Well, today is rest day...and my birthday! :) We got up at about 5:30am this morning so we could be on the road to Ranipet by 6:00am. We are heading to a hotel in Ranipet to kind of rejuvenate ourselves after the crazy week it has been so far. This gives us the opportunity to sleep/rest in a bed, take a shower, and just be able to relax and process through everything that has happened thus far. I'm really looking foward to this. :)
I got to finally call my family for the first time since I've been here. I got to talk to my mom, dad and my brother. It felt so good to talk to them and find out how home is. It made me realize how much I miss them and home. I've been doing so great so far not really thinking about home or missing it...but today after talking to them, it made me miss what was going on in their lives. Wishing that they were here with me experiencing everything wonderful that I'm getting to experience.
However, this is such an amazing experience for me and so I need to soak in every minute that I possibly can. But for today...I'm thankful to have the opportunity to rest. Rest my heart, my mind and my body. As much as it seems that we aren't doing a lot of hard labor, just the meeting with families has been draining...in a good way. It's always nice to be able to take a step back and look at what you've been through so far and try to process everything you've seen/heard.
When we got to the hotel this morning, it was like a breath of fresh air. We get to sleep in BEDS...in rooms that have AIR CONDITIONING! :) We also got hot showers which felt so amazing! You never know how much you take for granted at home until you have to do without elsewhere. I'm still so happy that I decided to come on this trip and step outside my comfort zone. It's been an experience of a lifetime and I'm not sure if I'll get another opportunity to do something like this again. I am so happy to have the chance to go out and do God's work and spread His love.
{steph, me & sarah}
{palm trees by resort}
This morning its been nice to get a small break from the team as well. They are all certainly amazing and such a fun group, but I haven't had much alone time since I've been here, so it feels great to just hang out alone and relax and listen to music. I haven't really had the chance to really think through what I feel about the trip. This trip has been such a whirlwind for me. To sit down and process my thoughts has just been crazy. I'm not sure if this is something that I will do again or I might do it over and over again. :) It's so overwhelming while I'm still here that I'm not sure what will happen if the opportunity arises for me to come back. I love the feeling of doing God's work for Him, but am struggling with being so completely out of my comfort zone. As much as I can say that I hate routine, when you're pushed above and beyond your normal routine, it's always nice to get back and have the comfort of your home, your bed, your shower and even your family. I love my family so much and it shows when I am so far away from home, how much I miss them. I hope my family will get the opportunity to experience something like this someday. I think they would benefit greatly from it.
{sunset in kalavai}
It's amazing how much better I'm beginning to feel now that I have had a chance to decompress and let my mind wander. I feel like I'm starting to be able to process through my thoughts and be able to survive the rest of the week. The people of Kalavai have made me realize how things could be for me and that I have so much to be thankful for.
This afternoon we are heading into downtown Ranipet to go shopping for Saree's (indian clothing). That will be such a fun experience and I am so excited to be able to go. I'm excited to see how the culture is in a bigger city and just go out and have a fun afternoon...:)
{downtown ranipet}
{indian woman in ranipet}
{rochelle & i on the bus ride into ranipet}
God has been ever present on this trip giving me the strength to not only survive, but to continue going knowing these people need God's love. It is so unreal how drastic their life is compared to mine. But I appreciate each and every one of these people as they are teaching me life lessons that I will be able to take home with me and continue to improve.
One girl in this village has just captured my heart. She is a beautiful young girl named Monjou. She is a goat herder for her family's goats. She is out in the blazing sun all day long herding the goats and making sure they feed well and are well taken care of. With goats being well taken care of, they can produce up to 2 or 3 kids. If they only produce 1 kid, that means you haven't been taking good enough care of them. About a year ago, one of their family goats only had 1 kid. That was not good enough and therefore her mother beat her as this was no acceptable. Monjou was so hurt by this and didn't want to live her life like that. One of the days when she went out to tend to the goats, she ate some poisonous berries in hopes that she wouldn't have to live this life anymore. Her friends were able to find her in time and bring her back to get cared for so she wouldn't die. That is when Raj from Life Missions & GCC intervened and has helped this family out to know what is most important in life...their family and God's love for their family. This story just touched my heart and it is so completely amazing to get to know Monjou while I'm here and to hopefully have an impact on her life. She is a beautiful girl inside and out and I have so much hope for her that she gets what she wants for her life.
{sarah & monjou}
It's stories like this that help me realize why I'm here today and why GCC is doing this. I just hope that we can reach out to all the people we possibly can to help them find the love of God. I'm so thankful God gave me the opportunity to experience this and I'll never forget the impact this has made on my life.
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