Kaleidoscope

This was written after my journey to India in the spring of 2009. How I miss Bangalore, with it's vibrant bursts of color, scents of spices, seas of people, and oh, the children. Especially the children.

Peering through the handmade kaleidoscope, my eyes were dazzled by the fragments of light and bright colors. "Its beautiful," I told Jennifer. Her dark, expressive eyes danced with pleasure as I complimented her creative designs that covered the exterior of the tube. I smiled, thinking how appropriate our VBS craft turned out to be. Like Jennifer's kaleidoscope, a myriad of experiences were bombarding my senses, and I was trying to soak all of them in.

The seven days spent in Bangalore flew by, and now I am home, picking up the pieces. The memories are still fresh on my mind. Like the time we spent at Pastor Charles' with his two daughters and the precious orphans in their care. Seeing the eagerness in their upturned faces as we interacted with them, as we got to know them, and took interest in them personally during the short time we had. At the end of the first day, our VBS team gathered around the young children and prayed blessings over them. On day two, as we prepared to leave, the orphans, Pastor Charles, his wife Alice, and their two girls surrounded our small group and began to pray over us. To hear their young voices crying out to God in their native tongue is a memory that I will always treasure. When we said our goodbyes, I was surprised to find my face wet with tears - glancing up, I saw that others were crying as well. I embraced the children for the last time, unwilling to leave them behind.

I was reminded of what an awesome God we serve. The Spirit of Christ resides in the hearts of all who are His. His love binds us, unites us, across oceans and cultures. I was struck by the contagious joy that radiated from the hearts of the orphaned children. It spilled out of their smiles and lit up their countenances. They were loved. These orphans have hope - and that was a beautiful thing to see.