“Here, sister.” “Try to hit this one, sister.” “There you go!” “You did it!” Expressions of encouragement and gentle instruction could be heard all around the team house on India Hope Campus. Large Carrom boards were on the marbled floor, groups of four circled around them. Carrom, a ‘strike and pocket’ game of Eastern origin,… Read more
If you’ve ever traveled with Back2Back Ministries, you know the daily practice of sharing your “picture of the day.” It’s one way team participants are challenged to remember a significant moment that impacted them. My first trip with Back2Back was in 2015. Debriefing each night was intensely emotional; I was rarely able to fully explain… Read more
The food was brought to the table and served onto the plates. Abdul* and Dev’s* eyes grew large with delight. Nine-year old Abdul breathed deeply the rising steam coming from the spicy, butter chicken on his plate and smiled. “Soooooo good, sister,” he whispered happily. The Indian restaurant near the Back2Back India Hope Campus was… Read more
I wandered downstairs this morning in India. Many of the children are in their home villages for a holiday from school. The campus is quiet – devoid of bell-like singing and guttural laughter. Two boys will remain on the campus during this break. They do not have families to return to, so they stay with… Read more
Sandeep took in the large building with all the shops and people moving about. He looked over at Adam Petticrew, Back2Back staff, and whispered, “I did not know India was like this…” Adam and the three oldest boys on the India Hope Campus, Ganesh, Sandeep, and Goutham, had spent the day in HITEC City. HITEC… Read more
A rural village sits within walking distance of Back2Back’s India Hope Campus in Hyderabad. There, in homes with open doorways, many families live and work in agriculture, hopeful for rainfall to bring their crops to harvest. The homes sit close together and line a combination of cement and dirt “roads.” This is the village where… Read more
The visiting team sat on a bench as the Indian students with bright, expectant smiles walked towards them. Each child stepped forward, accepted a new book bag filled with school supplies – notebooks, pencils, and school books – and returned to their seats with gratitude. College students from Kent State’s H2O Church recently visited the… Read more
Sai Kiran kicks the soccer ball to Navya, the child psychologist visiting campus. She returns the ball back to him and he looks at his friend, Pranay, who waits patiently to receive a turn. Sai Kiran turns his big, brown eyes to the psychologist. “Can we please pass to my friend and give him a… Read more
The Indian Government has called for a country-wide clean up and the children on the Hope Campus were happy to oblige. “In support of Prime Minister Modi’s Swachh Bharat (Clean Up) India initiative, we started a recycling/clean-up the campus/composting system together,” shared Adam Petticrew, Campus Captain. Together, the boys and girls on the campus picked… Read more
The India Hope Campus continues to flourish. Last summer, finishing touches on sports courts were made by visiting teams and the children are readily found playing sand volleyball, badminton, and basketball in their free time. In addition to new sports courts, the team/staff house is close to being finished. Staff hope a visiting team later this… Read more