The team has been in Mussoorie, a region in the foothills of the Himalayas since Wednesday. Today we leave for Dehradun to complete our kids program. There is a lot to fill you in on since the last blog but I'll try to stick with captions.
Our last night in Dehli before heading North, we visited a house in the slums. The ten of us, along with two hosts sat in a bedroom the size of two kitchen tables. Within minutes there were about a dozen small children crowding in, even pouring out of the doorway to get a look. We spent time with them in song and prayer. We taught them "this little light of mine", which they sang perfectly. Their faces, their eyes, they way they light up when given the chance to speak or interact was so moving in light of their situation. Alive with hope defined this experience.
Since arriving in Mussoorie, we have been staying in a hotel with the most breathtaking mountain views you can imagine. Every road is one that winds, and every plan you make gets changed. As a team, we are solid in these challenges. We have been more mobile than any of us had anticipated, never spending two days the same way. The bulk of our time has been under the guidance of our hosts.
One of our brothers, Matthew got all of his camera and computer equipment stolen on the train up here from Dehli earlier in the week. That was a heavy weight on all of us and a hard day. He lost $8,500 worth of things, including all the photos he had taken of our trip up until that point, as well as basic losses like keys and credit cards. His faith really shined in how he handled it and made us want to be strong for him.
Some of the most memorable visits we've paid to the local people in this town have been to home churches, gatherings in the small and loving dwellings of other Christians. We share testimonies and songs, pray for each other and have conversation. Everywhere we go, no matter how poor the family, some sort of beverage or snack is offered. The selflessness of this culture is above and beyond what we Westerners know; people will walk with you for kilometers to make sure you get to your destination.
So far we have spent two days with organized groups of children, the first being at a school on a ledge overlooking the mountain range with kids of roughly middle school age. We played games, told stories and sang songs with them. The following day, we went to a school about two and half hours outside of town to visit an even younger group--mostly seven year olds and under. Both experiences were bright, inspiring and successful. It's hard to formulate thoughts on all of it this so soon after.
To get from point A to B is an adventure in itself. Any one of us could tell you multiple stories about our drives, whether it be a couple hours to pray in a particular region, or a few minutes down the road for dinner. The streets are always alive, it doesn't matter if you are in the most remote location. Goats and cows and other animals are constantly blocking our way when driving. There is always a cliff with no rail to one side of us. Uniformed children walk to and from school by themselves, traveling as much as an hour each way along these same roads. There are waterfalls, terraced landscapes and forests all within miles of each other. In the city, the streets are packed, honking is as common as blinking. People are carrying large pieces of furniture on their backs. Everyone has a beautiful face.
Our b-team is off shooting the documentary all over the state of Utaranchal. The three Ecclesians plus one host are traveling as much as eight hours in a day by car to get the footage they need--this is not an easy task in these road conditions. They've met so many inspiring people already, and been treated to a hospitality that is the norm in these parts. Their days have been full and committed and they are happy with the work they've completed so far.
The most fulfilling part of our visit is we get to pray for all of the things we see--not just today, but forever. I would argue that one of our main purposes for this trip was to learn that. All of the tours we have received, all of the house calls we've made are things we now carry home with us. We have learned so much about the culture here, and the work our ministries are doing and how we can help. There is a great amount of need and we are honored to now be involved in the steps toward a resolution. ::Sara
*week
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