India Mission Trip

About seven months ago, in December and January of 2006, I was given the honor and privilege of going on a Maranatha trip to India to help complete construction on a recently built elementary school for children whose parents cannot afford an education for them.

I found out that it would cost approximately $2,000 to go on this two week-long trip, and a poor student like me does not have that kind of money to spend on a 'vacation.'

After some persuasion, I decided to give it a shot. I was told to send out some letters asking family and friends for donations so that I would be able to pay for this trip. I did so, thinking nobody would bother sending me any money to go.

About a week later I went out to get the mail and found a letter from a friend. I opened it a few minutes later and nearly fainted when I saw a check for $200. Not long after that I received other checks, until eventually a couple months later I had the money I needed to go on this trip.

A few months later I was heading out the airport doors into Bombay, India. As I stepped through the airport's sliding doors it felt like I was taking a step 50 years back in time.

There were hundreds of old cars and yellow and black taxis that looked like they were from the 1950s. Another thing I noticed was the intense pollution and smell of literally a population of over 10 million people and a city with almost no pollution regulations.

We were to stay the night in Bombay before leaving on another plane in the morning clear across the country to the eastern coast. On the way to the hotel I saw things that I had never seen before in my life.

There were thousands upon thousands of people living on the sidewalks and streets. They were seeping on them, cooking on them, and essentially taking up residence there. And I saw more garbage and filth than I could have ever imagined. It was then I really saw life in a third world country.

In the morning I was in the plane flying from the west coast of India to a city on the eastern coast called Visakhapatnam, a city of about 1.5 million people. We were destined for an approximately seven hour ride to a village called Bobili. When I heard the word village and actually arrived there, I was bewildered. When I think of the word 'village' I think of a small clan of people with huts, thatched-roof houses, and a population of maybe a few hundred. This is not so in India. In India, a village is pretty much the USA equivalent of a city, and frequently with a population of over 10,000.

I, along with a group of about 16 other people, arrived there, at a school for blind children built by a philanthropist and generous man from my area. We were to stay the night and visit with the students and then leave in the morning. When we arrived we were greeted by the students of the school, the majority of them blind since birth. It was depressing to see them at first, them feeling around and having requiring help to do almost anything. I was even sometimes afraid of them, and tried to keep my distance. I had never seen so many blind people in real life, especially children.

This fear was erased when I discovered that although they were hurt and disfigured on the outside, they were more beautiful on the inside than any Hollywood celebrity.

This reminds me of a story I heard. The man who built this school regularly returns to India to check on his constructed schools. He has contributed heavily to these schools, providing the blind school for specially designed facilities and numerous technological devices for blind children.

In addition to providing material things, he has paid for sight-restoration surgery for the eligible students at the school, and many of the cases have resulted in some sight restoration. When one of the children had their sight restored, the first thing they asked to see was Jesus. When told that Jesus could not be seen, the child asked, "Would you please show me a picture of Jesus, then?"

In the morning we left the blind school, my life already changed. However, what I did not know was the amount of life-changing that was to come.

We were going to Jeypore, another seven or so hours northeast in the state of Orissa. This time we were going to another school built for "normal" children whose parents cannot afford to send their children to school.

These children are able to go to this school tuition-paid, either by the builder of the school himself or they are sponsored by families that live in the USA or elsewhere.

We arrived at the school several hours later, and were again greeted by the children with the traditional Indian greeting that consists of flower leis, dancing, and many welcomes.

This campus is quite larger than the blind school's campus, having numerous large buildings such as boys' and girls' dormitories, a dining area, and several very nice staff living facilities.

Before the man who built the school arrived, the school consisted of only a handful of buildings. In this setup, the children literally lived and had class in the same room. In the morning when they woke up, they would roll up their beds (more like mats) and carry their "belongings," only consisting of a small trunk with some petty possessions, away to clear the room for class.

The children also did not even have the bare necessities of life, things that Westerners take for granted such as electricity and running water. They were also only fed one meal a day: a bowl of rice with a little seasoning.

When the school's builder arrived, this school touched his heart and he decided to do what he could to help these children. What he did changed their lives forever.

Not long later, the land was cleaned up and construction began on several buildings. The campus was enlarged greatly, and several buildings were added, such as nicely-sized boys' and girls' housing areas, staff housing, and much more.

Electricity and running water were added to the campus, things that I consider necessities. It's amazing to think how long these kids went without either of these, but I guess they haven't known any different.

The children also received their new beds while we were there, which was an amazing sight. Almost all of these children have never slept in a bed. They were ecstatic when they were given brand new bunk beds and mattresses for them.

When my team arrived, our objective was to help paint the newly-built buildings. Painting is pretty much something unheard of in India, at least in the area we were in, and decent painters are impossible to find.

We stayed at the school for the duration of our stay in India, continuing to work and socialize with the children. We managed to take several bags of candy, toys, and clothing along in spare baggage to give away to the children.

Many of these children do not have any toys, have very little clothing, and most have never tasted a piece of candy. You can imagine their delight when we walked outside one day with bags of candy under our arms.

A large number of medical personnel went with us on the trip, and we created a medical team to go out into the isolated areas to see and try to help those that were sick. I was invited to go one day, so I thought I would give it a shot.

When I was there I was given the task of "crowd control," since I did not have any medical experience. I was to stand at the entrance and prevent the people from flooding into the examination area. Occasionally I was able to glance back and check out what was going on. I saw numerous diseases and parasites such as scabies and flesh disorders such as leprosy, which I thought was eradicated a few centuries ago.

It was only too soon before our 'vacation' was over, and we were heading back home. I returned home a changed person. I discovered that I enjoyed helping people, and I have decided that I want to do it for the rest of my life.