Whew...that was a long one!

Our last days in India seem to all blur together now that I lay in my oh so lovely bed with all my fluffy pillows surrounding me in my oh so quite, peaceful house. It's such a blessing living in America and yet, sometimes, it's a curse. Curse maybe too powerful of a word, but at this point, I'm not sure what other word to use. It's so beautiful to have freedom, to have fresh air, hot, clean water, an array of places to eat and not think twice about if it's safe or not, clean spotless streets, safety, comfort, electricity....a plethora of options. The list is endless. But many times, all those things limit my view...limit my scope....limit my vision....limit my heart. I don't see what it is really like....or feel or know or begin to understand what it really means to be poor. To only have one meal. To work 16 to 18 hours of manual labor. To walk miles for clean water. To never be touched. To not be wanted by your own family...your own mother who gave birth to you. To not be free. It's something we pondered and grappled with all week....of what it would be like if we really depended on Him for everything and not just out of convenience, but out of necessity. I think whether these people know it or not, their faith and relentless persistence through this life is incredible and amazing....and awe-inspiring.

The last few days in India were a blessing for our team. As Carla said, we all really had to dig deep to go the extra mile the last few days. I can't speak for the whole team, but I was ready to come home last Sunday. To think about providing two more medical camps, traveling 4 hours to one place, 3 to the next and then coming back to meet up with Stan, Nate, and Carla to leave for home was a daunting thought....but we did it and of course, it was very fruitful and a great experience. We had the opportunity to work with a great team of people, see beautiful parts of India I never imagined existed, and touch beautiful people who have worked countless, endless hours of hard labor through bonded slavery....who are now FREE.

Thursday was a LONG day to say the least, but by far the best day of the week. We started the day about 7am and were at the medical camp site by 8:30ish. Our first patients came around 9 and I don't think we stopped moving and seeing people until around 3:00. Needless to say, it was much more busy than Tuesday and we had the opportunity to see so many precious souls. So many run down, beaten up, run ragged through the deepest mud, stretched beyond imagination were the people who walked up the dirt road to our medical tent. Their histories and life stories were written all over their faces, their dry, cracked hands and feet, and their skin and bone bodies. Wow....our small medical camp that provided a few pills to relieve the pain for just a few days didn't seem quite adequate or enough....but, as I handed the interpreter the pills to explain to each person and tried to shake their hand as they left, connecting with them through touch and looking them in the eyes, each one was so grateful and I believe felt His love. My hope and prayer is they felt like kings and queens for just a brief moment...that they felt our touch, our love, our hope for them, our blessings for them....because each time we touched them, we felt honored and blessed a million times over to be in their presence. It was an exhausting medical camp....but such an honor and SO worth it!!

As we ended the day, we had one last meal with our friends from IJM and got to celebrate the wonderful week together. What an amazing group of people and people with such HUGE hearts for His justice in this world. They are His hands and feet everyday and putting in the grueling work of providing peace and hope for these people every single day. What a pleasure and honor to walk beside them on that journey for just a short time!!

And then, after dinner, we headed back to the hotel, packed up our stuff and headed to the airport around 11:30pm. Our flight left at 3:40am India time....so I think Thursday lasted about 3 days for some of us....or 2...or whatever...it was LONG!

As we landed in Chicago, it was kind of surreal. It didn't feel like we just went on a two week trip across the world. It felt like we should have been going back and starting all over. It's hard to stay and you miss home, but a piece of you is still there...a large piece of your heart remains there. You cannot not be changed. He is doing amazing work over there. He is doing amazing work here in all of us. He is everywhere....which is incredible and there aren't even words to describe how and what that really means.

Needless to say, it was an amazing trip....again. I don't think I ever realize how amazing it is until I return home. Sometimes, it's hard to always be in the moment when you are there because it is so overwhelming physically, emotionally and spiritually. But as I transition back into my life in America, I am forever grateful for my eyes to be open a little wider, my heart to be touched a little deeper, and for my faith to be a bit stronger.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers, your support, and your love throughout and beyond this trip. We couldn't do it without all of you and we know in our heart of hearts that your love was also spread throughout India the past 14 days.

With love,

Katie

And we are off...

It's been an incredible journey....10 people, 1000+ medical check-ups later, I think we are ready to head home. Well, I'm not sure you are ever ready....but my ticket is already bought. (I do have to admit...I am excited to see the ocean and smell some fresh air!!!)

Please pray for safe travels and we will see you all very soon.

With love and gratefulness for all of your prayers and support.

Katie

PS...I will write more when I arrive back in America to tell you about our awesome week!!!

The last lap...

These last 2 days are going to require that we dig deep for our "second wind" like runners on the last lap.

We had a GREAT day in medical camp yesterday. I looked into the eyes of people about my age. I tried to imagine what they have been through. Most of the people we saw yesterday have been freed from slavery sometime in the last 2-3 years. They are making a way in lives as free men and women. Most of them are "daily laborers" which means they find manual labor work somewhere, but now they are actually paid for what they do. It still isn't easy, but they are free!
Katie and I manned the pharmacy, with some extra help from Jessica now and then. One after the other came with scripts for tylenol and ibuprofen for joint pain, arthritis, back pain...and my mind kept thinking about the years of back-breaking labor they were forced to do, and honestly, as I counted out 20 or 30 pills, it felt so inadequate... after all they had been through. I somehow wanted to erase their experience, to undo what had been done. Bit I couldn't. Sometimes the internal challenges we experience here....I struggle to describe them. It's like I have no pathway in my brain to process the painful reality that I am seeing before me.

On the other hand, as I handed out those medicines, I watched as many of them proudly showed off their new reading glasses (thanks to Jane and her heart of gold, and thanks to Dr. Pape for his donation of many pairs of reading glasses). We had to give instructions several times that they should not wear these for distant vision, because each one wanted to wear their new glasses right away! They were soooo excited to have help with their vision! In fact, once a few people left the medical camp with new glasses, several others started showing up....evidently good news spreads quickly!

Once again, Celeste, Amy, and John did great jobs taking special care of these precious people, and since we had smaller numbers, each person received personal attention and plenty of time with a caring medical provider. I cannot tell you the gratitude and joy on each face as they left the medical camp!

Once there was a brief lull in the action and Katie and I wandered across the street to see a little baby that was being held by her grandmother. We asked how old the baby was. The answer: "2 days" Wow! She was a beautiful little girl. We had a chance to talk about the importance of breast feeding, health for the new mom, and just bless them with our admiration of this new little life.

Now for the final lap....Tomorrow, the medical camp will be bigger. The team will be stretched since Stan, Nate and I are back in Bangalore. I will be visiting Jeeva's Training Center for Women. Nate and Stan are doing training and handling computer maintenance. Nate put in a VERY long day yesterday and got a lot done. He said he could use a few more days, but will do his best to get everything up to par before tomorrow evening. Those of you who know how frustrating computers can be and the snags that come up, you know how to pray for Nate! The team will return tomorrow evening, we will have dinner and debrief with our hosts, then return to the hotel to clean up, pack up, and check out by about 11 pm. We'll head to the airport, go through a very chaotic and long process of customs, check-in, security, etc. And then wait for our flight which leaves at 3:40 a.m.

We can feel your prayers, and we would not be able to do this without you!

No internet....

We have been without internet for a couple of days, the city we traveled to has sporadic electricity and not internet hotspots we could find. Did a medical cammp today, around 70-80 patients. Went well, then Carla and I returned. The rest of the team travels tomorrow, then have a medical camp Thursday before heading to Bangalore and flying out. We head for the airport in 48 hours. Team is doing well, we are split, which isn't fun, but will maximize our contribution while here. Too tired to continue, so heading for bed. I'm sure Katie will be back soon.

Stan

Kids are amazing...

Well, as only He would have it, we were quickly reminded why we are here this week and our energy was restored once we got on the bus to start our day. We were greeted with open arms by old friends we had worked with in the past. It was nice to see some familiar faces and to be able to catch up! The service we attended this morning was a tad bit long (3 hours...a little, okay, really long for this girl) but the message was good. It was about the Truths of Living a Tremendous Life....now, how about that for a Sunday morning! And I would say the 10 of us feel as though we have had some pretty tremendous opportunities here this past week and know more lay ahead for us in the days to come.

After the service ended is when everything went away for me. We walked out of the service and got to meet up with the kids from the orphanage. So many of the kids from last year are still in the orphanage, so it was absolutely fantastic to reunite with all of them. Their precious smiles, tight hugs and sweet kisses are enough to make a person want to buy them a plane ticket to come home with me!! Then when they call you Auntie and thank you a million times for coming to see them....well, there really isn't anything better! I mean, really, they are thanking us for coming to see them and for all the things we have bought for their house. For example, they thanked us for the washing machine we bought them. I didn't even know what a washing machine was until I moved out of the house and I sure as heck never thanked my parents for buying us one when I was younger.

Then we got to meet precious Sthuthi. Wow, what a miracle!! For those of you who don't know the story of Sthuthi, our friend Jacob rescued her last year from a mother who felt her only choice was to poison her because she was born prematurely. She weighed 2.2 pounds when she was born....she now weighs about 14 pounds and is interacting with all of us...laughing, playing, and smiling huge!! It was a huge gift to all of us, as sometimes we don't really "see" the impact we (I include all of you in the "we") have in India, but to see Sthuthi and how she has grown and developed was absolutely amazing!

So, all of your thoughts and prayers were answered throughout the day and I think we were able to allow His love and compassion to flow through us and we were able to feel it, too. Which was a good thing and something I think we all needed. Those kids are a breath of fresh air and rejuvenating. Many of them will grow up to be forces in India and will be fighting the world of injustice when they get older.

So, onward to our next mission. We will be traveling a lot this week, so please keep our team in your prayers. Please pray for safe travels, stamina, and our continued focus on spreading His love and compassion throughout India.

Katie

Uncertainity is a scary thing...

As our team gathered this morning, it became very clear how comfortable we were last week and how uncomfortable and uncertain we are with what lies ahead. It is the point where we are being tested in our patience, in our faith, and our ability to see and remember why we are here.

We were blessed to have the comforts of knowing the plan and working the plan last week. Now, we have to trust the chaos of uncertainty.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers today as we go forward to understand what we need to do today and the days ahead. Please pray for guidance, for faith, for compassion and love to flow through us, and to see His plan through the chaos.

Thank you for your unending support and prayers.

Katie

Week one...check!

Well, we are on now on our last stretch of being in India. As we drove into our new destination today, we are realizing how lucky we have been the past week. The traffic was horrendous...imagine the worst traffic jam you have ever been in and multiple it by a hundred. Well, honestly, the traffic jam probably wasn't the worst of it. It is the fact that all the cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, etc, in India don't have much for exhaust pipes and I'm not sure many of them ever get an oil change....or at least not every 3000 miles. The pollution, the smog, the exhaust, was almost unbearable. In fact, a couple people got a bit nauseous, most of us put on masks to breathe, the backs of our throats were sore, and our faces had a layer of dirt from all the dirt and dust. It was quite an experience. We quickly realized how awesome our accommodations were last week and how much cleaner and less congested it was there. I never thought I would say that in India....it actually didn't even feel like India last week.

I'm not sure there are quite words to describe this past week, but I feel as though we all have a knowing that we touched people's lives this week and each one of our lives have been touched. We provided almost 800 physicals in 4 days...simply amazing!! We also had the opportunity to see so many other areas of India in need and areas in which TEAM India can focus our mission and efforts. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Tim and Karla....they are doing amazing work here in India!!

We finished up the physicals yesterday so we didn't have to see any children today for physicals. However, we did head back to the school to finish filling the prescriptions and the staff and children at the school wanted to do a program for us. Tim and Karla both stated it would be a "short" program and we would be leaving the center around 1ish to get on the road to travel to our next destination. Well, two things... 1. We didn't leave the center until about 2:30. 2. I hope when we host guests in America, they feel as important and appreciated as much as I did today. As I sat there and looked at the clock and noticed this program was now going on for over a hour, I found myself a bit irritated and my stomach was growling because well, it was about 12:30 and it seems as though all we have done the past week is eat. (Yes, I know, we come to a developing country where people are starving everywhere and we gain weight...I didn't think it was possible) Anyways, I sat back and brought myself back to reality. First, I wasn't experiencing real hunger...the children we helped this week have all experienced real hunger pains. Many of them told us they had terrible headaches and stomachaches on Saturday and Sunday....well, that happens when you don't eat all day and you only eat at school. Second, I realized how much time and effort the children and teachers put into this program. How precious this time was that myself and our team were being honored and blessed for the time we had spent there this week and our efforts. They were showing us their gratitude through songs, skits, and dances. All for us.....they planned a whole program for us. Needless to say, I sat back in my chair, clapped to the rhythm of the songs, admired all the children and teachers in the audience, and soaked it all up!!

As we waved goodbye to all the children, many of them gathered around us to shake our hands to say goodbye. They just want to touch our hands. They want to speak what little English they know to us. They want to know our names. They want to look us in the eye. They just want to be close to us. They just want to be noticed. When you say their name, they blush, they look down, and shy away, but are SO excited you honored them by knowing their name. When you ask them what they want to do when they grow up, they give the standard answer, but you can see the yearning in their eyes, the curiosity spinning in their minds, and the burning desire to tell you more...but their is this language barrier. Even though we couldn't always understand the words they say, we understand their hearts and to the best of our ability we tried to touch each one of their hearts this week. It was simply amazing.

We have been blessed...and we still have 6 more days to go. Tomorrow we get to celebrate Sthuthi's 1st birthday at the orphanage. It will be great to see the kids again this year and give them all lots and lots of love! Again, we appreciate your support and prayers....each day we extend your love and hearts....some many children in India have been blessed because of your support. AND the 10 people on this team have been blessed a million times over because of you....thank you!

Katie

Some more pics...

So Much to Blog About...

There is so many stories to tell about the past few days. Honestly, we have had experiences of a lifetime and probably ones many will never ever have the opportunity to hear about, let alone see and witness first hand....AND to be able to give back just a smidge...not much, but perhaps a drop in the ocean.

Again, I am falling asleep as I write this, but hopefully I can at least give you a little bit of what we have experienced over the past few days. It's been a hectic, crazy, exhausting, exhilarating, mentally draining, hopeful 3 days.

During our medical camps, we saw approximately 480 children. Each child was provided a dental assessment with treatment on Thursday and Friday, a medical physical, which many have never received, and an eye exam. The medical camp was held in a house located two houses down from the school. There were 3 clinical rooms set up in the single car garage, Pat and John conducted physicals in a room off the garage, and my mom and I completed eye exams in the living room of the house. We can improvise with the best of 'em! It was awesome and so much fun to work with the little kids. They were all terrified we were going to give them injections when they came in. Fear and terror were written all over their face, but they soon figured out we weren't as scary as we looked! : ) It was just an incredible couple of days....I am so blessed to be working with these 9 people....they are all pretty much amazing. And Tim and Karla and their staff are the bomb, too!!

Just one short story about the medical camp. A girl came into the camp on Monday and she had on a sweater, a long sleeve button up shirt, and a scarf. Remind you it is 90 degrees here. Her skin was so dry and it appeared as though she had been severely burned. Her hair was thinning like a 90 year old woman....she looked so old and frail....trapped in a 10 year old's body. After assessing her and understanding a little bit of her story, we sent her to the hospital and had several conversations with her grandmother and eventually with her mother. She has a severe skin disease (Carla or John will have to explain it better later), but it appeared her skin was so dry everywhere and it was just flaking off. She said it hurt to be in the sun. She was a little slow and couldn't communicate very well with us at all. She was so precious....her beautiful eyes just looked at us with pleas for help....although, I'm not sure she even knew she needed it...and I know she didn't think she was worthy of it. My writing doesn't even come close to explaining this story well enough....basically, after two days of talking with the mother and grandmother, we came to the conclusion that she is not receiving the treatment she needs and she is most likely not wanted in her home. Her mother doesn't want her....she is not wanted. She is a burden.

Yep...there are many more stories like that from our first two days of medical camp.

Then, today...whoa...it was a heavy day!!! Carla said it was our day off, but I have found that our days off quickly become our busiest days. So...I have a lot to say about this day...but I'm falling asleep...so I will write more tomorrow. But I do have to tell you one story.

We went to an Indian prison today...amazing! Amazing, but I had a stomachache the entire time walking through the compound. We walked through the different sections for men and women. Walking through the women's section was absolutely brutal. There didn't seem to be even a glimmer of hope....the face's of these women...so bleak and hopeless. Their eyes just empty. It was heart-wrenching. Some of these women are in jail for homicide, etc....but, some are in jail for being sex trafficking. However, they were being sold...they didn't have any papers, and they got picked up. The police didn't go find the pimp...they throw the woman in jail. And in India, you are guilty until proven innocent. THEN, on the way to our next stop, we found out some of these women are in jail because they have a debt. A debt of a 1000 rupees. If you don't know the conversion rate....well, that is about $20. With all the rupees I had in my bag...I could have freed about 6 women...still might...the trip isn't over yet.

Anyways...it was amazing. Then we went to a beggar's colony, a government hospital, and a nursing home (A Home for the Aged, as they call it here). An amazing day and I learned so much....and have a new appreciation for healthcare, cleanliness, four stable walls, a roof over my head, and my own room.

I will do my best to blog tomorrow to fill you in on the other adventures we took today. I'm off to bed. We have our next medical camp tomorrow, so I have to be ready for those eye exams. H-V-O-T.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We can feel them and appreciate them more than you know.

Katie

PS...I think the jet lag is kinda starting to go away for most of us. We are still fighting the food battle, but I'm not sure we can win that one! :)

A New Love for Shoes

So, I have always liked shoes, but now I know how I can put that desire for new shoes to good use!! As we did over 480+ physicals over the past two days, we saw children of all ages with their cute little green checkered shirts, their green shorts, their ADORABLE green tie, either white or green socks (that usually were WAY too big and held up by rubber bands), and their black shoes. More often than not the black shoes had holes in the toes, the soles were wore down to the ground, the child had outgrown the shoes MONTHS ago, or the straps and the seams had come out of half the shoe, so it now has become a slip on shoe...even though the other shoe still is on. Imagine running through the streets with one shoe on and one shoe off. Imagine having your socks on, but your toes stick out the front of your shoe. Imagine if your shoes were two sizes too big...or three sizes too small. Imagine walking with a shoe that only covered half of your foot. Just imagine walking through the cleanest streets of America like that....now imagine it in a place where you walk next cows, trash fills the sides of the street, open sewage lines one side of the street, and there really is no such thing as a sidewalk through the neighborhood. Just imagine...

So, my goal....to buy 900 children a pair of shoes every year. I want each child to feel what I feel when I go buy a new pair of shoes. I want them to feel motivated (it's usually what I do to motivate myself to workout!). I want them to feel special. I want them to feel worthy. I want them to feel proud. I want them to know they are important and their bodies are important and precious....even their feet.

They are worth it...

Katie

A few pics for ya...

A Day between...

Yesterday it came down to the wirre at the end of school day to finish the last of 480+ physicals before school was dismissed. We ate lunch in shifts to keep the flow going and when the announcement was made that we had 40 physicals to complete in 25 minutes, the team responded beautifully without compromising compassion and love for each precious child and we finished on time!! Way to go TEAM India!!

Today, we take a break from physicals (the children aren't in school today) and have some rich opportunities planned. First we will have breakfast with a couple who are professional networkers and just entering the work of anti-human trafficking, Then I will lead a Study with women at church. My topic is the role and value of women, so those of you who know me, know I'm thrilled to do this one! Meanwhile, Pat and Jane will handle getting all medicine and follow-up needs of students from school #1 transferred to the head mistress who will see to it that the kids who need further care and treatment actually receive it. The rest of the team will set up for physicals that start tomorrow at school #2. In the afternoon, a variety of activities are planned, including visiting a women's prison, a hospital (for infectious disease like TB, AIDS, etc) and a nursing home. Hopefully, there will be a bit of time left over for much needed relaxing and maybe even a little shopping!

Thanks to all of you who are praying for us!! You have no idea how much we appreciate that and feel your support and prayers.