Sanctuary Home Blog

Our team has been working HARD to prepare for an amazing fundraiser event. Last Saturday we met at the Taylor’s to cut, glue, paint, plan, and work out final details. Toni is doing an amazing job with the silent auction, Diana and Charles have created some fabulous decorations, and of course we are all thrilled that Ramesh is coming to play.

Want to come?

April 25, Sunday, noon – Highland gym, 245 Highland Ave., Abilene

Tickets are $12 adult, $8 child, or $35 family. They’re $2 more at the door, so email us before Sunday if you want the discount. We’ll have live music, great food, a silent auction, kids activities, free henna, door prizes, and more. Don’t miss it! All of the funds raised will go to help with our travel funds for the December trip. Sanctuary Home isn’t paying for us to go – all the money donated to the trip through Sanctuary Home will be spent on the events and activities benefiting the children and widows while we’re there. Our travel funds come from our own pockets and from generous friends and organizations who are willing to help. Email amanda@sanctuaryhome.org for more information or to buy tickets.

The new India team, India In Deed, has been formed! We leave a few days after Christmas for south India, and we’ll be working hard on our whirlwind trip – intense, difficult, crazy, stressful, but also highly rewarding and joyful. We’ve got a lot to do between now and then. Here’s our team:

Ray & Amanda Pettit – the leaders and founders of Sanctuary Home, this is their third trip. Ray teaches computer science at ACU. Amanda is a writer, the author of this blog, and the person you’ll interact with if you contact SH.

Charles & Diana Taylor – board members and long time child sponsors; this is Charles’ second trip and Diana’s first. Charles owns Taylor Army Surplus and Diana is a licensed speech-language pathologist at The Oaks at Radford Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Tom & Toni Dolan – board members and long time child sponsors. Tom works for Texas Tech University and Toni is a special education teachers aide at Long Elementary; she also teaches Sunday School at her church.

Mike Kaminski – board member and long time supporter. Mike is a home inspector in Massachusetts, but will be joining the team in person for our fund raiser and attending meetings via Skype.

Dr. Ellen Little – Ellen spent eight years as a medical missionary in Uganda, and is currently the Medical Director for ACU Health Services and Physician for the clinic itself.

Chy Anne Phillips – Chy Anne is a  senior at ACU studying math, and she serves as the president of the student group Abilene For The IRC. Through the IRC, she works to assist local Nepalese refugees.

Elena Tolosa – Elena is a sophomore at Abilene High School. She stays busy with studying, swim team, and playing violin in the orchestra. She is interested in pursuing a degree in the medical field and has a long time connection with Sanctuary Home.

Although our occupations and interests are listed above, and many of our skills and talents will be utilized when we go to work at Sanctuary Home, the greater description of who we are is more like this: a compassionate and hard working group of people interested in helping, in teaching, in encouraging in the name of Christ. We love Sanctuary Home, the children, Isaac and Mary, and we’re all so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this adventure.

OK, so we had this great new blog theme up and running, and then it disappeared. So we’re redone it again, moved over all the posts from the blogger site, and I THINK we’re ready to start updating this new version of the blog with info on our next trip. Stay tuned while we get the details ironed out – come back soon!

Hello, everyone!

Just a couple of quick updates. First, some wonderful news!

We got our FCRA number! If you don’t know what that is, an FCRA number is the Indian government’s equivalent to our U.S. 501(c)(3) number. Basically, this grants us official non-profit status in India! We have been working toward this goal and asking for your prayers concerning this matter for the past 18 months, and it has finally happened! This was a very difficult process, and at times the outcome looked uncertain, but we are thankful to God that this roadblock was eliminated. This will allow us to send money straight to Isaac and Sanctuary Home without being taxed and without incurring suspicion from the government. Up to now we’ve had to be careful about how much money we send and to whom, causing everyone a lot of stress, but finally we have been approved for Indian Non-Profit Status! Thank you, God, and thanks to all of you for your prayers!

Second update: For those of you who have been trying to order photos from Flickr but have been unable, we have resolved the issue that was making that impossible. From now on, if you would like to order Sanctuary Home photos on Flickr, all you need to do is go to your Flickr account and add Sanctuary Home as your contact. We will receive an e-mail letting us know that you added us, and then we will add you, also. After that, it’s smooth sailing! If you do not have a Flickr account, it is very easy to create one (and free!!), and we will be happy to walk you through any questions or problems you may have.

We have a new Flickr URL, also! http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanctuaryhome/ Hopefully this will make it even easier for you to remember our website and come see our photos!

Let me know if you have any problems with any of this.

Peace,
Grace
grace@sanctuaryhome.org

By Grace

First of all, the nights of VBS that Amanda missed were fabulous. The kids got to do a little talent show one of the nights and they took turns singing songs, doing tricks and generally showing off. I was excited to see Anusha get up there and sing all by herself, especially since she just came to SH a few months ago. Akhil sang a song all by himself, and even though we couldn’t really hear him, he just looked adorable, hugging himself while he smiled and sang. Naga Prasad and one of the other boys (I couldn’t tell who it was through all the makeup) dressed up as girls with dresses and wigs and everything and did a really cute song and dance with groups of the SH girls.

The kids also did their rendition of The Prodigal Son, complete with awesome fake mustaches, vigorous yelling and pointing, and blind pigs. Let me explain: Some of the younger boys were recruited to be the pigs that the prodigal son looks after, but nobody cut holes in the masks for them to see through, so they just kind of slowly crawled across the stage, reaching their hands out in front of them to make sure they didn’t hit anything. There was also one plate that the pigs were supposed to be eating from, but since they couldn’t see where the plate was, they just kind of snuffed around wherever they happened to be. This was also just about the most Scripturally accurate children’s play we’d ever seen. There was a girl who danced and took the prodigal son’s money, the boys had empty bottles they pretended to imbibe from, and at the end two kids pretended to be the pigs who were slaughtered for the feast and another kid used a stick to pretend to kill them. Jana let out a sharp half-squeal, half-laugh at that one. They did such a good job, though. We could all tell that they had worked very hard at practicing, and it was obvious that Rajanikanth had put in a ton of work helping them. It was great to see them present something that they felt so proud of.

Leaving those kids was so incredibly hard. All of the team was crying when we had to say goodbye, and most of the SH girls as well as some of the SH boys were crying pretty hard when we pulled away. I thought that we’d be the only ones crying, but it was kind of nice to see that they were as upset at us leaving as we were. I wasn’t sure that we’d mean as much to them as they meant to us, but it was obvious that they didn’t want us to leave. I’d become so close to those kids and to the Palaparthi family that it felt wrong leaving with the rest of the team when it came time to get on the plane. I really felt like I was supposed to be saying goodbye to the team and so I could head back to Tenali with my Indian family. This was reinforced even further when I got back to Abilene. When our team pulled up at the church building everyone had someone there to greet them, and most were being reunited with their family. I wasn’t sad or lonely, really, but it just made it even clearer to me that while most people on the team had concrete reasons and relationships that were pulling them back to Abilene, I didn’t, and the most immediate relationships I felt a connection to were the ones back in Tenali. I have a family in California who loves me and whom I love very, very much, and I know they would have loved to have been there to greet me, but without them there in Abilene my life has seemed fuzzy and vague.

Life in Tenali really was something completely extraordinary and completely… other. On Sunday, Amanda, Jana and I just sat for a minute after class and talked about our re-entry into American life and how strange it’s been. I mean, for two weeks I didn’t have keys! I didn’t drive a car, I didn’t do laundry, I didn’t have a cell phone or a laptop… and I had 75 younger brothers and sisters! When we tried to talk about the fact that the trip only lasted two weeks, Jana’s eyes got big and she said “There is no way that was only two weeks. No way.” She didn’t say it in disbelief, either. She said it as a fact. That trip did not last two weeks. It lasted a whole other lifetime. I still dream about India and my family there and wake up a little confused as to where I am and where my Indian family has gone.

It’s really been hard to talk about this trip. It’s just been too big. Not even in terms of all we did (and we did a lot), but just in terms of the experience. The experience was too big. It feels like I’m diminishing or downplaying our time there by putting it into words. Especially when all the words I could use are completely trite and generally without meaning. “It changed my life.” “I came back a different person.” “I fell in love with the people there.” “It opened my eyes.” “It gave me a whole new perspective on my life.” All true, but all inadequate. It doesn’t… it’s not enough! It just isn’t enough. I think one of the hardest parts of being back in the States is going back through the pictures of the kids from before they joined SH. Seeing Ch. Gopi standing outside a grass hut with no shirt and a solemn face, seeing Naga Prasad drying fish to sell, seeing Bhaskar standing alone with his large, other-worldly eyes and a shaved head… These are my kids! I want to reach through the picture and pull them away from all that. I want to hug them. Seeing Elizabeth’s picture now, with that far-away, empty look in her eyes just kills me. (By the way, from everything I can tell, Elizabeth is a smart, bright, active, normal and healthy girl with a smile that could flatten boys from a mile away. I think she was probably traumatized and possibly under-socialized when she got to SH, but she looks bright and beautiful now.) I never realized how much of my time in the States is spent by myself, but after being with a big team and a big Indian family and 75 beautiful, boisterous, brilliant children for one lifetime, it’s very jarring to come back to this lifetime.

I never knew that I would be called to India. I always thought I was better suited to a cooler clime, but God knows best and I’m kinda dense, so I’m gonna go with it. I told the kids and the Palaparthi family when I left that I was going to put a jar on my desk to start saving up money so I could go back as soon as I can, and after I finish my grad work I would really like to spend time doing a long-term mission there. I can learn Telugu, teach the kids English, and help mediate between the Indian team and the American team. I know this is big, and I know it’s rather fast to state my intention for such a big commitment, but if God is at all willing, I’ve got the desire and I’ve gotta go. I say this knowing that God knows better than I do (as I said, he’s God and I’m dense) and that things may change according to what he wants me to do, but this just feels right.

My heart officially has an India-shaped hole.

Our team is currently in the process of uploading our photos to flickr. You should be able to see them with this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22715495@N04/. They are not in any order and most do not yet have descriptions, but if you’re yearning to see them, go ahead! In the coming days, they will slowly be organized and manageable, but for now, we’re just trying to get them online. Thanks for looking!

We had four nights of VBS, which was more of an assembly with participation. I missed the last two nights (sick), but from what I heard, they were just as wonderful as the first two. Jana was the director, and she assigned parts to all of our team members. The stories were: The Fiery Furnace, Jesus Calms the Storm, Joshua and the Wall of Jericho, and The Big Catch. Ellen did a fabulous translating job each evening. First, Ellen would read the story from the Bible in Telugu, and many of the children would follow along. Next, Jana would tell the story (dramatically) in her own words, with Ellen translating. Then parts would be assigned to the team members and a number of the kids, and finally we would all act it out. The kids loved it! We also did some singing, with the kids leading Telugu songs and a couple of English songs with motions that we had taught them. The last night, Cynthia led VBS since Jana was sick. Even on the nights I missed, I could hear the children singing and clapping from next door. I think VBS had a big impact on them, and I know they won’t forget it. On the third night, the kids did their program for us, the story of the Prodigal Son. Please, someone else on the team, blog about this! I heard a little about some blind pigs that were particularly entertaining and I am so sorry to have missed it.

Saturday morning, we visited the first slum area, one of the same places we visited last year. I’ve already written about the boy who was so sick, and I am happy to share that someone has offered to sponsor him and take care of his medical expenses. Thank you! (The other children are still available…) The people in the first slum area were very kind and orderly, lining up and taking turns. Grace wrote about our very different second slum experience, so I will skip that. In addition to handing out food, we went into a little church in the first slum area, and we were told that their prayer request is to have a slab for their dirt floor and plaster for their rough concrete walls. I wish we could make that happen, but there are so, so many needs. We were honored to be taken into their church and treated so well. It is humbling to be the go-between, and often there is no explaining that all of you back home are the real providers of these gifts. Thank you. Everyone does understand that the ultimate giver is God.

Later in the day, several of us (Isaac, Mary, Anil, Ray, Charles, Jana, Amanda) went to purchase the refrigerator for SH. The appliance store was interesting, mostly because most of the products were small by our standards and in lovely bright colors. (Who wouldn’t love to have a cute little orange fridge?) After a very long decision making process involving Charles, Ray, Isaac, and multiple salesmen, the fridge was selected. For reasons I didn’t understand, we left then for another store, and returned later to pay for the fridge. We went a few doors down to select and purchase a huge metal safe/file cabinet for Isaac’s SH use. He previously had a closet stuffed full of SH papers and documents, and there was no real good way to keep them organized in there. In the future, he would like to have a desk and an office chair for SH use as well – we just don’t have the money for that yet. The furniture in his home is minimal, and there isn’t any place to work on SH paperwork. They have two beds, a dining table and four chairs…and that’s about it. A desk would be really useful, and I’m sure we’ll help with that eventually. After we chose a safe/file cabinet, we headed back to the appliance store. On the way, we noticed a fascinating contraption painted bright blue and yellow and surrounded by heaps of sugar cane. There was a woman feeding the sugar cane stalks through the machine and selling little cups of sugar cane water. We took some photos and tried the drink – it was delicious! (Deceptive, though, since it had to be the culprit in the food poisoning we experienced.) Back at the appliance store, completely unaware that we were harboring some nasty little germ, we looked at other items while we waited. Mary explained that SH also needed a super sized grinder. Since we don’t really grind our own food in the US, it was hard to understand what we were even talking about. Mary showed us some small grinders and explained that the various women working at SH were currently doing the grinding by hand, and that it was difficult and time consuming. I remembered seeing Mary’s grinder, a huge stone with a round bowl area in the middle, where she would put the grain (wheat, rice, corn, dhal). It has to be pounded down and ground finely, and doing it by hand means pounding with another big stone, or a large piece of wood. I can see how it wouldn’t be easy, but would suit a family of four just fine, but I guess grinding for so many people would be very difficult and time consuming. I just took it for granted that if they used wheat or rice powder they would be able to buy it in the already ground form. The grinder they needed was about $200, and one of our team members decided to buy it for them on the spot. It was a wonderful gift! I can’t remember which day each item was delivered (by bicycle rickshaw), but we had special ribbon cutting ceremonies and prayers for the new refrigerator as well as the grinder. It was an honor for the person who got to plug in each appliance and flip the switch to turn it on. People opened and closed the fridge and freezer doors, marveling at the blessings God is providing. They also passed out candies to celebrate the occasion. It was a big deal! The joy and excitement over the addition of these appliances to SH reminds me to be thankful for things I take for granted.

On Friday, we learned that Isaac’ uncle had passed away the night before. He was 75 years old and had worked up until ten days before his death. He was also Isaac’s brother-in-law, since he married Isaac’s older sister. We were in the home of this family on our last visit and remember them fondly. Isaac and Mary had risen very early on Friday to make a brief trip to Vijayawada to be with the family during this time. Because of this, we rearranged our plans a bit, which was no problem at all, and decided to spend our shopping day in Vijayawada on Friday instead of later in the week. That way, Isaac could leave us to be guided by others and he would be free to spend time with his sister in her grief. First, though, we would visit her and see the body and the family. Mary had already gone to work and we waited while she tried to arrange a change in her days off. We finally left Tenali around lunch time, and when we arrived in Vijawayada, we went straight to a little restaurant called Sweet Magic. It was delicious and cheap, as usual. While we ate, there was a brief power outage, and we sat with our food for a few minutes until the generator came on. We are always offered “water” or “cooling water.” Cooling water is very slightly chilled, but still an improvement. I am craving a big glass of ice water at this point! With small refrigerators, frequent power outages, and not many people who care for cold drinks, there isn’t really anything truly cold to be had. Not a complaint – just an observation.

Once we finished lunch, we went directly to Isaac’s sister’s house, where many people were gathered and a tent or awning had been erected in front of the house. Under this awning was the body of Isaac’s uncle, laid in a simple wooden coffin which I saw later had a plain cross on the top. The coffin was open, and he looked very peaceful, most of his body covered in a sheet, multiple garlands of flowers around his neck. I remember that he still had his glasses on. I wasn’t sure exactly what was expected of me, but I tried to pay attention and act appropriately. Virginia didn’t want to see the body, so she stayed back. There were so many people around mourning this man that it wasn’t like the experience of an American funeral home where people file quietly past the casket. This was more like a crowd of mourners, family members and church members, gathered for the burial. I don’t think there was any embalming, which I assume is why the body was buried the same afternoon. We had deliberately put away our cameras, not knowing if we would offend, but several of the family members took photos to remember. After viewing the body, we sat for a few minutes in the church building, which was a few doors down. They brought the coffin there and set it up on two plastic chairs, gathered around, and prayed. Soon after that, and after a little hand shaking and condolences, we headed back to the car. Isaac stayed. As we drove away, we witnessed the coffin being carried on the shoulders of some of the men, leading a procession to the burial. As they walked, mourners threw flower petals on the now closed coffin, and I couldn’t help but think of the flower petals that had been thrown for us with such joy.

Hello! Sorry I dropped the ball on the blog. After I posted about being sick, I thought it was over, but I was not fully recovered yet – and I still don’t feel back at 100%. All of us made it safely home last night to Abilene; now we’re just dealing with the jetlag. I do have some posts that I wrote when I didn’t have internet access, and I will post them now. I will be posting about the rest of what we did on the trip, so even though we’re home, the blog isn’t quite finished. If you’ve been reading, don’t stop yet! -Amanda