India. I don’t know exactly where to begin. I spent one week at the Beulah Home, an orphanage in Bangalore. At the Beulah Home, about 90 kids live with 6 “aunties,” two dogs, and one baby kitten. In this home, kids praise God with a more genuine joy than I have ever seen. Girls dance with confidence, children care for each other with patience, and all sing at the top of their lungs with faith. I was so touched by the love that these kids shared with each other. I was so drawn to their stories, their immediate embraces, their openness, their tangible love for God, and their contentment with so few material possessions. These kids will forever have a very special place in my heart. It was incredibly difficult to leave them.
Let me introduce a few of the kids who I especially connected with.
Meet “the gang”: (back row) Pretesia, Alem, Bonchai, Wikheng, (front row) Lydia, and Wilam. These were a set of the teenage girls who spent hours and hours telling me their life stories. They educated me on Indian pop trivia, explained many aspects of Indian culture, and shared the struggles they faced as their families sent them to the Beullah Home. Almost all of them told me that their best and worst years involved their move to the Beullah Home. As one girl told me, “my friends are my everything here. When one is missing, there is a hole. When one of us laughs, we all laugh. When one of us cries, we all cry.” I had to encourage them to make each other laugh as I gave final hugs to the set of weeping girls the last morning.
Meet Roma and Chinielle, another two teenage girls who took my poetry tutoring sessions and who shared their stories with me.
Meet Abishek (Abi). This tiny tiny dynamic boy of 5 had huge expressions. I loved his smiles, laughter, and hugs. He was my favorite child to watch sing. He poured his entire heart into his hand motions and gleeful cries.
Meet Alito. This boy is the youngest kid at the orphanage (3 years old), but he has enough personality to make up for his lack of seniority. His stout little body found mischief like a bee to honey. Whether he was shredding flowers and stuffing them in people’s ears, trying to grab expensive cameras, or turning on the orphanage sound system to mutter phrases into the mic during rec times, Alito gravitated towards trouble. Yet somehow this little darling made up for all his mischievous escapades with his cuddly side that emerged between his adventures. His little smirk melted my heart.
Meet Aruna. This sixteen-year-old dreams of becoming an astronaut and brims with stories, scattering like loose marbles on a wooden floor.
Meet Barat. I don’t think Barat said more than one word to me in English all week (“Auntie”), but I felt such a strong bond to this little child. His bright white grin gleamed between dark dimples. His knobby arms locked around my neck and his bony legs made a vise around my waist whenever I saw him. All the while, his face eagerly looked to mine with a bottomless smile. I love love love this child.
Meet Illumina (sp?). This gentle soft-spoken girl was glued to my side the last two days. Every time I sat down, her hand, foot, or head somehow found a way to touch me. Darling.
Finally, meet Rupa. This adorable little one rotated from lap to lap. She seemed to have an innate awareness of the camera. Every time a camera got near her, she smiled a little bigger and struck a pose, her eyes peering straight into the lens. Rupa’s tiny hand was perpetually grasping for others’ warmth and her deep brown eyes whispered stories with an endearing gentleness that completely captivated me.
These are just a few of the children who stamped their faces into my memory and found their way into my heart last week. It always amazes me how deep bonds can grow in just one week. I hope that some day I will be able to see these kids again.
