I have been back for a couple days now and have only just begun to process my experience in India. I am SO glad that I went. I was fortunate to be with an amazing group of people who were supportive, knowledgeable and encouraging. Friends and family at home were great about supporting my kids during my absence and it appears they did just fine without me - the same can't be said for Audrey's fish who didn't survive my absence. I always suspected I was the only one who fed him.....
The organizers of the trip prepared us well. All my clothes and suitcases were sprayed for bugs. I brought deet, antibiotics, ear plugs, toilet paper, two toothbrushes (in the event that I would forget and rinse the toothbrush in their unclean water and have to throw one out - wasting no time, I did this the first day I was there.) I stayed mostly healthy and came back bug free (I think) and with all my limbs (very sure).
What I wasn't at all prepared for was the emotional experience of being in India. I know there was a large part of India that I didn't see so I want to be careful about my generalizations. So, speaking to the part of India I did see, the experience was complete sensory overload. India was LOUD, dirty, crowded, chaotic and beautiful all at the same time. I have never been around so many people. I am amazed we didn't die in a bus accident. Lanes are painted on some of the roads but definitely not used. Horns are used ALL THE TIME. At one point we were driving (intentionally) the wrong way down the highway because our side was backed up. I'm not kidding. It appears this is acceptable. You just lay on the horn and drive.
I rode in a rickshaw and a tuk tuk - both very cool experiences. We took a boat on the Ganges river. The Ganges is a sacred river for people of the Hindu faith. There is a crematorium on the river where some Hindu's bring their dead and then throw their ashes in the river. This was definitely not one of my favorite sites but I felt like some of these experiences gave me a broader understanding of the culture.
The beautiful part of India? The 500+ children at Open Arms India's Good News Campus. Oh the children. Their smiles every day melted my heart. They were worth the 24+ hours of travel, the jet lag and the sensory overload. Most of the children are either orphans or are there because their family can't take care of them. They live at the campus, attend school, church, are fed and loved. I had the amazing privilege of working alongside the team to provide medical checks of each child. When we weren't telling them to breathe deeply and open their mouths to look at their teeth, we were playing, singing and hanging out with them. Their smiles were infectious. For children who have so little by our standards, they were so happy. They LOVED having us at their campus. They enjoyed the simplest things - tag, Simon says, hula hoops. One afternoon I hit a beach ball back and forth with about 6 teenage boys for at least 20 minutes. I couldn't help but think that Mason would be bored of this game in about 5 minutes. These boys would have kept going if our ball hadn't deflated.
I feel so honored to have lived among the children and caretakers during the week+ that we were with them. They taught me a lot about simplicity and love. Good things are happening at the campus and through Open Arms India. I don't think these kids would be safe, well fed and loved in the same way if they didn't have this campus. At my church this Sunday, Countryside Community Church, we will have information on the trip and ways to sponsor kids in India through Open Arms. They are doing great things and loving kids in India. I would encourage you to check it out.
So, how do I take what I learned and experienced and integrate it in my life here? I'm not sure yet. I think it will take time to figure it out but I know that I am changed by my experience in India. As I sit in my QUIET house, drinking water from my tap I have a new appreciation for what I have. I also have all the love from 500 children that I brought back with me. How lucky am I?
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