My India Mission Trip Dec 17, 2014 - January 4, 2015

My trip to India was both the best and worst experience of my life. Never before have I been taken so far out of my comfort zone. As I know and expected, the Indian culture is completely different than our own American society; talk about culture shock! I went to India to volunteer and work with homeless children. Our group wanted to make a difference in their lives but I know that it was clearly our lives that were changed forever. I travelled with a group from my cousin's church, Living Waters Lutheran Church from Peoria, IL. Our group's lead family's parents were both from India and they knew six of the India Hindi dialects. Please know as you read this blog, I will be describing the harsh realities I witnessed. To honor the Republic of India Government's wishes and to respect the children, I cannot post pictures of our group working with the beautiful people of India.

Paul, Sumitha, Sunar and Suneet, Sophie and I with one of our guides

When we first met with the "street kids", everyone was watching the other group. For the kids, they had ever seen blonde, blue-eyed Americans before. For our group, we had ever before seen children  that were so neglected, hungry and craving for love. The amazing part was all the kids were so excited to meet and see us! They couldn't stop smiling. It was contagious. Our first meeting with the kids they performed dances for us, we talked, and gave them gifts for Christmas. We also learned about each other. Over that first meeting, I learned that the kids all had mothers, but that did not mean much. In order to have food and money, the mothers had taught their children to beg. The harsh reality is that the younger and more sick you looked, the more money passerby's will give you, to take home to your mother. When the girls were old enough, they went to work in the brothels with their mothers. The relationship between mother and child was not one of love, it was a means to an end.

The second time we met was when the kids performed their dances for the community. Until this point, we did not met the kids where they lived. It was explained to us that if we met the kids on the streets and passed out gifts, we would be swarmed. India has an unimaginable number of homeless people trying to service, with no government assistance or programs available. There are many amazing people and organizations working to stop the hunger and poverty in India, but the need is simply too great. Everywhere you look, there is a homeless person forced to beg for food to feed themselves. They have no clean drinking water, no shelter, no family and no help.

The third and final time I was able to meet with the kids was on the streets, where they live. Christmas morning on the side of a polluted river, we finally gained enough courage to pass out food directly to those kids and the surrounding homeless people. As we walked up, we were treated with giant smiles and hugs. After passing out breakfast, we were able to look around. The water source where they went to the bathroom was also their primary drinking water source. Most didn't have clothes let alone blankets for the cold nights. They didn't know what school was. The list is endless. . .

What struck me the most is that even in having nothing, the children were full of life. They couldn't stop smiling or playing around. In the worst situation I have ever seen, they were filled with joy. They have never heard of "retail therapy" before. They didn't need it. They were truly thankful for everything they were given and had. That cannot be said for children in the US.

This was one group of many I worked with in India. After such an experience, you can't help but look at your own life and think how much we take everything for granted. Be grateful for what you have been given and what you have in your life because there are others that couldn't even dream for a fraction of what we all have.