Day 17- We finally meet

I could scream. I had such an amazing time this morning.


I was picked up at 10:00 this morning (half an hour late but, what did I expect here?).  It was so surreal.  Two women and a young girl walked up to me in the lobby and asked "Michelle?"  So, I met her right then and there.


It's crazy. After the roller coaster ride that I went through to get here, I finally met Revathy.  There is no other way to say it. God's timing is absolutely perfect.


When we got in the car we exchanged gifts.  I gave her a journal, a picture frame, and a few other little things. She gave me a necklace she had made for me. (I don't wear necklaces but, in this case I did. I didn't want her to be hurt.)

We drove to her house first. Three weeks in India and yet I've never seen anything like it.  We parked on the street and walked. We walked down alleys turning here and there. Little kids half dressed ran all over. Women begged for food, for money. The alley was covered in litter and ran with dirty water. The men stared at me. Deep in this section of  Chennai is a tiny little 10 x 10 apartment where Revathy and her grandparents live.
Here we stopped for a while. It was a beautiful experience. Neighbors began asking questions and the women with me explained. They explained Compassion and I'm sure they mentioned Christ. I hope someday they remember and find themselves on their way to church.
I met her grandmother and grandfather and a few of her close friends. We sat on her bed and drank mango juice for a while.  And they all laughed at my poor attempts to speak Tamil.

Nandri- Thank you
Vaṇakkam- hello
Eppaṭi irukkīṅka? - how are you?

Here we are in her bedroom.

The coordinator then took me to her house where I met her mother-in-law, her sister-in-law, her husband,m his cousin, and his nephew. They were all very excited to see me.

Revathy had brought along her favorite saree and she made me put it on. You don't want to know how many pins I had stuck in me so that it would fit. I am slightly taller and wider than the typical Indian girls. they laughed at me when the shirt wouldn't button and told me I was getting over weight. :)

They also kept gasping at how pale I was. sigh. I really tried to get some sun this trip.



Anyway, here I am in Revathy's Saree. :)

 We went shopping together for a while and bought each other little gifts.
From there I went and visited the Compassion project school. I met some more of her friends and a bunch of really cute little school girls with their hair all done up in pigtail braids. I was honored with a Compassion India backpack given to me by the head mistress.
And then we ate lunch together. We had rice, spicy fried chicken, spicy cooked cauliflower, and an egg omelette. It was amazing as usual. 
   

Revathy outside of the school.

Then, I had to say goodbye. They dropped me off at the hotel. We hugged each other goodbye and then she was gone. I wonder if we will ever meet again.


This whole experience (sponsoring Revathy, coming to India, studying here, the ups and downs of trying to set a visit date, and finally getting to meet her) has been the most wonderful experience of my life. There are no words to describe how blessed I feel.
God's timing is perfect.

And, Please, if you have not yet, sponsor a child.

In Christ
~Michelle