Nagercoil

The Bethania Children's Home in Nagercoil cares for over 100 girls of all ages and is led by Ms. Grace Subbiah. The best way to describe Grace is that she is like a headmistress with very high standards of excellence. Many of the girls under her care now have post-high school training in nursing, business, tailoring, etc. Grace has always shown a lot of hospitality to us, and she was with us from the moment we arrived in Nagercoil until our next stop in Tuticorin. We had a very nice visit and were thoroughly worn out by the day's end.

Grace was kind enough to have a beautiful aqua saree tailored for me, and the ladies had a lot of fun getting me dressed and decorating me with flowers and jewelry. It was a really hot day and the fabric didn't breathe so well, but nonetheless it was fun to get dressed in their traditional clothing. Here's a "snap":

(By the way, I always just thought my Dad was strange for using the word "snap" when talking about photos. As it turns out, he did not just invent that term. It is actually quite common for people in India to use the word this way.)

During our time in Nagercoil, Grace led a couple meetings/programs with the girls at the home, as well as with her nearby tailoring institute. Garlands were bestowed upon me, my father, and even my grandmother in absentia. (Grace really wished you could have been there, Grandma!) At one point the girls sang "Beautiful Savior," which completely took my breath away -- it was so touching. Dad and I also got to present many of the girls with various academic awards. It was great to see that these girls are doing so well in school; I certainly hope and pray that they will have very bright futures in the years to come. Their cultural program was terrific. We were entertained by some very good dances with costumes, including one in which male/female couples were represented from different parts of India. Another skit featured Gandhi, Nehru, and other historical Indian figures.