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.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
good news
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Prayers all around
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.
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.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
New Kids on the Block
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!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Beautiful New Blog!
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.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Yard Sale Mayhem
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!
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!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I'm Back!
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!
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!
