Our New Refuge Center!

Helloooooo Everyone! So I am sitting in one of the only coffee shops that has internet in Delhi! I am a bit wired on caffeine... perfect time to update my blog ;)

So there are about 5 months left until I come home in the first week of December. Now's the time to really focus on the projects I need to get done before then.

One of the major projects we have going on is building our new Restart Center. We are so excited as this is going to be built in a key area where many children are in need. The picture is of the land we purchased along with Jen (who I work with... she's so cute!) and the pastor and his wife who we partner with through our education programs and now the new restart center.

As I've explained before in my blog, the restart center is where we first take in abused and/or abandoned children. This is where they receive all the care they need before we place them into a loving family. A child would stay at this center a maximum of 6 months. The sooner we get them into a family environment the better!

We have given enough money to start the construction but we have a long way to go. If you would like more information about this project or any other questions about what I am helping with please email me! jmarabito@gmail.com

So just a random side note: I am at the Coffee Bean right now. For a minute it was as if I was in America. I laughed as I looked around at the countless women in their beautiful suits and saris and the men with their turbans. I am in India. I love it!

Oh, and in case you were wondering what I did on the 4th of July... I met some Americans who are working through the same org. They invited me over for a barbeque (they bought it at the airport in Turkey). It was very exciting. No beef, not allowed! (although I have a secret supplier... ha!). Ummm... yeah, a very fun day!

Ok, the caffein is flowing through my veins. I need to harvest this energy into other work I should get done!!

Thank you over and over for all your prayers and emails. Please feel free to email me ANY time. I love to hear all your stories :)

I love and miss you!

Peace, Janna

An Update... Finally!

So I have 2 months to catch up on! I've been so busy travelling these past couple of months...

In May I left for about 2 weeks to Northern India to visit one of our families. This family takes care of six girls who were rescued from being sold into prostitution. I had an a really good time getting to know these girls. I was told each of their stories, and was so amazed by how much their lives have been changed. They are each receiving a good education and are being taken care of by a loving mother. Most importantly they are being taught the love of Christ! The first picture is of all the girls.

While I was there, Tina (my new roommate from Nepal!) and I spent our days with a pastor and his wife while the girls were in school. We were able to travel (by foot...) all over the mountains visiting homes and doing prayer walks. I could add they were much more like "prayer hikes". One of the pictures is of the team we went out with. I enjoyed it so much and was so blessed by all the people I was able to meet. While hiking all over the place we made many connections where there are more children in need. I will expand on this much more in my next blog entry :)

At the end of May I travelled back up to Nepal to stay with Clark and Jennifer and their kids for one week. We sat together and brainstormed the rest of my time here in India. I love working with this couple and I believe so much in the things they are doing. After Nepal Jennifer came to stay with me in Delhi for a week. We are trying to get our new restart center built. We purchased land in one of the slums I am working in. So exciting!!

Tina came to live with me soon after. She has been such a blessing. She just graduated from the Bible College here in Delhi and will be working with me as part of her after school experience.

Finally, (summarizing all this is hard!) I spent a week of June in Turkey at Europe/Asia "conference". I realized I need to start being careful with my word choice on here :) "Workers" from all over Europe and Asia working through the same org as me gathered here. It was so encouraging to meet all these different people. We had meetings every day to discuss everything happening in our areas and what we want to see happen in the future. We also had a guest speaker in the evenings. I think it was a good time to step out of what I was doing in Delhi and, along with rest, receive a new perspective on God's will for my life. Plus it was pretty cool that I got to go to Turkey! I swam in the Mediterranean Sea!

Currently we are working hard to figure out ways to bring in more children and to start building our restart center. I am still visiting all of our children's homes and classes start up again this week since they've been on a holiday the past month.