Good ol' India

So far, India has been amazing! So sorry it has taken me forever to post a blog, we have just been crazy busy! A medical team came last week and everyday we were up at six getting ready to leave and not getting back home until late. Helping the team was one of the best experiences yet; even though all I did was write down the weight and temperature of the incoming patients. Just being able to get a smile and laugh from someone was a big deal to me.

The kids have especially touched my heart. I remember one day at one of the medical camp I waved to a boy who looked about seven standing in line and he smiled and ran over to me. He showed me his arm, which was full of scars and it looked like his arm had been broken a while back because a bone on his arm was bulging from his skin. He then started to tell me (in Hindi) what had happened. I pretended to understand every word of it, but when he stopped talking he looked up at me for some sort of response. My response was to call Janna over and see if she could make out what he was saying. So he told his story for a second time. Since he was talking so fast, she only got a few details. So then we called over a translator, and the boy told his story for a third time. I think by this time he regretted coming up to me at all. We ended up finding out that he did in fact break his arm while he was playing, but never went to the doctor to get it fixed, which is why his bone was sticking out. Unfortunately, there was nothing the doctors at the clinic could do for him because in order to have it fixed, he had to go to the hospital.

This story may not seem like anything special, but to me it is. I will never forget this boy. All i did was wave hello to him, and he ran over to me and started talking to me like we knew each other. Most of the kids here are shy when a stranger waves hello and they timidly turn the other way. But this little boy ran towards me. Even though I could not understand one word that he was saying, I still felt a connection with him. I think about him quite often throughout the day and wonder what he's doing. He was in dirty clothes, but had on the biggest smile. These kids break my heart; they are living in poverty day in and day out, but they still manage to smile. I feel like I have been the one getting blessed instead of me doing the blessing. They give me encouragement to smile when everything else tells me not to and to have a hope when the odds are against me.

I have absolutely LOVED my time in India and I'm excited to see what I can do to better serve. I'll admit, it does get a little lonely at times, but I just remind myself that this is where God wants me right now and by knowing this, I can't imagine being anywhere else than here. Thank you to everyone for all of your prayers and support, I appreciate it very much.