Signature of the Divine

     There is something about this wide eyed little Indian boy dressed in an aqua marine (a little specific I know but Indian kids look awesome in this color!) polo shirt with Alfalfa hair (I gave him his first hair cut today...) that makes me go weak at the knees at the sight of all the cuteness.
      There is also something about this photo that makes me want to weep. K is 11 months old and weights 3.8 kg. (8.5 lbs. for you Americans). He has spastic cerebral palsy, severe epilepsy (seizures) and is severely malnourished. To the point that when I pick him up I am afraid I am going to break him. He came to us after spending two months in the hospital for septic shock. I have spent the past two days visiting doctors who have all come to the same conclusion; by all medical accounts this baby boy should not be alive. But God gave K a spirit of a fighter and together they have battled against all the odds.
     I have seen enough "nevers" happen in the past 6 months to know better then to say that K will "never walk" or "never talk". But even if he never does those things God created K for a distinct and divine purpose. For starters he is proving to those around him that there is a God who still performs miracles. Baby K exist on this earth for the same reason you and I do, to bring praise and glory to the Almighty God. And if you ever get the chance to see this little dude smile and laugh you will see we have a lot to learn from this little warrior.

~Pray for baby K. He has a long way to go to becoming well nourished and healthy.
~Pray for his caregivers (doctors, nurses, ayahs etc.) that will be given wisdom in how to care for this sick little boy.
~Pray that we find the perfect house soon for K and his brothers and sisters to move into.

Adventure is out There

Journey....it is a word that implies movement, action, adventure. It is a word that is in the subtitle of this blog for a reason. Following in Christ's footsteps is not a simple trip but a journey. It allures to something new, to growth. It was a word that I had forgotten.

I am coming up on 6 months of living and serving in India. To say the least it has been the craziest, hardest, most fun adventure I could ever imagine. But over the past couple of months I had become so bogged down with living life in rural India and with caring for 108 children with less then idea numbers of staff that I forgot that I was on an adventure. When I finally remembered to stop looking at my feet when I walked and instead starting watching the events going on around me I remembered how much I love India; the sights, the smells, the people. When I finally remembered to stop and enjoy the dance party with my big sisters I realize how deeply I have fallen in love with my children. When I finally remembered that I didn't come work here to be comfortable I packed up my things, said a really hard goodbye to my kids and followed God's leading to the big city.

This past week at my home church was missions week. It is one week out of the year where missionaries from around the world come and speak. Growing up it was one of my most favourite weeks out of the year. But this year I finally really appreciated the missionaries who came, and I wasn't even there. Denying yourself and following Christ on an adventure can be total mind blowing awesomeness and it can be devastatingly discouraging. There are days when you say, "I am living in India!!" and days when you say "Why can't India be like America?" And I have come to realize that that's ok. But when I get stuck there looking at me and what I want, I loose the excitement of an adventure with Christ. I stop moving. I stop journeying. I stop growing.

 

"Daughter, there is still more to this adventure. I have more of this story to write but you have to look up. Look outward from yourself. Find me in the day to day. Love where you are and what you are doing because in doing it you are loving me."

This field was ploughed by ox one day and planted by hand the next. Welcome to rural India!

 

 

 

 

~Pray for me and my friend as we travel to Thailand this week. Pray for safety and that we will come back to the kids refreshed and renewed.

~Pray for my parents as they travel to and in India for two weeks. Pray for health, safety and peace :-)

~Pray that God would bring good Godly nurses to SCH

~Pray for our new children who are very weak. Pray for their health and protection.

~Pray for wisdom for me as I decide to relocate to Hyderabad when I come back from Thailand to care for critically ill children in our new home.