(A blog by Erin Keener)

Hello from India!

I am truly blessed to be in such an amazing country with such beautiful people. Thought it might be time to give everyone an update on myself and the rest of the team! First of all, let me say how blessed I am to be a part of such an amazing team! Jake and Renee never cease to amaze me! They have both only been here once, but they are leading this team as if this is their 15th trip! We are in great hands! Kevin has done a wonderful job preparing them and the Lord is doing some amazing things through them. This team is phenomenal! The love each and every member of this team has for the Lord, and each other is amazing!

The trip has gone well so far, despite a few hiccups. After  long travel on the plane we arrived in Hyderabad, rested, and went to be with the children. There is only one word I can think of to describe this experience: Humbling. These are by far the happiest children I have ever seen. They sing, dance, laugh, and smile more than anything I have ever seen. This was a reality check that I truly needed. It placed a true perspective on things, especially home in the States.

Then we took the train, or the “T word” as it is now affectionately known by the team… to put it nicely, the train and I did not get along. 8.5 hours of stopping and starting, not to mention feeling like you are on a boat traveling the speed of light, was not something my body enjoyed. I have never been so excited to be on solid ground in my entire life. From the time we got off the train I was unable to keep any fluids down. I didn’t quite realize I was THIS susceptible to motion sickness (even once I got OFF the train). After a full day of being sick, my team felt it was best for me to seek out some IV fluids, something I was NOT excited about. They convinced me, however, that it was best to get on top of the dehydration now, so I agreed. This was the beginning of quite the adventure for Jake and myself (Pictures to follow)! Don’t worry mom, Jake is a P.A. and everything was legit! He took excellent care of me! :) Although I don’t feel fantastic, or 100% I’m feeling MUCH better and have been truly blessed to have a team that has put my health first. To my team: I know I haven’t been in the best of moods, and sometimes difficult! (Like not taking medicine because I didn’t know which one it was and didn’t want to wake anyone up at 3am…)  Thanks for putting up with me and seeing to it that I was well taken care of. Thanks for not letting me push myself, even when I REALLY wanted to be a part of what’s going on. Renee, Nicolette, Kati, Mike, Melissa, Jake, Raja, Sekhar, Chris, and Rebecca: little did I know we would so quickly become a family. I am truly blessed to be in this beautiful country with you, making memories we will NEVER forget!

Renee and I stayed back to rest, prepare for the return ride home on the “T word”, and to tour the city this morning while the rest of the team went off to visit a new village and take part in a church dedication. Let’s just say we saw some interesting things during our walk… People are excited to see us, and we get lots of second glances. I feel like a celebrity! I had my first rickshaw experience! It was quite the morning. I am anxiously awaiting the return of my team to hear how the morning went.

Only the Lord knows what is in store for this team, and the rest of this trip! Despite illness I am having a GREAT time and can’t wait to be back in Hyderabad with the children! They inspire me. Although some may think with the past few days I’ve had I’d be ready to be home, I can’t wait to spend more time here. And even once we leave, rest assured India- you have not seen the last of me. (There probably won’t be a train involved on the next trip however!)

Thank you for lifting me up in prayer over the past few days! Words can not express how it feels to know that people on the other side of the world are praying for you!

In Him,
Erin Keener