Our first distribution!!

Recap of Monday, January 24, 2011

Waking up this morning was a wonderful feeling; today is the day I am privileged to get down on my knees and wash little children’s feet and then place a pair of new shoes on them. I am anxious to see the reaction of the children when they get a pair of shoes.  As usual, we started with breakfast and then loaded up in the van. We first headed to The Basil School, another location where children do not stay, but can attend school under the ICMC organization. There is also a school of nursing at this location. The children were lined up in these same straight, militaristic lines as yesterday. (This is the same school where we held our church service on Sunday). They sang for us a few songs and then said their morning prayer. The way these children behave is similar to a military style. The leader walks out, does a 90-degree turn to face the children to salute them.  They raise the flag and all the children clap and smile because they are so proud of their Tamil Nadu flag.  There is an Indian festival that will occur tomorrow, which is the celebration of their independence from Britain rule. These particular children will go to the stadium in Salem and perform a dance they have been practicing for weeks.  We got a sneak preview of their rhythmic dance that they will perform, symbolizing ending child labor.

After the children’s performance we were offered tea for the millionth time. It is in their culture to serve their visitors, so at the end of the meal and periodically throughout the day they will offer us tea or coffee to ensure our happiness. We made our way up several flights of stairs and found ourselves in a room full of college students that were achieving a nursing degree. They were all dressed identically in blue sarees and standing, once again, in a similar to military stance. They sang for us their national anthem and Pastor Mark gave his testimony and then said a prayer for these young ladies.  

Then we were off for our mission that we came to India for, distribute shoes for those that so desperately need them.  We loaded up over 60 bags of shoes, totaling 2400 pair. I am very pleased on how our volunteer team has been working together.  We tend to understand one another and work well as a team, so we got those shoes in the truck in no time. We made an assembly line of all of the volunteers (Wendi Ellis, from San Fransisco, Anne McDonald from outside Portland, Oregon, Brett Bruster from Texas, David Simpson from Nevada, Aaron Crownover from Reno, Pastor Mark Morton and his son Joel from Reno, Mike Bell the dentist and his daughter Brooke from Las Vegas, Jay Nantz a dentist from Austin, Texas, and Katie Lentile our leader from Soles4Souls and myself)

Aaron tossing the bags to Mark and Brett

The drive to The Promised Land where we would hold our first distribution was surreal. I knew it was coming, but it is one of those things where you aren’t sure how you are going to react so you don’t know what to expect. The 30-minute ride seemed like 2 hours this afternoon due to the million things running through my head. Not to mention the amount of traffic in Salem. There are lines painted on the streets, but those are totally ignored by the locals. They pass when they feel like passing and the honk any and everywhere they go just to let other drivers know where they are on the road. That took some getting use to.

  

It didn’t take much to get set up, but we did have to separate all of the shoes into size piles, which took a little while but made the process run a lot more smoothly. I am going to walk you through how the distribution works. The children form a line as they wait, quite impatiently to get their shoes. One of our team members measures their feet on a chart that Soles4Souls provides. Their size is written on their hand in sharpie and they are sent through a line where a volunteer will wash and dry their little feet. It was amazing to see how many children in this culture did not want us to wash their feet. They seemed nervous and did not want us to be on our hands and knees washing their feet, what a humbling experience it was for me. These children have never had ANYONE wash their feet. They walk around barefoot every day of their lives and don’t think twice about it. So you can imagine what it was like to clean their feet for the first time. It’s not like they have showers to bathe in, so it was a pretty amazing experience. Afterward, another one of our team members called a runner would read the number written on their hand and go get them a pair of shoes that would fit their foot. A lot of times we went up a size so that they would have a little room to grow into them and the shoes would last a little longer for them. These children had grins on their faces from ear to ear. They would say repeatedly thank you, thank you, thank you, and usually get a high five or a hug from either myself or another team member.

Aaron and Anne going in for the High Five after we finished separating the shoes!

Wendi and Brooke separating shoe sizes

She did not want Aaron to wash her feet!

So happy about her new shoes!

Off they would go, so excited about their shoes. You could see them showing their shoes to their  friends and being overjoyed that someone wanted   to give them shoes along with a little personal attention. We distributed shoes for over 4 hours, giving away approximately 700 pairs of shoes. 700…. I still can’t believe that in our first day of the distribution, we gave away 700 pairs of shoes and we still have several days left to experience this process. I think everyone should experience what I experienced today. Physically getting down on your hands and knees for someone that does not expect it at all. Physically being below them symbolizes that we are putting them on a pedal stool above us and showing them they are more important than us. Washing the feet to me was the most rewarding part of the process. Seeing how special they felt when an American washed the feet of an Indian girl or boy was something you can’t describe. Historically that’s not the way it is supposed to be right? Well we changed that today. The kids may have been overjoyed, but I was touched in a way that I can’t describe in words, its something you have to experience on your own.

Well, it happened again. Another girl stole my heart right from me. Her name is Parimala Selvam and she was an absolutely gorgeous  11 year old with an amazingly sweet personality. She was one of those girls you could tell was doing well in school and trying to become something amazing. She told me that I was 100% beautiful, but that I was really white… that got me tickled. We took a picture and sure enough… I am REALLY white, especially when I stand next to her. I was also quite impressed with her ability to speak English. She knew enough to where we could have pretty good conversations and she even attempted to teach me a little Tamil, the local language. Let me tell you, that was SO hard. There are so many new sounds to learn that I don’t think I could EVER learn enough to hold a conversation.

This is Parimila and I (the picture that she told me I looked white)

She gave me one of the bracelets off her hand after I profusely refused, she told me it was a gift and that I had to take it. She also asked me why I didn’t wear a watch, and I said I just don’t have one here. Her response just floored me, “don’t you worry.. I give you mine as a gift.” Now of course I didn’t let that happen, but I let her put the bracelet on my hand and I love it!  She was willing to give me two of the only things she owns because that’s how they are. They are just so giving and sweet, wanting nothing more than to make us happy. The bracelet she gave me will be a constant reminder of what I experienced while I was in India.

As it is every time we leave, the children did NOT want us to load up in the van. Parimala walked me to the van and said the sweetest thing I think I have ever heard from a little child, “Please take of her.” She was speaking to one of our volunteers, John Jackson that visits every year so they have gotten to know him and highly respect him. She wanted to make sure nothing would happen to me so that I would return tomorrow and spend more time with her. They profusely wave as we drive away, which breaks my heart. They run after the fan as we exit the property. All I want to do is turn right around and stay the night. Parimala was reaching for my hand through the window as we drove away and I was already ready for the next day, only I was quite ready for some sleep. We are a little physically and mentally drained, but I know that nothing can get in the way of enjoying every minute of tomorrows distribution.  I wish I could tell you exactly what is going through my head and heart, but it so difficult to put into words. I am trying very hard, but I am sorry if I am difficult to follow.  I will try to continue to paint a picture of my feelings and keep you up to date on our journey through India. 

 

Running after our van as we were leaving the Promised Land

We were faced with a lot of challenges today but we charged thru just as the Lord tells us to do. In Him,

Emily