Village Trip in India

January 29, 2008 email #22

Finally, after having been here for two months we were able to travel out to a village.  Each village is so unique and such a fun experience that we find a trip such as this to be a genuine highlight.  We made this excursion especially to visit a young lady who was one of the first converts of the Vet-Med ministry’s sewing program.  I first met her years ago when we filmed in her village to help the “Jesus Film” people do a promo.  Rupali was an enormous help to me in controlling the crowds that day.  Some of you will also remember the picture---I sent a few years back---taken of the little fellowship group that met on her family’s cow dung veranda, and me freezing my too-too off sitting on that floor.  She has since come to know the Lord, gone to Bible school and now has her own kindergarten school.  Her mother died suddenly in December of a brain tumor.  We just found out about it, so felt a real necessity to go and visit.  Rupali is beautiful and is of an age that marriage is in the picture BUT she wants to marry a Christian young man, and now she is living with a Hindu aunt and uncle.  They don’t seem to be too hostile to her choice, but only time will tell, when the arrangement is actually made.  She was thrilled that we would make the journey out to see her and our concern for her welfare.

Unbeknown to us there is a Government run tribal orphanage next to her Aunt’s home.  The orphanage has over 400 kids living there, so we walked over for a visit.  Needless to say, I was mobbed!!! You see, I had the camera and each one wanted their pictures taken. 

They were all smiles and hands waving.  These kids, eat, sleep and have classes in the same room with each room housing about 50 to 60. Each child has only one little bag or a small metal suitcase and a small blanket.  I didn’t even see a sleeping pad for the greasy floor.  On the same compound with the orphanage is a teacher’s training school, so in reality the children are being taught by student teachers, not certified teachers. Three cooks, cook all the meals with wood burning on a DIRT floor---sanitary don’t you think?  The smoke was soooooo bad we all chocked when we walked in.  What a difference from our Prakash kitchens.  Loren said, “ And you thought ours were not as clean as you would have liked.” It breaks your heart to see the conditions of these precious little ones, but it is much better than NO home at all!!!.  When we got back into the car I was covered with dirty little handprints all over my clothes.  Oh well, clothes will wash. 

On the way back to Prakash, we stopped at the farm where Dr. Suresh holds his Self-Reliant programs and had a picnic on the farmhouse veranda.  This farmer has never charged for the use of his land for this program.  We also wanted to see his new venture in the cultivation of earthworms.  This is something we may consider doing at Prakash in the future.  Before we left, he insisted that we take some oranges home with us, so out to the orchards we went to pick oranges.

All in all, it was a very good day to clear the cobwebs out between our ears and also it gave us a real sense of joy to show our love and sympathy to a hurting girl and her brothers. 

Sylvia H. Eckhardt

Prakash for India