I have just come back from visiting my daughter, Christina, in India; and I am so glad she is there.  I feel so overwelmed by the love of our Father that He brought her to such a place to grow in spiritual maturity. 

    There are 14 girls on the team including four leaders.  The girls range in age from 17 to 22 with the leaders being a little older.  The girls are so sweet; their hearts are so full of the image of our Father; there is such a sense of community among them; and they are filled with love, compassion, and burden for the afterlife of the people of India. They have left the comforts of home, their friends and family, but are richly blessed there.

     The girls run the house they are staying in by themselves.  They have chores such as making meals, packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, doing the dishes, shopping, sweeping, bathrooms, and trash.  They have very cheerful attitudes and do their chores on there own voalition.  It is done with the idea of serving their fellow sister and what is best for the community inside the household.  They check each other to make sure they don't have lice, they share anything that might be needed, they encourage each other, have wonderful fellowship together, and help each other to grow.  I really felt like I saw what the first century church must have looked like. 

     The girls live a life of physical hardships such as the approaching heat (highs are at about 92 degrees F now but quickly heading towards 120 degrees F), sicknesses (mostly stomach and intestenal), take cold bucket showers, have lots of insects, rodents, and lizards to deal with, have only one 8 x 10 mirror between all of them, have to fill the toilets by buckets in the house and many times use squat toiles in the field, they have a high carbohydrate diet, and they have to travel by rickshaw to an internet cafe to use the phone or computer.  India also has open sewer ditches everywhere and the streets are dirty and littered with trash. 

     The girls teach on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with no curriculum, and they do an awesome job of it.  They love the children and play with them as often as they can.  When the beggar children come to the car, they hold their hands and show them compassion.  They will give them their candy, or gum, or something but not money.

     They go to the leper colonies two days a week and hold a leper's hand.  They will sit with them, play with their children, and show genuine love for them.  They have such an incredible love for them that you know it comes from the Father. They have developed many friendships here.  They drink and eat whatever is offered to them not knowing if it will make them sick or not.  One of the girls is lactose intollerant and still has drunk four cups of chai tea knowing it will make her sick.  Another girl has problems with high blood sugar and will drink and eat what ever is offered to her because she does not want to offend the generous hospitality offered to her. 

     All of this to say these girls face very many physical challenges, but they are rich in God's love.  They have bright, happy countenances with beautiful smiles.  They all seem to absolutely love India and are going to be sad to leave the relationships they have made.  But most of all I think it is the God experience they have had there they they will miss the most.  And I am so glad Christina is there in the midst of this experience.

     Thank you to all of you parents who have allowed your wonderful daughters to come and touch the life of my daughter and grow so much in the Father's love together.

     Laura Contarino