May today bring much joy and love to you and your loved ones!
Best wishes,
Rachel Grace
India Conclusion Letter
So, I was debating whether or not to post this here, but I decided to go ahead... wouldn't want to leave my blog readers hanging, right?!
Anyways, the below letter is something I sent to all my India trip prayer warriors & financial supporters.
------
Hello Dearest Friends and Family,
It has been over a month since I returned from Ooty India and I am just now able to sit down and write you (oh my!)… Life’s activities have been quite the juggling act recently, but really that is no excuse, I apologize it has taken this long.
I must say that I miss Ooty. I miss the rescued girls, the Freedom Firm staff, the hours of jewelry making, the foggy mountains, and even eating with my hands ;). Yes, India made quite the impression on my heart.
Before the trip even took place I knew that God was calling me there. He placed the desire to go in my heart and then sovereignly pieced together every piece of the puzzle – finances, prayer support, visas, health, etc. He prepared the way for me and my team and displayed His favor and love in such a mighty way. To this day I still feel overwhelmed by His love and the providence He showed us.
My team and I arrived in Ooty after 34 hours of traveling, but despite the lack of sleep and weariness from our journey, we were able to jump right into the scheme of things and hardly suffer jet lag at all. When it came time to start working with the rescued girls all of us were full of excitement and anticipation. God had great plans for that week, we just knew it. I walked into the Ruhamah building (the aftercare facility) and felt overwhelmed with butterflies; I was so happy to finally be there, but also nervous about what to expect. I said a prayer that I had already asked many times before, but thought it was worth repeating. I prayed that our actions and our words would reveal God’s love and mercy to the girls and that they would receive our teachings and our friendship with grace. Marvelously, that prayer was answered. As we met the girls and started working with them, we began to see hope and joy instilled in them. We all started the day off a bit shy and reserved, but by the end of the day the girls were already asking if my team and I could say for forever. They were happy to have us there and accepting of almost everything we did. Yes, there were tough moments, but they never lasted very long, and the joyful moments always outweighed the difficult ones.
When it came time to pack up and say goodbye, I was a bit heartbroken; the week had passed so quickly. As one girl and I said farewell, she began to hug me tightly and wouldn’t let go, both of our eyes filled with tears and in that moment I caught a glimpse of vulnerability that she had refused to express the entire week before. That strong and independent facade melted away and revealed a girl so tender and sweet. Her grip still strong, she said to me “I do not want you to leave” and right then my heart broke into a thousand pieces. I knew God had brought us there and wanted to bless the girls through us, but to hear those words and to see the impact we made right before my eyes, well, it penetrated the deepest part of my heart. We are all called to be the hands and feet of Jesus and right then I understood more of what that meant than ever before. I pray I never lose sight of that revelation and I never forget that precious moment in time.
I'm sure I could write a novel about all the wonderful memories and opportunities my team had, but with Christmas preparations awaiting my attention, I really must conclude this letter. So last but not least, I want to say thank you. Thank you so much for helping make the trip a reality; your support was invaluable and treasured beyond measure. Thank you!
Much love and many blessings,
Rachel Grace
----
Here is a short recap video that I assembled for all my amazing supporters. I hope you all enjoy it!! :)
Anyways, the below letter is something I sent to all my India trip prayer warriors & financial supporters.
------
Hello Dearest Friends and Family,
It has been over a month since I returned from Ooty India and I am just now able to sit down and write you (oh my!)… Life’s activities have been quite the juggling act recently, but really that is no excuse, I apologize it has taken this long.
I must say that I miss Ooty. I miss the rescued girls, the Freedom Firm staff, the hours of jewelry making, the foggy mountains, and even eating with my hands ;). Yes, India made quite the impression on my heart.
Before the trip even took place I knew that God was calling me there. He placed the desire to go in my heart and then sovereignly pieced together every piece of the puzzle – finances, prayer support, visas, health, etc. He prepared the way for me and my team and displayed His favor and love in such a mighty way. To this day I still feel overwhelmed by His love and the providence He showed us.
My team and I arrived in Ooty after 34 hours of traveling, but despite the lack of sleep and weariness from our journey, we were able to jump right into the scheme of things and hardly suffer jet lag at all. When it came time to start working with the rescued girls all of us were full of excitement and anticipation. God had great plans for that week, we just knew it. I walked into the Ruhamah building (the aftercare facility) and felt overwhelmed with butterflies; I was so happy to finally be there, but also nervous about what to expect. I said a prayer that I had already asked many times before, but thought it was worth repeating. I prayed that our actions and our words would reveal God’s love and mercy to the girls and that they would receive our teachings and our friendship with grace. Marvelously, that prayer was answered. As we met the girls and started working with them, we began to see hope and joy instilled in them. We all started the day off a bit shy and reserved, but by the end of the day the girls were already asking if my team and I could say for forever. They were happy to have us there and accepting of almost everything we did. Yes, there were tough moments, but they never lasted very long, and the joyful moments always outweighed the difficult ones.
When it came time to pack up and say goodbye, I was a bit heartbroken; the week had passed so quickly. As one girl and I said farewell, she began to hug me tightly and wouldn’t let go, both of our eyes filled with tears and in that moment I caught a glimpse of vulnerability that she had refused to express the entire week before. That strong and independent facade melted away and revealed a girl so tender and sweet. Her grip still strong, she said to me “I do not want you to leave” and right then my heart broke into a thousand pieces. I knew God had brought us there and wanted to bless the girls through us, but to hear those words and to see the impact we made right before my eyes, well, it penetrated the deepest part of my heart. We are all called to be the hands and feet of Jesus and right then I understood more of what that meant than ever before. I pray I never lose sight of that revelation and I never forget that precious moment in time.
I'm sure I could write a novel about all the wonderful memories and opportunities my team had, but with Christmas preparations awaiting my attention, I really must conclude this letter. So last but not least, I want to say thank you. Thank you so much for helping make the trip a reality; your support was invaluable and treasured beyond measure. Thank you!
Much love and many blessings,
Rachel Grace
----
Here is a short recap video that I assembled for all my amazing supporters. I hope you all enjoy it!! :)
Redeemed from Rachel Armstrong on Vimeo.
P.s.s. You can also check out my Flickr page to see more photos of my adventure.
Emotional Battle
I feel horrible that this is the first time blogging since my return from India. I’ve been meaning to sit down and articulate some of the things that have been jumping around in my head [and in my heart], but have been submerged in photo projects, Holiday events, emails, etc.
At the moment I feel overwhelmed, stressed out even. So I think this post is needed. I’m still processing everything that took place and trying to make sense of what’s going on inside me. I feel changed. I know I am changed. Slowly and surely I believe things will unravel and maybe, just maybe, I will uncover the purpose for this tug-o-war in my heart.
Sunday night I was compiling a video to send to my supporters (don’t worry; I’ll share it here as soon as its complete). And well, I was just about to call it a night when almost out of nowhere I started balling my eyes out. I knew I really missed the Freedom Firm girls and life in general was stressful, but common. I’m not usually the crying type. I mean…. I do cry (trust me), but not very easily. I was completely bewildered by the boiling pot of tears spewing. I felt a bit helpless really. BUT, in the end it was really good for me. I had been walking around with so much of my emotions hidden from everyone; I didn’t know how to communicate what I was feeling, let alone make sense of it all. So I tried to keep them bottled, but it turns out that all I needed was someone dear to come along and listen for my gibberish to begin to make sense of it all. Thanks to my very sweet friend Kesi, that exact thing happened, last night to be exact. Kesi asked a simple question of “how are you?” and that was it, that’s all I needed. Her tenderness and ability to pinpoint an area that needs a little prodding helped me connect some dots and communicate some of the emotions that were lost inside me.
I know I am being really vague, sorry, but that’s because I need to be right now. I’m trying to guard my heart.
Got to get this sleepy girl to bed. Night!
Rachel Grace
At the moment I feel overwhelmed, stressed out even. So I think this post is needed. I’m still processing everything that took place and trying to make sense of what’s going on inside me. I feel changed. I know I am changed. Slowly and surely I believe things will unravel and maybe, just maybe, I will uncover the purpose for this tug-o-war in my heart.
Sunday night I was compiling a video to send to my supporters (don’t worry; I’ll share it here as soon as its complete). And well, I was just about to call it a night when almost out of nowhere I started balling my eyes out. I knew I really missed the Freedom Firm girls and life in general was stressful, but common. I’m not usually the crying type. I mean…. I do cry (trust me), but not very easily. I was completely bewildered by the boiling pot of tears spewing. I felt a bit helpless really. BUT, in the end it was really good for me. I had been walking around with so much of my emotions hidden from everyone; I didn’t know how to communicate what I was feeling, let alone make sense of it all. So I tried to keep them bottled, but it turns out that all I needed was someone dear to come along and listen for my gibberish to begin to make sense of it all. Thanks to my very sweet friend Kesi, that exact thing happened, last night to be exact. Kesi asked a simple question of “how are you?” and that was it, that’s all I needed. Her tenderness and ability to pinpoint an area that needs a little prodding helped me connect some dots and communicate some of the emotions that were lost inside me.
I know I am being really vague, sorry, but that’s because I need to be right now. I’m trying to guard my heart.
Got to get this sleepy girl to bed. Night!
Rachel Grace
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