Let the Children Come…

Children, children, children.   India is overflowing with them, from the mountains to the sea, from little villages along the rice paddies, to the slums of the inner cities.  Here in Bangalore, Mizpah Christian Assembly and our VBS Team joined forces, and together we had four days of wonder and blessing.  Over 90 children attended, some from the Leper Colony…which we visited late Wednesday.

India’s greatest wealth—its future, and the jewels in its crown—are its children.  The social scientists say there are far too many of them for the nation and for the planet.  But we feel each soul is a gift from God:  Each little face, each pair of glowing eyes that sees hope and promise in every new day, each smile that brings joy to our hearts. 

And it was a joy!  We and the dedicated people of Mizpah worked side by side, with them in the lead.  Their focus is children.  Their expertise is children.  Their mission field is the children from the poor families surrounding the church.  Let’s share a few images and experiences from the past four days:

 

Jonah thought he could run away from God....

Albert May was the storyteller...in a culture only a few generations away from purely oral learning.  Dr. Sujartha, Pastor Babu Prasad's wife, was an equally animated translator.  The church speaks Tamil; the children speak the local language, Kannada--India is incredibly multilingual.

We will complete this blog, our visit to the Leper Colony, and the dedication of the Medical Clinic after we arrive in Kolkata.  It's almost midnight and we have to get up at 4AM for our flight...this trip is taxing my energy level.  Please keep praying for us and the Team.  The Monsoon has arrived--rain and thunder and more rain.  God is doing great things!  More soon... 

--Alice Sharrock