7 people from the UK went to Chennai and spent time with our friends in the slum. Kevin & Deborah and the church are wonderful and we all got stuck in.
Sharon helped prepare biryani for the 330 Grassroots sponsored children in Chennai. The team making the food are mainly mothers and grandmothers of children on the scheme. Love a community pulling together to make a difference!
She went on to say, “It is an honour to be able to visit families in the slums in Chennai. The smiling faces and beautifully dressed people hide the real hardship of life here. The homes are small many one room only. The house in the picture is home to 4. It’s width is only a little wider then my out stretched arms. The length possibly 2.5 times my height. The floor is hard broken concrete. The roof is made of reeds from the riverside and plastic sheeting. The many holes let the light along with the rain in. It is stuffy and bare with a few family photos on the walls. The family cannot afford a bed and sleep on broken mats on the floor. No running water and toilets are shared by over 400 people located down the street. 6 ladies toilets and 4 men’s. The homes are shared with rodents and snakes! But the warmth in the welcome is real and people are happy to share their little. Income is small and irregular. Living hand to mouth. Recently the homes were once again flooded. Water raising to above the knees. The need is so great the poverty unacceptably high the dignity in such conditions I find inspiring and humbling.”
Each sponsored child and their family had a short interview and then they were prayed with. After that the children sat down to write a letter or draw a picture for their sponsor.
The last day the team went to church and Sharon shared from Scripture.
If you would like to join the group going to visit the sponsored children in Chennai in January 2025, please get in touch.