Shoot for the Stars

Greetings as you emBark with us on our last destination: ...home!
Throughout our journey we have climbed mountains, awakened to the peacocks song, taught health classes to orphan children, and taught the value of women to the poor, powerless, beaten, and destitute. We have lived withe many orphans and ate what they ate, slept how they slept, adapted their style of toilet use (which was pretty difficult at first). We  have regularly worn traditional clothing, learned the significance of various festivals, and seen the effects on Hinduism and the caste system of today's society.
The children, staff at Bethania Kids, and the friends we have made in India have taught us the value of family, community and the beauty of life in the midst of suffering, struggle, and poverty. They have taught us that there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome.
We hope that our blogs have encouraged you the past for months. And we encourage you to cherish your family, community, and all that you have because all things in life are a gift to be cherished.

Serve and love others with your whole heart and never give up because you could lose all that you have in a moment.

Serving the people of India was not always easy, but it was always a tremendous blessing.
When I, Erica, first decision to teach health in India alone (Catherine joined the team later), many thought I had lost my mind, and, now, here we are with a boatload of memories and over 200 orphan brothers and sisters and a many communities we can call home. We have also taught health, English, music, and massage, which changed the lives of more people than we know of.
So...! remember: Follow yours dreams, don't give up, and shoot for the stars.

Also, we are writing this on a friends phone, so we will add pictures from the last orphanage mid-November. 

Recapturing the Wonder

 Greetings from India!

The nearest Town is about Hour from where we live.

Our Remote Resting and Work Place

We hope that all is well in the states and pray that each and every one of your friends and family is safe and well.

Thus far, our trip has been filled with adventure, love, and unspeakable joy!







 Your money donated and support have contributed in changing the lives of more than 300 people in the poverty-stricken areas of India, and we hope  and pray to help many more.

Throughout this trip, we have had great joy in serving the children, churches, and various groups of India. Some activities have included:

Teaching a group of women with HIV about health & the value of women.

Teaching health classes daily.

And teaching an English class through the use of videos.

 However, though there has been much joy it has not come without some privileged trials or two.

Some trials have been:

Humorous

While others have been:

 a bit Toilsome 

Some humorous trials have include: 

• Catherine getting chased by a large, growling monkey
• A monkey stealing a diet coke from our room
• Girls & boys producing unexpected displays of animals such as: dead rats, live snakes and forest crabs, and colorful, giant june bugs
•  Falling over stairs during power outages at night and generally roasting in our room when the fans go out during these interesting events occur
• And, almost getting ran over by a bus...TWICE (which is not an abnormal occurrence due to the interesting traffic norms)

On the other hand, some toilsome trials have included:

•  Enduring each other in our good AND bad moods in the neverending heat!
• Developing a cycle of continual lice... (We both think that the lice have created a permanent home with us!...)
• Thorns in Catherine's foot due to some intense mountain hiking, and some uncomfortable skin allergies on Catherine's hands
• And, having the daily struggle of awaiting water from the pipe of nearly dried up well or seeking water from a public area. (Each day we are extremely careful to conserve the water we have due to the fact that we are not sure of the next time we will find a sufficient amount of water to wash clothes and dishes, cook, drink, and bathe)

So...All in all, our trip has been full of great joys and struggles. And at times we have lost the motivation to move forward since we are so close to the end of our travels and have had to say goodbye to so many people we have grown to love.

However, in the midst of it all we are gradually learning to recapture the wonder and love of the land of India that we had when we first began.

Home is: Where the Heart Is

Greetings,
A couple days ago we moved to our new home, which has been difficult yet extremely rewarding.

We actually ended up leaving our home in the mountains one day early due to some political uproar and disturbances among the people of the state. We are grateful to be safe in the midst of this troubling time.

Although we left many people that we loved dearly, we both know that it is truly for the best. The girls at this orphanage are small in number, but big in heart. Upon our midnight arrival, they awaited us and greeted us with open arms and smiles on their faces.

We are both extremely excited to teach health, English, and spiritual classes of encouragement to the children of this new forest home we have entered.

In the midst of all the change and adjustment, we have been continually learning that home is not among the previous places we have been (although we do miss them dearly),

But home will always be where:

Our Heart and Hope Is.