Mud Hut Village Feeding

We found ourselves yet again at this Mud Hut Village. During my first visit to India we headed down here for a Medical camp. A medical camp is a bus type vehicle and several amazing doctors who head into the slums and do work for a day. They were checking peoples eyes, pulling peoples teeth (with no pain meds) and giving people check ups. Since our last visit here there has been quite a change. There are still tons of mud huts but now you see lots of one room brick buildings being built up. This means that the area is "thriving." Still no electricity but there are 3 pumping wells that are giving off good drinking water. There is little to no green, the plants that are there only thrive nearest the wells or if the people water them. It is dusty and hot, and dry as can be.

This year we found ourselves walking from hut to hut to witness a feeding at one of Redemption Ministry's church plants.  Before the feeding, the children sing songs in the church, and learn a little about Jesus. Today I got to share a bible story and Courtney shared a little too. They sang beautifully and listened carefully. They get so distracted and excited to see American and there smiles light up the room. It will never get old!

The feeding happens at 6/7 and is available for the children. It happens 6 days out of the week and they get a huge pile of rice with some chicken curry. Many of the small children didn't eat the chicken they would just eat their 3 or so cups of rice (about enough to feed me for like 4 meals, at least). We then dug into the same food, chicken and rice, said a prayer of blessing over the people, the children, and the land then into the car we went to a bumpy ride home.

It was a warm evening, spent in a dirty, poor, poor place but when you leave you walk away with a new perspective. Your spirit turns into a spirit of thanksgiving, and every time I am here I feel like they teach me, more then I can ever teach or share with them. And it is always in ten fold when you go to the least of them, when you go to the place that is dirty and poor.

- Carissa

Church Planting In Rural India

This is a church that is being built for a young pastor and his wife. The church is being funded by one of Redemption Ministries partners. The building so far is beautiful and they hope to have it finished before we leave. So hopefully we can sneak back to take some finished images of the church building! The couple pictured below is the pastor and his wife, they have two young boys. They are located in a small rural village and hope to add one room off of the left side of the church to live in. But for now they will stay in a rented hut.

Trip To Nellore

I write from our bedroom, as a lie on my belly with the fan on full blast above me, and the windows open with a slight breeze coming in. We have a little down time, so I wanted to write a little while it is still fresh on my mind. We returned from our four day trip to Nellore. After a four hour long and windy car ride we arrived to a chicken curry lunch and then headed to a hotel. Hotels in villages of India are not like hotels in America. There isn't any pastel pictures framed hanging above your large comfy beds, things are just a bit dirtier and for lack of a better word simpler. We got towels brought up to us, with two tiny rolls of toilet paper. Let me clarify that this was a nice hotel, and a blessing. No bugs, hot water from 7am-10am, AC in each room, foam mattress' and western toilets!

We had a little time to get comfy and get ready for our evening meeting. Then off to a small village church for some India worship - think any indian music you have then take the high female voice add drums, piano and put that volume as high as it can go! I will have to post a video sometime so you can hear it for yourself. Worship was followed by a little preaching - we have some guests from the State here as well, and they shared. Followed by prayer for blessings, healings, and family. After praying for so many, I think I usually feel more blessed then they do. When all is done we eat. If it is 9pm we eat, if it is 11pm we eat, if it is 1am we eat. No matter we eat and it is chicken curry, with rice and usually (not always) a vegetable delight. Then back to the hotel for sleep. 

The next couple of nights were about the same. Getting home late and then waking up for breakfast in the morning. The first morning we got a little coffee delivered to the room (water, goats milk, sugar plus instant coffee), it was good. Our afternoons were filled with visiting churches around the city (anywhere from thirty minutes - a couple of hours away), praying, saying a word and fellowship-ing. It is so refreshing to see what God is doing in such a tangible way. One of the churches we visited lies on the shores of the Bay of Bangel. We got to walk to the shore, found some pretty shells, dipped our toes in the water and saw and talked with the fishermen. 

Our last morning before heading home, to Guntur, we went to the pastor's house for breakfast. We had a delicious breakfast of chicken curry, curry gravy, mashed potatoes and a fried egg. Three meals of chicken curry is a lot for this American girl but it was their blessing to us, so we eat happily. Then into the jeeps we pile for our ride home. As B and I walked up the stairs to our "apartment" I turned and said "it is good to be home". Oh, the irony in this statement... that only a few days makes this place already home. This is where our stuff hides, where we don't have to live out of a piece of luggage.

Being here causes my heart to be full of so much thankfulness. For our home in America, for the over abundance of blessings that God has given us.
- Carissa 

Thanksgiving Service

Day to day activities in India can get pretty exciting. We are blessed to have  a working washing machine, otherwise we would have to beat our clothes on rocks with water and soap. After they wash we hang them up to dry either in the backyard or on the roof, as seen below in my pictures. While I was hanging laundry I almost grabbed this clothes pin with this lovely looking spider on it. I ran inside to grab my macro lens in fear that he would flee. He didn't. In fact he stayed there the entire day, I decided not to use the clips near him to hang our clothes though. Later when I showed Ben he said it most likely has got a little poison in him and that this bite would have hurt pretty darn bad. You can barely see the hairs on his legs with a naked eye (or maybe just I couldn't because I didn't want to get too close).

The last pictures on this little one below or of the goats. My favorite picture from last year was a goat picture of the herds. We were driving to a meeting and a huge pack of them were crossing the rode. I grabbed my camera and shot just a few of them. Once we got into town we saw the cutest two baby goats sitting on some steps. I had wish I had my camera out and ready because that picture would have been amazing!

Our Monday evening was spent attending a Thanksgiving service for a pastor and his wife/family. They were recently in a pretty bad motorcycle accident. Once upon a time there was no cars or motorcycles but now they are every where in India and most families have a little motorcycle as their family vehicle. So, the thanksgiving service was being held at their church, which is actually the very first brick Redemption church. They had it all prettied up!
We got to spend sometime with the children's home that Pastor Job and Ludima run as seen in the sequence of pictures. We talked with them, joked with them and pretended to "check behind their ears" to see if they were keeping clean". The kids though it was too funny.
The cute little chubby baby sitting on the cot is actually the same baby from a shot I took last year. She is another pastor's wife little girlie names Blessie. She is two now and so big! If you notice she has 20 rupees (50¢) in her hand and two "chocolates" (sweet candy).
The last shots are of the meeting. There is a shot of a birthday cake with a big fiery candle on it, it was Janie's birthday, she is the Pastor and his Wife miracle baby that they had in old age. So the service was also geared towards her in rejoicing in her birth and her day (she is pictured below with Jan, who she is named after, all in pink). The church was so full that the kids sat on stage with us (we are always placed on stage in church) and even outside was full of people. It was a wonderful service, which ended with a salvation prayer. 

Trip To Bellary

We had a very exciting trip. It feels like it lasted much longer then it really was, we left Wednesday night and got back this morning at 3:30 am.

We got on a sleeper train (pictures below) at 8:00 pm. It was described to me as a cushy board to sleep on, not so bad they had said. I thought the worst but was pleasantly surprised. We had an AC cart with two top sleeper spots, and the rest of the family was off in a different cart. Once we got off we had an 1 1/2 car ride to Bellary where we got to sleep for a bit and clean up at the local hotel. Let me take this moment to explain an India hotel. It is not like any American hotel you have experienced. Most are dirty. They mop the floor with dirty water, don't wipe down the walls, were not 100% sure they wash the two sheets especially when you find hair, a couple of ants and a piece of rice (this was one experience), and flying mosquitoes everywhere!

Back to my story, we were elated to be in the hotel, to have a western toilet (they go to the bathroom in a whole in the ground so to have an actual toilet is a joy), and a bucket of water to shower with. Then off we went to a church/bible training school building dedication. It lasted about 3 hours, filled with great words of praise and worship. This pastor had gone to one of Redemption Ministries bible schools many years ago. It was great to see how God has used him in this village and blessed him with this building. We are so excited to see what is to come. All of this was followed with a good meal of goat and biryani. Then we were on our way to pack up and start our trip back. On our car ride back we stopped so I could snag a couple of pictures of the sunset. The two little kiddo's below were at the building dedication service. That night on the train was so much better, slept almost the entire ride. But with that said was so happy to be in our own bed at 4:00 this morning!

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Night Meetings & Guests

Last night we experienced the first of this trips night meeting. It was so very exciting. The "kid's club" has been going to certain villages weekly to set up a kid's club. They tell fun bible stories, have a big bird all dressed up to entertain, do puppets, play games, give treats and a little take home bible sheet. At the very end they pick names out for winners and they get a little extra something special. Tonight it was little plastic bins (as you can see below). We had a couple of visitors from the States come to spend the day with us in Guntur. You can see them, so excitedly participate in everything we did. After the children's club the meeting began. With lots of Indian singing, then they honor their guests (us) by throwing little petals in the air as we walk past and giving us full lays of flowers. My wonderful husband spoke for a bit and did such a great job! With Harley finishing off the night strong. A call for salvation, from Pastor Wilson and then those who needed prayer came and we got to pray. All of this was finished off with a delicious meal at 11:00 pm, it was good. It was a perfect night, God moved and we were honored to be their and I was happy to capture it.

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xo, carissa