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!