3 Distributions in one day!!!

Recap of  Wednesday January 26, 2011

Today was the mother of all distributions. We did 3… 3 different distributions at 3 different locations…and let me just tell you, that is intense. We probably gave away close to 700 pair of shoes in one day. The first one was at the Eden Garden, which was about 20 minutes away from Salem. We were told that the boys that lived here were the only ones that could stand how “cold” it was. It was in the 80’s but yet it was cold. Some of the kids even wore earmuffs! It was hilarious. It was a pretty easy distribution as most of the boys were little. After fitting several hundred pairs of shoes, you kind of know a shoe size by looking at the foot. We ate lunch out at Eden Garden today so we were forced to eat without forks… just like the locals. It didn’t bother us one bit. We dove right in and started scooping up our rice with our fingers. It felt good to dig into my plate of food with nothing but my hands. I have always been pretty proper with table manners, so it was nice to let loose and just be a local for the day!

Some of the Precious Boys at Eden Garden after they got their new shoes

  

The grounds were covered in coconut trees so one of the boys shimmied right up the tree and hacked down coconuts and opened them up for us to eat. No harness or safety net just the boy and the tree trunk, of course with no shoes on as well! You could tell this was not his first rodeo. He got up the tree in no time and starting hacking away and throwing the coconuts down to where 3 boys were holding a blanket to catch the falling fruit. They created a pile where two more boys would run over and carry the coconuts to where one older boy had a hatchet and would cut them open right in front of us! The coconut water was yummy, but the texture of the fresh coconut here is a bit slimy to me. It was pretty cool to drink something right of the tree, no processing or added sugar, simply raw coconut water.

Enjoying the coconut water!

So my clumsiness followed me to India this week. I was leaning out of the bus window to shake one of the boys hands as we were leaving Eden Garden, and hit my head right on the big metal black rods that go across every window, forgetting that it was there. And a word to the wise, beware of branches coming inside the windows of busses. I have a scratch down the left side of my face and across my left eye. Glad I can take home a little battle wound from this trip : )

Just love this one.. touches my heart every time I see it 

What I was looking out the bus window to see

We headed back to the House of Peace and distributed shoes to the young children that live here. Another 250 pair of shoes given away!! What an amazing feeling!!! Afterwards we finally took a break and ate a bite. It is nice to take a break every now and then and realize the impact you are making on these kids, and the impact they are making on you. You may not think it is, but distributing shoes is exhausting! Carrying 100’s of shoes with sweat dripping down your face can make  you pretty tired, but it never seems to consume you. You just have these random bursts of energy, no matter how tired you should be. In the back if your mind, you know you are only here for a short period of time and what to experience every single minute of the trip.

Katie washing some feet : )

Shoes ready to be put on some cute little bare feet!

We were soon off again to the next distribution location at a church in the country to where we would do our third and final distribution of the day. This church was tiny, hot, and full of mosquitoes.  Needless to say we went through this distribution pretty quickly. All of the children were very appreciative today, which makes the distributions so much more rewarding for me and the rest of the volunteers. My heart it is overcome with love for others that need it. I never thought I could give away so much love in such a short period of time. It may get frustrating at times, but I just stop and think, this is all these kids have and I am going to enjoy giving it to them.

Waiting on her new shoes! 

Always giving thanks to the Lord

This lady was so thankful! Loved her!

This particular distribution had several children under a year old with teeny tiny feet! I quickly adopted the roll of fitting these children with shoes, and when the adults realized this, they starting practically throwing the children into my arms. It felt incredible to just hold them in my arms and against my chest. Some of them were scared, but most of them clung to me for dear life. I put the smallest shoes we brought with us on their little feet, but there were still a little big. It was the most precious thing watching them try to keep the shoes on their feet. There were several times when I would have 3 and 4 babies in my arms, trying to juggle them all at once. I forgot how much I love little babies. They are so innocent and sweet and just want to be held.

Sunset on the way to the 3rd distribution today

We are all pretty excited about what is in store for tomorrow.  FREE DAY!!! I think we are going to head up the mountain and do some activities outside to learn a bit more about the local culture... should be an eventful day!! It will be weird not having several kids hanging on each side of me, but it will be a good break for our team so that we can appreciate everything we are doing for this children in India.

Charging thru the challenge of physical and mental exhaustion with the help if 100's of smiling children : )

In Him,

Emily