Another full day!

Somehow we are in our second week here and time is slipping away! We
only have one more full day left here: tomorrow (Tuesday.) Already the
kids and some team members are getting sad as our departure from this
beautiful place and the beautiful people who live here gets closer and
closer. I keep trying to live in the present and really enjoy the
moment, but the cloud is there, nonetheless. We leave on Wednesday
morning and head to Delhi for two days before we get on the plane back
to the States.
But today was great! I stayed on the orphanage campus with a handful
of people and worked on the wall they are building aound the perimeter
of the campus. (The rest of the team went to the school.) Sections of
the wall are brick and others are cinder block. I was told that
eventually they will stucco the whole thing. But it was really good to
do some physical work and help the in a different way. In the
afternoon, we all went to the school for a Science Exhibition. Some of
the 7th graders put on a science fair-type program. It was great to
see what they are studying and they worked so hard. This evening there
was another cultural program, but this time it was mainly the kids who
are enrolled in the school, but who live at home with their parents
instead of at the orphanage. It was truly fantastic - the best we've
seen so far. They did a lot of traditional Indian dancing, which was
gorgeous, as were many of the costumes. Some of the little kids spoke
as well - telling stories and reciting verses. They were so amazingly
adorable. *t the end of each little speech, with their sweet tiny
voices, they'd say "Thank YOU!!!" After dinner, Ackie, a charming
character on our team, requested that I sing to him looking down on
him from the guest house "veranda" (a little porch-like common area on
the second floor of the guest house.) It drew a crowd and by the time
I was finished there were about 20 people who gathered - kids and team
members combined. I'll never forget it.
I will truly miss this place and the love that fills it. The people
I've met on this trip are inspiring and warm and fun and kind and
generous and loving. I am so grateful for the experience and
opportunity of this trip. Thank YOU!!! :) :) :)

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