Child Restoration International
There are so many beautiful places of worship in India, but they are trying to shut down all of our places of worship. They want all the gods to be worshipped, except for our God. They want religion, as long as it is not ours. The most beautiful religious places in India are where the most brokenness can be found. Pray for places to worship the one true God. Pray for freedom for believers. Pray for India.
Our staff does not just serve the many children they love, but they also serve as many in their community as they can. This is one of the neighborhoods in which they spend their free time. They run programs for the adults, the children, and the youth in this area. In this community we have churches and small groups that meet regularly. The people in these neighborhoods are beautiful, amazing, and very hard workers. They pray for one another and for us and are a great encouragement to me. It is a delight to share Jesus and His love with them. It is also a joy when others come alongside us and help us build new homes for our friends in this area. I have seen them put these homes to use hosting small groups, feeding people, and just keeping their doors open for anyone who walks by. Life in the body of Christ is beautiful no matter where you are, and we love these fellow believers.
It is summer break in India now. It may seem early, but while our hottest month is July, theirs is May. It's in the 100s in India this week, so it is definitely summer. Our kids have all finished their end of the school year exams and are enjoying their vacation. We are so proud of the effort they put into their schoolwork, as well as their many academic successes. They have worked so hard this year, as they do every year, and really created opportunities for themselves for future success. We also rejoice at the fact that our kids get to be kids and enjoy their summer break. They get to play and hang out with each other and have fun. Seeing kids (many of whom came to us not knowing what it meant to be a kid) play, laugh, run, and shriek with joy is a delight. We are so thankful for each of these kids and the changes we've seen in their lives.
Whenever we have a chance to gather together with other believers who have the same heart, we are grateful. We are blessed with the opportunity to do this when we are in India, but also when we are in the United States. We just attended a YWAM conference, even though we are not technically a part of YWAM. We were welcomed in and invited to continue to return and join with them. It was a time of gathering together in worship, prayer, and learning. Part of the beauty of our faith is that we are united by our God and able to connect because of what we share in Him. It is so uplifting to be reminded that we are not in this alone. We are so grateful for all of you who pray for us and support us and walk with us in whatever way you do. We are so grateful for everyone who is doing the work we are doing in different ways and different places. We are grateful that, together, we have so much hope. Even if there are no answers to tough situations, together, we are able to remind each other of Him and His goodness and refocus our gaze. One phrase from this conference that kept coming up was, "We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on you." Together, our eyes stay on Him. May we stay together so we can keep helping each other to keep our eyes focused on Him.
