Everything has an end

We said goodbye to the sweet girls at the Muneer Orphanage. We were the first team that had ever visited this orphanage. The girls were so sweet and in some you could see the shadows from the hard life they had already lived. I will miss the sweet smile of Kushboo. She would find me first thing everyday and talk to me i her VERY limited English. She was such a sweet girl. As I left I told her to be good and I would miss her, carefully picking my words so that she would understand. A big smile flew across her face and she said, "I will miss you too Renae."

Our last full day in India was spent at the Taj Mahal (or if you are in India you call it "THe Taj"). We left our YMCA Hostel at 6am and returned after 11pm. This trip is always an experience! The trip to the Taj is about 4 hours if you can drive at full speed. There are often unexpected items in the road (demonstrations, festivals, etc.). So a 4 hour trip can soon turn into a 6 or 8 hour trip (one way). We ran into several such delays but these adventures are never a waste of time. As you leave Delhi and head to Agra where the Taj is you begin to see life as most Indians live. You pass through countless small villages and see the families living under a tarp or in a mud hut or right on the side of the road with no shelter at all. I believe God uses this time to remind me of the great need in India and our world.

This will be my last blog before we leave India. Today we visited the wells and schools in the slums of Muneer. Westport Church installed 7 wells into the area to provide fresh clean drinking water to the people of the slums. We've also enjoyed a home cooked meal at Uma's house. It has been wonderful to laugh with his children and spend time with his dear wife Yaman.

I find myself in a paradox as I type. It is hard to leave beautiful India but my home is calling me also. I know for now God is saying my work is done and I pray that someday God would bring me back to India. God has been so good during our time in India. He has kept us out of danger and cleared our paths of all disasters. Not everything has been easy but everything has been God's will. The darkness is great here in India but I pray through the last 10 days there has been a spark or two of new light. Someday the nation of India will sing praises to God hand in hand. What a glorious day that will be!