Made it to Hong Kong

We made it to Hong Kong safe and sound. Was an adventure getting here. But we all made it and are waiting to board our last flight to LAX. See you soon. 

Last Day

We had a great last day at grace home. We spent the entire day there today teaching in the morning and playing for the rest of the afternoon. Grace home made dinner for us this evening and we had a send off program as well where we got to pray for each other. We made it back to the hotel for a very quick shower and now rushing off toothed airport. In was a very sad goodbye. But meaningful relationships were built, and most importantly, GOD was glorified. See you soon. 

February 19th

Today we woke up tired after a previously long day, but of course that did not stop us from powering through and yet again having a wonderful day. We drove to Grace Home (we are just about used to the "different" driving style here,) and had a full morning of teaching. We ate lunch cooked by some of the girls at Grace Home, and then prepared for our VBS. At our VBS we sung songs and preformed a Broadway bound version of the story of David and Goliath for the local children who lived in the town surrounding Grace Home and the neighboring slum areas. Next, we spent time playing with the children at Grace which consisted of bracelet making, volleyball and keep away (aka tackle Mario). After a full morning we headed over to Vikram's house for a very authentic and delicious meal! It didn't end at the meal, Vickram brought out the speakers, lights and DJ table for a full swing dance party. This was not your typical awkward middle school dance, let's just say Vikram knows how to throw a party. After a night to remember, we headed back to the Lemon Tree Hotel for our final slumber. Although our trip is coming to an end, we look forward to our last full day, and seeing what God has in store for us.

Faith

Taj Mahal- Wednesday

Today was another fun-filled day! Today we went to the Taj Mahal in Agra. We picked up the grace home girls in the morning and then drove 4 hours to get to the Taj. Walking out of the bus and into the entrance was crazy. Camels decorated with colorful ropes and bells pulled carts to and from the entrance. When we finally got through security, we were amazed by the sheer beauty of the tomb. The Taj Mahal is smaller than we expected it to be, but just as amazing. We were given little booties to put on our shoes (very stylish of course) and made sure to take plenty of photos! Inside the 

Taj, it was a lot colder, and very cramped with people swarming to see the tomb. When we walked back outside, we were met with tons of people rushing to try and take pictures of us, which was a very strange experience. Leaving the Taj Mahal, we stopped at the market where the grace home girls helped us barter for little trinkets and bracelets. Everyone was pretty sleepy on the ride back until a spontaneous dance party broke out (featuring songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody), then we finally returned to the infamous Lemon Tree Hotel. After a dinner at the bazaar, we're all tired but ready for another day of teaching. 

Katia

Teaching part 2

Today, after another morning breakfast at the hotel, we set out towards Grace Home for another day of teaching. Traffic was slightly denser today then it was yesterday but it still only took half an hour to get to the orphanage. Once we arrived, we prepped and resumed teaching. With a day's experience under our belts teaching went much smoother than yesterday. Four hours and five classes later, we ate lunch and played with the kids more. The courtyard was filled with multiple groups playing volleyball, soccer and keep away. Sounds of music, dancing and singing echoed from the different classrooms along the side. Too soon we were out of time and had to leave the kids for the day. All piling into the cars, we went to a big tourist destination, a Hindu temple called Akshardam for a tour. Upon entering, we were told that, before we started our tour, we were supposed to sit through an animatronic presentation on the spiritual history of India--we slid out of an emergency exit shortly after it had started to head to the "boat ride."  This was another strange ride through an Indian version of history where things like democracy, the theory of gravity, pi, and atomic configuration all originated in India. After this boat ride (which was just like "It's a Small World" at Disneyland) we exited and got our first close look at the main temple itself. This amazing building was covered in hundreds of ornate carvings of everything from elephants to crocodiles. After a final walk around the outside of the temple, we left the grounds and piled back into our cars for the trip back tot the hotel for dinner, devotions and some much needed rest.

Steven

First day teaching

Today was our first day teaching and being at Grace Home. As we drove through the crazy streets and small back roads of the town our whole team was filled with a nervous excitement, but the second we pulled up and all the little kids came running up to us it made all of our worries go away. After we got settled and had a group prayer with Pastor John, we headed to our first class! I was personally kinda terrified but once I got going and the kids started smiling and laughing every worry I had seemed to disappear and it all became somewhat natural. After teaching we played with the kids for a couple hours consisting of board games, dancing, volleyball (Lily and Faith were champions) and giving the little babies our cameras to play with. We soon said goodbye and went to the hotel to rest before we went to dinner. We drove about an hour and a half away to this mall where Pastor John and the grace home employees surprised us with a welcoming party/ Mantha's birthday party filled with dancing, food and musical chairs (which Faith DOMINATED). It is amazing to see how God can work in so many places at one time and be just as gracious and loving to each of his children. Although we are tired, we are powering through with the strength that God has been giving us.

Molly

Day 3

This morning after breakfast we went to Grace Home to start our week of teaching. When we got there we greeted by many many kids, excited to see us. We divided into our groups and taught three different grade levels. It was really cool to be able to spend time with the kids in the classroom environment. After school we spent about three hours just playing with the kids. We had a big volleyball game and a dance party. For dinner Pastor John and his staff surprised us at a nice restraunt and each of us were greeted with flowers. We had dinner , dance shows, and musical chairs ( Faith won)! We celebrated a birthday and enjoyed getting to know the staff! Can't wait for the rest of the week! 

Reiley

Day 2 - Casey

Today we went to church with the Grace home community and led the church in worship and some of the team shared their testimonies. The grace home girls performed some dances they learned. They are so good!!! After church we went to the girls home to have lunch and spend time with them. We had an intense dance party in the house for hours and played lots of games. Once you get those kids dancing, they WILL NOT let you stop. :) We all went to the park together after and played even more games! I made the mistake of showing them the new slo-mo effect on the iPhone videos, so the kids took jumping videos continuously for a long time! Within the park there was a beautiful museum/monument called the Dalit, which was in honor of the people who dedicated their lives to serving the outcasts in India. We had the opportunity to walk through it with some of the girls. It was really beautiful inside. The girls are so friendly and loving! They are so fun to hang out with and we are all having the best time!

Day 1

We landed in India around 2 in the morning, then met our new friend Pastor John who took us back to our hotel. We all went to bed around 5. We got to sleep for about 3 hours then woke up and had a nice breakfast at our hotel. After breakfast, we got in our vans and drove to the market. The one major difference about India so far is definitely the driving. They drive on the opposite side of the road, with no lanes and you can't count 3 seconds between each honk. We exchanged our money and then went into the market and bought tons of really cool things. Most of us discovered our new talent of bargaining. After that, we drove about an hour to meet some of the kids we will be with this week. We went to the girls home and were instantly greeted by little smiling faces. The girls sang us a welcoming song and we danced and just hung out with them. They gave all of us little roses for Valentine's Day. After that we went to a very good dinner at an Indian restaurant and tried very different tasting foods.  But we all enjoyed the experience and the time with our awesome team. We were all so exhausted and most of us fell asleep on the long car ride home. I am so thankful for this group of people and can't wait to see what God has in store for this week! 

-Lily Morgans 

On the ground in India

Safe and sound in India. We had a great first day getting acquainted to the country and used to a lot of new things. With the short amount sleep we got last night, the team is really tired today. To be expected. We spent the day doing a little shopping and stopping one of Grace Homes buildings to see where the girls of Grace Home live and meet some of the people associated with the orphanage and school. We finished up the day with a Valentine's Day dinner at a great Indian restaurant. On the way home from dinner, most of the team fell asleep. Evidence of a good day and tired bodies. Good night sleep tonight. 

Touch Down in Hong Kong

We made it through our first flight. Long 16 hours on a plane. Team is hanging out in Hong Kong getting ready for our second flight. A little tired, a little sore, but really excited. 

Ready to go

The team is all at the airport in Los Angeles and waiting to get on the plane. We have a long day of travel ahead of us, but excited to get there. 

INDIA Here we come

Santa Fe Christian will be headed to INDIA next week. Team of students and teachers will leave on Wednesday night and spend the day flying to New Delhi. The team will work in partnership with Grace Home, where our students will teach classes and work on English Language acquisition and communication. The team has been preparing for several months, and really excited to see what GOD has in store for us and Grace Home.