On to Dindigul we go....
This was another day of travel: flight to Madurai and a van journey to Dindigul, a city of 300,000 in south central India. About a 45-minute drive from Dindigul is the location of the original Bethania home, It sits in an area known as Kannivadi, off the highway and down a long, bumpy and rutted dirt road. This is the site founded by the Hennigs and two other families to help support a woman who was taking in orphaned children. Now called the Dayavu Home for Boys, it houses 28 children between the ages of 5 and 15.
Because our flight was delayed and we took a brief side trip to a famous Hindu temple in Madurai, we arrived at the home after dark. The boys came rushing out of the school, jumping for joy that we were there. They all wanted to shake our hands, ask our names, and tell us their names. The
younger children are just beginning to learn English; the older ones are more proficient. We had some gifts - a Jenga game and lots of Skittles candy. They loved the Jenga, but they also enjoyed having each of us taking out our cell phones and showing them any and all pictures that we had - picture of our family, our homes, our friends. - it didn’t matter. The apparently the word “Video” is the same in all languages!
Kate Hennig Teece is also visiting and was meeting with the Board of Directors for the school. When that meeting was finished, the boys all gathered and presented a program for us. They sang songs, some in Tamil and some in English (What a Friends We Have in Jesus was sung by the older boys to show us their English proficiency.). There was lots of dancing, including at least one dance that mimicked the movements of a popular Indian music video. There were silent plays that depicted children living a life of despair in poverty, and then coming to Bethania to lead a life filled with hope. Perhaps most touching were the two boys who stood up and, with the help of an interpreter, told us their life stories. These were painful - filled with poverty, death of one or both parents, alcoholism, domestic abuse. One boy cried as he related his story. But both boys had found a place at Bethania, and now had hopes and dreams. One wanted to be a doctor to help people like his father to quit smoking. One wanted to be a police officer so that he could help his mother escape poverty. One other note: The school director and his wife had a daughter, perhaps 8 years old. What an interesting life she must lead! She is growing up with 28 brothers! And she clearly wasn’t intimidated by them.
After the program, we shared a meal with the staff, the Board, Kate Teece and her husband Scott, and Emily Henning. The boys bid us farewell as we left, standing by the road and waving.
Because our flight was delayed and we took a brief side trip to a famous Hindu temple in Madurai, we arrived at the home after dark. The boys came rushing out of the school, jumping for joy that we were there. They all wanted to shake our hands, ask our names, and tell us their names. The
Kate Hennig Teece is also visiting and was meeting with the Board of Directors for the school. When that meeting was finished, the boys all gathered and presented a program for us. They sang songs, some in Tamil and some in English (What a Friends We Have in Jesus was sung by the older boys to show us their English proficiency.). There was lots of dancing, including at least one dance that mimicked the movements of a popular Indian music video. There were silent plays that depicted children living a life of despair in poverty, and then coming to Bethania to lead a life filled with hope. Perhaps most touching were the two boys who stood up and, with the help of an interpreter, told us their life stories. These were painful - filled with poverty, death of one or both parents, alcoholism, domestic abuse. One boy cried as he related his story. But both boys had found a place at Bethania, and now had hopes and dreams. One wanted to be a doctor to help people like his father to quit smoking. One wanted to be a police officer so that he could help his mother escape poverty. One other note: The school director and his wife had a daughter, perhaps 8 years old. What an interesting life she must lead! She is growing up with 28 brothers! And she clearly wasn’t intimidated by them.
After the program, we shared a meal with the staff, the Board, Kate Teece and her husband Scott, and Emily Henning. The boys bid us farewell as we left, standing by the road and waving.
Lora, this is fantastic, and and I learned several things I did not know about Dayavu Home!
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