DAYS SIX - SEVEN
The Last Home and Well
Heather:
Looking at my memory, I am not 100% certain I have the next two days in order. One of the days was a down day. I believe it was day seven. We spent it around the hotel, and also took another trip back to the mall. They had a store which was a lot like a Meijer or maybe a small Kohls in the US. The girls headed over there. I picked up some bangles I had wanted and a scarf to go with one of my outfits which had not come with a scarf.
I also spent time writing in my journal and in prayer, trying to keep my attitude right despite the chaos of the trip. Nauseatingly enough, I had been working on the hats I had promised the angels from the mountains during all of our long drives. Nauseatingly meant literally, staring at crocheting while driving on bumpy roads, bleck. So I also took the opportunity to finish some of the hats. By the end of the day I only had one left.
The next morning we got up. We had our last house that day, and a well. I brought a bunch of dumdum suckers I had brought with me. We had handed a lot out to local kids, but I wanted to bring as few home as possible.
Mackenzie:
After yet another long drive we arrived in what seemed even more like the middle of nowhere than anywhere else we had ever been. The house was a little on the small side, but there was a beautiful chalk painting in front of the house (we'll try to get a chance to put up a picture) that the boys of the house did to welcome us. This house had about twelve older boys. The donors for the house were not on the trip so Gabe dedicated the house, and afterward we all prayed, Jessica lead the prayer. Heather and I were both reminded again of Jessica's inspirational faith, despite her young age, it was great to be on the trip with her.
I was given the opportunity, along with Heather, to deliver blankets a donor had made to some of the angels. It was so much fun. Heather taught them to hide under the blankets and play "ghost" a game she had played with her dad as a kid. And then they used them like superhero capes, which I thought was even more fun. Later we saw them pretend "scaring" the other children out from order the blankets. It was, in Heather's words, "So cute!"
Heather:
Afterward some of the kids from the house (most of them, in fact) performed a dance for us. It was really impressive, carefully choreographed and planned, and everyone did an amazing job. It was to a Christian song (at least I thought I recognized a few of the words at this point). I have a video which I hope to post later. We handed out suckers to the kids, and played with the local dogs. We joked with the angels about the colors their tongues had turned because of the suckers, and then we played games with the blankets we had handed out. In summary we had a ball, all the kids were amazing.
Even more amazing was when we discovered that more than half of the boys at this particulars house had been rescued from India's equivalent of Juvie. While most of them were guilty of stealing to survive, a couple had committed breaking and enterings and such. To see kids who had come from such difficult and desperate circumstances as those literally dancing in praise of God, was profound for us all.
After that we went to a church to dedicate a well. The pastor of the church was one of the pastors affiliated with the boy's home. The people of the church were very kind, and brought us bottles of soda, sealed, so we could actually drink them. It was nice to have a real sprite. Especially out so far into the country. The well opening was beautiful, and the kids played in the water. Gabe made a video to send back to the donors who were kind enough to pay for the well.
Surprisingly, despite the fact that we had only dedicated one house and one well, we got to the hotel late in the afternoon.
The next day would be the last day. I did a good deal of pre-packing, throwing things out and getting ready for the last day. We would be attending church in the morning, so I pulled out an outfit with a scarf. I had a lot of packing to do as I had unpacked for the trip. I am a cluttered person by nature, so unpacking and putting things away was the best way for me to be respectful to those rooming with me. Despite unpacking I still had a great deal of detritus in the bottom of my big suitcase. I also had to repair by hand a long tear in Mac's carry on bag, and move things over as we had replaced my carry on bag. Both had been damaged badly in the crazy flurry of flights getting here in the first place.
Mackenzie:
I was very homesick, and was looking forward to going home. I had learned a lot while here, but I had also learned that I was not called so much to travel as to support missions from at home. I missed my family and everything that I found familiar. Heather, on the other hand, desperately wanted to stay. She seemed on the verge of tears constantly. She loved it there, she loved feeling the tangible chance to help, she loved being God's hands in a physical sense. Maybe we are two sides of the same coin. We spent some time commiserating before bed in the hotel lobby while she finished up the last hat for the mountain kids. She had by some miracle finished them all (all six) including two for the pastor of the house's children. I was really proud of her determination to help in every way she could imagine while she was there.
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