Speechless. In this moment, I am speechless.
I've begun this post a dozen different ways and none of them is "good enough", none of them is "right".
Frustrating is that moment when you have so much to say yet words fall ridiculously short of the emotion that is trickling out of the corners of your eyes or vanish all together.
On April 26th I will join a team of bloggers traveling with Compassion International to Calcutta, India, "to witness firsthand the poverty and hope of children living in East India."
To witness firsthand the poverty…the hope…of children.
Poverty and hope.
Hope.
When I read the words in an email from team leader Shaun Groves "…I'd like you to join us…", tears filled my eyes. It was only then I realized the extent to which I wanted to go.
What a privilege and responsibility to join this group! We get to be a voice for those who have none.
To varying degree, words are our currency. We spend them often, sometimes wisely, sometimes not, but for one week this Spring, we'll have the honor of generously spending them on behalf of others. I can think of no greater use of my words than to give voice to children who live in the world's poorest conditions.
To share the hope of Christ that fills their spiritual poverty.
To observe the work of Compassion International that ministers to their physical poverty.
It will be life changing and I'm both thrilled and terrified. There is simply no way to anticipate all we'll see, not just with our eyes but with our hearts.
And if you ever wondered if God is real? I promise you He is, and He's got a wicked sense of humor–a 30-hour plane ride? For a girl who's scared to fly? He's like, "Fine…you wanna be a Compassion Blogger? Shazaam, Shaun Groves!–let's pick the farthest spot from the Tennessee Valley we can find, then ask Robin to go, 'cause you KNOW she's gonna have a come-to-Jesus meeting for the plane ride over."
By the time I land in India, I'll be the most spiritual person you'll ever meet. Or the most nauseous. Or the most "prayed up".
If you've ever thought about sponsoring a Compassion child, why not meet these precious ones from India (oops, you have to search India yourself, the link doesn't capture my search)? I'm sure there'll be a trip widget up and running when team details are complete, but for now, I linked to the website itself. If you choose to sponsor, let me know–maybe, just maybe, I could meet your baby and give them a hug on your behalf!
I can't wait to share this experience with you! And if you're inclined, would you pray for me, my family, the team and the projects and children we'll visit? @sugarjones, now THAT would bless my heart!!!
More soon…
xo
Yay, Robin!! I’m so glad you’re going!! I can’t wait to read all about your experiences. And believe me, you will be covered with prayer!
YAY!!!! It happened!
So happy for you, so proud of you– can’t wait to hear all about it.
It WILL be life-changing, in all of the best ways possible.
Yay! They chose you! Yay!
So happy for you. I knew you wanted to go and were hopeful. Then prayerful. And now joyful!!!
We will be praying!
How awesome.
I’m positively thrilled for you. I remember talking about the opportunity to go on a Compassion blogging trip when we met for coffee.
I know you’ll do great being a voice for them and I can not wait to read your live blog of the experience. =)
That is so exciting!! I’m sure that God has some amazing things in store for you; work that He’ll use you for, as well as that which He will do in you. It’s a thrill to see His hand in our lives.
I’ll be praying for all of this. 😀
I’m positively thrilled for you. I remember talking about the opportunity to go on a Compassion blogging trip when we met for coffee.
I know you’ll do great being a voice for them and I can not wait to read your live blog of the experience. =)
Fantastic! Your life will be changed forever! What a privilege.
Just awesome! Can’t wait to hear about it! What an awesome opportunity!
What amazing news! Rob and I have spent time in Calcutta, and I have to say it is the saddest place I have ever been in all my life. There are little glimmers of hope here and there as God’s kingdom shines through His people. How fortunate you are that YOU get to be one of those people.
Would it weird you out to know that our youngest daughter was conceived in Calcutta? shh…don’t tell anyone. :O)
WOW! I can’t wait to read what you share.
James was able to sponsor a child in Uganda through a gift of a friend. It’s been a wonderful experience for us!
Yay Robin! You’ll do fine! I’ll pray for you!
Wow! That is fantastic news, Robin. You will do a wonderful job, I know. The experience will change you forever.
Thirty hour flight? Oh that God of ours… He is a funny one!
What an amazing opportunity. How tremendous an experience you will have. But more than that, the blessings that will be flowing from you and your team to those sweet babies… and then back into your own hearts and lives. Hope in the Lord is the richest treasure I’ll ever need.
Thanks for thinking of me. I think of our last conversation often. So glad God thought it important enough to allow our eventual meeting. ((HUGS))
Bless Your Heart… 😉
No wonder you were rendered speechless! I will certainly be praying for you and everyone you encounter during your journey.
I am over the moon thrilled for you! You are amazing and I know you will do fantastic things with this opportunity – so you can continue to touch the lives of others, as you’ve touched mine!
Truly so proud of you.
I am so excited for you!!
Steph
aggggggghhhhhh!! THANK Y’ALL! I can’t respond individually right now, but your quick and oh-so-kind thoughts are the first of many blessings related to this trip. Really…truly…I’m touched by every one!
xo
What a wonderful opportunity, Robin. The folks on Compassion’s blogging team are to be commended for selecting you to join them. I can think of no blogger better suited to participate in such a life-changing experience. I look forward along with the rest of your loyal readers to joining you in Calcutta as you capture with rare eloquence and heart-felt passion something that is so difficult to fathom, it renders most of us speechless.
You will bring hope by your very presence there, and that hope will be multiplied in practical, measurable ways thanks to your presence right here, on Pensieve.
I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU AND FOR THOSE CHILDREN!
Ok, so I was so totally jealous of you getting to go to SXSW, but honestly I’m so not jealous about this! You are the perfect blogger to go!! Your writing is beautiful and I know that you will bring a wonderful voice to the kids over there. You KNOW I will be praying for you the whole time you are there and back! YAY! YAY! YAY! {Think riding in the van and squealing with you.}
Robin, that’s fantastic! I know you are gonna be blessed beyond measure. I’ve thought about applying for it. Was having lunch yesterday with Boomama & we talked about her trip. Wonderful experience for sure!
That’s wonderful. You’re sure to change lives, just as yours will be changed!
That’s wonderful. You’re sure to change lives, just as yours will be changed!
Buckle up for the ride of your life, sister, in the best way possible. You will shine. No, scratch that…HE will shine, and you will be His fingers, telling the story with your words.
God does have a great sense of humor, dragging us WAY outside of our comfort zones! But in that place is where He can really shine and we can truly say it is God working, not us. He will use this trip in a BIG way, both for you and every life you will touch.
I’ll be praying for you!
Wow, what an opportunity! We support a girl through a different organization, and it is a blessing.
You are going to be blessed by doing this trip, and I can’t wait to hear what God has done when you get back!
Guys…please don’t pinch me…I don’t wanna wake up :). Thank you ALL for taking time to share in this excitement, this opportunity. To be the “fingers of God” as Shannon described? Oh…my…again, I can’t help but say what a privilege. Oh, how I want to do well!
Your words are such encouragement; to share this with such wonderful community? Icing on the cake, friends. Buttercream, my favorite.
Is it weird to tell y’all I’m lovin’ you big time? Cause I am. And I’m blessed. And humbled. And smiling.
Thank you.
Yay! You got it! You are the perfect choice for a Compassion trip. I’m very happy for you and I know you’ll be great at this.
How amazing! I traveled through India about ten years ago. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. I’m so happy for you!
I knew you were going to get selected. How could they not pick you. I know God is doing something huge in your life and my prayer is that you stay grounded in Him. Just don’t come back home and tell us all you are packing up and moving to the jungle or something 😉
Wow! What an amazing opportunity! I will most definitely pray, and I can’t wait to hear about the trip!
OH that’s fabulous…It was obviously something wonderful based on your tweets and wow, is it ever!! Looking forward to your posts from the trip. :)) I love reading the Compassion bloggers!
So proud of you. What a blessed experience! Many, many prayers.
Wow, what an experience that will be. What good you will be able to do. Wow.
You will have an amazing time and come back changed. I went on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic last year and got to meet the little girl I sponsor through Mission of Mercy. It was a lot of hard work, we saw a lot of poverty, but we were blessed by the amazing people we met.
I look forward to reading about your experience.
oh, yeah. And that 30 hour flight? We’re doing that in June, with OUR 3 KIDS! So when you are by your self with no one hanging on you or needing to go potty, or wipe their you know what for the hundredth time in a teeny-tiny airplane bathroom…think of me in June and PRAY FOR MY SANITY. 🙂
What a great opportunity! I’ll be praying and reading!
Awesome! Do you by chance read this blog or know Angie? http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-loved-jesus-in-night.html
She’s going to Calcutta as well and she is also scared to death of flying!! (She’s got an amazing story and an amazing blog. I just found it recently and spent many hours reading from the beginning.)
Anyway, I just had to pass along the link to her post – perhaps you’re going on the same trip?
Oh Robin, I’m so thrilled for you. I know God will give you the words to share their poverty and their hope. (and the strength to get through the airplane ride.)
YAY!! Congratulations, Robin!! God is going to do HUGE work through you, girl! I would love to go with Compassion because they are such an amazing group of people. I’ll be praying you up 🙂
That is HUGE. How awesome. How totally awesome. I am sooo happy for you.
so excited to get to take this journey vicariously with you!
Robin ~ I am so, so excited for you. Your life will forever change. You will bless them greatly. And they will bless you more.
I never doubted for a moment that you would be asked to go! And I’m so very pleased for you that this opportunity has been presented to you. Our God is an awesome God!
“Oh…my…again, I can’t help but say what a privilege. Oh, how I want to do well!”
Forget doing well. You are going to be magic. You are one of the most compassionate, real people I “know,” and I’m so excited for you. Yay!
ROBIN!!!!
I am so thrilled for them and you. I know how much this means to you.
How incredible for you! And how wonderful for those who will get to experience you, your faith, your humor, and your beautiful outlook on life! You and the others will be in my prayers!
How wonderful. Wow—I’m not sure what to say either. We have been praying about sponsoring a child from Compassion…I will let you know if we have a child from India.
I can’t stop praying about it. Me thinks we’re going to watch you transform before our very eyes, and that within itself is an honor and a blessing – even to watch Him work in you and much more, in the lives of the voiceless.
Good on YOU! I’ll “pray you up” as well since I think you are the perfect fit for this adventure! God bless you (and I know He will).
Congrats! I’m excited you were picked–and I know Compassion and those of us reading your blog will benefit.
I pray God uses you to encourage the believers you encounter in India, shine his glory to the unbelievers, and challenge those of us in the States.
oh Robin – I am thrilled for you. I know you mentioned it at Blissdom and were waiting. Those children will be blessed, but your life will be impacted forever. WOW!
I am so excited for you.
I can’t wait to see where the Robin lights.
Holy cow! I loved listening to you talk about this trip the first night I met you. I listened with my ears pinned back. I would never consider such a trip. No reasons why except for being away from my own family. And, even if it were a trip that my entire family could take, I just have never thought about it the way you do. What you said that got my attention was “what better than to be a voice for these kids who have no voice”
I heard you say that in my mind over and over all weekend. Every time I saw you really, I could hear you professing your desire to be a voice for those precious children.
I know we didn’t get to talk much after that but I blog alot about education. However, I’ve always concentrated on educating the youth in the U.S.. When I saw this post and I recalled our conversation, I realized that yes, our children in the US need advocates to help them further their learning…but these children you are talking about….they need someone to stand up for them and say, “Hey I need __________”
Out of all the people I met I can’t think of anyone with more passion for this type of assignment. You are going to love it. I just heard Whoopi Goldberg (who is terrified of flying) say that she made one of her business partners play Uno with her for 8 straight hours one time.
So, there’s a thought, audio books on the mp3 player, on the computer, movies on the computer and yea, a card game to break up the time.
Good luck and you are going to be great !!!!
Congrats Robin! That’s great to be given such an opportunity!
You and the children will be in our prayers!
Angie
@pricousins
I’ve been wondering where you would go. You seemed a shoe-in for this. I am absolutely praying for you and the trip. What an amazing opportunity. God has certainly gone before you and prepared the way.
Looking forward to hearing your reports!
hey..just stumbled upon here…Wishing you a very pleasant trip to INDIA…
To witness firsthand the poverty…the hope…of children…i do that almost each single day…living in INDIA is not that easy..but you will find one thing here..Hope..that i can guarantee…wish you all the luck and my best wishes..may god bless you..
Dear robin. What an amazing opportunity! I hope you have enough time to prepare your mind about the whole flying thing (you’ll be absolutely fine!!)
I can’t wait to read all about how the trip goes!
Robin, just saw your tweet and had to come over. I literally have butterflies in my stomach! In a good way! Blogging about helping kids find Jesus is my dream job. I cannot wait to hear your story about India. I’m rambling now, but my sil is planning on going to India to help w/girls who have been sold into prostitution. When I compare that to ANY problem in my life…well, it does NOT compare.
I’m praying for you. Awesome. So excited for you. And if you need a flip…you can borrow mine!