Hope.: Day 45 recap

Well today was my last day in the slums, hard to believe! I worked in the preschool in the morning and spent some sweet time with Konkwa while she did mehindi for me (henna drawings on my arms). Then during our lunch break we came upon some creepy mannequin heads that had been donated to rahab’s rope (its hilarious to see all the things that a non profit can accumulate- everyone wants to donate anything they can but it can amount to a very peculiar collection of items). Of course since we had three hours to kill while the rest of india took a nap we came up with different activities that the mannequins could do and took pictures of them. Some of the pictures are below for some comic relief. In the afternoon we had another bag making class for the women. It has been so cool to see all the items that Rahab’s sells in their gainsville store being made here and getting to meet the women that make them! Rebecca, a staff member from Rahab’s came last week and will be here for 3 years to help develop more ways that rahab’s can get women off the street and making things to learn a skill and earn a living. She’s coming up with many different product designs so that eventually we wont just be teaching women to sew and then graduating them to go find their own jobs but we can provide them with a job making things for the store and paying them a steady income.

Everyday we have been putting antibiotics on Ruppa's leg, the little girl who was burned badly. Today was her birthday and she asked for some chocolate. I brought her some chocolate to eat hoping that it would also distract her when we cleaned her leg, as it is very painful. Instead she gave most of it away and the last piece she had she split with me. I was overwhelmed by her generosity when she has nothing, even on her birthday. I gave her my camera to distract her since she gave all the chocolate away and the children are fascinated by cameras. She documented me cleaning her leg and even her leg itself. Ill spare you from seeing her leg, it is a lot to handle and im still shocked everytime i go through my pictures when i see it.

I also walked out on the beach one last time in the slums. As you may have seen in some of the pictures, the slum backs right up to the ocean which is a beautiful and haunting sight all at once. I went out there and took a few pictures so you can see. After taking the pictures I looked a little closer and realized that men were lined all up and down the shore, squatting. I thought they had just been meditating by the beach but soon realized that they were naked, and yes, going to the bathroom all up and down the beach. I couldn’t even bring myself to think about what I had not only walked through, but what all these children are playing in and people are living in everyday.

Then I had our last nutrition class, so sad! I got to teach the women but afterwards all they wanted to ask about was whether I would wear my Indian clothes in America. They are fascinated with American culture and especially how little American girls wear compared to how much Indian women cover up! After we handed out food and finished discussing America’s lack of modesty, my sweet friend sanjena asked me to pray for her. I said I would and when she dragged me outside and into a corner I realized that she meant she wanted me to pray with her right then not just in general. It was a wonderful way to end the day, getting to pray over here and then taking one last picture with all the women.

After all of this, we had Leila come over to the house for dinner and we gave her her first pedicure! She was so reluctant to let anyone touch her feet because in India they are considered so dirty but in the end it was a great way to show her how much we loved her and wanted to be close to her, even when that includes her feet. It was also a great way to share the story of how Jesus washed the disciples feet, and their feet were even dirtier than Indian feet (which is hard to imagine). A few weeks ago we got to wash the feet of the children in the slums and share that story too- it has brought so much more meaning to that story now that I see what feet are like when you walk everywhere with only sandals on. Especially after my experience on the beach. We walk through more than I would ever want to imagine and its dirty. Jesus truly loved his disciples.

Reflecting on my time with these women, I cannot believe how much the Lord trusted me with. I am so honored that these women would let me into their personal hurt and joy and that the Lord would trust me with their hearts. Its hard to let yourself open up to these people and be opened up to hurting for them, but its hard for them to let us in as well and Im so honored that I got to live with them for these two months.

Happy Birthday Ruppa!