Trip

An Appu India Experience

I am incredibly blessed to have been apart of the 2019 India Trip with Child of Mine. My experience in India was filled with learning about its colorful culture, tasting its fabulous food, cultivating eternal friendships with the beautiful children and the alumni from both homes and being inspired by the staff who have dedicated their lives to serve the children.

I have gained so much from the relationships that have been built with the children, the staff and my team members. I marvel at the beauty of the love and joy that the staff and children share with one another and that same love and joy that was extended to me with their hospitality and kindness. So beautiful! Thank you Child of Mine and all the leaders for this opportunity. I appreciate you equally too.

- Appu

An Al India Experience

Travelling to India was an incredible experience. Meeting the children and staff at both homes made us feel a part of a very large family.

Although the culture of India is quite different from our own, I found the homes to have a friendly and familiar feel. The staff are so dedicated to their work in caring for and teaching the children. And seeing the children so happy and willing to learn made it clear that something very significant is happening. Music is a major part of their lives and they are as dedicated to practice as they are to their studies. I had intended to show them a few things on the guitar, but they showed me a thing or two!

In Kelowna we have been raising funds for construction of the boy’s dorm. To actually see it and walk through the work in progress was quite something. On our last night, I looked out at the boys as they were seated in their rows. I was struck by their eager faces and the stories they could tell of how their lives have changed because of generous donors and dedicated staff. And these are the ones who will be moving into the dorm as their new home! It made supporting their work very real and raising funds such a privilege.

Al Gillespie

An Elaine India Experience

“Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love”, (Mother Teresa).

Imagine being greeted with kindness and compassion by someone you’ve never met. That was my experience when visiting the homes with COM in the fall of 2019. Our team had an opportunity to visit both homes over a three-week period of time. In each home there was such an abundance of joy; not only in the children, but in the dedicated, loving staff. Children of all ages took delight in joining in with us; some for a short time, others for a dedicated amount of time. One of our student helpers described his home as having much joy and added that it’s rich in love, hope, peace and forgiveness. The homes are dedicated to raising ‘future leaders of India’ and are doing this with great wisdom and love. Education is highly valued, there is much encouragement for children and continued support when they ‘graduate’ from the homes.

Both children’s homes are beautiful with gardens, in their mountainous location, and in the hearts of the children and staff. They clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Our team did many things on this trip, but more importantly we were able to interact with children and staff on a daily basis. What a joy it was!

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A Willow Park 2018 Trip Story

“Being part of the 2018 India Construction Team has changed my life.”  This statement may seem trite…unless you've experienced India. The time spent with the kids and staff at the home was inspiring and uplifting.  We can all learn much from their thankful and contentful attitudes.  I have made some life-long friends with team members, staff and kids as a result of this trip and am now considering a return trip in the next few years. The appreciation and hospitality of those at the home was both overwhelming and humbling. 

Child of Mine did a great job preparing our team for all aspects of the trip.  There is great satisfaction in seeing these tasks progress from fresh starts to beautifully completed projects.  Even though it was tough to leave those at the home,  the trip was entirely worthwhile.  If you go on one of these trips in the future, be prepared to leave a bit of your heart there.

Shane Holtslander

Learning from India: A SunRidge 2018 Trip Story

The airport doors open to India. The sun is barely up, the cool of the morning also heavy with humidity and the smokey heat of the city. Then from behind the glass of a bus window, which is noticeably more comfortable than most other busses on the road, you watch India continue to wake up. The cool in the air is now completely dried up by the heat of the day, the roads are now totally filled with varying forms of traffic, a thousand shop windows open, and the 23 Canadians inside the bus are silent with a tired and excited observation. 

We flew 14 hours from Vancouver to Delhi and then hopped in a bus for another 8 or so hours up to the mountains towards the Children’s home where we all met with the warmest welcome; the kind of welcome you might receive from an old friend. 

For the next few weeks, through projects and play, we had to privilege of doing life alongside people who live a very different life than what we are used to back in Canada. Whatever the differences were, it was amazing to see how people came together through language and cultural contrast. In the SunRidge Community Church team we had a hairdresser give staff and kids haircuts and teach kids how to cut hair. We had a Web Developer and musician play music with the kids and help out with some website issues. We had carpentry, drawing, and photography skills in our team all which were used in different ways to connect us to the home. We all felt so extremely privileged to build relationships with people at the home through whatever our craft or skills was. 

To work alongside staff and kids at the homes was not only an awesome way to connect but was so inspiring. The staff and the kids approach their work with a vigour and dedication that absolutely amazed us. We began asking them questions like ‘how do they stay energized for your work?’, and ‘what keeps you going when times get hard?’. They are passionate about raising the children well and are clear on their source of strength. 

It is by their example we return to Canada with a renewed strength and spirit. We go back to whatever our work here is with the motivation to make a difference and a deep gratitude for the many lessons we learned from both the kids and the staff of the children’s home.