—————————————
The other day our team had the opportunity to take out one of the boys from the children's home for a surprise. Levi is about 17 and has been diagnosed with autism. Since we have been here, he has always been so helpful with the younger boys by helping them eat, getting them dressed, and bathing them. He is always willing to do little odd jobs around the home as well. His sweet heart and bright smile always light up the room.
When we arrived at the home, we let the caretakers know we would be taking Levi out; so they powdered his face, dressed him up and combed his hair. We can still remember the look of excitement he had as we told him. As we got into the van, he said his goodbyes and hopped up front with the driver. We headed out to our first destination: The Ice Cream Parlor!
As we got our menus, we quickly realized we had no idea what type of ice cream he preferred. We made a team decision to get him the "Titanic." The Titanic has five different flavors in the shape of a boat with wafers as paddles. As you may have guessed, with a name like "Titanic," this was no little ice cream dish. He sank that Titanic pretty quick. Let's just say we got our ice cream first, and he still managed to finish before we did. By the look on his face, he seemed to get quite a few brain freezes, but still kept at it. He also enjoyed a couple samosa's: a yummy Indian treat.
Next stop was Bapuji Complex which is like the Wal-Mart of India. We took him to look for some new clothes and let him pick out whatever he wanted. When we got in the first store, it was very obvious he knew what he wanted. Man that boy has some good taste! We ended up walking away with a few new outfits and one very happy young man. Words can't describe the joy we had in our hearts while soaking in every last minute of that day. It was rewarding in itself to see him so excited, and we can only imagine how pleased God was to see His little boy smile.
It was the first of hopefully many outings with the kids, and it was such an incredible experience. Being able to spend the day loving on Levi was such a great picture of what God calls us to do: Love one another. Everyone on the team agrees it was one of our favorite days.
—————————
" A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13: 34-35
—————————-
Love Team India!
<3
