A little bit of lately…

I’ve officially been in India for over a week! My time here has already been such a crazy experience. The Lord is already teaching me so much about myself and how to truly love others. So here’s a little insight to what we’ve been doing!

My team spent all last week working in the ICM office working on adoption paperwork. Each child has a binder full of their medical history, previous institutions, and any other information on how they got to SCH. Many of the papers were a sloppy mix of English and Telugu, which was pretty hard to decode. While I was struggling with the monotony of the work, The Lord reminded me that we are a huge help to the SCH staff. What we finished in one week would have taken months without us. That right there is being the hands and feet of Christ.

At the end of our office work day, we get an hour to go play in the baby room. There are about 12 of them with only 4 or so adults. We get to help change them, feed them, but also just play and show them love! The majority of them are immobile and love being held! These babies have completely stolen my heart. After all the trials these kids have been through, they still continue to smile, laugh, love, and play. At the end of a long work day, they remind me why I’m here.

The last couple of days we’ve been assisting team 2 with their sewing project. They sized all the kids for 3 new outfits each. They are literally clothing the naked. I’ve really enjoyed sewing – mainly because we can work in our room and wear shorts! Though my thumbs are extremely sore! I can’t wait for the kids to see their new outfits. (Sidenote: there was a TOMS drop off a few days ago! Many of the kids are sporting some new kicks.)

At the end of our work day, we get to go out! We’ll usually go to the market or out to eat. We’ve found a handful of good restaurants – a few of those being American food! (ICE CREAM!!!!) I’m not the most adventurous person when it comes to trying food, so I’m still working on Indian cuisine. I’m a little skeptical of the street food, but I’m getting more and more brave as the time goes on!

We’re staying in a great house. We’re living like Indian royalty. We have a wall unit a/c that has a mind of its own and works when it wants to. But we’re grateful for it even when it’s not working! We also have a toilet! (This is huge for India.) Our house owner was so sweet and even bought us a toilet seat. It’s the little things, y’all. I’ve taken one shower here so far (don’t judge). Taking a shower is a lot of work! We have a bucket of water and a cup and it is not as easy as it sounds! We lose electricity about 5 or 6 times a day, but we’re getting used to that. All 8 of us share a room; It’s crowded but lots of fun.

The biggest adjustment from the States to India has been the lack of traffic laws. There are no lanes, stop lights, speed limits, sides of the road, or any kind of order! Every time I get in an auto, I’m 90% sure it’s my last day on earth. In a 10 minute tuk-tuk ride, the average driver will almost hit probably around 3 people. At home, I would most likely have a panic attack, but here it’s an everyday occurrence! There are “traffic police” that will stand on the roads, but they actually don’t do anything. The honking is something I’m still trying to get used to. Drivers will honk at cows, pedestrians, other drivers, and pretty much anything they come in contact to. Some vehicles will even have horns that play a little tune. It’s funny the first few times you hear it, then it’s just straight up annoying.

My time in India so far has already been such a growing experience. The Lord has blessed us and is still blessing us with so many wonderful things. We’re definitely being pulled out of our comfort zones and being stretched in ways we never have before. God is revealing so much to each and every one of us. Please continue to pray for us as we move forward on this journey!

Also, I’m new to blogging so please forgive me for rambling! (Rookie mistake)

With love,
Alexis Burrmann

Ps – happy Father’s Day, Johnny Boy! <3