Tiffin Half-Full

Urgent Prayers!

2011-03-12T12:43:00.000-05:00

I just got an email from Riny (my Jubilee partner and our house mother) in India and am asking for everyone's prayers please:

She writes,

"Government officials are going through all the orphanages in Kerala, Now checking started in Malappuram, today we got this information from Priyanka Jose and in the news channels also the news was reported, the government found that so many orphanages are running with the support of foreigners and the authorities are not taking proper care of the children and money which they are receiving is miss used, the Government want to find these kind of orphanages and the orphanage which is running in rented houses, they are strictly going to stop the children's home which don't have own property they will give only few months within this months if we could arrange building which is our own then we will get the Government registration, otherwise they will ask us to stop the orphanage, please pray for this matter."

Riny and Joseph are excellent with keeping a record of all the money they receive and use, and they by no means are using the support for anything but the children. Unfortunately many orphanages in India are not like Jubilee, so we are also at risk. She writes about a Government registration, which we have already, but only in part. To be fully capable of running an orphanage we must own our own land and house, and at this time we are in a rented home. She also writes about Prinyanka Jose; he is a government social worker that we work alongside. He is a wonderful man and loves what we are doing at Jubilee. Thankfully he is on our side and willing to do anything he can to help us. Not all orphanages run with foreign support will be closed. First the officials will inspect the home, interview neighbors, children, village officials, etc. Jubilee, along with Riny and Joseph are thought of very highly in the surrounding area and we are known to be the best orphanage with honest, loving, God fearing care-takers. We are confident that this is in God's hands, but I am asking for your prayers that Jubilee will not be effected by this new law.

Thanks so much, Carie

Safe and sound!

2010-12-16T20:54:00.001-05:00

I am happy to say that I made it to India safe and sound. It's hard to believe that I've already been here for a week! I guess the time flies when you're busy :).

Getting back in the routine here is easy since I feel like I never left. The one difference is that we now have a house full! And I can honestly say (without partiality), that these kids are the sweetest, most joyful that I've ever met. Each one has his or her own quirks and together they create a beautiful picture of what a family looks like, in it's truest sense.

Much of this first week has been spent getting to know the kids and giving them the chance to get to know me. Language is always a hinderance, but with kids, actions often speak louder than words. Since the kids are in school a lot of the waking day we spend our evenings playing games, singing songs, studying (I help with English), and a number of other things. Riny and Joseph have a great routine set with the kids. I jump in when possible. Unfortunately the power has been out for several hours so Sini and Siji's (the 2 year old twins) routine is a little out of sorts and they have been a bundle of tears. Though they are occupied at the moment with tickles from Anitha which is keeping them happy. I love the noises here, cries and all.

Yesterday was a special treat. Our village has been playing host to a week long, district wide, cultural program and competition. To give the kids in the area a chance to see the different programs, all the school children were given a day vacation. We also took our kids to the event. It was pure chaos! I think everyone from 100 miles around came to see the program yesterday. But I must say a little chaos is worth it to see the beautiful dancing and singing. And for anyone who has seen Bride and Prejudice I am pleased to say I was able to witness the Snake Dance first hand!

Today was a busy day with no power, no water, and no gas for cooking, but as always God provides the abilities and strength to get our work done. I will sleep well tonight! That's it for today. I'll leave you with some pictures of the kids this week and will be back next week for updates on the kids and the day to day happenings.

A gift idea...

2010-11-24T15:18:00.000-05:00

Christmas is just around the corner and this year instead of waiting in line on Black Friday consider giving your friends and family a gift that gives back!

Last year I had some friends give a donation to Jubilee in honor of their loved ones, and I hope to make it a recurring tradition this year, only bigger and better! Our Paypal link makes giving simple and easy for you and for us. If you'd like, I will also provide you with a donation letter to give to your loved one. So start Christmas shopping today with Jubilee!

On a side note, I leave for India in a week! So much to do, so little time...

And Happy Thanksgiving!

A Baker's Dozen

2010-11-10T23:12:00.000-05:00

And by baker's, I do mean buns. And by buns, I do mean in the oven!

Yep, Riny is pregnant! Now my typical first reaction to this news would have been sheer elation, but considering that we just took in 4 new kids, the news came as a bit of a shock. It's been about a week since we found out and now that it's sunk in, we're excited :). I mean who doesn't love babies?!

Though along with babies comes sickness (at least that's what I've heard.) Riny has been very very sick. Most days she cannot get out of bed, which makes it tough to take care of all the kids. Joseph is great, but all the work is hard on one person, especially when there is also lots of work outside of Jubilee to be done.

Pray for Riny and Joseph!

It's been so difficult to hear about all the new kids, about the pregnancy, the sickness, the good news, the bad news, and not be there. I mean I'm there in spirit in everything, but not being there, well it stinks! I'm incredibly thankful to have been in the States when my grandmother needed me. But she is doing really well now and with her blessing I'll be headed back to India soon.

December 1st to be exact.

I cannot wait!

I cannot wait to meet all the new kids. I cannot wait to spend Christmas with Riny, Joseph, and the kids. I cannot wait to be back to life at Jubilee.

However, my excitement does not mask the fact that I have tons to do in a few short weeks. And I know that Thanksgiving will definitely take a nice chunk out of my planning, packing, and preparing for not only my departure but also the next several months.

Pray for my sanity!

Out with the old, in with the new

2010-10-10T17:03:00.000-04:00

A tremendous thanks to all of you who made donations last week. With your help we met and exceeded our goal! We were able to purchase beds for the new kids, linens, clothing, shoes, and even a couple extra things like...the washing machine!!!

This my friends is our old washing machine. (Insert bucket of water and bar of soap.)

Drum roll please...

And this is our new washing machine! Or at least one that looks a lot like this :)

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall Saturday morning when everyone got up early to witness the inauguration of the new washing machine. Riny, Joseph, and all 12 kids gathered around to see that baby in action. Riny could not have been more excited to tell me about it. She says it even dries, a.k.a. the "spin cycle". Clint told everyone, "I want to meet the man that made such an amazing thing!" They are too cute!

Although our immediate goal was met, we are still in need of monthly sponsors for all 4 of the new kids. If you would like to partner with Jubilee and sponsor a child check out the sponsorship page to the right or message me with questions you might have.

Once again, thank you so much. It would not have been possible without your support!

a full house

2010-10-06T12:34:00.000-04:00

Meet the beautiful new faces!

Back row: Subi, Subin

Front: Siji, Sini

How stinkin' cute are they! Like I said in my previous post, Subi is 7 and in the 2nd grade. Subin is 6 and in the 1st grade. Siji and Sini are 2 years and 3 months old. After their mother died, their father didn't know what to do with the children; typically in Indian culture there are few single fathers. The landlord of the house they were renting kicked their father and all the children out after their mother died. He said that since their father wouldn't be able to work now because of the children, he wouldn't be able to pay rent. For 2 days their father, with the 4 children, wandered the streets looking for someplace to go. He seriously considered selling Siji and Sini to pay of his debt and pay for a place to live. It was a desperate situation and we are incredibly grateful that the government got involved. It scares me think what could have happened to those innocent little girls.

Thankfully we don't have to worry about that now. They are safe and sound at Jubilee. Being so small, none of the children quite understand what has happened to their mother, and as for their father they don't question his whereabouts. From what the social worker discovered while talking with neighbors of the family, the kids and their mother, sad to say, are much better off without his presence in their lives.

It has only been a few days that the kids have been with us, but I hear they are doing very well. Subi and Subin are happy to have so many kids to play with, and have already started school. Sini and Siji are a handful, as most toddlers are, but are sweet and adjusting well. Riny tells me that despite their age they are still only bottle feeding and not potty trained at all. She and Joseph have already begun working with them and we pray that they are fast learners :).

We are still in need of sponsors for all 4 children. If you are interested in being one of them don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks so much and God bless!

caution: God at work

2010-10-04T13:39:00.000-04:00

So it all started last week during Riny and my usual skype chat. She mentioned, in passing, having read an article in the newspaper about a family of 5 kids who had recently lost their mother and the father was looking for help. The latter part of the article mentioned an orphanage in a nearby town that had jumped on board quickly to take the children and help this family. These articles are a regular occurrence in the paper, and we were happy to see that there are people ready and willing to help. We moved on from the topic and neither one of us thought about it again....until the phone call came. I'm not exactly sure of the order of events that came next but I'll try to make it as clear as possible.

The phone call that came was from a Governmental Children's Advocate a.k.a. Social Worker. The Social Worker said that he was working alongside the family from the paper and was hoping to come and speak with us (Riny and Joseph) about the likelihood of Jubilee taking the kids. Apparently the orphanage from the paper has no legal documentation and was pretty shady. Riny called me a.s.a.p. for a conference call and we decided to take the kids. (I mean really, who would turn them away!) The situation has been a huge testament to us at Jubilee because the Social Worker searched all over our district and the surrounding areas and everyone from the Police Dept. to the City Mayor said that Jubilee is the best place! They raved about how wonderful Riny and Joseph are with the children, and said that I wasn't just one of the foreigners who sends money but that I genuinely care about what's going on. I mean crazy right! We try and keep a low profile since we are not 100% government certified. We have our paperwork complete and approved to run a "Charitable Trust" but to be registered as a "Charitable Orphanage" we need to own land, and as of now we rent. The Social Worker told Riny and Joseph never to worry about our rented house because, "Mother Teresa started in a small, rented house, and you know where her society is now." Words will not do justice to explain how we feel about the outpouring of love from everyone.

So now the kids! The youngest baby girl was adopted soon after the article was published. A loving couple who couldn't have children were excited to find her. The remaining children are Subi, a 7 year old girl; Subin, a 6 year old boy; and Siji and Sini, 2 year old twin girls. They have only been with us for a couple of days but seem to be adjusting very well. Being so young, none of them really understand everything that's been going on but I am confident that Riny and Joseph will help them to understand and are already caring for them as their own children.

As not to bombard you with info, I will end this post here and tell you the story of the children tomorrow. I will leave you with this, if you can, PLEASE PLEASE MAKE A DONATION! We are not equipped to take care of 4 more children. The kids came with the clothes on their backs and that's it. They need clothing and shoes, and we need beds and linens desperately. I am also trying to buy Riny a washing machine. We do all the washing by hand, and believe me it's not easy! With 12 kids, 3 of which are under the age of 3 (and no diapers in India), you can imagine what a wonderful gift a washing machine would be! Check out the Paypal donation button on the sidebar or message me for questions.

Thanks so much!

This and that

2010-09-23T12:53:00.000-04:00

Happy news:

At school Athun and Anitha both received 1st place in a relay race!

At church Clint got 1st place in this years memory verse competition by reciting 30 verses!

Also at church Cletus got 2nd place in the memory verse competition with 26 verses! He also got 1st place in the singing competition!

Not quite as happy news:

Everyone, with the exception of Clint has/had Pink Eye. Yuck! But thankfully I learned my lesson at another orphanage I worked at in India when everyone (all 100 of us!) got pink eye. I now supply Jubilee with American Pink Eye meds. I'm all for using Indian meds when needed, but when it comes to Pink Eye they stink! It took us all over 3 weeks to get rid of the icky eye last time. Riny says that it's only taken a day or two to clear up with the drops I sent, yay!

Cletus was riding a friend's bicycle this week and got his finger stuck in the chain. Poor little guy! They successfully managed to get it out without much damage, but it's all smooshed and black and blue. :(

Say a little prayer for the eyes and fingers of our kids. Other than those minor details all is well on the Jubilee home-front.

good news

2010-09-17T16:32:00.000-04:00

Jino update:

It's great news! You may all be thinking that Jino is back at Jubilee, but the good news comes in a much more exciting package. Joseph went to visit with Jino and his mother and see what was going on with the situation. Turns out she was going to teach him sewing ONLY if his school at Jubilee would not transfer his records, which can be a common problem. (If you want to transfer schools mid-year, the school will often wait until the end of the term to give the papers.) Well, thankfully the school decided they'd rather have a child in another school than not in school at all. Great news for Jino, and for us. The exciting part is that while Jino was with us at Jubilee his mother was able to save enough money to open her very own sewing shop!

Our vision at Jubilee is not to split up families, but to allow parents the time and extra resources to get back on their feet. This is exactly the case for Jino. His mother will now have the resources to put him in school and meet his needs with a sustained income. Having her own shop we'll be a great blessing for her family.

Are we sad? Yes, definitely. Jino has been such an immense blessing to us and to all the kids. Although we started Jubilee with this vision for our ministry we knew it would not be easy when one of the kids left us.

Pray for Jino's mother that her shop will be successful. Pray for Jino during the transition. Pray for us to have complete peace about the situation.

Prayers all around

2010-09-15T12:43:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, sorry it's been awhile. My life (stateside) has been pretty darn hectic lately. You see, my grandma has had a lot of health problems in the past couple of months. Thankfully I am able to be home for the time being and take care of her. It's great to be able to help out, but surprisingly it doesn't leave me much time for other things. Though I must say it's been nice to try out all the great recipes I always see across the blogosphere on her. The only bad thing is even if it was terrible she'd never tell me :).

Now for the update on Jubilee:

Well the end of August marked the Onam festival in Kerala. This is a fall holiday and Kerala's largest and most celebrated event. It also means that the kids have a week off of school. All the kids went to their homes away from Jubilee for the week. When the kids are gone it's always a happy and a sad time at Jubilee. Of course we're happy that the kids get to reunite with their families but we're sad to see them go, even if it's just for a week. It can also be a difficult time because when the kids are gone we cannot control what is happening in their lives. We are confident that God will take care of them, but we also know that His will may not always look like ours.

That being said, all the kids are back, happy and healthy...with the exception of one. One of our kids, Jino, is still with his family. His mother wants him to stay home, saying that she will teach him how to sew and he can work from home instead of going to school. Jino is 10. He has been with us at Jubilee since the beginning and we're not sure why his mother is changing her tune about things. Pray for Jino, pray for his mother, pray for us. It's a tough situation, but God is in control. We should know within the week what she decides and if Jino will be coming back to us.

Jino showing off his red tootsie pop tongue.

On a lighter note, my Malayalam practice is going fairly well; my napping grandma gives me some time to practice.

New Kids on the Block

2010-08-15T21:57:00.000-04:00

Here they are ladies and gents. The whole gang (minus Riny and Joseph).

Left to Right: Jino, Anitha, Cletus, Sunitha, Noel, Aneesh, Clint, Athun, Midhun

So after the loss of 2 of our kids from last year we had a couple empty beds this school year. (Don't worry their mother now has a job where she is able to put them in school and provide for them without our help.) We were very happy for the change in situation, but also a bit sad to see them go. But of course God knew we had the space and energy to take on some more kids and He definitely sent them to us. Five to be exact!

The first 3 kids to join us at Jubilee were Anitha, Sunitha, and Aneesh. Their mother brought the children from another state looking for a place for them. They had the clothes on their backs and broken chappal on their feet. Seeing their physical state and hearing their story we could do nothing but take them in with open arms.

Next came Athun and Midhun. They are from the same village as Cletus and Clint, 2 of our original Jubilee kids. Their story is sadly the same as so many children in India. With a mother and alcoholic father and of low caste, low education level, and low wages the boys were making it from day to day. Their parents rarely had enough money for school or to provide them with daily meals. Their mother, like the mothers of our other kids, came to us begging for help. We were blessed and happy to oblige!

It has been about 2 months now since the new kids came to us at Jubilee. It was a rough start getting them healthy and adjusted to being in school everyday, but with lots of prayers and patience they are doing fantastic! They arrived at Jubilee a couple of weeks after I arrived Stateside, so I can't wait to get back to India and meet them face to face. Riny tells me that Cletus and Clint talk about "Carie Auntie" all the time and the new kids can't wait to meet me either :).

On another note, I started Malayalam lessons this week. Shockingly I found some beginners software on Amazon! The kids speak Malayalam and only Malayalam and I want to be able to communicate with them with more than playing charades and the few Hindi words we all know. It's tough, but I'm writing a better story and speaking Malayalam is in it!

Check this out if you want to brush up on a little Malayalam yourself.

Believe me, it's as scary as it looks!

Beautiful New Blog!

2010-08-05T12:01:00.001-04:00

I want to dedicate this blog post to Annie Butterworth Jones and her wonderful work on this blog. It is now fabulous and functional and better than I could have expected! Thank you so so much Annie.

And now that I have a great new blog with some great new features you should share it, peruse it, use it.

*Sponsorship to be updated soon.

Yard Sale Mayhem

2010-08-02T12:25:00.000-04:00

It's been over a week now since the yard sale, and to be honest I'm still recouping. Who knew that sorting old stuff could be so exhausting? But with some great tips and awesome help it was a HUGE success! We made almost $900 in less than 5 hours time!

Thank you devoted customers who purchased some of my family's random junk. Like "Hoover Hannah," the lifesize doll that fits over the vacuum cleaner. It really is true, one man (or woman's) trash is another's treasure! Also, thank you friends who baked some awesome goodies for the sale that sold like hot cakes.

With all the work it took to do the yard sale I think I've decided that one event a season was a good amount. So bring it on Fall, I'm ready!

I'm Back!

2010-07-11T22:20:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! I hope everyone is doing fantastic and still sticking in there with me. I know it's been a while since my last post, and I promise it won't be that long this time. My recent trip to Jubilee was fantastic and I will soon be filling you in on all the happenings in Chungathara. Lots of changes and good things going on. God has been working in big ways!

Pray for my sanity this week, it's gonna be a busy one! I (with lots of help from friends & family) am having a massive yard sale this coming weekend. It's a benefit for Jubilee with all the proceeds going to the kids. So far it's been a very cleansing process, though a bit dusty :). I'm very excited to be simplifying my space and hopefully making some money for Jubilee. I'll also have a little booth set up so shoppers can see the kids, take some info home, and make donations. It's going to be an all-day Saturday event. Pray for generous hearts and pockets!

I'll let you know how it goes!

I'm Outtie!

2010-03-08T22:53:00.000-05:00

I leave for India in the morning. I CANNOT WAIT! So keep me in your prayers. I'm hoping to have better service this time, but if not then I will definitely update you all upon my return. Peace and Love!

My daily walks around the village look like this. So peaceful...sigh.

Learning and Loving

2010-02-14T20:23:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to give you a little update on Jubilee. Things are good. God is good. The kids are growing more each day and learning like crazy. Each time I talk with Riny she tells me a new story of something wonderful they've done and new things that they're learning in school and church. Last week Riny, Joseph, and the kids made a big meal and took it over to a poor family in the area. They also provide free English tutoring to several families in our village. I really could not have been blessed with a more Godly partnership in ministry!

I also wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be traveling to India in March, the 9th to be exact, and will be there for a few months. I've been practicing my Malayalam and the kids have been working on their English so hopefully we can actually communicate with words and not only actions, haha. While I'm there we'll be doing VBS in several tribal villages. I'll also be interning in a village hospital delivery ward for a few weeks to put my Midwifery knowledge to the test. So exciting! Another important part of my trip will be looking for land and a house for a permanent Jubilee residence. Pray that God shows us where He wants us and provides the funds for it!

If you’d like to make a donation, send a card, or something small with me for the kids let me know!

I hope you are having a blessed Valentine’s Day :)

Christmas tidings on India time

2010-01-16T21:50:00.000-05:00

I checked my mail tonight and found these waiting for me...

The kids in their new Christmas outfits in front of the tree

L to R: Bovas, Cletus, Noel, Kripa, Clint, Jino

The whole gang!

The infamous tree! Oh, I was wrong, it's not a coconut tree it's a mango :)

Riny was sad that they couldn't send me a Christmas gift, but these pictures are better than anything I could have wished for! I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do!

The Real Giving Tree!

2009-12-24T14:35:00.000-05:00

I come bearing Christmas tiding and a pledge to be a better blogger in the New Year. Until then I want to share with you a story from Jubilee....

Last month I sent Riny, Joseph, and the kids a box of Christmas decorations. They wanted to decorate but living in a predominantly Hindu and Islamic country makes it difficult. I sent some colorful ornaments, personalized stocking for everyone, a singing penguin (which every home should have at Christmas) and a few other nic-nacs. They LOVED everything and were so excited to actually decorate. So, this past weekend, when the kids were out of school they decorated. The thing they were most excited about was the Christmas tree. They searched the yard for the most perfect tree, which just so happened to be a small(ish) coconut. They chopped it down, brought it inside, and got to work. Every ornament went onto the tree, along with the stockings, garland, and some Indian pizazz, a.k.a. balloons and streamer :). They even found some string lights in town to put on the tree!

Now to the good part: Across the street from Jubilee lives Amachee (grandma), Mamachee (mom) and the 2 kids, who are always at Jubilee playing. This family is wonderful and are always so good to the Jubilee family. It just so happens that they are also Catholic, which makes Christmas a very special time for them also. All the other surrounding homes are Muslim or Hindu so for Mamachee and her family having new Christian neighbors (us) has been a blessing. Since our Christmas tree has been in place the neighbor kids have been over to play as usual. Jino told Riny and Joseph how much the neighbor kids love the tree and how they wish they had a nice tree like it too. As a Christmas gift to Mamachee and her family Riny, Joseph, and the kids decided to give them the Christmas tree! The oldest boy brought his bicycle across the street, they loaded up the tree, carefully, and wheeled it next door. Being a big tree it won't fit inside (roofs to low) and so the Jubilee Christmas tree now sits in it's new place of honor, in front of Mamachee's home, for all to see. The Christmas tree has not only brought joy to Jubilee but to the whole neighborhood! The tree has given joy to everyone for it's beauty and also given way to lots of questions about Christmas!

What a blessing a box of ornaments has been for our little village of Chungathara. Praise God for His ability to use ANYTHING for His kingdom!

Merry Christmas from Jubilee

Prayer Requests!

2009-10-22T00:14:00.000-04:00

I talked to Riny tonight and she informed me that the Indian government is making rounds to check orphanages. This is both wonderful and scary news. It is great that the government is taking initiative to ensure that orphanages and children's homes are running properly, and that the children are being taken care of well...but I cannot say that the government is corruption free. I have heard horror stories from Riny and Joseph of homes where children are being mistreated but because officials were bribed or organization leaders had governmental connections nothing was done to stop the mistreatment. We know that the kids are doing fantastic at Jubilee, but we fear that because we don't have much money or any governmental connections that it won't matter how the kids are. Riny and Joseph do an awesome job keeping our financial records and house in order, but anything involving the government can be scary.

Within the next couple of weeks officials will be inspecting homes in our district. We ask that you pray for a positive inspection. That honest officials will see how well the children are doing and what a blessing Jubilee has been to them and to Chungathara (our village). A bad inspection could close the doors of Jubilee.

Also, Riny and Joseph had been making some extra money for Jubilee by tutoring several children in English. This week the children moved and so we lost that extra income. This was sad news for us too. Every penny counts for Jubilee!

Please pray for Jubilee!

Love to you all.

We are the Champions...

2009-09-30T18:18:00.000-04:00

Just a little note to tell you all how awesome the kids are. They were recently in an area-wide Bible-Bowl type competition and did fantastic. Clint placed first in the memory verse competition, with 30 verses! And Cletus placed second with 18! They are both only 6 years old...I am so proud! Clint, Cletus, and Kripa also placed first, second, and third in the singing competition. They sang "I am happy today" which I taught them when I was there last. As a side note, Riny and Joseph also placed first and second in the adult competition. Good news all around!

Anyways, just wanted to brag a little. I hope you are all having a great day!

Meet and Greet #'s 4 & 5

2009-09-16T12:07:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the 3rd and final installment of introductions to the children. Meet Bovas and Kripa Parayolikkal Shaji (P.S.). Bovas (8) and Kripa (5) are the 2 youngest of 5 children in their family. They come from a Christian home, but a very poor one. They have both mother and father living, but only their mother is able to work. Many years ago their father was injured at work and now has severe back problems. As I said before in Indian culture the children must take care of their parents when they are older, so Bovas and Kripa’s mother also takes care of her mother who has cancer and lives in their home. Their mother is a sweeper in a hospital and makes very little money with which she must be the sole provider for the family. That being said, with the medical expenses, bills, and school fees adding up she decided that Bovas and Kripa would be better provided for at Jubilee.

Kripa is the youngest child and the only girl at Jubilee so it took her a little time to adjust to being away from her family, understandably so. She is doing great now though! She is very playful but also a girly-girl. Riny, being the only other female in the house, loves to pamper Kripa and Kripa loves it in return. Kripa carries her doll everywhere and can spout her ABC’s at a moment’s notice. She is such an adorable little girl!

Unlike the other children at Jubilee who have adjusted quickly without problem, we have had some behavioral problems with Bovas. On several occasions Bovas has been found hoarding food, and stealing money. This behavior is typical for children who have come from environments where their needs weren’t being met. In their minds they are ensuring that they will have what they need in the future. After contacting his mother about the behavior she informed us of another instance much like this one. Apparantly Bovas had been in another children’s home last year, which we were unaware of, and was found stealing food. Because of this the children’s home refused to keep him and he was sent back home to live with his family. At Jubilee we do not give up on children and we will not send him home. We hope to change his thought process so he knows that we will provide him with what he needs and that we will help to give him an education and job skills so that he will be able to provide for himself when he leaves us. Riny and Joseph and very patient and loving and are counseling him, as well as the other children. Pray for Bovas and other children across the world who have not had or do not have their needs met. Pray that their mouths and minds can be fed! Pray that they learn that God is their true Provider.

Another sponsorship plug :). If you are interested in sponsoring Bovas, Kripa, or any of the other children at Jubilee email me at cgmcdonough@gmail.com or leave a comment with your contact information and I will get back to you! Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers in this endeavor!

Meet and Greet #'s 2 & 3

2009-09-08T17:16:00.003-04:00

Meet Cletus (left) and Clint (right) Chandran A., (Cletus and Clint C.A. in Kerala style). Cletus and Clint are fraternal twins, and since their family history, age, schooling, etc., is the same I will forgo separate posts. Cletus and Clint are 6 years old and in the second grade. They are from a very poor family, much like that of the other children. Cletus and Clint have a Christian mother and a Hindu father, which as you can imagine causes many problems in the home. Although they have both their mother and father living, their home life is a very bad one. Their mother and father both work, but due to their lack of education and low caste they are unable to get high paying jobs. Not only do their parents make little money but their father is a drunk and spends all of his money on alcohol. He also threatens to beat the children if their mother doesn’t give him her money too. Riny and Joseph met Cletus and Clint’s mother at a village church they attended. They spoke about Jubilee, and after services she approached them in tears. They visited her home to meet Cletus and Clint and were so saddened by what they saw. A small mud hut. No running water or electricity. No furniture or proper flooring. Very little food. No shoes. Poor schooling. Perfect for Jubilee.

Now that Cletus and Clint are at Jubilee they are doing fantastic! Although they were in school in their village, their parents are both illiterate so they never learned how to read or write. When I left Jubilee they had already learned the Malayalam and English alphabets and were reading and writing basic vocabulary in both! They have outgrown all the clothes they had from home, and are still sprouting more and more each day. Cletus loves to play with balloons, and Clint loves soccer. They are both adorable and sweet little boys. Last week the children were on a holiday and Riny and Joseph took them to visit their mother. She was thrilled to see how much they’d grown and hear how well they were doing in school. They stayed with her for a few days and when Riny and Joseph picked them up their mother had only wonderful things to say about them. She said that before they went to stay at Jubilee they were very quiet and barely spoke at home. Now she says they are talkative, outgoing, playful, and so smart.

I ask that you pray for Cletus and Clint. Pray that they continue to grow and learn. Pray that they are as happy inwardly as they seem outwardly. I also ask that you pray for their parents. Pray that their father can see Christ in their mother. Pray that their father can stop drinking and start loving his family as God intends. Pray that their mother can find strength in God. In America we are blessed with organizations that help women and children escape abusive situations, in India those types of groups are very few and far between. Spousal and child abuse is not a taboo topic, but one of everyday discussion. Pray that God can shine a light into the hearts of the Indian people. Ask God to show them the sacredness of the family and how special it is. Pray for the families of India as well as those all over the world who are suffering.

If you are interested in sponsoring Cletus or Clint reply to this post or email me at cgmcdonough@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to get you the information you need!

Meet and Greet #1

2009-08-31T16:24:00.002-04:00

Once again I apologize for the lack of updates. As I have said before I am not good at keeping up a blog, haha. Anyways, I want to introduce all the kids to you. Each week I will be posting the story of one child and I ask that you pray specifically for that child throughout the week. This week I would like you to meet...

Jino

Jino’s full name is Jino Manjakkalayil John (in Kerala the last names are the house name and the fathers first name, but they are generally abbreviated so he would be called Jino M.J). Jino is nine years old and in the 5th grade. His father died of cancer when he was very small and since then his mother has been taking care of him. Jino’s family come from a low caste and his mother was unable to attend school, which leaves her unable to get a high salary job to support the family. She is a seamstress but cannot find steady work at a shop so she only makes a little money each month. In India when parents get older the children must take over the responsibility of caring for them. This left Jino’s mother with being a caretaker of Jino, his sister, and his grandparents on just a small amount of money each month. With that money she must pay rent, food, schooling fees, and anything extra. His grandparents are also very sick so his mother must also pay for their medical bills.

Since Jino has been at Jubilee he has been improving each day. He came to us weak in studies and body and now is growing stronger in both! Just last week Riny and Joseph went to the kids school for conferences and Jino’s teacher raved about what a good student he has become. She says he is a fast learner, a pleasure to have in class, makes friends easily and a good leader. She even happily commented on how he has gotten “fat” since he first began school. At home he does his chores quickly and always helps the younger children finish theirs. He loves to play badminton and blow bubbles. We have enrolled the kids in music classes and Jino is learning the keyboard. Joseph says he really enjoys it and is picking up fast. He is happy to be at Jubilee and we are so blessed to have him too!

On a different note I would like to tell you about Jino’s sister. Last year Jino’s sister was put into another children’s home, but the home would take only 1 child per family so Jino could not be enrolled also. Not until his mother had signed the paperwork for his sister did she find out that her daughter was unable to leave the home until she turns 18. Also Jino’s mother must provide a certain amount of money each month for personal items and school fees for her daughter. Jino’s mother is illiterate and did not know what she was signing. The sad thing is that this happens often in India. Many homes look great from the outside, wealthy caretakers, cars, nice facilites, but behind closed doors bad things happen. Riny and Joseph have left many orphanages and children’s homes because of situations like the one that Jino’s sister is in. Take a moment and pray that God reveal the corruption in India and He lifts up His people to make a change.

We have been blessed at Jubilee to be provided with money for our food and rent each month. This is a HUGE blessing, but unfortunately it does not cover all of our needs. Each month we must pay phone, electricity and water bills. We also have medical expenses, music school, clothing (the kids are growing fast), personal items, school fees, transportation, and miscellaneous items. To cover these costs we are asking for a sponsor for each child. The sponsorship money will not go directly to the specific child but will go to take care of the needs of all the children. We do ask that you specifically pray for the child you are sponsoring and during holidays you will have the opportunity to send your child gifts if you would like. None of our children have sponsors yet so if you have been looking for an opportunity to help, this would a great way. Leave a comment and I will get back to you with details if you are interested. As I said at the beginning, I will be sharing with you about each of the 5 children in weeks to come, so keep a look out.

Thanks for reading, and keep us in your prayers as we pray for you!

Almost there

2009-06-06T18:13:00.000-04:00

My apologies to all you faithful Tiffin followers out there, apparently Blogspot got too risque for China’s taste. Which means that it’s official, I am no longer in ‘our China’ but am in ‘my America’ for a few days. I arrived in Greenville on June 1st and depart for Malapurram on June 8th. I know it’s not a long stay, but it’s enough time to see my beautiful friends and family and pack up my India stuff, drop off my China stuff and be on my way. That’s enough about me, now on to the good stuff...

There have been a lot of changes since my last post, some which seemingly could have been disastrous but of course God took care of us. I’ll start at the beginning: A few weeks ago Joseph had the governmental meeting I was telling you about before. The one where there were supposed to be no problems, yeah right, this is India (or insert any other foreign country), there are always problems. The meeting concluded with Joseph being told that I could not in live in the house with everyone, and that we could not use the house we had so lovingly chosen for Jubilee. On top of that we cannot be fully licensed and governmentally supported until we have our own land. Joseph decided to tackle the dilemma with my living situation first (THANK YOU!) It turned out that I was only disallowed from living in that specific house because it is similar to an apartment. My guess for this is that they didn’t want to make anyone else share living quarters with a foreigner unless they’d chosen it for themselves. So we needed a single living house. Joseph again went searching for a home, and what do you know, they found a GREAT house! Not only is it great, but it was the only house out there to be rented! It’s only about 15 minutes by foot from our previous house, which means we are still close to a good school and able to get to town easily. The house is 500 rupees (abt. $10) more a month but is definitely worth it. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms like our last home, but each room is bigger than the last. The kitchen is large with a storage room attached, there is a living room area, plus a formal sitting room type place, it is outside the city further so it’s very quiet and there’s a nice fence around our...acre of land!!! We have enough room to garden, for the kids to play, have some chickens and goats, and there are already big coconut trees there. It is exactly what we had been praying for before we got our last house. God’s timing is impeccable. The new house has been checked by the government officials and it’s good for a children’s home, and for me to live. No matter what house we will be living in, as long as we are renting we won’t be able to be fully licensed. The officials were positive about us being able to get land with time, and that we are still able to work and that’s not a problem.

Things have also changed with the kids. Since Riny and Joseph are new to the area and Christian, finding children in the first place wasn’t easy. Of the 6 children we were going to take in, only 3 have followed through. The current guardians of the other 3 were afraid of the children being converted to Christianity. Cletus and Clint are still keepers, along with Bovas, one of the original 6. Along with those 3 we’ll have 2 more. Kribba, Bovas’ 5 year old sister and our only girl, and Jino, another 6 year old boy. I’ve gotten the chance to hear them on skype, and they sound so adorable! I can’t wait to be there with them.

Along with other good news, we now have some outside sponsorship! Nothing is finalized yet, but things are looking promising for support of our monthly food budget. This is wonderful news since food takes a chunk out of the budget each month. God is blessing Jubilee like crazy!

I will arrive in Malapurram on June 10th and hopefully I’ll have internet soon thereafter. I’ll update when I arrive and am somewhat settled in :).

Love to all!

Looking Up

2009-05-07T11:29:00.001-04:00

On Sunday I talked to Joseph, as I usually do, and he told me some inconvenient news. When he was last involved in the childcare system in Kerala, opening a home was easy peasy. You informed the local police department, gave them your information and when you had your own land you could apply for government funding, that was basically it. Well things have changed. Let me back up. Saturday night Joseph met with a man who runs an orphanage near his hometown. The man was anything but encouraging. He talked about new licensing and inspection procedures for childcare centers in Kerala (which can take over 4 months to pass), persecution by the local people and government for being a Christian facility, and the difficulties of taking care of children. Needless to say we were very discouraged to hear this. Now knowing that we must get a license to begin our work, Joseph planned a meeting with a government official in the district we will be living in. The meeting was Wednesday and we were all praying hard about it. God heard our prayers! I talked to Joseph on Wednesday evening to find out how the meeting went and he had only good things to say. The government official told Joseph that we would have no problems getting started in June as planned, that what we plan to do is going to benefit the community and he would do anything he could to help us. He also said that the area we will be living in has a large Christian population, so we shouldn’t have many problems with discrimination. We are already aware that taking care of children isn’t easy, but with God’s help we will do the best we can.

Thankfully things are still looking up!

Joseph and Riny also found 4 more kids for Jubilee. All he had time to tell me was that they are 2 boys and 2 girls from tribal areas. I will talk with him again this Sunday and he will give me more details about each child.

I look forward to sharing more about our kids with you soon!

The Clampetts and Cherry Pie

2009-04-29T11:03:00.005-04:00

Meet Cletus and Clint...

No, they are not the next generation of Beverly Hillbillies, but our first kids! And that's not really a picture of them, but the closest thing I could get. Anyways, today Joseph went in search of the children he had seen begging and during the search he came across these two. Cletus and Clint, 5 year old twin boys. From what Joseph says they are not orphans, but do come from extreme poverty. They are homeless and along with their mother they sleep outside a convenience store at night and wander about looking for small jobs during the daytime. Their mother was so happy to find people who are willing to take in her boys. I’m not a fan of splitting up families, but I know that we will be able to put a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. I know that we will not be able to replace their mother, but we will do everything in our power to share Christ’s love with them. My prayer is that while we are taking care of Cletus and Clint their mother will be able to find steady employment and take her boys back. God can do great things.

More news...we picked a name. The Jubilee Home. We’ve been toiling over what to call this little establishment for a while now and last night it hit me. Jubilee. Not original, but good nonetheless. Slates wiped clean, a fresh start. That is what we hope to give our kids. To help them triumph over the bonds of poverty and injustice. A lot can be said in a name.

Joseph is going to a tribal village tomorrow in search of more kids, so keep him in your prayers. That’s all I have for now. Thanks for your support!

A house into a home

2009-04-23T03:51:00.000-04:00

We found a house! Joseph has been working tirelessly to find the perfect house for us, and yesterday he did just that. It is within walking distance to a very good English-medium school, not far from town (a big plus), and big enough to hold us with room to grow. With 3 large bedrooms, a big kitchen, family room/hall type area, sitting room, and 2 bathrooms, it is more than I expected and for half the price we anticipated! Truly a God-send if you ask me. Joseph faced a lot of opposition from owners of other houses he looked at when he told them what we would be using the house for, but the man we will be renting from is happy and willing to help out with whatever we need. Our only drawback is that there isn’t quite as much land around for us to use as we would have liked, but we will work with what is there.

It’s all coming together...

Let the journey continue...

2009-04-22T02:38:00.005-04:00

As many of you already know I will soon begin a new chapter in my life, and hopefully a lengthy chapter, a book if you will. Don’t get me wrong, China has been great, but it has taught me that I don’t belong here. When I visited India 2 years ago I left part of myself there, a very big part. As much I’d like to say that I can go anywhere that God sends me and be completely happy, honestly I don’t think I can. With that said I am listening and moving. I am going.

Manipuram. Kerala. India. That is my destination. With all the money I have in the bank and some help from friends and my darling mother I will be joining a wonderful Indian couple to open our very own children’s home. We worked together in Nagpur (central India) before, and dreamt of having our own place. We were tired of waiting for the right time. There is no “right time” to help people. As of today Joseph is looking for a house for us to rent. (In time we would like to be able to build.) The prospects aren’t bad for a place in a good school district, but we’re still holding out for a nice house with a lot of land for the kids to play and so we’ll be able to garden. Riny and Joseph have also found 6 kids that are a perfect fit for our home. All parent-less, street kids, literally, they were found begging. It won’t be an easy task taking on children with such a rough past, but we believe that God can and will use us.

That’s all the news I have for now. Join me on this journey.

Peace