He Answers Prayers

Today was tough. Last we had heard, Ravi was unconscious and partially paralyzed in a hospital bed, and awaiting brain surgery. After praying as a team along with Suresh, Danny, and Ramaraj, we decided to drive to Guntur to see him. I don't think any of us had a plan or knew what to expect. The car ride for me was filled with tears in the midst of singing along with worship songs. Another lesson of praising him through the sorrow (I had my first taste of that this past June when my friend's dad passed away... We miss you Jun).

I had never been to a hospital in India. This particular hospital seemed to blend in with the rest of the town. Even the paramedic van was parked in front of a random store. The front of the hospital reminded me somewhat of the USC ER facility (on a much smaller scale, of course, and minus the metal detectors). We walked up the ramp above the ER and were immediately greeted by some Harvest India staff and a few of Ravi's relatives. Ravi did not have surgery yet, but had recently woken up and was now talking. Praise God!!!

They asked if we would like to go in and see him. Of course!

Just then a woman in a pink and brown sari came out wearing a paper mask over her mouth. It was Ravi's wife. I had been wanting to meet her, though not under these conditions. I knew that she was a staff nurse and that she had prayed for me, but that was about it. My heart sank when I saw her. She didn't say anything, but lead us into the building and down a hallway to the left. When we got to the door of what I assume was the critical care room we stopped and learned we could only go in two at a time. Angela looked at me and asked if I wanted to go in first with her. I would love to say that I immediately jumped at the opportunity, but I definitely hesitated. "Yes, yes. I want to go in."

Ravi's wife led Angela and I into the room. There were patients separated by single curtains to the left and right of us, but it was all a blur. I had no idea what to expect. I knew that Ravi was in a motorcycle accident and was not wearing a helmet (which is the norm in India). I tried to prepare myself for the worst even though I didn't want to see it. We approached his bed and aside from the breathing mask, he simply looked like he was sleeping. He had a couple of bruises on his left temple, but even those were barely visible. His wife gently shook his arm, quietly spoke a few words in Telugu, and Ravi slowly opened his eyes. It was beautiful!

Small talk was hard. I instinctively shut down when I can't find the words to say. "It's so good to see you." I meant it. In the midst of simple words of conversation, Ravi said "Praise the Lord." That's so Ravi. Yes Ravi, praise the Lord that He's brought you this far. That He heard the prayers and cries of all of us who love you and all of those who love us. Praise God that you are safer now than you were even 2 hours ago. Praise the Lord for being the ultimate healer and comforter. Yes Ravi, Praise the Lord!

We prayed over Ravi and his wife, and just as we were turning to walk to give the rest of the team some time with this amazing man of God, the they walked up. It was amazing to pray over them as a team. We learned that it was his left side that had been paralyzed but he was now able to move his limbs with only some numbness. Praise God Ravi, yes, Praise the Lord.

Ravi will stay in the hospital for the next week or so. His brain is still hemorrhaging, though is getting better. As of this afternoon, Ravi is not going to go into surgery, but it is still an option. Please continue to pray for him. He's come a long way in the past 24 hours but is still not in the clear. He'll be under close watch for the next week. God did so much today in just a couple hours, I pray expectantly for more of the same in the days to come. Please keep his wife and 2 boys (I think they're 2 and 5 years old) in your prayers as well.

Thank you for your prayers. He hears them!!!
Matthew 8:14-17

Please Pray!!!

One of my dear friends here in India was in an accident last night. This past weekend, we had a crusade  in a near by village. Ravi was there Friday and Saturday, but when I looked for him last night, I did not see him. In the moment, I just assumed he was somewhere on the grounds and that I just could not find him. We just got the phone call from Suresh. I'm heartbroken. You may recognize the name "Ravi" from one of my previous posts. He and his family have a picture of me from two years ago on his fridge and not knowing that I would return to India, they've prayed for me. At this point, all that we know is that he is in critical condition with a head injury in a hospital in Guntur and that he is scheduled to go into surgery soon. Please, please, please pray that he would be healed.  Pray for his wife and two sons. "We love you Ravi and our hearts and prayers go out to you!"

When God Reads Your Heart

After writing the previous post, I closed my laptop and walked to my room thinking "I would really, really love to take a dance class right now."

Well... Let me tell you about Sherkar (my Indian spelling is terrible, I'm sure of it). I absolutely adore this man. He is a sanskrit teacher at KSK Jr. College as well as discipline extraordinaire!

He is amazing in my dance classes. The girls love yet completely cower at him when he lifts up his stick! Kacie and Angela go to class with Daniel and Danny as their translators, and I get Sherkar to keep the girls in line.  I love Daniel and Danny, but I wouldn't have it any other way!!! Sherkar got me space on the rooftop for class, unscrews the cap to give me water while I'm teaching and makes the girls perform Indian dances for me while he plays music out of his phone! He's as absolute joy!!!!

So today, upon arriving at KSK, we sat down in Paul's office for a few minutes to relax before splitting up to teach. This time, Sherkar calls to me and asks me to come with him for one second... "Of course!" Instead of leading me out the front entrance of the college (which we use to go up to the rooftop), he leads me further into the college, through the courtyard, has me wave "hi" to a few classes and then stops me at the last class to the right. Quick backstory... From the moment I found out I was teaching dance here, I have been wanting to sit through one of Vijay's classes (he is Harvest India's dance instructor)... And now back to the REAL story... Sherkar led me to the room where Vijay was teaching some familiar faces; yyep, some of my dancers! It was amazing! Danny followed and began translating the song the girls were dancing to. "Welcome to the temple of Jesus." In the midst of this, a chair was brought over for me, along with my backpack and some chai, and Sumani stood beside me and fanned me with a clipboard! Whoah, talk about star treatment :0) I felt like a princess. Sumani was insistent about fanning me... It was completely adorable!!!

My dance class was cancelled for the day, which was completely fine. I could not have been happier to be watching an Indian dance class! But then I was invited to take his next class!!! Oh yeah, God gave me the dance class which only 4 hours ago literally seemed years away. AMAZING! And we danced to "Pray for India!" So fun! I was sweating like crazy, but it was such a blessing to take a class and do someone else's choreography. I cannot put into words how ecstatic I was to be dancing in that room, with those girls and Vijay at that very moment. It was incredible! Literally a gift from heaven :)

Thank you Lord!

Thank you Sherkar and Vijay for an amazing time at KSK today! I don't know how this day could have been better :)

Umm, oh yeah... well just one more quick story... While having dinner with Kacie, Angela, Danny, Vijay and Paul, a squirrel jumped, from I don't know where, onto my shoulder and across the table onto Danny's shoulder. Yyyepp. It definitely scared me and I ended up with my feet on the bench and practically in Angela's lap. Histerical! All I wanted to do was shake it off, oh-oh-oh, but unfortunately I didn't have the space or the company for that. I literally felt fur brush across my ear. MY EAR!!! Ahhhh! Just the replay in my mind gives me the heebie jeebies! So funny!

Praying that your day is filled with incredible joy as well.  Let's close this post by sticking with the theme:   Pray for India!!!

How to Make an Indian Quesadilla

1. Move to Tenali, Andhra Pradesh (or come visit me)
2. Purchase Chicken 65 and Naan (butter or garlic, I personally love garlic on just about anything) from Vijay's restaurant in Tenali (Suresh Kumar , Revi or Danny can help you with this) and refrigerate over night
3. Purchase butter and american cheese (you will probably need to go to Best Price in Vijayawada)
4. Crisp up one side of the naan using a frying pan and the butter
5. Flip the naan, fold it in half and stuff with as much chopped chicken 65 and american cheese as desired
6. Flip your quesadilla at least one more time and enjoy!

I hardly ever eat american cheese back in the states, but it is an absolute blessing to have here--- two words "grilled cheese!!!" Totally worth the gluten baby I get post-consumption! 100% :)  Like most Americans, my Christmas season is generally filled with tons of food-- cookies and candy from friends at Chili's, snacks while endlessly rehearsing for RH services (I especially miss this), Christmas parties with friends and families-- so it only feels natural to discuss food.... If I were back in the states right now, I would start off with a Pumpkin latte (usually I would go to Starbucks for this, but now I'm kind of partial to Gypsy Den), eventually progress my day into either a steak or sushi, and finish it off with a decaf mocha or hot chocolate at the beach or a park (basically anywhere outside where there are no mosquitoes). Yyyyyep.

Christmas is popping up all over Tenali and it is so beautiful. The Christians out here hang stars in celebration of our dear Lords birth. I saw the first star a week ago or so on our way to teach at KSK college. Our 45 minute drive to KSK which once felt daunting is now filled with lights and sporadic reminders that God is on the move in India. Literally every star brings a smile to my face. I love Christmas. Kind of funny that even though we may have been the only ones in Andhra Pradesh to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Christmas lights still went up the following week! Just a sweet little taste of home. Our star of lights just went up yesterday :)  Thank you Ramaraj and Suresh! It means more to me than you know.

While skyping with my mentor Tracey and my bell Michelle, I was surprised by tears of longing for my family and friends back home. I miss you! Christmas is going to be different this year. While at times this "different" is going to be hard, God opened up my heart and mind to remember that different doesn't always come with a negative connotation. Yes I have friends and family back in the states that I would love to hug and say "Merry Christmas" to, but I also have a new family and new friends to create new memories with here. My heart isn't limited to a SoCal Christmas. Christ still broke into world as an infant, and that is worth celebrating regardless of where life is or takes us! The meaning behind Christmas stands the same, the celebrations will just look a little different. I'm excited to celebrate the birth of Christ here in India surrounded by new friends and family. I expect that it will be more of this dichotomy that I live in, well I guess that we all sort of live in in one form or another. Looking back and missing pieces of the past, yet excitingly and expectantly awaiting what is to come. For me, the "past" is friends, family, traditions, independence, etc., and naturally, the future is taking the beauty in India and watching and experiencing God in the midst of it.

I know I said this back at home as well, but I keep having moments where God so sweetly reminds me how much he cares with just a few simple words. I'm not going to go into a giant description of my junk, so I will bring you into my story mid-chapter. India has ignited some pressures that life tends to fan into exhaustion here. The worst part is that this pressure comes from within me. It's not any other person here is speaking into it; yet, all the same, it's exacerbated. Anyways, I came to place where I literally said, whether out loud or just to myself, "It's not worth it." Immediately, God responded with "But I'm worth it."---- Aaarrrgh! He won again :)  Of course He is. Immediately following, Ephesians 5 came to mind. Once again, God is good and I am in awe of just how BIG He is. I fail to understand how He can be so intimately concerned with my thoughts and still have time for the rest of the world. I'm just going to have to settle into knowing that I will never be able to fathom it, nor do I need to :)

May God bless all of you in the States! Please continue to pray for India!

I just might thrive out here...

Those of you who know me from home KNOW that I kind of function on my own clock. To keep it short and sweet, I'm generally late if not right on time. I think I've found the perfect solution out here; let's call it "Indian time."

We had an outreach event planned at a college last week on wednesday and wednesday morning the school called and said that we'd have to push it back. Then they told us they would let us know whether thursday or friday would work better for them. Once we all came to agreement that thursday would work, they told us to chose anytime after 4---though for some reason we were pushed to do it earlier rather than later---and we agreed on 5:30. When we got on campus, they were setting up tents in the "courtyard" for an event for the following day. Half of the tent was directly in front of the stage. So after working on the tent for another half hour or so, the workers tore it down and moved it. Then we found out that the power on campus was out from 3 to 6. Special huh? Did I mention that one of the first questions at an India team interview is "Are you a flexible person?" Ha! India definitely works on its own clock :)

As for a quick update, we've done 2 college outreaches so far. The events begin with the boys singing "Can't buy me love" and Kacie joining them for "What makes you beautiful." By the grace of God, for the sake of anyone in the viscidity of the event, I am far away from the microphone as a background dancer. Perfect, huh?! The songs are followed by a couple of games that make a mess and are so fun to watch and a short message (John is getting really good at bringing theWord!). We end the night with an invitation to "Tenali's Got Talent," which will be hosted and judged by our team on December 28th, and our final menagerie of talent,"One way, Jesus!"

We've also entered into a routine for teaching at the local colleges. I'm officially teaching dance 5 days a week! It's been fun :) I know I'm not supposed to pick favorites, but I looooove the Quary School. My students are the equivalence of 10th and 12th graders, and guess who is in my class?!?..... Yep, my lovely ladies Vijaya Kumari and Lakshmi!!!! -and yes, I totally butchered the spelling of their names on my previous blog. On our second day at the Quary school I got this

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!

Another kiss from Heaven

We went to a church I had never been to. It was by far the largest church I had seen in Tenali (other than the college church that is still under construction on the Harvest India campus) . Apparently, this church is well established and mainly consists of Hindu converts. As we pulled up, the children were having children's church in an overhang to the left of the main courtyard and singing "B-I-B-L-E" in english... precious. The pastor was amazing; such a powerful speaker! He took us all over the Bible and the congregation held on to his every word. Once the message was through, they opened up a wooden box in the front for offering as one of the men on staff sang. Literally every adult got up and put rupees into the box; first the men, and then the women.

I left the sanctuary to take a quick restroom break once the offering was complete, and on my way back into the building, Ravi, a man on staff with HI that I had met on my first trip nearly 2 years ago, called me over to meet his family. I recognized Ravi the first time I saw him on this trip, but did not try to reconnect with him since it had been such a long time. During my first trip, we got into a casual conversation about school and my life plans. I had plans to get a second Bachelor's and a Master's in nursing (I was actually applying for programs when God put this residency team on my heart) and Ravi's wife is a nurse. At the end of our conversation, Ravi entered my name into his phone which was a comic relief in itself. My name is spelled "R-e-n-e-e" but is by no means pronounced "Ree-Nee". His expression was priceless when I spelled it out; my name really fails to translate as they tend to pronounce it phonetically from it's spelling.

Anyhow, after a lengthy backstory (I am after all female), now comes the kiss from heaven. Ravi introduced me to his wife, his aunt, and his two boys (they're 3 and 4); he has such a beautiful family! He then went on to explain to me that his aunt recognized me from a picture they have up in their home. They pray for me often. So beautiful! How is it that God is so good to me? That He can overwhelm me with His love through a few simple words? I don't deserve this yet He continues to pursue my heart even when I think its too much love to take. Will I ever be able to fathom or begin to understand His love? I think not..... but we can try <3 His love overwhelms my soul and it is so good!!!

Ravi gave me a prayer request. His aunt lost her husband a few months back. Please join me in prayer for comfort and healing. 

"Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows."  - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Some Good News

Hi friends and family,

We're still settling into our new home in Tenali, and it is so good! Suresh and the Harvest India staff have been such a blessing from the moment we crossed customs in Chennai. We've been in this home for nearly a week now. We're already shopping for and cooking our own food (I know that may sound menial, but I wasn't expecting that to happen so soon). Now... my real question is how the  locals make their delicious chai?!?

These past few days have been incredible; filled with sweet kisses from heaven <3  A couple days ago, we took a tour of the Harvest India with a team that is visiting Tenali right now (yep, Mrs. Brokenshire and the ladies) and we headed over to the HI school. Just a quick back story, when I was here nearly 2 years ago, I really connected with a couple of girls, Blakshmi and Viji Kumari. I don't remember how old they were at the time, but I can tell you that they were among the older girls in the orphanage. Since knowing that I would be returning to Tenali, I've often wondered if I would get the chance to reconnect with these girls. When we pulled up to the school, the children were lined up, girls on the left and boys on the right, to greet us with beautiful smiles and flower petals. I had just started shaking hands down the tunnel of children when I saw a familiar face and embraced her as if to grasp my memories from my first trip. While hugging Joti, I heard some gasp, whispering, and giggles next to me. When I turned to investigate, Blakshmi and Viji Kumari were quizzically looking at me and said "Renee?!?!" I nearly started crying out of shear joy and thankfulness as I hugged them! The girls actually remembered me after nearly 2 years of being apart! They remembered my name! Two weeks may seem small in our scope of the world and all it's problems, but memories are engraved on our hearts <3 In the end, God creates space and moments for impact. This moment was a sweet kiss from heaven! Thank you Lord!

Blakshmi, Viji Kumari and me December 2010

I was blessed with another reunion a couple of days ago. Our team had the opportunity to come along side of the Brokenshire team once again as they brought the young ladies from the Ashraya House and the wise community from the HI Elderly Home together for some bonding time and food. I saw one of the sweet old lady that so many from home thought was from the orphanage. She was much younger than the others in the home, but nonetheless had a painful backstory filled with abandonment and an attempt at suicide. When Harvest India found her, she was crippled and left on the side of the road. When I had the pleasure of first meeting her, she was full of joy and life. God is good! Once again, memories from the last trip flushed my mind... such beauty. One of the guys from my trip pulled up a picture of the two of us from our first trip, so I brought it to her. She immediately kissed and hugged me   just as she had the first time! Incredible.

January 2011

To close with some more good news....

I will be teaching dance at a woman's college and at the HI Nursing College!!!!  So excited for this new adventure :)  Apparently the girls currently have a male choreographer and are uncomfortable to really dance in class. I have never wanted to teach a weekly class more than I do in this moment! I'll be teaching one class at each location a week to start. Please pray that these women will experience the freedom that I have felt. Pray for an easy transition as well as I am going in blind with no sense of what their abilities are nor what the structure of the class has been previously. Most importantly, please pray for the women I will be in contact with <3

Thank you for all your love and prayers!