I found myself in Bangalore India again in mid-April taking advantage of our school's spring break. Actually, this was a trip I've been wanting to make for quite some time -- a chance to reconnect with some of the kids from the children's home /orphanage I've visited over the past 6-7 years. Turns out, my stay in Bangalore was busy combining a bit of sight-seeing and meeting them at the same time.
Unbelievable: the two young people in this post are a brother and sister team who I first got to know when they were 11 and 13. If interested, here's a
link to a 2009 post outlining early impressions of my first trip to India and the
Beulah Home. Now the siblings, like so many others, are on their own in the city since they have outgrown their stay at the orphanage.
We're talking 18 and 20 year olds living in Bangalore (a city of 8.5 million), those who rarely got out of the village orphanage and were quite accustomed to a more-protected life. Needless to say, it is a scary transition for those from the orphanage encountering an endless number of strangers in the city and trying to navigate their survival -- from learning the transportation system to paying utilities with limited (to say the least) resources. I was glad to learn most are getting jobs working in the service industry, such as hotels and restaurants, and not living on the streets as I initially feared.
Bottom line: many of these now-young-adults are woefully under-educated in comparison to others their age in this country, even with the efforts from the orphanage to provide them education. As a result, I'm trying to connect them with a reputable school so they can learn a trade/profession. I'm working closely with them so they take initiative and are instrumental in the process. It's our aim, Lord willing, that they then invest their talents and Christian witness wherever God plants them. For the brother and sister, they are open to going back to their home village in north India after they become trained in the city. Not only could they witness to those back home but also offer services residents don't often get in the rural areas.
So, using my keen sense and ability to locate the nearest
Starbucks, I treated my kids to their first frappe and we started to make plans. While the initial goal is to upgrade their education and transition to life outside the orphanage, we talked about needing to be flexible in our plans in order that God can use us as He sees fit. Any effort we put forth in our lives needs to be seen in the broad reality that God alone gives us strength and grace to do it!
In fact, just as I was writing this paragraph, the song
Grace Alone started playing and the words were a wonderful reminder that God is the One who allows us and enables us to move forward... whether we're talking about my efforts to find funds and organize educational details or these young people who will need to put in the effort to graduate and survive the city.
Here's a link to a music video with lyrics if you want to take a listen to the song:
Grace Alone
Every promise we can make
Every prayer and step of faith
Every difference we can make
Is only by His grace.
Every mountain we will climb
Every ray of hope we shine
Every blessing left behind
Is only by His grace.
Grace alone which God supplies
Strength unknown He will provide
Christ in us, our cornerstone
We will go forth in grace alone.
Every soul we long to reach
Every heart we hope to teach
Everywhere we share His peace
Is only by His grace.
Every loving word we say
Every tear we wipe away
Every sorrow turned to praise
Is only by His grace.
Video to "Grace Alone" by Marantha Music
