The Alabaster Project

Last week we began working with 5 girls from one of the orphanages we work with here in Chennai.
We taught them how to make their first jewelry design. Early Monday morning we brought in all the hooks, beads, stones, pliers, cutters and other jewelry making tools to five eager girls. One girl has 2 children, a 3 year old and a 9 month old, both her and her husband grew up in this particular orphanage. Khrata's husband Babu lived on the streets near the train station in Chennai and got involved in gangs before Freddy and Daisy rescued him off the streets. Khrata has a much different story you see the main religion here in Chennai is Hindu they have 300 million gods one of which is a snake. Khrata was born with a birthmark on her leg that looked like a snake and when she was just a few years old people would come and worship her because of this "sign" on her leg. She would sit up and slither like a snake as people came and bowed down to her. She got involved in drugs and soon after Freddy and Daisy rescued her off the streets as well. Freddy and Daisy spent many nights and days praying over her, she would wake up in the middle of the night and slither on the ground and they would pray for her deliverance. After several months she stopped doing this and the birthmark miraculously disappeared. Know Babu and Khrata love the Lord. They and their 2 children live in one room home, one room here in India means one room for the kitchen, living room and bedrooms. Babu works as a chef in a local restaurant. With The Alabaster Project Khrata will be able to contribute to their income.

As I sat with Khrata on the floor of the office teaching her to make the earrings she sat with her legs crossed and her baby boy in her lap and her face lit up as she finally after sometime got making the loops for the earrings. We have put so much effort toward making this jewelry project work and to finally be with these ladies and hear the giggles of excitement as they learned that day, I have been reminded of the very purpose of this project and how it could potentially effect thousands of ladies lives all over the world. Girls who would otherwise be begging on the streets or involved in prostitution will now have a trade and bring in a decent income to provide for themselves to be independent. 

Here are some of he pictures of the girls. Khrata is in the blue and yellow.

 Please keep this project in your prayers. We have made huge strides forward and have a lot to accomplish before our time in India is up. We had a huge triumph with teaching he ladies a jewelry design but was hoping to have several more earring designs ready for them. Pray for all the supplies to come into make these earrings.

Can you also agree with us in prayer for all the finances for the rest of our time here. We are needing to go on a business trip up to northern India to work with one of our orphanages there and our flights for our visa renewal. If you would like to contribute to our work here in India please visit    http://businessfororphans.com/www.businessfororphans.com/Tolivers.html

Ryan, Britt and Micah

What I'm Learning

I can't believe we have been in India for 3 months now. It has gone by so quickly! Well, I can finally say I am fully enjoying being here and my heart is completely here. A month ago I would not have been able to say that. The month of December was a rough month for me. I was desperatley missing family, friends and familiarity. So I spent lots of time praying and God's avenues in which he spoke to me were not in ways I was expecting. I knew God called us here but I hadn't quite seen our full purpose for being here and I am the type of person if I don't know my purpose I feel lost.
 Everyday we use rickshaw drivers as our means of transportation here in India and one day Micah was not enjoying the fact that we were in a rickshaw and he had to be in my arms. After several minutes of scream crying I spoke to him saying "Micah you have to trust me, the best place for you to be is right here in my arms and if I were to let you go you would be seriously hurt". After saying that I felt the Lord speak to my heart, that in His will is the best place for me to be and I know you don't understand why you are here but I have  a purpose in all of this and to just trust me.
Then, a few days later Micah and I were home alone and I needed to take a shower because we had to be some where. So, I stuck him in the pack and play and pulled it by the bathroom so he could see me and could play safely. Well, he was not happy about it. By the time he was enjoying playing in there I got out and was getting dressed and he started crying again. So, I spoke calmly to him that I was not going to pick him up when he was wining and throwing a fit. I told him when he got a happy heart I would pick him up. At that moment I felt the Lord ask me "Do you have a happy heart"? At that moment of being here in India NO I did not. I felt like I was the complaining Isrealites saying "Why did you bring us here, I hate it"!!!!
I am so glad to say that I am in the middle of His will and truly loving it. I know that we are making a lasting difference in the orphanages we work with and that the jewelry project we are working on will change the direction of many womens lives. I am so grateful for God's patience with me. Another scripture that Lord showed me was the story of the Father who spoke to one son and asked him to do somehitng and he said he say yes father I will do that and he never did. And he went to his other son and asked him to go out and do the same thing and the son said no but then went and did it. I don't want to be the son that does not follow through on their word. I wanted to share this with you all to reasure you that if you are feeling the same way I was that God's will is always the best! I am seriously blown away with how God is using us here and after I got over myself and my selfish wants I finally have the place in my heart to love on the people God called us to minister to. I know God used me the first 2 months we were here, but I feel like I am finally the vessel he can mold and shape and my heart is truly trusting Him.
I want to say a special Thank You to all of you who have been following us. Thank You for supporting us financially and through prayer. Ryan and I's lives are being changed and we will never be the same. Thank You for believing in us!!!

India Christmas

Happy New Year to everyone!! we enjoyed a wonderful Holiday season here in India. Not going to lie some days were very hard missing our normal holiday traditions and family, but we decided God called us here and we are going to enjoy it. We had the oppurtunity to see some of the sights of India and I wanted to share some of them with you.

                                            Here is a camel in Jaipur, India.

A snake charmer on the side of the road. The snakes name was Carlos, hahaha.

Our family in front of the Amber Fort. It was such a wonderful time with family to enjoy the sights of India.

We spent Christmas Eve with one of our orphanages.

 Ryan handing out gifts to the kids and the children excited to rip open their gifts.

A couple of the kids came up to us after opening their gifts and told us they had been praying for the specific gifts they got. One little boy got a remote control car and a little girl said she has been praying for a little barbie for 2 years and God gave her a big barbie with 2 outfits. I think this was one of the best Christmas's of theses children's lives. What an honor to be apart of it!!!

Freddy and Daisy

Ryan and I were talking yesterday about how every year keeps getting better and better and how we would have never thought we would be in India a year ago. I asked Ryan if her really thought this year was better than the last...because it has been hard to be away from family and all the things we are familiar with. He said yes, we are closer to God and what can be better than that.

Thank you for all your prayers!!! We love you guys.

HOPE...

Yesterday I was standing in a hallway at church with Micah. With the weather being so hot, I noticed a window open and a breeze coming in. I had to take Micah over to see if  the weather had finally cooled off. The building I was in overlooked a slum village. Thousands of families live in these little houses with dirt floors and thatched roofs. As I looked down I saw a little boy running out of his house in only a t-shirt . I thanked God in my heart for allowing me to be born in America, as I have done so many times since being here in India. I knew I am lucky to be born in America, but until now never realized just how blessed we truly are. In America the sky truly is the limit. It doesn't matter where you come from or where you have been, if you have a dream inside your heart and the drive to fulfill that dream you can be someone. That is not the case here in India. If you are born into poverty the reality is you will NEVER get out. Imagine living your life feeling like the only thing you can ever be is a maid or a rickshaw driver. We are brought up in America to believe that you can be and do anything you put your mind to.
              BUT, God is doing something...something BIG...He is changing India and He sent US. US who come from a very blessed country only because our fore fathers established our country on God. Many people asked us why we would go to another country and help them...our only answer was we knew God called us here. And now I know and fully understand why God called us here. We have all the resources in the world where we come from and we believe God is Big and doing amazing things here in India. Only God can change a country that is rooted in unbelief and an awful cast system. And he asked us to give up our comfortable homes, our car and not see the ones we love the most for a period of time. So that we can see the people of India through His loving eyes. To bring them hope that they can become anything they want.  Here is a video of a little girl who now has HOPE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE5b9QdF8ec

Maha is the little girl in this video. Ryan and I met her the day after her and her 2 brothers were rescued off the streets. Maha's parents are drug addicts living on the streets. Freddy and Daisy found them and after a month of watching them from afar, giving them food and getting all the proper paperwork together they brought them into their orphanage. God created this precious girl for a purpose and she is now being loved on and taught about Jesus Christ. What a beautiful story of God's redemption. If it had not been for His love for us we would be lost ourselves.
If you are interested in being a part of what we are doing her in India please let us know! We are currently working on a jewelry project that is not only benefiting orphanages, but women rescued from human trafficking as well. We cannot do this without our wonderful support team!

Love the Toliver's

Life in India

Several of you have asked what it is like living in India so I thought I would share a few pictures with you to show where we live and so on...

Here is the front of our house. We live here with The Doherty's

 We wave these down everyday to get around town. They call them auto's or rickshaws. There is a law that the drivers are to use meters to determine how much they get paid. We have yet to have a driver use one, they always say they are broken, so we have to barter with them on a good price before we get in. This can be difficult because we have been here for a month now and know what decent rates are and they like to make it a lot more expensive.

This is the house across the street from ours. Just this morning I looked out of our window to see women carrying bricks on there head. On the bottom right corner of the picture is the stack of bricks and the women carry them to the roof on the 3rd floor.

I asked someone how much they get paid. They said "Oh, they get paid well, 300-400rs a day". That is equivilant to $6-$8 a day. The cost of living here is not cheap either. Makes you grateful for your job and living in America, huh?

 On Sunday we went for a walk from our church to the mall to buy some milk. We saw a family of goats on our way. This is in  the middle of the city, there is a main highway about 100 yards away.

During the same walk we also passed by a water buffalo...Sorry I could get a better picture. I was not about to trudge throw the smelly trash heap to to get to him. :). The interesting part is that just to the right of the buffalo was someones clothesline. Wouldn't want to find him in my backyard!!!

To give you an idea of how big the autos are... this was an abandoned auto on the side of the road. A street dog was taking a snooze on the seat where the driver normally sits.

This is me posing in my rain gear. I am so grateful the monsoon season was mild this year. They say there are times during monsoon season where it rains for 10 days in a row. They don't have good drainage systems here and 2 years ago the water rose to peoples chests when outside.

Hope these give you some mental images of what life might be like in India. We are settled in and working on projects for potential future BFO business's along with visiting orphanages and getting to know the children.

The Toliver's

My Heart is Overflowing!

       My mind is reeling after a wonderful and informative meeting with Dr. Lolita Edwards. Dr. Edwards has 3 different ministries within the red light district here in Pune India. The first one that sticks deep in my heart is called The Cresh. This is for the children growing up in the red light district. The men start arriving around 4pm, this is when they (The Cresh) get the children and take them into the children's home and feed them a good meal. They are only able to keep them until 9pm and have to return them to brothals to witness all the aweful things happening. They are often drugged to either have them fall asleep so they are quiet and are raped. The Cresh is a safe haven for them, but for only 5 hours. They are trying to get the hours extended so that they are able to keep the children the entire night. Please pray that happens quickly.

         Dr. Edwards also runs an AID's orphanage which is currently housing 39 children. All of them have been rescued out of  brothals. Their ages range from 4yrs old to 21. 

        The third ministry Dr Edwards runs is with helping the Eunichs. These are men who have either willing or unwilling through being drugged have had all their male parts removed leaving only an area for them to pee. Then they are given female hormones. Dr Edwards explained to us that their are 3 casts within the Eunichs and that it is much like the mafia. The top cast is very wealthy and saught after, they are in Bollywood films and things of that nature. The second being those that work in weathly families homes as cooks. They are paid very well for this. The lowest cast are those that work in the sex trade. From what I understand those that are willing subjects are lewerd in with aspirations to reach the top cast. These men are often paid 100 rupees per encounter and must give 50 rupees to the brothal owner and 20 of that goes to the cops to pay them off, because prostitution is illegal here. This is the group of men that Dr Edwards reachs out to and many have converted their lives to Jesus. She said that she is so thankful God uses her to help as a doctor for their health along with the mental and physical things that these men have to overcome. 

Dr. Edwards reminds me of what I think Mother Theresa might have been like. She has such a genuine heart toward God and a love for people. I can't wait to work more with her ministries.

And here is a picture of our Cookie Monster. I was on the computer and Micah got quiet. So I peeked around the desk to find him with 2 cookies in each hand. This was at 8am this morning. Haha, he sure knows what he wants and he is determined to get it. I know God is going to use Micah's determination and Focus for something awesome!

3 MORE DAYS!

      As we get ready to leave Illinois and head back to Houston for a 34 hour layover the reality of us leaving is setting in. So much time and prayer has gone into this outreach and even though we have not hit 100% funding we are believing God for the remainder of our support. Everything on this Earth belongs to Him and His glory! These last few days in Illinois have been filled with meeting old friends and enjoying family. Please join us in praying about this transition in moving overseas, for rest and peace over Micah and us as parents. We are so blessed by everyones prayers and support up to now and pray that God blesses you in return. We love you all and will post again soon!

In God's Will,

Ryan, Britt, and Micah