In march I turned 21 !!!
The week before my Birthday and the two weeks following it showed me so much love with everyone I care about wishing me a Happy Birthday and sending their love my way.
My Dad, Brother and Best Friends threw me a birthday party which included my good pal Bethan hiding in a Photo Booth and surprising me from Uni :) it was such a good way to celebrate my 21st and to dance the night away.
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| Gang @ my 21st |
The next big stand out thing to happen was my Trip to India along with 5 other people from West and Ballygilbert. We jetted off with a charity called Tearfund who are a bunch of Christians who are committed to following Jesus where the need is greatest!
YEP... I WAS IN INDIA
The Reason why- To see the partnership between Tearfund and West Church. We committed to raising money as a church to help TearFunds partners over in India who help victims of Trafficking !
For someone who hates flying my first challenge was to get from Dublin- Dubai, Dubai- Mumbai, Its hard to complain however when you have a full row to yourself due to the flight being almost empty :) #goals
For the next nine days I was subjected to overwhelming sounds, sights and emotions ! All of which are impossible to describe therefore ill not go into much detail (if you're reading and want to hear more, feel free to ask)
Like I mentioned the purpose of our trip was to see first hand the projects that our fund raising is going to, to see the hard work and dedication that each charity gives to Women and Children who have been affected by Human Trafficking and due to being on a mission trip before I knew to only go with one expectation- for God to work !
Its really easy to think that we're bringing God on this mission trip with us but what I seemed to forget was that God wasn't in my suitcase- He was already there at work in that country which was so evident from the people that we met- providing unconditional love and support to Women and Children in various forms.
On the first day of our trip we were with a partner that goes into the local Brothels to share the Gospel with the women. Conor and I went in and honestly the experience was not comfortable. We walked around, met some women , tried to speak Hindi (always a good way to make people laugh). After we walked up about three flights of wonky stairs we were invited into one of the rooms were four ladies stayed- the partner who we were with shared encouraging words and invited Conor and I to pray for the ladies and their families. Although for us we felt uncomfortable I had to remember that for these women this is reality! And all I can do about it is give it over to God and allow Him to move through these partners.
One of the days we went to a Children's home for girls who for whatever reason weren't safe to stay in their homes. At this Children's home they are given a safe place where they could just be kids ! they have all their needs met by inspirational house parents who devote their lives to seeing that these kids are safe and happy. We got the opportunity to hang out with the girls and play games with them, they loved playing monkey ball and using the parachute ( which seems to be a global favourite), there's something about sitting under it and watching the colours, it really is mesmerising. We also got to just sit and colour in with them which provided a great chance to get to know them.
Half of the team then went about twenty minutes away to a boys home which is ran by the same charity- here we got to see the boys in the same situation and hang out with them too. Conor and I went off with the older boys... OUTSIDE to play cricket in like 33 degree heat ! it was a lot of fun but im pretty sure the boys just humoured me as lets be serious I was rubbish ha-ha.
We also visited a partner who ran a rescue home for women who are in the rehabilitation process after being involved in the red light area of Mumbai- I think honestly this is where I realised just how naïve I actually was when it came to Human Trafficking.
It was so great to see that these women have been rescued but was heart breaking to see the reality of what happens after you've been rescued. these women ranging from various ages were unable to live (what we'd call) a normal life. For the majority of them their lives halted whenever they were trafficked and now they had to start from scratch which could have involved learning how to use a pencil or to interact with other people. We got to be with these Women and paint nails, make friendship bracelets and colour in with them. I was resulted to tears when one women started to open up and share her story beginning by saying that this felt like a family. That she had never had this kind of family before as she was sold by a family member and had lost all hope to live- BUT she then found God and found that she had a purpose in life.
One of the most emotional experiences for me while away was the day we were able to visit a Government Home for children who were either rescued or abandoned due to the effects of Poverty and or being connected with the Red Light District in Mumbai. In this Government Home there were babies from as young as 16 days old, toddlers and girls up to the age of 18. The Home was dull and plain but the one thing that resounded throughout the whole building was the joy and laughter of these children playing. The head mistress in charge of the home showed us around and what brought me peace was the fact that she knew each and every child and she was able to tell us stories about the Children. She brought us into a room where two bed bound boys lay- and what she said next broke my heart- These boys had Cerebral Palsy and basically were in the home to die, the government hadn't gave a licence to feed these boys but this lady hadn't gave up hope and continued to provide for these boys, eventually she had to pad one of the boys beds around the bottom as he started to have movement and is now able to turn and move his legs !!
On our last day the team split in half and went to two different slummed communities where we met women who still work in the red light area or have recently came out of it, the women I met where coming to what would be a mid week discipleship group. They met together each week in a small room to pray, worship and hear the gospel. The day we were there Anita (with us all week) shared about Lazarus and how when he died it said 'Lord, the one YOU loved' means that whatever our situation Jesus loves each and everyone of us ! We prayed together and almost every women in that room came forward individually to have us pray with them and for them. Despite us not know Hindi and them not knowing English it was very evident that God was moving in that room.
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| Walking Through one of the Slum communities PC: LYDS |
Our nine days in Mumbai were Jam packed and there's loads I've left out of this post and I know for sure I haven't done any of the above justice. We met tons of people and the one thing they all had in common was that they had dreams and aspirations for the future which I pray they never give up on and hold on to the Hope of a better and brighter future ! I also learnt that when words fail, actions speak. We communicated without words. We played, laughed, and smiled with each other.
Our
actions and emotions conveyed more than I ever imagined possible!
The flight home was a little less comfortable with turbulence every 30 seconds (maybe a slight exaggeration) but you get the picture.*If you want to hear more- you know where to find me*
Upon arrival back to the UK I had one night sleep in my own bed and then I headed round to church for Easter Mission (I told you its been crazy few weeks) and like always it didn't disappoint. Although I only got to be there for two days nothing makes me happier than seeing 250 kids being told about how much Jesus Loves them.
The Thursday afternoon was especially special for me as for the first time ever we put on a mini Easter Mission for 5 or 6 kids who have additional needs who on a normal week may not have been able to take part in Easter Mission due to the noise and mass of people. During this afternoon we were able to bridge the gap between special needs ministry in churches, we played games (yes with that global favourite) , made snacks, told the salvation story and sang some songs. It was a really enjoyable afternoon and im so glad I got to be a part of it.
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| The Global Fave PC: JORDAN |
Like always it made me proud to be a member and leader in West Church- to see that many young people devote a full week to serve God and give it stacks even with the lack of sleep.
So yes the last few weeks have been mega crazy, mega challenging, mega inspiring and its left me with lots to process and think about- but if I could, id do it all again !!
Thanks, if you've made it this far :) x
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