are Indian kids the cutest kids ever?

maybe it's just because I have the pleasure of knowing the beautiful kids :-)

a few photos from India...

after a little photoshopping :-)

a few thoughts from India...

yep. I'm tired. I've always been someone who need a good deal of sleep. Go ahead. Ask my mom. As a kid, I didn't care if my friends were over, if I was sleepy, I would go to sleep. :-) Since I'm still adjusting here, I'm not writing a whole lot yet. Here some thoughts...

We have air conditioning where we are staying. It's nice. Cause it is hot outside. I've had worst but the AC is a hugh blessing :-)

Indian drivers are incredible. I don't know how anyone can drive so offensively and yet so defensively at the same time. It always makes me a little nervous but they actually really good drivers. It's just different.

My sinuses cleared up just in time for the lovely scents of Mumbai. I'm glad to be able to breath - mostly.

Tonight we're going to visit the orphanage that I worked with 4 years ago on my first trip to India. I'm looking forward to seeing the kids again. I'm not sure if any of them will remember me because they have lots of different teams that come through and work with them. But i remember them!

thank you, very much...

I've decided (and been encouraged by someone) to be very diligent in writing thank you notes to my friends who support me financially. Not just an email, but an actual card. Which, I really like the idea. I hope I'm successful :-) My favorite part is designing them...

India 2010!

Hello everyone! This may have been a long time coming but... I'm going to India again! I had the pleasure of going to INDIA for the first time with a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) team in January 2006. We stayed and worked with an orphanage in the city of Pune for a month. During that month, we helped get the kids ready for school, shared meals, helped with homework, taught Bible lessons, made crafts, played games, and sang songs. We did this at least 5 days a week. With that much time with the kids it was very hard to leave them. It was about a 4 hour drive from the orphanage to the airport and most of cried, at least, half way there. A few of the girls from the team were already trying to figure out when they could come back. I'd just say that if God wanted me to come back, I would.

Fast-forward 4 years later and I think GOD IS CALLING ME BACK. This past December, a friend of mine invited me to go with her team in January and, to my surprise, my heart was like "YES! I want to go!" Yes, I wanted to go but I was unable. About a week before that call, I had met with Patty Bauman (who works with YWAM and Streams of Mercy) to chat about what I was doing next. Since I didn't know what I was doing next, Patty shared, among many things, some of their thoughts and plans for India. She started me thinking so we met again, and again, and pretty soon, we were planning a trip to India.

This is kind of a SCOUTING TRIP to visit several different ministries in the Pune area. I've known, for a while,  that I want to use art and maybe work with kids and/or young people. There is a rescue and restore house for former prostitutes that we are looking to teach them how to make jewelry. I would love to use the knowledge that I have for creating jewelry to help get them started. We will also be doing an art project with a children's home for kids who have been taken in from the streets.

Patty with a group that we will work

Part of MY HEART for wanting to go is to bring art and creativity to children. On my first trip to India we were able to bring crafts for the children at the orphanage and the street kids. It was so wonderful seeing their faces light up with the simplest of crafts. I was very blessed to come from a creativity-encouraged home with the funds to provide the supplies. I want to bring this opportunity to the children of India.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: I need $2200 for airfare, boarding, and food. I am going with a small team and we will be there for about 9 days. I would also ask for prayer. I feel like this trip to going to help me determine my next step. I see that God is leading me to India and I want to know exactly what He had planned for me there and for this next season.

CONTACT: If you are interested in supporting me financially or have more questions on the trip, please leave a comment or email me: craftykellyjo@yahoo.com

Me and David on my first trip 4 years old

on my mind...

yep.