EXHIBIT STATEMENT
The Children of India
In December of 2006 I went with Ray and Amanda Petit to visit Sanctuary Home for Children in Tenali, India, an orphanage they co-founded with their friend, Isaac Palaparthi, an Indian minister. Sanctuary Home opened June 1, 2006 with 15 children. Now there are 50 children with 20 more expected as soon as sponsors are available.
This trip was one of the greatest blessings of my life. I fell in love with all the warm, kind, and caring people. The children were sweet and courteous. They were exceptionally well-behaved and polite. They slept on mats, had no shoes and played outside with makeshift sports equipment. They all seemed happy just to have regular meals.
I took along 100 pounds of art supplies. These included canvas bags full of oil pastels, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners and paper. The children enjoyed the supplies and decorating the bags.
I also took along 150 plastic bags from the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau filled with information and art supplies to give to widows. Be sure to see the poster-sized photo of them with their bags! It was a special joy to deliver this gift because widows are treated like non-people in India.
I brought back artwork made by both the children and the widows to print and sell. Note cards are available for $2 each or $10 for 6 cards. The profit from these cards and my paintings will benefit some of the very poor widows in Tenali and the children in the Sanctuary Home. See this organization's web site: www.sanctuaryhome.org.
"Religion that God our Father accepts
as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widow in their
distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27 New International Bible
© Ruth Jackson - all images