It’s raining! It’s pouring! The monsoon rains have finally come to Hyderabad, India and are a welcome relief from the near-drought conditions. Thank you to everyone who prayed for this rain. And, thanks to our God for providing this “shelter” in a sun-scorched land.
Last weekend, my old concerns about the monsoons resurfaced. It had been raining all week, but we had planned a big event on Saturday. The children at Eternal Joy Home were going on a field trip! They were going to have a picnic lunch and play at a scenic spot. So, I started to worry. “What if it rains?” I’ve prayed for this rain and now that it’s come, I feel the need to put qualifications on it – “just not tomorrow, God.” But as usual, He had it all under control. We woke Saturday to beautiful blue skies.
When the twenty children piled into two SUV vehicles, it was the first time that most of them had ever ridden in an independent car. They didn’t care that there was no air-conditioning. Open windows made it easier to wave at passing cars and trucks. We found a shady spot near a lake, overlooking a big rock mountain. Amid some grazing cows and a baffled goat herder, the children enjoyed their picnic lunch.
Meal time
Then it was time for some games – cricket, badminton, Frisbee and jump rope.
The children enjoying a game of frisbee
They played a version of “duck duck goose” called “sumba, sumba, cumba” and the smiles on their faces were priceless.
An Indian version of duck, duck, goose
After that, our friend from the US gave all the children chocolates. Wow!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aptWJOWwMmk]
For many of the children, this may have been the best day of their life. For just a couple of hours, they enjoyed what we so easily take for granted as a normal life. God provided for these orphans just as He promises to do. The next day, we had record rainfall in Hyderabad.