Joy Redeemed

25 May 2013

We’ve been here at Shishya for over a month now, so I (Amanda) suppose it’s time to give my perspective like we promised! I have hesitated because, to be honest, the return here has been a bit bittersweet for me… 

In some ways it has been such a dream to introduce my husband to the boys who first stole my heart! Danny has quickly and seamlessly become a part of this family. The boys love him (of course!), and his gifts/skills have been so useful here on the farm. Last week a lizard got into the water pump electrical box and fried up the motor, resulting in no water for three days. Danny helped lead the repair work… he was totally in his element!


He has also been working on a design for the small boys’ house remodeling project. I love seeing him thrive here and fall in love with this place & these boys just like I have. My heart is so happy!

It has also been sweet to reconnect with the boys—what a privilege to watch them grow up… to see them go from this...

 to this… 

...to see them grow from silly boys into mature young men. Seeds of faith and love have been planted and watered in each of their lives, and now they have grown and are ready to be the farmers, planting these same seeds into the next generation. Truly they are a bright hope for India! I am humbled to think that I was one among the many to pour into them as children, and it brings me great joy to see the fruit of their lives now!

However… this past month has not been all joy for me. Returning to a place that you have already left can be challenging, like visiting your high school after you’ve graduated. While once my role here was so clear, I came back this time wondering, “Where do I fit now?” Much of my frustration/disappointment, I believe, had to do with just letting go of expectations. Things will not be exactly the same as before—and that’s okay. Marriage offers new avenues of service—ones that I could never have done alone—and I am seeing that two really are better than one. J
 

Returning was also difficult because, in many ways, I feel like I closed my heart to this place the last time I left—maybe even more than I realized. Reopening it again has been a bit of a painful process, but already I can see the good, healing work God is doing in my heart.

And so, the joy is returning full force, with birthdays...

and tooth fairy visits...

and a "Japanese" sumo wrestling night.

 

Of course, the world's best pancakes in Mussouri don’t hurt either... ;-)
 
My heart is full!

Normal Life

15 May 2013

Although we realize that we threw “normal” out the window when we came on this trip, life in India is beginning to feel somewhat, well… normal. We thought we’d share a glimpse of what that looks like for us here at Shishya.


Shishya Home was started over 30 years ago by Ken & Frieda McRae, friends of Amanda’s family. Both Ken and Frieda came to India on the “hippy trail” back in the 70’s, ended up finding Christ, finding each other, and devoting the rest of their lives to showing Christ’s love to the people here. Today, a loving community consisting of a home for 35 boys and a school that serves over 500 children from the surrounding villages is clear evidence of God’s grace and decades of selfless labor.

We are privileged to join this community for our six weeks here in India. We live on the bottom floor of this house, with five other volunteers as our neighbors.


The campus is on a farm, and everyone has his daily chores to keep things going. It’s amazing to see the hard work ethic and lack of complaining that these boys have developed at such a young age. This was especially evident during the wheat harvest, with everyone working extra long hours, both morning and night, for three weeks. A special thanks to Jeff & Ade for the end-of-harvest chow mein party!


We have especially loved jumping into this Shishya family and, in particular, interacting with the boys…

swimming… 

play time… 

lunch time…


We have also continued to host small groups of boys at our home, to spoil them with a good meal and to spend some more intimate time together.


Last night we celebrated Ashutosh’s birthday with paneer, cake, and lots of laughter. With four hungry teenage boys, we were lucky to have any food left in the house at the end of the night!


We are finding that hospitality is a tangible way for us to use our gifts to serve together. And as we seek to encourage the boys and staff here at Shishya, we ourselves are greatly encouraged along the way.

Cultural Experiences

08 May 2013

Given our love for food and people (in no particular order), we thought it would be fun to have  groups of the boys over to our home in the coming weeks for a break from the usual rice and dahl.

Although ingredients are somewhat limited, we decided to try Thai Chicken Wraps, a recipe Danny learned from missionary friends, Phil and Emily Greene (who we’ll be staying with in Africa)!

So, we headed to the nearby town in this sweet ride (turns out Danny is a bit taller than the average Indian)...

...and stumbled upon a promising chicken shop. Surely they'd have the boneless, pre-packaged chicken breasts we were looking for.

So while Amanda was off getting her eyebrows threaded, Danny, in very broken Hindi, asked the guy for 1 kilo of chicken. He promptly went to a cage and brought out this little guy.
No, no, Danny said… we wanted the chicken meat, not a live chicken. Nodding, the man grabbed its neck and did a twisting motion, indicating he fully intended to give us the meat, not the chicken. Oh.

Ten minutes and one chopped up chicken later, we left with a plastic bag full of what would be dinner.

Yum! If the licked plates were any indication, we think the Thai wraps went over pretty well… (if they didn't like it, it was a good "cultural experience!")

...leaving just enough room for banana spice cake. Happy Birthday, Frankey!

We also introduced them to the game "Fishbowl." We laughed 'til our sides ached, and it brought us great joy to see the boys having such a good time. We're looking forward to many more fun dinner parties to come!