Building...

The other day Jason, Glen and I sat on the sidewalk with Kalai, A. Gayathri and Parimala. At first, we asked each other questions. We asked how school was, if they liked it, what they liked, what they wanted to be etc. The conversations went all over that they asked us questions like, if we had a swimming pool to how much a brick costs. That was really great but it got really cool when they started to teach us Bible verses in Tamil. They gave us each a memory verse to learn by January. I’m so excited, I almost have mine down. Parimala gave me mine. It was her memory verse from 2 years ago. She’s studying in the 8^th Standard (grade) and her ambition is to be a missionary and go to the far reaches where people do not know Jesus. I’m so proud to get to know her and encourage her. I’m also proud that she has taught me a Tamil (and English) memory verse from Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you and I will never forsake you.”

Then another day the littler girls were working on something with downed palm branches. Here’s one trick to helping here…don’t ask if you can help; that answer is an obvious, “No Aunty!” But, I just sat down with Malar and chatted with her as I watched what she was doing. Then, I asked a few questions and before she knew it, I was helping her and the other girls make brooms! Not only was I helping but it was a great time to get to know them better. I found out that Malar knows more than the hand games she LOVES to play and has very good English.

I’ve had several chances to sit and talk with Freena, she asks about our family and friends back home and tells me “God willing I will come visit some day.” We’ve had a chance to talk about what the family of God means to us personally. And we’ve talked about the cultural differences and the fear and danger that is abundant in India, especially for young girls. We’ve laughed together and shared our concerns.

Today, I went to the girls’ dorm in the late afternoon and it was hysterical. They were so wound. They were joking around and pushing each other and telling me all sorts of silly things. They were trying to trick me to put my arms in the air to tickle me. I’m so often reminded of how very much alike we all are. Despite vast cultural differences in dress, social interaction, food, etc, we have so many similarities. We all want to be loved, we all want attention, we all want to laugh, and we all joke about the same silly things. I think about the tower of Babel and how everyone understood each other. I can’t count how many times I was talked to in Tamil today, and a lot of times I just said WHAT?? And laughed and sometimes, more than I thought I would, I eventually understood. If we’re trying hard enough, we can be connected.

Tomorrow we will start teaching English at the school. That was one of the objectives of coming here. But it is clear to me that we’ve already begun reaching a higher objective that Christ sets. We are totally loved and are giving love in this place. We are building the family of Christ. And I don’t mean, me, Jason, Zaili and Glen…I mean all of us here at Carmel. The work is being done. Praise God for the amazing love he freely gives and sets as an example!