By: Vicki Topolski

Today we were blessed to travel to The Parvarish Center to spend the day. In 2019, The Vineyard Church raised the money for this community center through an event called Art for the Heart of India. What an amazing and beautiful thing to see this project in real life! 

When we arrived at the center, we were greeted by Pastor Faniel who oversees the daily operations of the center. When we walked into the center, around 33 children and the sewing class gave us greeting of smiling faces and hellos. 

We were so fortunate to visit today because ten girls from the Tailoring (sewing) Certificate Program were graduating and going to be presented with their certificates. Because the center had to be closed during two years of COVID, this was the first graduating class since the center’s inception. Part of what the center offers is teaching girls to sew. When they graduate, they are able to find jobs to help support themselves and their families. 

After the ceremony for the girls, we spent some quality time with the children playing games. We had balloons flying in the air everywhere as the kids jumped and danced to gently hit a balloon to keep it in the air. Even the adult staff smiled as they reached out to tap the balloon if it came close.  We continued with a game of hot potato and the kids were smiling from ear to ear, anticipating who would be next holding the potato when the music stopped. Mike then led them in a game of Simon says before we ended our game time and were served lunch. 

During the time spent there, the kids had to patiently sit and listen as Pastor Faniel or others would speak. The kids would sit on the floor with their index finger up to their mouths which was an indication for them to be quiet. They were very well behaved whenever anyone was speaking. But kids sometimes have a hard time staying awake during talks and a couple of the “littles” just couldn’t make it through the whole talk without almost falling asleep.

To be able to see our contribution to Christ for India was just so uplifting. We often support organizations, but we are not able to really see the “works” in action. So, this day was such a blessing for us to be able to experience the “living” works of our Lord at the Parvarish Center. Also, it was amazing to pour out Jesus’ love to all the people expanding God’s Kingdom here in India.

The day ended with a delicious Indian meal at Pastor Abraham’s home. We started out with some hymns followed by prayer. We continued by taking turns reading a verse in the book of Jude until we read the whole chapter. We strongly felt the Holy Spirit present in the room as we prepared for our meal. The extended time in worship, prayer and bible reading really gave us a sense of how important it is to include thanks and praise to the Lord every day. We could feel the faith in that room tonight displayed by Pastor Abraham and his wife, Joyce. 

When we returned to the hotel, we met to debrief and talk about what tomorrow will look like. We prayed for a good night’s rest and thanked God for the experience he gave us today.

 

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