india - days 6 & 7 {hyderabad}

(Continuing my India story. If you missed them are interested, you can catch up:)
Days 1-4
Days 4 & 5
Day 5

Friday June 22, Day 6
Day 6 was nothing but traveling.
We had a 7 hour drive from Hubli to Bangalore.
I spent a lot of that time journaling, praying, and praising Jesus.
I listened to my iPod and every song seemed to speak for me.
It was a special and sweet time...just me and Jesus in our own little world.
The perfect follow-up to the huge event Day 5 was!

We saw lots of India's beautiful countryside.
We had a chance to visit with each other.
Although we were traveling, I remember feeling very relaxed and rested.
Shaun amazed us all by creating our first video
while he was crammed in the very back of an SUV.
In case you missed it before...here it is:

After our 7 hour drive to Bangalore, we flew to Hyderabad,
ate some supper, and crashed.

Saturday June 23, Day 7
On Day 7 we did a lot of visiting.
One of FCW's main goals is to make sure our partners can
be self-sustainable. We want to give them a hand-up,
not a hand-out.
One of Pastor Sudhakar's (our ministry partner in Hyderabad)
self-sustainability projects is a farm.
The farm has cows. Those cows produce milk, etc, which in-turn
provides income. This income doesn't just affect the farm & the ministry...
it affects the whole village and beyond.
People are employed at the farm. That puts food on their table.
They can feed their families, they can share with their neighbors.
Orphans live at the farm with a married couple who serves as
"Mom & Dad" for these children who may not have parents otherwise.

(Maybe this sounds appealing to you? Visit our Special Projects page for many ways to get involved!)

We also visited several orphan homes.
These homes have children (ideally 10) and two "parents",
a married couple who act as "Mom & Dad" for these children.
In one of the boys' homes, they danced for us.
It was fabulous!
They gave us (HOT!) coffee or tea every where we went.
They showed us their lovely homes, shared their smiles with us,
and encouraged and lifted our spirits more than they will ever know.

We learned that one of the boys wanted to run away.
He said he didn't really like having to go to school and follow rules.
So all the guys from our team asked if they could pray for him.
(Top left...the largest photo)
It was so wonderful to see our guys bring this boy before the Lord.
The boy really seemed to respond, too, he was wiping his eyes and
I could tell he was listening.
I wonder what he thought of these white men praying for him,
lifting him up. I hope he was encouraged and inspired to keep fighting
the good fight.

Jason, the kids and I sponsor a little boy named Chennakeshavulu.
Chenna just happens to live in one of the homes we visited.
What a BLESSING to have the privilege to meet Chenna!!!
He doesn't speak English, but we had no problem connecting
and communicating. Look at that smile of his!! He introduced me
to his friends and his brother. We sat together and it was so nice
just to be with him.

This is why I love Forgotten Children Worldwide.
These kids are surrounded in love. They are joyful. They are hopeful.
Without these ministries, they may be beggars in the streets,
turning to horrible choices out of desperation and hunger.
But instead, they know Jesus. They have full bellies.
They are learning, they are growing.
The cycle of poverty is being broken.

Now come on...you know I can't finish this story about meeting
my sponsored child without giving YOU an opportunity to sponsor
a child as well! You could even go on a trip and meet them...
just like I did!

$25 a month is all it takes to SAVE THE LIFE OF A CHILD.
That is not just a slogan.
It is truth.
I've seen it with my own eyes (TWICE NOW).
Sponsorship saves lives. For less than $1 a day.
And FCW is unique...
100% of your $25 sponsorship fee
GOES DIRECTLY TO YOUR CHILD.
No overhead.
No administrative costs.
No salaries.
No travel funds.
DIRECTLY TO YOUR CHILD.

That's the same cost as ordering pizza once.
What's holding you back?

CLICK HERE TO SPONSOR A CHILD
Many are waiting...YOU could be the ONE to save a life.

india - day 5 {hubli}

(Continuing my India story. If you missed them and are interested, 
you can catch up: Days 1-4 and Days 4&5)


Thursday June 21, Day 5
I left you at the morning of Day 5.
Before I continue, I need to backtrack just a touch.
As I mentioned before, I didn't get much sleep the
night before this very big day. I spent most of the night
crying, praying, and listening to my iPod. In the early hours of
the morning, a song came on and I was compelled to sit up
so I could scribble the lyrics in my journal...they so perfectly
articulated my emotions and my prayers.

"I know I'm not strong enough
to be everything that I'm supposed to be.
I give up.
I'm not strong enough.
Hands of mercy won't you cover me,
Lord right now I'm asking You to be
strong enough
for the both of us.
I can do all things
through Christ who gives me strength."
"Strong Enough" Matthew West


After our devotions, and after I told Matt I had a shame story to share,
I began to feel His strength. I should have been dead on my feet.
If I were home, I probably would have been sick...I tend to get low grade
fevers if I don't get enough sleep in the midst of lots of busy-ness.
But I felt great. I had a feeling I'd never experienced in my life:
divine purpose.
I had no idea what I was going to say. Apart from God and Jason,
no one knows this story in it's entirety. And this thing has layers...
like an onion.
Each time Jesus heals another piece of my heart, He unfolds
another layer of the amazing miraculous story that is my salvation.
So I put it all on Him. Lord, You are the Potter...I am merely clay.
Give me YOUR words. Give me YOUR strength.
I trust You completely...this isn't my story, this is YOUR story.
Give me the words when the time comes.

After visiting the farm and planting the trees and praying over
the new building, we had a loooong drive to get to the seminar.
7 hours if I remember correctly. I got to be in the same vehicle
Pastor Solomon was in, and I got to sit right beside him!
Which meant he got to answer all my inquisitive questions...
like a 3 year old, really, I was. HA! :) But he was very patient with me
and answered all my questions. I learned SO MUCH about India
that day. We saw miles upon miles of Indian countryside, villages, farms,
and people. Lots of fields and farms...but I don't remember seeing one tractor.
The people in this part of India do all the farming the way Americans did it
before technology. With sickles and oxen and hand plows and
sweat, blood, and tears!

Finally...we arrived at our destination.
It was a peaceful retreat settled in a small forest. Quiet and serene,
surrounded by trees, far from the honking of the main thoroughfare.
I felt a sense of peace and even relaxation as we all unloaded from the vehicles.
As I looked around, I saw women everywhere. Peeking meekly through their
beautiful saris veiling their heads. They looked at me with curiosity and uncertainty...
until I smiled. As soon as I smiled at them, their faces broke into the most gorgeous
returning smiles...beaming, really. And I saw hope in their eyes. Seeing that hope...
fear and doubt threatened to creep back in because who am I to bring them hope?!
I am nothing but a vapor...a mist...dust. But those thoughts were immediately quieted
by the whisper of the Holy Spirit "Keri, I am bringing the hope. You simply need to obey."

You may be wondering what exactly we were doing here because
I don't think I've gone into detail about that. Pastor Solomon asked us
months before our trip if we would be willing to conduct a seminar for
women who are or who have been devadasi.

What is a devadasi?
A devadasi is a woman who offers herself
(commonly through the persistence of her parents, by way of "inheriting" the honor from her mother)
to the Hindu Temple as a sacrifice.
Hindus believe a devadasi to be the equivalent of a Catholic nun. But there's a big difference.
Men come to the temple and use the devidasi sexually as a form of worship.
While the devidasi is active and considered "vital", she is of the highest honor,
second only to a priest, who is number one.
But once the devidasi has "lost her vitality", she is cast aside.
Removed. Thrown away.
She is no longer a woman of highest honor, she is now lower than dirt.
Unable to find any other form of work or income, often she is forced
to live on the street. To find some way to feed her children.

We were there to show these women love. We wanted them to know
they weren't dirt in our eyes. But most importantly, they aren't dirt in
Jesus' eyes. We were there to share Jesus. We were also there to share
practical information that the women may have never heard previously.
Joel met with them one-on-one to discuss HIV and how it affected them personally.
Erica taught the group simple hygiene like washing hands, being careful with food, etc.
She also shared HIV facts and frequently asked questions, as well as myths versus facts.
Andy A. talked about HIV medication...how to prevent HIV and how to treat it.

We all performed a skit we had prepared.
A story of a woman becoming a devadasi, then being cast aside,
but Jesus picked her up, dusted her off, made her beautiful again.

Matt talked about shame. About how it can feel like a piece of luggage
loaded with heavy rocks. He told the women how they can unload that luggage.
Then it was my turn. Sitting and listening to Matt, my stomach was full of butterflies.
I kept making eye contact with some of the women, giving them smiles,
hoping and praying that my smiles conveyed to them that I am not superior.
I am not The Great White Hope.
I am just a woman. A woman with a story of shame, just like they may be.

But when I stood up, all those butterflies disappeared.
I felt strength pumping through my veins. The words filled my mouth.
Not my words.
I can't even remember exactly what I said!
I know I started out telling the women how beautiful they are.
They met me with gazes of disbelief, bashfulness, some even snickered as if
I told a joke. As if I was just blowing hot air.

Then I shared my story of shame. I told them no one knows this story,
not even my friends who are sitting here behind me.
Their expressions changed. Some were wide-eyed with shock.
Others dropped their jaws. A few shook their heads as if they didn't believe me.

Next I told them how Jesus took that shame away.
He is healing my heart. I am not perfect, but I know I am forgiven
and loved by the King. The One True God.
I told them how He has redeemed me...how He has blessed me with
a godly husband and three beautiful children.
At this point, some of the women began wiping away tears.

Finally I told them the King loves them too.
You are a princess! Jesus Christ wants your shame.
All you have to do is allow Him to take it.
He loves you. Each and every one of you. He wants to
heal you, he wants to give you life.

And then I sat down. That was it. It was over.
I've never felt so completely smack-dab in the middle
of God's miraculous Plan.
All the fear, doubt, dread, darkness...it was all GONE.
As if someone turned on a light and I realized I wasn't in
a dark scary cave at all...duh...I'm right here in my own bedroom.

We were supposed to meet with 150 women.
We met with 250!
We gave them each a brand new bible in their own language.
A bible that was purchased by a woman here in America
who simply obeyed God when He prompted her to buy them.
To buy them when she didn't know where the money was going to come from.

There they are again...those layers! Those God layers! Those ripples that come
from His miraculous amazing Plan. The thing that happens when His people obey.
I am forever changed.
My prayer is that those women are too.
Forever changed by the power and the healing and the love and the acceptance of
Jesus Christ. The One True God.

"This is where the healing begins.
This is where the healing starts.
When you come to where you're broken within.
The light meets the dark.

Sparks will fly as grace collides
with the dark inside of us.
So please don't fight this coming light.
Let this blood come cover us,
His blood can cover us."
"Healing Begins" Tenth Avenue North

india - days 4 & 5 {hubli}

(Continuing my India story. If you missed it and are interested, click here for Days 1-4)

Wednesday June 20, Thursday June  21, days 4 & 5

We arrived in Hubli Wednesday evening.

As soon as we arrived, we unloaded our luggage at the hotel

and immediately went to Rebekah Hope.

Rebekah Hope is an orphan home supported by

Forgotten Children Worldwide. A lot of these children

are sponsored so I see their names very frequently.

It was really cool to see their faces, visit their home, hear their voices

("Sister! Sister!"), breathe their air.

We gathered together and the children and their families began to share.

Stories of hope and encouragement. Because of sponsorship and/or

microfinance loans provided by FCW, some of these children were

being taken home. Home to their families who can now support the 

children themselves. These families were so grateful, so hopeful, so joyful.

The cycle of poverty has been broken for these families!! I don't think the weight

of this truth truly began to sink in for me until I got home and had time to 

process it and reflect on it. HOW AMAZING!! 

Our God is most awesome.

After hearing the families share, we ate a home-cooked supper

with Pastor Solomon and his wife Mani (pronounced "Money"). When we were

finished eating, our team leader Matt began going over the agenda for the next

day. I will go in to more details in my next post but I have to interject here that

my world was about to be rocked. Matt said 

"I'd like some of you to share your stories of shame tomorrow."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, I knew.
This is why I'm here. This is it.
But I'm not prepared! What will I say? How will I say it?
What will my team think of me?? Am I imagining this?
I held back tears as all these thoughts bombarded me. But even through those thoughts,
it was as if puzzle pieces were coming together before my eyes.
I needed to get alone with God and sort this out.

The next day - Day 5 - Thursday - just so happened to be my day for
morning team devotions. I was an emotional ball of tears. I hadn't slept the
night before, I hadn't slept since the night before leaving home.
But Wednesday night was full of prayer and tears and conversations with
God, I was completely convinced He had given me a job to do.
I read Deuteronomy 33:26-29, Moses' final address to the Israelites:

"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,

who rides across the heavens to help you
and on the clouds in his majesty. 

The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemies before you,
saying, ‘Destroy them!’ 

So Israel will live in safety;
Jacob will dwell secure
in a land of grain and new wine,
where the heavens drop dew. 

Blessed are you, Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the Lord?
He is your shield and helper
and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will tread on their heights. ”

I couldn't get through it without crying. It felt appropriate to me

because all 10 of us had been preparing for Day 5 for months.

Day 5 was the BIG DAY...huge. We all felt it, we all knew it.

Looking back now, I firmly believe Satan wanted Day 5 to go away.

Several of us experienced doubt, fear, thoughts like "Why me? Why go to India?",

spiritual oppression. But God is amazing! He brought each one of us through it.

Day 5 was about to happen!

The morning of Day 5. We went with Pastor Solomon to his farm.
A new orphan home is being built here.
A team from Hope Missionary Church (half of my team is from HMC)
planted the tree in the top left picture last summer, Matt, Joel & Andy were
there and helped plant this tree and many others which have grown and are
thriving. Then the rest of us got to plant trees as well.

As tired as I should have been, the Lord filled me with strength.
I was excited for the day, couldn't wait to see what He had in store for all of us.

india - days 1-4 {mumbai}

HEY!!! Remember me?
I've been on a bit of a blog hiatus.
I may not even have any readers left!
If you're still here...thank you for sticking around.

I'm sorry I've been MIA as a blog reader as well.
I don't know why but since getting home,
I just haven't been motivated to do any blogging.
Please forgive me!
I think I'm back. :)

I'm ready to share about my trip to India.
I'm going to do it in shifts...because that's how my pictures are organized
and how my thoughts are organized.

Sunday June 17 - Wednesday June 20, Days 1 - 4
These were traveling days.
Things did NOT go "as planned".
Our first flight was delayed, so we missed our flight out of Chicago.
So Night 1 of our missions trip was spent in Chicago
at the Crown Royal Hotel. What?!
We finally got on planes (2 planes, 5 of us on each)
to Newark around 5:00 that next evening.
I was proud of our team.
I heard no complaining, no whining,
no one was grumpy. We all just rolled with it.

After Newark we had a 14 hour flight to Mumbai.
Once in Mumbai, our hurdles seemed to end.
In fact, we experienced several times where our
prayers were clearly and specifically answered
almost as soon as they were done crossing our lips.
We all were pretty amazed at God's faithfulness
and seeing Him answer prayer in that way.

While waiting for our flight out of Mumbai to Hubli,
we took a tour of Mumbai. We saw the Gandhi Memorial Museum,
went shopping, ate at McDonalds (that was an experience!),
did some walking and "mingling" with the locals.
We bought bananas from a street vendor.
I remember being hot and sweaty and thinking
"Indian people hate us.".

Gods are everywhere.
On dashboards of practically every vehicle.

Their names plastered across the top of every windshield.

Hanging over doors to businesses.

In the center of shrines under shade trees.

Everywhere.

Why? Because the people are desperate.

Desperate for hope.

Desperate for love.

Desperate for security.

Desperate for peace.

"This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come--yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." Isaiah 44:6-8.

(I am an open book...if you have ANY questions, PLEASE don't hesitate to ask me! I am happy to talk about anything...you will not offend me, you will not annoy me. I am an open book.)

just a minute!

India - Forgotten Children Worldwide from The Chapel on Vimeo.

Another video by my friend and teammate Shaun. It's just a minute.
Watch it and hey....will you share it?? Please?
ONE minute...could save ONE child...who belongs to ONE family...
from ONE village...in ONE state...that could touch ONE nation
and spread to ONE world.

vlog

FCW - India - 2012 - Day 3 - 6 from The Chapel on Vimeo.

We were soooo blessed to have such a gifted media guy, Shaun, on our team.
He is preserving our memories in a way that is priceless!
(That's me in the thumbnail...with our sponsored boy, Chennakeshavulu)

home

Home from India.
From the moment we left our hotel in Patna
to the moment our feet hit the pavement in Fort Wayne, Indiana
42 hours and 23 minutes!
WHEW!
Immediately following our arrival home,
I contracted some sort of nasty intestinal virus
and have been miserable until today.

I have stories to share.
I have pictures to share.
I have videos to share.
But let me just say...
I am still in awe and wonder before our amazing God.
The best description I can think of for my relationship with Him
while in India is - a puppy on a leash, me being the puppy,
the Spirit being the leash.
Oh, to continue living life that way here in the States!!

P.S. How awesome is Jason?! I was in shock when one of my teammates said
"Hey Keri, did you see the blog post your husband did?"
"What?! He doesn't know how to do that!" said I.
But oh yes, he sure did. What a guy.

Hijacked while in Hyderabad!!!

WARNING!!! This post is from Jason, Keri's husband. I felt I needed to get that out right away. I've never done a blog post in my life. I hope I don't mess anything up on here. 

As many of you all ready know, my beautiful wife is in India on a mission trip with Forgotten Children Worldwide. The video features Keri and her fellow team members. I'm so proud of my wife! This trip was hard for her, she didn't want to go but she's not doing it for herself. Keri is so very faithful and has such a servant's heart. 

I know she misses home and everything that goes with it...and I can't wait to have her back. But right now she's helping impact the lives of women who have been made to feel lower than low, smaller than small and unloved. The woman I'm referring to are the Devadasi (aka temple prostitutes). The Devadasi live in bondage to shame, guilt, and a history of believing they have no worth as women. There are a good many in the group they are speaking to that don't know who Jesus is. In addition, the team will also present a seminar on the harsh reality of child trafficking and the measures that can be taken to protect children from such an atrocity.  

Please pray for my amazing wife and the team she's apart of.
FCW - India - 2012 - Day 1 and 2 from The Chapel on Vimeo.

here, but not

I just opened Google Reader.
I have 166 unread items!
My goodness.
Please forgive me, I am so far behind.

My mind can think of few things beside India right now.
I'm sad...and that makes me feel ashamed.
I should be thrilled! I should be excited because
I am on a path clearly forged by the Lord of Heaven and earth.
So WHY am I sad?! And overwhelmed.
I'm not smart enough for this trip...I'm inadequate.
I'm not holy or righteous, I feel out of place already
and I'm still sitting in my own living room.

Please pray for me, my team and our families.
We leave in 5 days. (4-1/2 really)

Since I've been such a Debbie Downer lately,
here are some too cute pictures of our adorable
amazing wonderful fantastic I'm-gonna-miss-them-so-much-it-hurts
children.

a thief in the night

This post gives perfect meaning to my label "random ramblings". 
It is truly random rambling...I have all these thoughts jumbled up in my head and I just need to get them out. 
I'm sorry it's not a literary masterpiece, but let's be honest....that's ok! 

Nine more days. But who's counting??
Oh yeah...I am!
The pre-trip jitters have set in.
I'm (mostly) perfectly fine during the day, running over my list in my mind, mentally checking things off.
Trusting God to provide and go before me.

BUT

If something wakes me up prematurely - a child, my bladder, birds, the sun - suddenly I am grasping
for that trust in God, that peace that comes only from Him.
Why is it so hard to find in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning?
You know, that time when you're supposed to sleeping...when you want desperately to be sleeping...
but the mind just won't stop, won't shut off.
Worries and fears followed by self-rebuking:
"Stop that! Trust in the Lord with ALL YOUR HEART!"
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you, give you hope and a future,
NOT to harm you. So knock it off, Keri Baker!"
But again...there's something about those hours when sleep has been snatched away,
something that makes it hard to be realistic, difficult to find logic,
even almost impossible to cling to faith.

I have no choice but to think of that night so long and far away ago in Rakai, Uganda (paragraph 2).
Then it comes...faintly at first but it grows...faith. Hope. Trust.
"Lord, please let me sleep. Please take these worries and fears and doubts. You have never failed.
You always provide. You are always here, no matter what I'm feeling. Please, let me sleep. Take these
worries and fears and doubts." Like a broken record.
On repeat.
The next thing I know, I'm waking to the sound of giggling children and bright
this-is-when-to-wake-up sunshine, and Jason.

I'm jealous for your prayers. Not just for me, also for my team. And our families.
And the broken women we will be meeting.
For them to find Jesus and His amazing love!
So they will know and believe they are treasured, precious and beautiful.

Nine more days!

{update} india

Three weeks from today, right now, I will be on a plane bound for India (eventually). A lot of people ask me if I'm excited. "Excited" is not the word I would use. But I am ready.

God is so good...all the time. He has answered so many prayers.

1.  From the time I knew the Lord wanted me to go on this trip, I also felt as though He was asking me to trust Him completely for my fund-raising. Specifically, that I shouldn't write letters to be sent to friends and family asking for support. The story of George Muller continued to come to mind and I felt challenged to pray boldly and confidently trust God and not myself for the funding. (George Muller opened numerous orphanages without earning money or asking for money or doing anything other than hitting his knees and asking God to provide...read his story...it's amazing!)

I needed to raise $2900. This was scary. We don't have $2900 just waiting in a savings account to fall back on "if this didn't work". But I believed in my heart it was the Holy Spirit nudging me.

So I started praying, every single day, asking God to provide the money for my trip. Jason wasn't as sure as I was that this was the way to go, so we compromised and I put one shout-out on Facebook, and one post on the blog. Right away, I received two significant checks that covered over half of what I needed. Wow! I was amazed and humbled and in awe of God's provision.

Money continued to slowly trickle in...but by the deadline, I was still short by about $400. I kind of started to panic because we don't have $400. I continued to pray. I asked God to provide, but I also asked Him to give me unwavering faith in His provision and to stop counting the money...just TRUST. I began praying for the rest of my team as well because I knew there were others who didn't have enough yet either.

We had our final "business" team meeting last Sunday and every single person is covered. How amazing is our God?! That statement seems flat and not "big enough" to fully express my feelings of adoration, humility and WORSHIP. I have done nothing to earn the blessings and yet every single day, He pours them out.

2.  My heart has softened, I no longer feel dread in the pit of my stomach when I think about the trip.

3.  My team was given (what I believe to be) divine inspiration to come up with a skit that we will perform while ministering to some very broken and cast-aside women.

4.  Just a few weeks ago, we decided to raise money to buy saris for these women, as most of them may only own one sari. God provided enough money to purchase 150 saris PLUS extra.

"How can I keep from singing Your praise?? How can I ever say enough...how amazing is Your love? How can I keep from shouting Your Name? I am loved by the King...and it makes my heart want to sing!"

If you're still here reading...thank you. If you've been praying...thank you. If you sent financial support...thank you.

Please keep praying for us and our families. I think it's harder on the families left behind to carry-on the daily grind alone than it is on those of us doing the traveling.

Please pray that we will SHINE with Christ's love. That it will be evident we are there in His Name and that He loves every single person more than they can imagine. Please pray that the Spirit encourages and uplifts the people we visit, that they will tangibly feel His love and see His face.

I am a vessel, a clay jar. My deepest desire is to be used by the King for HIS glory.

buffets and tips for our trip

Last Monday my India team had a fundraiser at our local Pizza Hut. We served as waiters and waitresses, drink fetchers, and table clear-ers. In exchange, our team received $1 from each buffet sold and all tips for the duration we were serving. It was a lot of fun! My most favorite job I've ever had was being a waitress so I enjoyed doing that again. We all seemed to mesh well together, we shared lots of laughs too! I think we have an excellent bunch of people!

Natalie & me

Paul & Shaun

 Andy, Andy (Double A!) and Joel

(me again) & Erica

Our fearless leader Matt! (I saw him on the phone and couldn't resist the photo opp! He really did help the team, not just stand around on his phone...just don't tell him I said that!) Joel is his son, and his daughter Tiffani is on the team too (the only picture we had of Tiffani was super blurry! BOO! Trust me, she's cute and sweet and I'll make sure to get her picture!).

We also had three awesome people who aren't even on our team helping us! Natalie's husband, Josh...

 a good friend and FCW "coworker" Janee...

and Tim, who went to Uganda this past summer with another team. These three worked their tails off! Talk about servants...they're not even on the team but volunteered to come help us since our team of 10 wasn't enough. Awesome!!!

Of course my fam came to stuff their faces with pizza be supportive!

It was a successful night! We raised somewhere between $1600-$1700 and began forming bonds, which is priceless.

more on india

As I prepare for my trip, I keep asking God to soften my heart, to calm the fears and to give me His love for India and her people.  Our Team Leader (who is also my "boss" with FCW) gives us an assignment each month, to help us learn, and prepare to visit a country that is so different than ours.  The assignment for March required each one of us to research one topic about India. My topic was "The Plight of Children in India".

The first website I visited had tons of facts.  It was perfect...for my paper, and also for my heart.  I want to see faces of people...not fears of the unknown.  I really don't even fully understand the emotions I feel when I think about this trip, I don't know where they're coming from so I'm struggling with how to deal with them.  All I can do is hit my knees and ask the Lord to help me, to show me, and to use me.

This is what I learned:
India is facing an accelerating threat from HIV, with more people infected with HIV than any other country in the world. Introduce intense poverty, famine, drought, natural disasters, and malaria, and it is no surprise that there are an estimated 15-25 million orphans in India. The number of children in India orphaned by AIDS alone is approaching two million, according to UN estimates. The impacts of the AIDS crisis have not begun to emerge fully in India, and AIDS-related orphaning is not yet occurring at a large scale. Yet, India has the largest number of AIDS orphans of any country in the world. This number is expected to more than double in five years, and the proportion of orphaned children will remain exceptionally high until 2020 or 2030.

• There are an estimated 35 million orphans (all of sub-Saharan Africa has 43 million). 9% of all children in India are orphans.
• No country can rival India’s children in need. Of India’s nearly 400 million under 18, over 70 million are child laborers, 10 million are bonded laborers (a form of slavery to pay off family debts), 13 million are homeless, 2 million are street children without families.
• There is widespread child abuse.
• There is a deficit of 40 million girls because of female feticide — over 20,000 ultrasound clinics thrive on this illegal practice.
• There are 575,000 child prostitutes and there is a massive trade in Bangladeshi and Nepali girls sold into prostitution.
• Malnutrition affects nearly half of all children under age five.
• Only 59 percent of boys and 47 percent of girls attend Secondary school (1996-2005). source

(pictures from FCW archives, taken on previous trips)

Thank you for praying for me and my team! Please don't stop. :)  There are 10 of us, and we each need to raise $2800.00 by May 1.  If you feel led to give, please make your check out to Hope Missionary Church (please don't write my name in the Memo line of your check) and mail it to:

Keri Baker
1214 Kenwood Drive
Bluffton, IN  46714

I've received so many nice comments and emails from some of you, supporting and encouraging me. Saying "thank you" doesn't seem appropriate because it's not enough!! You have blessed me beyond any form of "thanks" I can give you.  May the Lord of Heaven and Earth bless you in ways that surpass your wildest dreams!!!!

be a hero. save a life. be blessed.

This is Laxmi. Isn't she precious?!  I can't look at her smile and not smile myself!  As you can see, Laxmi was born with an extra finger.  I look at this picture and think she's what...8?  And then I have to wonder...if one of my children had been born with an extra finger, would they still have that extra finger at 8 years old?  No.  Jason and I would have decided to have it removed probably as soon as the doctors said it would be ok.  But Laxmi didn't have that option.  UNTIL NOW.

Laxmi lives in India (I will get to meet her when I go in June!) and has a sponsor through Forgotten Children Worldwide. Child Sponsorship is $25/mo.  That's it.  Laxmi's sponsors did not have to give anything extra for her to have the surgery and yet look how it has changed her life...in just this ONE aspect!  Not to mention the fact she's not living in the street, or "working" in the temple, or being married off to a man four times her age, or being sold into prostitution or slavery.

Maybe you've been feeling tugged to help in some way.  But you might think "What can I do?! Nothing I have will make a difference.".  Do you have $25 a month?  That's pizza for dinner one night.  Sponsoring a child SAVES A LIFE.  And the ripple effects of that saved life are endless, impossible to count, amazing. Or you might be skeptical as to whether or not you can trust an organization. I will personally be in charge of overseeing your sponsorship...so if you know me and trust me, you can trust FCW. FCW is unique in the fact that 100% of your $25 monthly gift goes directly to the care of your child, not one penny is used by FCW for administrative costs, supplies, etc.

Click here to "Be the ONE and save a child"!!!

india

not mine

I am going to India in June.  I'm part of a team representing Forgotten Children Worldwide.  This trip is similar to the trip I took to Uganda, as far as why we're going, what we're doing, etc.  We will be visiting our two partners who have ministries in India.  We will meet the children, I will get to meet our sponsored child, Chennakeshav, just like I got to meet Bumpi.

That's where the similarities end.  Different country, different people, completely different team, longer travel-time.  But the biggest difference is my heart.  I'm struggling.  I was over-the-moon excited to go to Uganda!  I couldn't WAIT to leave, I was on fire!  That just isn't the case with this trip.  When I said "yes", my ONLY reason was because I am SURE God wants me to go.

When this trip was announced at our church, and the interest meeting was held, I didn't even consider attending.  It wasn't on my radar.  I hadn't been home from Uganda long and I felt no desire, need or calling to go.  Then I received an email from my "boss" with FCW that simply said "I want you to go to India, we'll talk soon.".  That was it.  I think I may have even laughed out loud when I read it.  I told Jason what the email said. He replied "Yeah...that's not happening right now." and went on to list all the reasons why it just wasn't a possibility this year.  Maybe the next one.  Of course he had no argument from me, I didn't want to go so I was glad my husband agreed...I took it as confirmation from the Lord that this trip wasn't for me.

OHHHH but that's what happens when I start to think I can read God's mind.  The next few days, my dear friend Natalie began talking about possibly going to India, because our "boss" approached her as well.  At that point, I started praying.  Something was stirring in my heart, but I wasn't sure if it was my own desire to go because Natalie might, or if it might be the Spirit softening me.  Then, randomly out of the blue one morning Jason says "I think you're supposed to go to India."  WHAT?!  He had been adamantly against the trip and he had shown zero signs of doubt, so for that statement to come out of his mouth...well...I knew that moment what I had been feeling wasn't coming from myself.

I let our team leader know that I would go.  All the while STILL not WANTING to go exactly, but feeling like I was being called and desiring to obey.  Then!  Jason changed his mind.  He gave me all the original reasons again as to why I shouldn't go.  I asked him if we could take some time and each of us pray about it, because frankly, the roller coaster of emotions was really starting to get to me!  So we did.  A week later, we were walking on the greenway.  I decided it was time to ask him about India.  I said "Sooo..." and he said "About your trip to India?"  I said "MY trip?"  And he said "Yes.  You have to go."  He went on to explain his reasons for saying no had been selfish, and the more he prayed about it, the more he knew the answer was "yes".

I'm still on a bit of a roller coaster.  I have yet to reach the peak of excitement I had before Uganda, but I do have moments of peace and desire for this trip.  The Lord is working on my heart, which is really the whole point anyway.  I'm not going to India to "save the day", I know that India will impact ME more than I will ever in my little life impact India.  As painful as it can sometimes be, my desire is to be more like Jesus.  I want to allow Him to change me, mold me, use me.  I trust Him completely and wholly, and I have seen His faithfulness, I know He will never leave my side.

Please pray for me and my heart.  Pray for my team.  Pray for FCW.  Pray for my amazing husband who will again be taking on the responsibilities of our house, children AND of course his job(s).

"If anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need - how can God's love reside in him? Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action." 1 John 3:17&18