Guntur

Friday morning we were headed to the airport again. Our first flight took us to Bangalore and then on to Vijayawada where we met Brother Ashed. A two hour drive out of Vijayawada to Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, brought us to another hotel - Hotel Bajram. The countryside was full of rice fields, palm trees, small towns, and rural workers. Guntur is a smaller city, with crowded streets, beggars, homeless, small shops, and cows walking through the street. We sat on the hotel steps and watched the people move by on foot, small taxi's and rickshaws. As everywhere else in India - horns blowing constantly.

Later that afternoon, Ashed took us to the Sarah Children's Home. This small home on a side street in the middle of town was started by Rev. Benjamin Krupanithi, now in his 80's, in memory of his wife Sarah. It was her desire to help some of India's orphan children. This is a happy home with 37 children filling the rooms to capacity. Rev. John and Joyce Stephenson are the house parents - the kids call them "mommy and daddy." Pastor Benjamin is grandfather. There is laughter, fun and humor running through the fabric of this home.

The children were eager to entertain us with a program of dance, singing and reciting. We were presented with gifts, drawings, and warm smiles. I brought a craft for the kids to make - pinwheels using paper cutouts, a pencil and a push pin. They loved their bright yellow pinwheels. Then we played a balloon relay game in the small court yard. Laughter filled the warm evening air.

This was the happiest children's home I have ever visited.

The home has become too small for the number of children. A new building is under construction just outside of town. We visited this site on Saturday morning, along with all the children and Pastor Benjamin. There was plenty of open space for the kids to play games with us. It was all to soon before we had to say our good-byes.