Untouchable No More: To Feel Is To Live

7.21.2008

To Feel Is To Live

Our first day going to the school was a complete blast. A few of us experienced true India traffic for the first time heading out to the school. Tons of fun and excitement.

Although I can't imagine a better feeling then turning the corner with our bus and pulling into the school for the first time this year. Seeing all the improvements and additions they have done or our working on since last year is amazing. The school has grown so much, they have added over 145 students to the school from a year ago. There is now about 400 students from kindergarten to 6 grade. We were amazed to see how much it has grown. All this makes for a much crazier recess time.

We were entertained by a grand welcome, where we received garland and three amazing dances from the students. Beautifully dressed and well rehearsed we listened and watched with joy to this gift we were received. We also had an opportunity to share. First, we taught the whole school a simple sing-a-long song. And Second, a fun little skit we sort of put together on the way to the school. We are blessed to be here and blessed to know that God is working in the lives of so many young lives.

We began our work project of painting a couple of rooms at the school, doing much the same as we did last year for them. Then came recess. Recess = chaos + another 145 kids added to the mix. Sweat poured from each of us as we played and ran with hordes of kids.

Our day was a complete success, hugging and playing with children. Working to improve a school we have grown to love, and being challenged by a country who would have left most of these children behind... Our prayers are for them every night. Please continue to pray for us and the school we are serving this week.

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Prayer

Here is how you can be praying for us.

- Pray for the Freedom of those oppressed by the Hindu caste in India.

- Pray for the continued support of the school. It is growing rapidly and despite all the expansion they've seen in facilities they're quickly outgrowing their facilities. They have big dreams to expand, pray for the support and funding to make it happen. It won't be on their own, they'll need a lot of help, but God has been faithful to provide thus far.

- Pray for the continued advance of the Gospel in an ever increasingly oppressed land.

Praise

Here is what we are praising God for

- We came together as a team. Held together by our Creator, we became a close-knit bunch.

- The school continues to grow! And there is no student in India who is getting a better education. (We may be a little biased but after seeing it first hand, I wouldn't doubt if it were true.) They continue to add students and teachers and have been able to expand the opportunities to teach and educate. And their dreams for the future are big!

- The Gospel is advancing!

much more to come...

Who we are

We are a group of adults and students from Nebraska who have been introduced to the idea that we are involved in an invisible world called the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ invited us to join Him on this narrow road that leads to a greater joy and fruit. Consequently being ruined for 'normal' living!

In 2003 we learned that there were millions of Indian Dalit who were cutting social and religious ties with Hinduism. The Christian Church offered what help they could. 'Educate our children' was the request. 'Even if our world-view is Biblical?' was asked. 'Yes!' was the response. So a group of Christian organizations committed themselves to operating schools for Dalit children. Our group knows a good challenge when we hear one. And this was big. More than 200 high school and college kids raised the money to build a school in 4 months!

The following summer it was decided we should go see where the school would be built and become acquainted with the teachers and students who were studying in a rented cattle barn. Hearing the teachers and leaders tell us that we were the first Americans they had met who 'followed' their money made us see this relationship differently. God had prompted us to send some money, but He was also very interested in us having our own lives change.

Each year we have taken a team of 10 or so to be in the school for a week. We plant ourselves in the classrooms to watch the teachers creatively educate these swarms of beautiful and unruly children with very few props. To watch the children grow and become brilliant and bilingual!

We return from our time there with our value system tweaked. We are more grateful for what we have, less consumer-oriented. We find that we are really impatient with ourselves for being petty or self-absorbed. India haunts us because we find that the same Spirit that is growing us up in Him here is at work there wrestling people away from death and slavery.