Orphanage...

Some of my favorite moments...

So much fun!

I'm pretty sure I taught them this face...

My friend Punam...

We have been going to Grace Home Girl's Orphanage since we arrived in India. Sorry it has taken so long to tell you about these beautiful girls. When we fist went, we were with girls from the Florida team that was here the first three weeks with us. We played hand games (lots of hand games), told a bible story, had a craft and one of us shared our testimony. 30 girls packed in a small room laughing, running and jumping around. It was a sight to see. I learned more hand games in an hour than I have known in my whole life. When we would tell the Bible stories the older girls would correct our mistakes or add the things we missed, they knew them so well. These girls have stolen my heart. 

Their smiles could light up 1,000 rooms and their roaring laughter is sure to bring brightness to anyone's day. This particular day, I found myself observing a lot. It hit me that these girls, despite their present circumstance had amazing joy. The thought of them not having any parents, sleeping 4 girls to a bed and wearing the same clothes day in and day out didn't seem to phase them. Praise songs filled the house and the joy of the Lord was evident there. 

Ryan had a pretty cool conversation with one of the older girls that I overheard. Ryan asked her a bunch of questions but the last question was, "What does India's youth need?" And with great certainty, as if she had thought about it before she said, "Studies and Jesus." Straight from the mouth of a wise 13 year old girl. 

The smiles of each girl grabbed a different part of my heart. I can remember each face vividly. Oh for grace to understand the weight of their present reality, to hurt with them, but to rejoice in the same hope that they rejoice in... JESUS. 

I had a really cool conversation with a girl named Archana. She is 14 years old and in broken english she shared her story of how she got to be at the orphanage. My heart was full of empathy because I knew a little of what she had been through. We had very similar stories in that our parents were both divorced and I got to share with her the importance of forgiveness. That we are to forgive because Christ has forgiven us first. Keep them in prayer that these older girls would disciple the younger ones and that their love for the Lord will grow.  I pray that they would learn to abide in the Lord. She told me that her favorite Psalm was 121. She read it to me from my Bible and it brought back the many times I would call out to the Lord in desperation. I'll leave you with these words...

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?\

2My help comes from the LORD,
   who made heaven and earth.

 ³He will not let your foot be moved;
   he who keeps you will not slumber.

⁴Behold, he who keeps Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 ⁵The LORD is your keeper;
   the LORD is your shade on your right hand.

⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
   nor the moon by night.

 ⁷The LORD will keep you from all evil;
   he will keep your life.

⁸The LORD will keep
   your going out and your coming in
   from this time forth and forevermore.