Pick up your cross and follow me..

Today was the presentation of the dances and the songs the girls had written- it was so awesome! They performed SO WELL!!!! The center also got a new PA system which was really big to them so it was amazing to experience with them the first time they got to use the PA system!

Today was sad because everywhere we went we saw little kids on the floor and just with barely nothing. We went to the redlight district in Nagpur and as I close my eyes I can still see the girls standing by the doors. None of them looked happy- they all looked trapped and they were all YOUNG! You can just look in their eyes and see the sadness seeping out… I wish I could run out the car and hold them all telling them it is all going to be okay… but instead we drove by in our car off to our safe home and our own beds…. Does taking up our cross and following Christ include this?

John Piper had said that through our suffering we are able to exemplify Christ and his suffering. He said that Paul teaches us that through our suffering we can show the Christ in us to others- to those who did not witness the suffering of Christ- we then carry out His work through our suffering…

So then when we see women exploited what do we do- how do we cry out for them, how do we fight for injustice- is there a REAL way to do these things.. where is the borders made- are we called to suffer in a way that we are in physical pain or is emotional the same? Do we need to lose something like a family member to be considered suffering? I am not sure… I am not sure what I am called to do… pick up your cross and follow me… Lord what do I do now? How do I show Christ to them? My heart was sinking faster than I thought… and then we came across the girls who were known as the 50 rupee women… sex for 50 rupees- ONE DOLLAR…. So sad… sex that was created to be something so beautiful is used for evil.

Monday

Today we tied Bible verses to the song Aal iz well.  The song is a bollywood song that talks about don’t worry about anything because All is ok- All is well! Why is that true for Christians?

We are told not to worry about tomorrow for tomorrow brings its own worries… do not worry about what we wear or eat, etc because God is concerned with every detail of our lives he even dresses the lilies of the vallies and he is connected with every part of our lives. All is well with us because God is in control and he has given us promises we can rely on…

With the older girls we had a session on desperation and desire- how desperate are you to be with God,  these stories of people in the bible of those who wanted to be healed had pressed forward through the crowd, tried everything from lowering a friend from the roof to exposing yourself to others all because they were DESPERATE for God. We had a long amazing session of prayer for passion and hunger in our lives. Praying that our desire for him turns into desperation and only grows from day to do.

The amazing thing is that Leela had been praying for these girls and praying that these girls get a desire and passion in their hearts which was So ON POINT with what we were trying to tell these girls- that is only the word of the Holy Spirit- to have Him work in the lives of the workers before our team arrived… awesome!

Another awesome thing was Adono and Anu (the workers of the Delhi Home of Hope) said they were praying and listening to a song that said I had a dream and I saw Jesus and he took all our pain away- and the girls started to cry- WHICH IS AMAZING that they had a breakthrough and that even at the age of 6 they can feel and understand God.. they have been having nightmares of Hindu gods trying to kill them so this song made them feel so good so they decided to do a dance to this song. They were praying to God so that he will help them with the dance and create moves that will Glory God--- amazing praise report!!!!! God is so great… these seeds that were planted- God totally took it to another level!

our performance

Michelle and Rebecca played the guitar, Stephanie played the Violin and I sang the song The Conquering Lion:
The Conquering Lion
Shall break every chain
He will wipe every tear away
He will take all my hurt and pain

He will lead me to springs of living water
He will Shepherd me.


And the Lord he will come to us
with a strong hand, and mighty outstretched arm
and the Lord he Will shepherd us and the Lord he will lead us to fountains of living water

Sunday

Today we traveled to church, which is held in the Sharansthan home. It was on the top floor and it was EXTREMELY HOT! Worship was awesome- everyone was on their knees and worshipping God with all their hearts. There were about 90 children and 20 adults. Some were mothers of the children and others were women from the redlight district in Nagpur- Ganga Janum. The message was going to be led by a pastor from Chennai but I missed it because I volunteered to do Sunday School. It was Sunday School for ALL AGES – 1- 12 years old boys and girls and there were about 50 of them. WOAH- I totally did not know what I was going to talk about- Noah? Jonah? Moses? I ended up speaking about How we are jars of clay and we have a treasure inside of us that belongs to God – 2 Corinthians 4:7 (thanks to Jason for telling me about this). I talked about treasure and how it can be jewels or something important to us… and how God gives each of us something special inside of us.. it was going well until I ran out of things to say…. Then we played duck duck goose but when you were chosen you had to say something you believe God gave you that is special and then Rebecca gave them paper and crayons and they had to draw themselves and draw something that is special inside of them- their treasure. It sounds calm.. but although most kids were calm and listening there were about 15 running around in the back all around.. and it was a little hard and turned chaotic in the end. Sharansthan is also where they live so they would just run into their rooms. The thing is there are about 60-70 children living there and the rooms must be so crowded. However it is still way better than living in the brothels and then being abused by their parents and random adults. It just made me feel so blessed. I have so much privacy, my own room, my own belongings, and so much more- I am so spoiled, These kids barely have anything to their name and they run around with such freedom… it made me think about all the times I am complaining about my situations, and even though the cultures are different and of course our experiences are different I need to remember that I am not of this world- worrying about things like latest fashion or electronic, etc and there are kids that own nothing not even the clothes on their backs… such a world we live in.

We did have an amazing lunch with paneer- my favorite!

After lunch Leela Aunty- director of the Home of Hope told us all about the Homes of Hope.  This dream and vision was given to Leela about making a place for the women to come and then slowly get to know God.  She started off having a clinic for the women in the district to be able to come and get medication for their illnesses such as HIV and TB and they would be able to receive the meds with prayer. That was how she planted the seeds within these ladies hearts. Soon they started the Home of Hope there which now holds over 60 girls and over 30 boys. The condition of this home is not the best, and there are more kids than there are beds, actually they sleep on cots that they roll out on the floor. These kids maybe have one item of clothing to themselves and the rest of the things they share. It is hard to house all these children, with more constantly coming. Easou and Leela do not say no to any child, which is amazing- because the conditions these children come from is far worse (living in the brothels and possibly either getting sold for sex trafficking or drug use). However, this home desperately needs new land, rooms, clothing and items for the children. Although it was so much fun to run around with the little children and laugh and play with them, I was so sad inside. I could not believe all the stories I had heard and then look at these children- over 50 % of them are now orphans, and just hope that they really come to understand the depth of God’s love for them.

They also started a day care there right across the street from the Home of Hope- this home of Hope is called Sharanstan- younger children under 12 and the other Home of Hope in Nagpur is called Karuna older children over 12. The women working in the brothels have children and so since they have no where to put the children, they often times drug the kids and stick them under the bed. So Leela opened a day care to offer a place for the sex workers to bring their children so they do not have to drug them… the kids have a place to learn how to read, write, learn about God, get fed, and receive love all FREE OF CHARGE! How amazing is that!

            Leela told us a story about a child named Pinky. She is about 11 years old and she had been brought to the Home of Hope by her mother. She seemed to have been a little slower than the other children and they realized she has some disability. She showed signs of trauma but that was also normal for most of the children they took in. The staff usually allows the mothers to see their children for holidays or they may be able to go spend a day or two with their mothers. So Pinky’s mother came and said she wants Pinky for the Holiday to spend time with her and so she took Pinky. Then after a few days she returned Pinky and Pinky was different. Pinky began to but herself with any pins or sharp objects she could find- she would even break bangles and cut herself with that. The staff tried hard to stop her or talk to her but she would just cry and cry. Leela tried to teach her other ways to express her anger until finally Leela said, if you are angry and you want to express it just come to me and yell at me, do not harm yourself. So one day Pinky came and yelled at Leela so much and then began to cry. They then went to get some ice cream, and after a little time Leela asked her to explain why she is angry. Pinky was crying and crying and finally said I wish you never sent me Home, I told you not to send me home and leela asked why! Pinky then said that lady is not my mother and she sends me to these places and these men do these things to me – and she described sexual abuse and this girl was only 11 years old. SO SO SAD! So Leela never sent her back… however when the lady came to try to get Pinky back they fought for her … and over some time that lady had come to know the Lord and helps Leela now- HOW AMAZING IS GOD!!!!! I saw Pinky and have come to see how far she has come.. she smiles a lot and expresses herself and she loves to learn and dance.. how amazing =)

            We then had a session with the older girls. I taught them a human video.. buts and pieces from things I had learned or done in the US, and so we went over the stories of the things we were acting out in the Human Video which was Adam and Eve, Moses and the Red Sea, The woman with the blood disease, Jesus healing scenes and his death and resurrection. It was awesome to go over the bible stories with the girls and begin our sessions with the Theme that Jesus is our Healer.
Then Michelle and I sat on the rooftop, had an awesome time of prayer, gave each other massages and starred at the beautiful stars in the sky.

Saturday in Nagpur

We flew out to Nagpur- the center of India and also one of the hottest places! We are here to lead a 5 day rescue arts camp with the Home of Hope here. We were greeted at the airport by Pastor Easou and his two children Sheryl and Cyril. They are Malu!!!! It was really cool to be around people who speak Malayalam even though I am horrible at speaking it but I CAN UNDERSTAND!!!! The room we were placed was the top room in the Home of Hope on the 4^th floor right next to the terrace!

Michelle and I went down to meet the girls. There are 30 girls who live in this home of hope and the other home of hope in Nagpur holds about 70 girls and 30 boys.

Michelle played the guitar for the girls and taught them an English worship song. Rebecca and Stephanie met us not too long after and we were reunited again =)

Rebecca and Steph led a workshop at SEBC college in Banglore. It was about writing music- the lyrics and music – in your own language and the way it would sound in your country. It was how because a lot of people westernize their worship. They would come to know Christ and then learn the way Americans worship or how they sing, etc and when they would go back to their home town or village, their people won’t really connect because it is all different. Steph taught them how to sing and worship God through their own cultural music.

All the students made up their own songs and their own music- it was so awesome to hear about that. Then the students wrote poems and stories about something in their life they were told to express. Beautiful stories for this ministry.

We had our first session here at the Home  and we started off with a time of prayer and worship. The girls were then split by age and the older girls went to work with Steph and Rebecca and the younger girls came with Michelle and I.

I taught the girls a dance to the song Aal iz Well. After the session, the girls got jasmine flowers and braided all our hairs and put the flowers in our hair!!! It was so much fun!! They know how to do hair so well and the aroma from the flowers just led me to float away =) It was therapeutic to have girls play with my hair! We were all on the floor laughing and having fun with these girls … After dinner we went up to our room and practiced the song we are singing in church tomorrow and passed out!

Worship God with your Body.. Friday

Today in the AG school I led the afternoon assembly. I spoke to the kids on worshipping God with their bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19: Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God and what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Remembering that our bodies is a place for God, we should allow our minds and hearts to be transformed by God – being different than others and not of this world.

Romans 12:1 Present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship

Since we accept Christ we should act a certain way- expected to be like Christ

Giving glory to God through our bodies is a way of saying thank you to God for our salvation

With Bollywood and all these movies and shows- we should not conform to the world, but we must present our bodies as holy and pleasing to Him.

Our bodies are instruments of worship: Romans 6:13 says Let our body be instruments of righteousness

1 corinthians 10:31 Do everything for the glory of god

Psalm 138: Let them praise the Lord in dance

We can praise the Lord and worship Him not only through praying, singing, or music but also through dance =)

Vinita shared her amazing testimony of God’s amazing power and favor in her life. She had been through so much with the illness and death of her daughter, and illness with her husband, however God had shown himself through that time and she had come to find God’s love and healing power together with her husband. Her amazing story did not stop there, God’s fingerprints were all over her life when she adopted a child, started an AG school, and now, with the help of Rebecca Grant, started the first Delhi Home of Hope this year. Just amazing to see where God has taken her family and how she is willing to give everything for the glory of God.

Then we went to the Home of Hope and met with the four girls. They had chosen two songs that they will perform to next week. They are supposed to make up their own worship dance, using the steps I taught them as well as other moves. At first they were just doing the moves I had taught them over and over, but then they started to make up their own dance moves and it started to beautifully come together. It was amazing to see how these YOUNG girls were making their own worship dance. I am so excited to see how God will use them and how their dances will come together.

We then took a break and we were all hanging out with the girls here at the Home, it was so much fun to laugh and joke around with them. It is just amazing to see that they have come from such a horrible life and are able to be free, safe and surrounded by people who love them. The best part of it all is that they are learning about God and how to love Him.

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One girl, went home for a holiday with her mom and the workers at the Home of hope could not find her. Her mother had taken her away and my guess is probably would have sold her. She one day stole her mothers phone and called the Home of Hope and said come get me… how amazing is that – she remembered the number and found a way to get out!

One girl was brought to the home by her mother but then taken back by her- and then used to be sold.. she is only 11 years old. Rebecca and the team pleaded with the mother and found the little girl and got them to send her back to the Home… another victory =)

These girls are so precious.. they have the cutest laughs and the largest most beautiful eyes. They also have the best manners and REALLY love each other – a bond even closer than sisters can have. The two workers there: Nonu and Anu are also amazing servants of God. They have both felt the need to work with these children in this home and they live there raising these girls- being their mothers =)

They will pray over the girls everyday, and truly pouring into their lives. They are so sweet and just have amazing hearts.

Anu’s entire family is in ministry and she shared stories about her family and how her family had all come to follow God.

We had some really good Indian food this week- Thank goodness!!!

Michelle and I practiced our dance and our worship song and spent the night packing for our early morning flight to Nagpur.

This is the day that the Lord has made...

Wow, what an amazing day!

The girls have been having nightmares - and they all have the same exact one so we know they are not making it up... the Didi's prayed over them and we just know this is an attack of the devil.....


Today, Rebecca and Steph went to Banglore to do a camp with the girls there and Mich and I went to the Home of Hope.
We started off with an art project that built off from yesterday. We tried to explain to the kids that our hearts is like our home, and when we have someone come to our home we need to prepare it and make it nice (meaning change our hearts when Jesus enters into our lives ) so this art project- thought up by Mich- was a heart that had flaps that would close over it and the kids drew a door on the flaps and wrote out the verse " My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" and they decorated it. We also put little areas of dark colors to show that our hearts are not perfect and there is still work needed to be done in us by God.

Afterwards, I taught them some indian dance moves and sign language =). We then went around in a circle and the kids had to make a dance move or moves to a verse of a word such as "Praise the Lord" "Praise" "Fear", "Fear not for I am with you", etc. They did such a good job incorporating everything they have learned and making up their own steps.
I then showed them a dance i made to the Beautiful by Melissa How:
I need You like the rain
Come to me and sing again
I long for Your love so much
I've wanted Your pure touch

You are beautiful, beautiful
You are beautiful, beautiful
So beautiful, beautiful

I need You to be here
Come to me, I can feel You near
I love You, You are my hope
You love me as Your own


I incorporated Indian, Bhangra, sign language and body worship all for that song. It may sound weird but it was an example of how to use the dances that you know to glorify God... and that I am only performing to God alone..


Michelle then had the girls stand up and close their eyes and played a hindi worship song and instructed the girls to make their own worship dance in their spot and remember that they have an audience of one... the girls started to dance- first using the steps that they learned but then started to make up their own worship moves lifting their hands and worshipping God- it was SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT!!!! Man, I cannot being to express in words how moved I was to see that they understood what it meant to worship God... and they were not looking at anyone else- their eyes were closed and they brought Glory to God through dancing... a beautiful beginning through their new journey ......


I had a chance to talk to the Didi's there and they were telling me about their lives and where they have come from. One girl is a daughter of a pastor. She said that her siblings and her would be sort of rebellious and her father would just get on his knees and pray for them.. and now all of them are not just lovers of Christ, but they are completely devoted to God- in full time ministry! 
they also told me stories of the girls and how some of them have siblings that are still in the brothels with their mothers.. and one of the girls at this home of Hope remembers everything from the Brothel, all the details... and especially the time when her mother sold her sister to a pimp =(
When I hear stories like that, my heart breaks, knowing that these mothers know nothing different and I wonder will this cycle ever stop... Thank God for saving one of the daughters.. and I pray for the life of that other child (we don't know where she is).. that somehow she can come to find freedom and Christ...




We then went back to surojini for a little and then went to a Mall in Delhi... and Man that mall WAS BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! It had all these high class stores like Dior and LV... kinda crazy... we had dinner at a thai restaurant there with this group from another NGO in Delhi. It was nice to meet other teams from america serving God in india...