This past summer I was extremely fortunate and blessed to have been given the opportunity to travel to Chennai, India with a team of 11 other people from my church. We spent two weeks working at an orphanage and at various children’s schools in and around the city. Our main purpose was to spread God’s Love to the children we encountered and show them how much their Daddy Delights in them!
To say that the experience was incredibly humbling and inspiring would be a definite understatement. For one, I had never before witnessed such heart-wrenching poverty or desperation. But what impacted my soul on an even deeper level was not the intense need I saw. It was the undeniable joy that radiated from the eyes of the children I met; children who couldn’t possibly have anything to be joyful about. Or could they? What struck me to the core was that these precious children understood a profound truth, one that many people die without ever realizing.
Their joy wasn’t dependent upon their circumstances.
For these children, it wasn’t prosperity, popularity, power or possessions that sustained them. Their hope didn’t stem from how smart they were, how pretty they looked or how many meals they ate each day. They found their Hope, Sustenance and Joy in the Lord! And nothing; no flood, drought, famine or disease could EVER take that away from them!
It was my honour to serve those children and be God’s instrument to show them a tiny smidgen of the Unconditional, Unsurpassable Love He has for them. It’s quite ironic to realize that the very children I went overseas to help were the ones that ended up doing more for me than I could ever do for them. Sure, I brought them new clothes and danced and sang with them (and all of it was meaningful and treasured, don’t get me wrong!) But, they gave me a gift that far surpassed anything the world could ever offer. They gave me the gift of Hope… The Hope in a child’s eyes.
May you be encouraged, that no matter how desperate your situation may seem, God’s LOVE for you is far Greater than the worst of your circumstances. The Joy of the Lord is your Strength and your Salvation; when you put your hope in Him, He will never fail you. I pray that the Love, Joy and Hope of the Lord would fill your hearts to overflowing and that you would never doubt how much you are cherished and loved by your Heavenly Father!
In His Love.
Tasha xo
A Girl After God's Heart 
Seeing the world as it really is for the majority can be sobering. Children don’t know what poverty is if they’ve seen nothing else. That’s the hope to which we are called by our Father. He created us with hope, love, and faith built in.
Going on a mission’s trip is a great reminder, and sometimes life-changing, on what is important: loving one another, showing God’s Love, encouraging, helping…
I’m so glad you got to experience this Tasha! Love always…xo
Thanks, Andy! I’m glad I got to experience it too… it was a true blessing. I can’t wait for your first mission trip! 🙂 Love always! xoxo
So i just read some of your blog and your one about your trip to India inspired me to write something to you.
I spent 4 and a half months this summer in a tiny place called Nkwanta, in the Volta region of Ghana, volunteering at an orphanage. I went there in the hopes of helping out some people less fortunate than myself and hopefully inspiring some sort of positive change in getting those kids in school and putting food on the table. I went in a material frame of mind more than anything, because that’s what I’ve been taught living in Canada.
I learned much more than I feel I taught them. They have nothing, eat only 2 meals a day at best, walk 10 minutes just to get dirty water full of worms so that they can have a bath, sleep on the concrete floor, go to a school where their teachers couldn’t care less about them and yet they are so much happier than anybody in my life here. They appreciate everything and the joy on their faces every single day is something amazingly inspiring.
I didn’t go there on a missions trip, but the love of God in their lives is absolutely incredible. (I actually just posted a video of their prayer time, you should check it out. I think you’d love it) They taught me that loving the Lord and trusting in Him is what makes you happy. Loving other people, being grateful for what you have, those are the things that really matter, so much more than the ‘things’ you have, and that loving Him can get you through any situation, no matter how difficult it may seem.
So after reading your blog, I had to share this story with you.
Hope you are doing well!!
Kailee
Hi Kailee,
Thanks SO much for sharing your amazing experience with me. I honestly don’t think I could have lasted in India for 4.5 months; I am amazed at your dedication! What you witnessed over there is remarkable and it vividly illustrates the incredible Love and Grace that God has for each one of His children.
I completely agree that having a grateful heart is crucial to our growth as Christians. It’s one way that we can show our love to God for what He has done in our lives. It’s so easy to take the blessings God gives us for granted, especially when our lives get busy. It’s painfully ironic that many who have SO much, appreciate so little yet those who have relatively nothing, praise God for His Providence. It kinda blows your mind, doesn’t it?
I’m truly glad you were able to experience something so incredibly powerful and I pray that it continues to draw you closer to your Saviour everyday.
This could be something that will change my mind, thanks for your tenacity in writing this
Thanks Eldridge! Be blessed!
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Thanks Urick! God bless!