Our time in India is rapidly coming to a close and until today, I had not yet had an opportunity to visit the Widow's Village at Vayaloor that has had such an impact on me for the last three years.  As we discussed our schedule over lunch today, we realized that tonight was the last opportunity for us to go and see what, if any, progress has been made at Vayaloor in the past year.

There was a special program at school today so the lower grades were not present and the upper grades were dismissed at noon.  This allowed Susan an opportunity to meet with all the teachers as a whole group for a very meaningful time of sharing and spiritual renewal for all. I was able to participate in part of this time and was especially touched as the last teacher shared a devotion that 

Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the alien giving them food and clothing.

2012 marks my 4th summer to spend a month in India where I have had many significant and spiritually meaningful experiences with the students at Achiever Academy, the Vineyard Church in Chennai, the citizens of Mahabalipuram and with the extraordinary friends I have developed with members of the Acts of Mercy team in Chennai and Mahabalipuram. With all that and more to experience, still the most defining India moment for me was on a Tuesday evening during my first trip in 2009. Our group stood on the yet un-walled second floor of the Activity Center at the construction site of the Widows Rehabilitation Center at the village of Vayaloor. We looked out over the property and listened to John Christian, Director of Acts of Mercy, describe the plight of the widows of India. 

That evening I listened as John described an Indian society which believes that if a woman's husband dies the wife is responsible because of a curse she has brought upon her family, as well as herself. For this reason she is banished from the community.  John described that, when he was distributing food and water relief after the Tsunami of 2004,