Just a quick little post.
Wishing each and every one of you a very grand year ahead. May 2011 bring many joyful memories to you and your loved ones. Have a blessed New Year!!!
Much love :)
Rachel Grace
Merry Christmas :)
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
Ruhama
I just have to say I love the girls at Ruhama. I cannot thank God enough for them and for this trip as a whole. I see God at work each and every day, with each and every girl, and with each and every expedition we adventure on.
All day I've been mulling over the fact that God loves to redeem; He is a healer, a lover, a peacemaker. And you can see that here. I look into the girls eyes and I cannot help but see God's love for them and the restoration He wants to bring them. Already He has brought so much healing and joy into their lives, but I believe He has so much more to give, they just need to be open to receive. Please pray for the girls. There are 5 total right now and I wish I could share their beautiful names with you, but for privacy reasons I cannot, at least not over the internet. But please pray that the walls around their hearts and their minds would be torn down so that God could envelop them with His love and with everything He so desires to give them. Please also pray for understanding and growth in each of the girls lives, both in their relationship with God, but also with their comprehension of english, social interaction, mental expansion, jewelry and card making, and so forth. They are progressing so well, but they still have a bit of a journey ahead of them.
Okay real quick because I have two people wanting the computer... The last two days I have been working with the girls to help perfect their jewelry techniques. I won't lie, it's been tough. Several times I have had to pause myself and just pray for God's help and His patience, but at the end of the day I have no regrets because I really think that the girls are advancing and the time we spend together is a blessing for all of us. Tomorrow Heather and I will be designing new pieces and trying to teach the girls how to make them, whereas yesterday and today we were working on making chains and fixing the non-sellable/defective items. I think tomorrow will be much easier and more enjoyable for the girls, but please pray for grace and for patience for each and every one of us.
Okay, I must run.
Later alligators :)
Rachel Grace
All day I've been mulling over the fact that God loves to redeem; He is a healer, a lover, a peacemaker. And you can see that here. I look into the girls eyes and I cannot help but see God's love for them and the restoration He wants to bring them. Already He has brought so much healing and joy into their lives, but I believe He has so much more to give, they just need to be open to receive. Please pray for the girls. There are 5 total right now and I wish I could share their beautiful names with you, but for privacy reasons I cannot, at least not over the internet. But please pray that the walls around their hearts and their minds would be torn down so that God could envelop them with His love and with everything He so desires to give them. Please also pray for understanding and growth in each of the girls lives, both in their relationship with God, but also with their comprehension of english, social interaction, mental expansion, jewelry and card making, and so forth. They are progressing so well, but they still have a bit of a journey ahead of them.
Okay real quick because I have two people wanting the computer... The last two days I have been working with the girls to help perfect their jewelry techniques. I won't lie, it's been tough. Several times I have had to pause myself and just pray for God's help and His patience, but at the end of the day I have no regrets because I really think that the girls are advancing and the time we spend together is a blessing for all of us. Tomorrow Heather and I will be designing new pieces and trying to teach the girls how to make them, whereas yesterday and today we were working on making chains and fixing the non-sellable/defective items. I think tomorrow will be much easier and more enjoyable for the girls, but please pray for grace and for patience for each and every one of us.
Okay, I must run.
Later alligators :)
Rachel Grace
Adventures In India
Greetings from Ooty India!
It took a total of 34 hours to get here, but each and every minute was so worth it!!
My team and I left the US on November 4th, traveled by plane to London Heathrow from RDU. Had a 6 hour break/layover in the grand royal city where we walked around and enjoyed delicious non-airplane food (hooray!). From London we caught a flight to Bangalore and from there boarded yet another plane to Coimbatore. I will confess that the last leg of our journey was a tough one; I made a wretched mistake of consuming Indian mango yogurt (lassi) and I think adding that to the lack of sleep and airport food was a bad idea because it made me feel extremely sick to my stomach. But anyways, when we landed in Coimbatore a Freedom Firm volunteer named Sarah came to meet us, along with Ray, a father of another volunteer. We all packed into two taxis and travel 3 more hours to Ooty.
When we arrived in Ooty I was so very thankful and also extremely happy - we had FINALLY made it!! :). We settled at the Farley Guest House (a quaint little house that us Americans are so blessed to be staying in) and then ventured out into the city for shopping and dinner.
On Sunday we met the Palms (more Freedom Firm volunteers) for breakfast at Holiday Inn where we munched on authentic Indian breakfast, but had the option of some American dishes as well. At 11am we attended the English service at Union Church where most, if not all Freedom Firm workers in Ooty attend. It was such a blessing to partake in the service and see the similarities and also the differences of culture and so forth. It was rather refreshing. After church we met with Mala Malstead for coffee and talked about the upcoming week at the Ruhama workshop. I personally left feeling so extremely excited about this next week because it was so evident that God had orchestrated everything, every little detail and each desire, and we were all on the same page.
For lunch, which wasn't until after 2pm, we got to journey to the aftercare home of the rescued girls (called Roja) and ate lunch with the caretaker and two of the girls. What a pleasure. It was a joy to meet some of the girls and spend quality time with them, especially before jumping into the art and craft projects and training sessions.
Today I have to explain in short (need to get to sleep!), but it was our first day at Ruhama. We started organizing the space and establishing relationships with the 5 girls. We also started working with the girls to discover their skill sets at jewelry making and also began brainstorming about all the projects we want to accomplish this week. The girls were so welcoming and as sweet as can be. A few of them asked if we could stay for forever, but we will see if they say that at the end of the week ;).
I wish I could go on, but I really must go.
Much love,
Rachel Grace
It took a total of 34 hours to get here, but each and every minute was so worth it!!
My team and I left the US on November 4th, traveled by plane to London Heathrow from RDU. Had a 6 hour break/layover in the grand royal city where we walked around and enjoyed delicious non-airplane food (hooray!). From London we caught a flight to Bangalore and from there boarded yet another plane to Coimbatore. I will confess that the last leg of our journey was a tough one; I made a wretched mistake of consuming Indian mango yogurt (lassi) and I think adding that to the lack of sleep and airport food was a bad idea because it made me feel extremely sick to my stomach. But anyways, when we landed in Coimbatore a Freedom Firm volunteer named Sarah came to meet us, along with Ray, a father of another volunteer. We all packed into two taxis and travel 3 more hours to Ooty.
When we arrived in Ooty I was so very thankful and also extremely happy - we had FINALLY made it!! :). We settled at the Farley Guest House (a quaint little house that us Americans are so blessed to be staying in) and then ventured out into the city for shopping and dinner.
On Sunday we met the Palms (more Freedom Firm volunteers) for breakfast at Holiday Inn where we munched on authentic Indian breakfast, but had the option of some American dishes as well. At 11am we attended the English service at Union Church where most, if not all Freedom Firm workers in Ooty attend. It was such a blessing to partake in the service and see the similarities and also the differences of culture and so forth. It was rather refreshing. After church we met with Mala Malstead for coffee and talked about the upcoming week at the Ruhama workshop. I personally left feeling so extremely excited about this next week because it was so evident that God had orchestrated everything, every little detail and each desire, and we were all on the same page.
For lunch, which wasn't until after 2pm, we got to journey to the aftercare home of the rescued girls (called Roja) and ate lunch with the caretaker and two of the girls. What a pleasure. It was a joy to meet some of the girls and spend quality time with them, especially before jumping into the art and craft projects and training sessions.
Today I have to explain in short (need to get to sleep!), but it was our first day at Ruhama. We started organizing the space and establishing relationships with the 5 girls. We also started working with the girls to discover their skill sets at jewelry making and also began brainstorming about all the projects we want to accomplish this week. The girls were so welcoming and as sweet as can be. A few of them asked if we could stay for forever, but we will see if they say that at the end of the week ;).
I wish I could go on, but I really must go.
Much love,
Rachel Grace
Scattered
...Somehow this post was sitting in my drafts, completely finished, but not posted. Oh my.
This was written nine days ago:
Can I say scattered brained & out of it? Oh my word, yes. These last few days [...ahem....weeks really] have not been easy for me...
Upon my return from Seattle, I managed to catch either horrible allergies or a wretched cold. Whatever the case, I was completely worn out and having the hardest time adjusting back to North Carolina life. Despite it being over two weeks later and having my health almost back to normal, I seem to still be struggling. Mild exhaustion has been creeping around me and sadly I’ve been struggling with a scattered brain lately as well as emotional outbursts (the slightest thing can make me cry and maybe that's healthy to some extent, but I do not like it). Part of me thinks that I just need more sleep, but then again, I'm starting to think and see that there might be a larger underlying issue. I leave for India in 9 days and with such a trip approaching, I can only imagine that I am taunting the devil and making him want to attack me in every which way.
I strongly believe that while in India God’s love is going to be poured out and His heart will be revealed, not only to the ones that my team and I will be visiting, but to us travelers as well. I also strongly believe and hope that God uses this opportunity to equip me for future ministry; I think He's been planting some seeds in my heart for quite some time now and I see this trip acting like a watering can. I think God wants to pour some new desires in my heart and stir up old ones. I think He wants to see me move to the next step and enter into a new season of ministry/my walk with Him.
Please be praying for me and my trip. It would mean so much to me.
Much love,
Rachel Grace
This was written nine days ago:
Can I say scattered brained & out of it? Oh my word, yes. These last few days [...ahem....weeks really] have not been easy for me...
Upon my return from Seattle, I managed to catch either horrible allergies or a wretched cold. Whatever the case, I was completely worn out and having the hardest time adjusting back to North Carolina life. Despite it being over two weeks later and having my health almost back to normal, I seem to still be struggling. Mild exhaustion has been creeping around me and sadly I’ve been struggling with a scattered brain lately as well as emotional outbursts (the slightest thing can make me cry and maybe that's healthy to some extent, but I do not like it). Part of me thinks that I just need more sleep, but then again, I'm starting to think and see that there might be a larger underlying issue. I leave for India in 9 days and with such a trip approaching, I can only imagine that I am taunting the devil and making him want to attack me in every which way.
I strongly believe that while in India God’s love is going to be poured out and His heart will be revealed, not only to the ones that my team and I will be visiting, but to us travelers as well. I also strongly believe and hope that God uses this opportunity to equip me for future ministry; I think He's been planting some seeds in my heart for quite some time now and I see this trip acting like a watering can. I think God wants to pour some new desires in my heart and stir up old ones. I think He wants to see me move to the next step and enter into a new season of ministry/my walk with Him.
Please be praying for me and my trip. It would mean so much to me.
Much love,
Rachel Grace
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