Catching up

I've been without internet since we left Hugelli and Hyderabad Saturday night so time to catch up.

On our final Sabbath we held a dedication and ribbon cutting for the new Hugelli School and it was a special day!!

We met the kids at the old school and each person took two of the kids by the hand and led them to the entrance to the new school. Church and city officials as well as hundreds of folks from the village turned out. It was quite the occasion!

After a prayer and words of dedication the ribbon was cut and the kids were the first to cross the threshold of the new campus where a big surprise awaited them.Inside one of the classrooms we had laid out new shoes, socks, school uniforms, and backpacks with school supplies for each child. The children had no idea what was about to happen.

As they filed by the tables piled high with the gifts their eyes grew wider and wider and the smiles bigger and bigger as their hands got fuller and fuller of new things. It was a very special moment and I'm not sure who had more fun....us or the kids. There weren't too many dry eyes in our group and we watched these beautiful children receive what for them was a treasure of immense value.

Next the children were lead to another classroom that was filled with the new desks they would use. I'm not sure that the reality that they wouldn't have to sit on a dirt floor anymore for school had really taken hold yet.

The children then sang several songs for our group followed by our group singing for them and then a final prayer and good byes.....along with more tears.

I watched one little boy look through his back pack and as he did he came across some candy that had been put there. What surprised me was that he wasn't really interested in that....what made his eyes get big and cause a huge smile to cross his face was the pencils and paper in the back pack!!! Such a simple thing but so valuable to this little guy.
This was a day that will stay with me for as long as I live.

New and Old

It is humbling to see how God plans things...even when we think we have a plan.

We started out the day with plans for several vehicles to take those of us who wanted time to take pictures out in the direction of the school site but as we drove we realized that the villages and towns along the way still hadn't really started the day.
The vehicle I was in decided we would just proceed to the school site and have the opportunity to take photos of the school without a crowd. God had a wonderful surprise waiting for us.
We did indeed arrive before the crowd and decided to walk over to the old school. School is a generous description for what is a very small, dark, and cramped three room house that has served as the school. We arrived at the school about 30 minutes before start time and only two boys were there but within a few minutes the kids started arriving and what a treat to see them sing and see their smiles as Dottie Crane read a story to them.

A bit later the rest of the photo tour group arrived and the teachers herded the kids over to the new school and had them take their seats in the new desks. You could just see the wonderment on their faces. I found myself thinking perhaps the fact that this beautiful new school and desks is for them hasn't really become reality yet. They have been sitting on the floor of this little school and now I'm certain this new facility seems a bit surreal to them.

The teachers had the children sing songs including the national anthem of India. It was priceless and it made it very clear in my mind what our purpose really was for being here. We have been blessed to be part of this school building project.

Tomorrow we hold the dedication for the new school.

Cooking Indian

Tonight was a very special evening for our group. We gathered poolside at our hotel for an Indian cooking demonstration by the hotel chefs. To say it was phenomenal is an understatement. The food was simply amazing.....and so much of it. And yet here we are on a "mission" trip in a country locked in a caste system that leaves so many with hardly enough to eat each day. I can't help but feel somewhat guilty about the feast we had tonight. An amazing experience but at the same time somewhat sobering.

Sightseeing in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is definitely not a tourist destination but does have a couple of places of interest. Since we have finished our construction we headed there today and saw a palace and a mosque. Some of the group also went shopping while others headed back to the hotel to relax. All in all a very pleasant day here in India.

Bats....VERY BIG BATS!!!

Our first day on the work site several of us noticed big "Crows" flying around and landing in a tree across the road from the school. What we soon realized was that these weren't Crows but really, really big bats. They apparently sleep in the large tree across the road. We were told they are Fruit Bats....but they looked big enough to eat more than fruit...=)
If one of these bad boys came flying at me I wouldn't hesitate to run screaming like a little girl......well maybe just run.

A project becomes a school

An early start to take advantage of the cool morning. A few hours work and what was once a pile of steel and boxes of screws and rivets is now essentially a school just waiting for its students.
One of the things that never ceases to surprise me on a Maranatha project is the different feelings I have at the beginning and end. At the outset I often feel a bit overwhelmed looking at what seems a daunting task. I wonder how in the world are we going to get that pile of steel to become a school or church in so little time and yet as we finish a project like this school here in Hugelli, India I am amazed again at how it all comes together. I forget day one and celebrate day 6! The school is for all intents and purposes finished. There are a few finishing touches that the wonderful Maranatha crew will quickly wrap up, but there is now a beautiful six room school that will be a beacon of hope in the village. Praise God!!!

And let's not overlook the interesting coincidence here.....God worked six days and rested the seventh.....and while it is not Sabbath it is indeed good to be finished and ready for some rest!!