandmother has been requesting admittance for them for several months. Isaac called yesterday, and this morning the grandmother and the preacher (Isaac's friend), brought them to meet us and have their photos taken. I could tell that their hair had been fixed with great care for the occasion, and they did make a good impression. The grandmother knows the importance of making arrangements for them since she is old and impoverished. I know she must be wondering what will become of them once she is gone.

Priyanka, age 13, and Ratnadeeptha, age 14 - First of all, the younger sister is taller. Their father was also a drunk, and one night while returning home, very drunk, he fell off a boat and drowned in one of the canals. After this, their mother cared for them for six months, and then she left them. No one knows where she went. I don't know how long ago that was. Since then, their grandmother has cared for them, but she can't earn enough to feed them, much less send them to school. The older sister, Ratnadeeptha, has some problem with her lip and her speech. Isaac says it causes a problem for her because she can't speak clearly. We were wondering if she might have a cleft palate, but there is no way we'll know until she is sponsored and is evaluated by a doctor. If you are interested in sponsoring Ratnadeeptha, there is a good chance she will have some additional medical expenses at some point.

There is one other boy that I don't have a photo of. We saw him in the slum area this morning, and Rajanikanth took me to him specifically. I couldn't say how old he is, but he is about the size of my ten year old daughter. He clearly has a number of health problems. He was found abandoned in a train station, and Rajanikanth has been visiting him regularly and trying to help with the little money he can give. Rajanikanth turned the boys head so I could see a large amount of pus in his ear and a very swollen jaw. He also had unhealed sores on his leg and a slightly misshapen chest. I was told that he suffers from fits and falling down, and when Rajanikanth gave him 10 rupees (about 25 cents), he had trouble getting the money into the tattered pocket of his filthy shirt. I asked who was caring for him now, and learned that the preacher at the slum church was helping him some. This isn't some outside preacher who walks over from the middle class area, but a tribal man in the midst of his own, also very poor. I asked how we could help, and the first step is to get him to a hospital for evaluation and treatment, which I think will do wonders for him. Then he will be evaluated for entry into SH if he is a good candidate. We might not be equipped to help him if he is mentally retarded or has something serious and contagious, but we will try to get him whatever help he needs. It was hard to tell what his mental state is - his physical problems are so big right now that they must be addressed as soon as possible in order to save his life. I really think that infection of his jaw and ear are life threatening. I asked to see him again later, so we could get a good photo to post here, but I was told, "All he knows is food. We gave him the 10 rupees, and he has gone to buy something to eat."

If anyone reading this is interested in helping in any way, please let us know via email, amanda@sanctuaryhome.org. Please pray for these kids and the many more that will not have this chance.

Beautiful Disaster

by Cynthia

I didn't know what today would hold for me. Those of you who know me know that I am a very emotional person. I think that a lot of these photographs portray that...actually, I think that all of my photography shown of this blog portrays that. That is why I mainly shoot faces, because I like to show what people are feeling. Rarely do I shoot anything besides people. These photographs are special to me, and while they can't even compare to being there with us, I hope that somehow you can see into their eyes and understand what we are seeing everyday...and how because of it, we will be forever changed. I see a SH child and I see a very loved child and I love them also. But then I see a slum child and I see a child who, when you look into their eyes, may not know love, but is intimately intertwined with grief and pain and hunger, and that makes me love them more, and want to show them the love of a Father that they may not even know that they have. So if you rushed through these pictures, please go back and look at them a little closer and pray for these children.

When we arrived, I was surprised at how clean everything looked. I got out and was not shy about going up to the children and taking their picture. I walked around the crowd and the couple houses right by where we were handing out food. Ray and I found out that the ladies in the first house were drying out smoking tobacco. As I continued to walk among the children, there were mixed reactions. Some of the smaller ones were crying, but some (even worse) had that blank, endless look in their eye like the world had no meanilng to them. Others, however, were smiling and laughing. There was one girl who continued to follow me around; I think she shook my hand about thirty times! I even saw one boy, probably six, share part of his bread with his younger sister when she had finished hers (okay, I admit it, I cried a little then).

As I watched 200 people, mostly children, recieve food, I realized just how blessed I am, and how little it takes to feed so many people. As I was looking around, I had the song Beautiful Disaster playing in my head...and it was very appropriate, in my mind, of what our world is and has come to. Isaac would like to continue doing this work by going out one day a week to the slum and handing out food. This benefits everyone there, but mostly the many children who live there. For between $150-200 a visit an entire slum area can be feed!!! If anyone is interested in this, please contact Amanda.

We are visiting another slum later this afternoon, and I can't wait to share more stories with you. And I am definitely going to be more mindful of my eating habits as I return to the US. Shalom.

Dum Dums Save

There was an anonymous donation (from my wife Diana) that has brought new life back to team India. For several days our energy level kept falling and we could find nothing to help us out. Then out of the blue an angel appeared (Amanda). She asked for something sweet to eat that might increase her blood sugar, since there is no sugar in what we eat. We looked everywhere for something with sugar, but nothing could be found. Then all of a sudden I remembered the anonymous donation of dum dum suckers for the children. With a quick calculation we realized we had many more dum dums than we needed. As soon as we began to eat the candies our energy level was substantially better. So along with our daily vitamins and malaria medication, we include a dum dum for our health and well being. Many thanks for your generous donation!
And by the way, "nanu ninnu premisthu nannu!"

-Charles

Holy Cow

Today we went shopping in Vijayawada, a city of about 700,000, an hour or so from Tenali. We went to buy gifts for our loved ones back home and a few for ourselves. Nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary. In front of one of the places we stopped, I stood to observe the traffic. This very heavy traffic consists of people walking, auto rickshaws, motorcycles, bicycles, giant buses, and even an automobile once in a while. All are going different speeds, honking, not out of anger like in the U.S., but to signal something like passing or you are in the way. And there are no street lights, stop signs or signals of any kind, much less a policeman. But this isn't the weird part yet. That came when a Brama cow came strolling down the road (of course obeying all the traffic rules) only to "park" himself between a couple of motorcycles in front of a small shop. He stood there as if waiting for something, so I kept watching! In a short time, the shop attendant came forward with a bowl full of something to give to the Brama cow!! I continued to watch and saw the Brama cow "back out" into very heavy traffic. He wandered slowly down the road only to disappear into the chaos of the street.

-Charles