We have been here for a week only and already have seen and done so much! Its is such a change from home it is insane. The cultural differences take awhile to get used to but the people are so kind and giving. As we go to the different local villages surrounding Ongole and do house visits we have been able to meet so many families. Many of these families are struggling with sickness, financial, and spiritual problems and ask for prayer for healing from God. Even though they have so little it amazes me how much they are willing to give. Whenever we visit a home the families get out chairs and cots for all of us to sit down and relax, they make sure that we have sodas and fruit to snack on. They are some of the kindest people that you could ever meet. One family in particular that i remember took in me and two of my teammates sat us down on a cot and gave us fresh watermelon and candy. It was a mother and her two sons. The boys were so cute with huge smiles that just light up a room. The litle boys even gave me a beautiful spiral seashell that they found on the coast. I could tell that it meant alot to them and didnot want to take it but, in this culture no is not an option.
Everyone here seems so appreciative for what they do have and the christians seem to have very strong faith, knowing that God will provide whatever they may need. “Your Father knows what you need… Seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12: 30-31
We have also had the oppurtunity to work with special needs children in different orphanages. This is an amazing opportunity that God has put in front of us. In the Indian culture children born with physical or mental disabilities are seen as a curse or a shame to the family so are often times abandoned. Through ICM, Indian Christian Mission, the organization that we are working with here, over sixty special needs orphans have been taken in and are being cared for. All of the childrens faces just light up with joy when we walk into a room, play with them, or just hold their hand or give them kisses, which is normal in American cultures but not very common here. It is so exciting that we are going to have a chance to build relationships with the children and just let them know the feeling of God’s love.
