Category: Newsletters

Late last night some more of our team walked out of the terminal in Bombay. It’s great to see them and we have a busy day planned for today. Check back tomorrow for an update on our visit to the childrens’ home today. We’re taking the kids shopping for shoes!!

We had quite an unexpected surprise yesterday. We met a young lady who grew up in one of the childrens’ homes Streams of Mercy supports in Pune. I knew this lovely girl when she was a young teen, and was amazed to run into her unexpectedly. She is now 21 years old and attending an early childhood education program at

We walked in the lobby to meet our dear friend who runs the AIDS orphanage here in Pune. Her face was grim & she looked as if she was about to cry. Fighting back tears she said one of the children in her home passed away today. This is the terrible heartbreaking tragedy of working with children who are HIV+.

What an amazing first day! Today we went to a transition shelter for kids living on the streets of Pune. This house is a “first step” towards getting them off the street and into a permanent childrens’ home. The staff give them a structured environment, show them what it means to live in a family, and prepare them to start

Our bags are packed & we’re heading to Mumbai today! Can’t wait to see the kids again, and see the progress since our trip in October. Come with us to India by following the blog. You won’t want to miss this trip…. Patty for the Streams of Mercy staff

Saturday we loaded up in the bus and headed back to the R&R; house where we painted several rooms with a paint “wash”. The staff at the home do this wash several times a year, so it was a great way to lend a hand. The best part of the day was that the kids were home from school, so

Today we made our way to a slum area, which is home to an estimated 6000 people. It is an extremely poor area, and our friends from R&R; have been working in this slum for many years. Sickness, rape, abuse are common in the slum, and the most heartbreaking stories are those of children who are being abused. The R&R;

After packaging the rice the team headed to the Rescue & Restore house, home to over 30 kids who have been rescued from life on the streets. It was heartbreaking to hear the stories of abuse the kids received while living on the streets. Many have been sexually abused, but they are grateful for the hope they now have since

Thursday we loaded in the bus to go to a home where nearly a ton of rice was waiting for us to pack in individual bags for Friday’s rice distribution into the hut slum of Chennai where 6000 people live in utter poverty. The team tackled the massive 75 kilo (165 lb.) bags of rice and separated them into 250