India.

Kevin returned from India a few days ago. What an experience he had. I wrote in my last blog post that we both were given an awesome opportunity.....but I'd like to focus on his first. Mine will be another post.

The kids. Kevin said the kids were amazing. There was no other way to describe them. They lived together, did school together, ate together......they do life together. About 30 kids in one orphanage and about 15 more in Pastor Nandu's home......he's the amazing man who started the Grace Children's Home where Kevin visited in India.

If anyone read my post a few months back about the terrible nightmare I had about India,
this picture is similar to what I imagined there.

A little background......we help sponsor 3 children in this particular orphanage. Meena is a beautiful little girl about Lilly's age. We've been loving her for about 3 years. We recently took on 2 other sweet children who were brought to Grace Life not long ago by their mother who was unable to care for them. Their names are Bindya and Binhan....brother and sister.

The kids wore makeup just for traditional Indian dances and then took it off. Don't be alarmed!

The kids loved Kevin. There were several kids who wouldn't leave his side. That's Meena in yellow.

Kevin went on and on about how good the kids were. How well behaved and how they loved getting lot's of attention from our team of short term missionaries. Kevin is quite the large man, standing about 6'5" and said the kids LOVED him! They climbed his body like a tree and swung on his arms. And my husband is a serious kid person so he totally loved it all. Since he was, hands down, the tallest person anywhere they went, he also said people came up to him and touched his muscles and the veins that were visible through his skin!

At one time, I wondered if it is better for these kids to be together in India. Would it really benefit them to leave everything and everyone they know and come to America or another country to be cared for? Would it be just too great a shock? Would it end up being more detrimental to them?

Sweet Meena. She was shy and took more to the ladies than the men in the group. She endured previous abuse.

Pastor Nandu told Kevin it would be wonderful and much more beneficial for these kids to be adopted out of the country. He is actually in the process of working through what needs to be done to open the kids up to this. Can you imagine? How wonderful.....not just for the kids.....but for us who may be willing, as well. What an awesome privilege that would be.

Pastor Nandu. One amazing dude.

Pastor Nandu is one unbelievable guy. He's planted over 25 churches in India and began this amazing place to give unwanted children a home. He's saved about 50 kids from the streets and continues to do so.

One of the street kids our team encountered. Nandu went back the next day to bring this child to the orphanage.

Kevin said they would be in a little village and Nandu would see homeless kids running around. He would enquire about them and if he found out they were indeed homeless, he would make plans to go back the next day and see if the kids would be willing to come with him to the orphanage.

Bidhan. My gallery, Sanctuary of Davidson, sponsors him.

I've never done anything that courageous in my life. What a calling God has given him. He also showed Kevin additional land he wants to use to open more orphanages.

I've had several people ask me what they can do or how they can help after they found out why Kevin went to India. So, Kevin asked Pastor Nandu and here is what he needs:

1. 4 computers......2 for the boys to share and 2 for the girls.
2. Bicycles for the kids. Ideally about 15.
3. Portable lockers for the kids to store their belongings.

Kevin is working on how to raise funds to buy these for Nandu through a special Christmas fund. And if anyone would like to contribute to this, just email me at kristenfeighery@gmail.com.

If you have any other questions about the Grace Life Orphanage, give me a holler! I can find out anything you'd like to know!