.:Toothbrushes and Cotton Candy:.

1.5.12/Day 5
Thank you LORD for small reminders/revelations today of your love and goodness!  
Yesterday - we went in the morning way out to a village (2 hours from Ongole, our base city) and did a medical camp.  The need was great and it was amazing to see them get so excited at just the simple things we gave out like soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.  Before we left the village, the pastor whose home is under the church we did the medical camp in made us lunch and I was amazed and so happy to see that him and his family took in an additional 9-10 children to their own.  The orphan boys showed us their organized bunk bed room! It seems as though many pastors in India take in more children than their biological - what a wonderful example of how the church takes care of orphans there.

Then we traveled forever (it seemed) to a very jungle like village.  When we pulled up to the tiny church, the people were waiting and waving.  They giggle and smiled as we got out of the vehicle, acting like they had never seen white people before.  Since many couldn't speak english, to "play" with the kids we started the repeat-after-me game, where the kids would do as us girls did.  They giggled more and it was so fun to see the joy in their faces at a shared game despite the language differences.

We later led what GHI calls "Kid Jams" - where we shared a bible story and then completed salvation bracelets to remind the children that Jesus came to die for them and have relationship with them.  When we pulled out simple gifts for the children (goody bags, t-shirts, toothpaste & toothbrushes), it became crazy as so many hands were grabbing at me!  I was overwhelmed by the neediness but the Lord reminded me in that moment of my own neediness, just like the kids', is so great.  It was an in-my-face moment of how much I need Jesus' love and nourishment like these kids do.  Although we live worlds apart and our worlds are oh-so different, I need Jesus just as much as these kids do.

 1.6.12/Day 6
Today we only had 1 medical camp (if I am remembering correctly/all the days run together!).  Since I don't have much medical expertise, I spent most of the time handing out goody bags or playing with the kids who came to the camp.  At lunch time, many children from this village came out during their lunch to check out the white people in town.  Around this same time, we found a man selling cotton candy on the streets.  We bought all 30 small bags of pink cotton candy and shared them with the children (worth $4 for all of that cotton candy!).  Kevin and I then led an informal "kid jam" session and shared Jesus with them.  The one thing that stood out to me was the amazement in the children's eyes and the fact that when we asked them if they had a bible or had heard about Jesus, they said no!  Oh the things we take for granted...