Dance Party at Mother Teresa's!!

I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but since I've arrived in Jaipur, I've continued working at a Mother Teresa house while here. This one is a home for both men and women. Housing sick, injured and mentally unstable people.

This morning a group of students from a local school came in to sing for the residents. After the guys left the girls sections, the girls of the group put on some Indian music and a dance party ensued. It was quite fun to watch the older ladies bust a move and I could only imagine how they must have been when they were younger.

The work here is different from what I did at the home in Calcutta. Here it's spending some time with the women when I first arrive, which is more than likely followed by doing laundry and occasionally I'm lucky enough to work in the kitchen.

The first day, they gave me a bowl of garlic and told me to peel and chop garlic. I remember thinking, that's it. I've been reduced to peeling and chopping garlic. My attitude quickly changed as some thoughts crossed my mind. The laundry is a very physically involved task, it's not a matter of throwing everything into a washing machine. All their laundry is washed by hand. I'm gonna have some major biceps by the time I leave Jaipur. And the laundry isn't pleasant. Typically the aroma of urine is in the air as we're washing sheets and today another pleasant toilet smell filled my nose while I was doing the laundry. This morning I also had the privilege of cutting the women's finger and toe nails. As I was armed with the clippers and looking at thick, dirty nails that didn't belong to me or a loved one of mine the feeling of disgust and superiority flashed thru my mind. When quickly, the same thoughts as when I was peeling and chopping garlic came into mind again. Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me (Matt 25:40) that might be slightly paraphrased. It's puts the less than glamorous work into a whole new perspective!!

If nothing else, working at the Mother Teresa houses proves to be a constant lesson in humility, humbleness and servanthood. Lessons I don't regret learning, even if they aren't pleasant all the time. Lessons that I'm sure will serve me well throughout my lifetime. Lessons that I will be eternally grateful for. And when it comes down to it, lessons that I enjoy learning. Seeing the look of gratitude on the faces of the women while cutting their nails.... the intimacy of that act, the realization that they might be all alone in this world and I can show them love and kindness, that I have a real, unmistakable, irreplaceable opportunity to be Jesus with skin on.... that is the best part of these lessons learned at Mother Teresa's house.