A Day in the Life of a Very Large Family

Jadesh and Bavya Kour care for 25 orphans in their home in Chhattisgarh, India.

To say that Gospel for Asia missionary Jadesh Kour and his wife, Bavya, have a large family is quite an understatement.

Three of Jadesh and Bavya's four children still live at home. Bavya's mother and father and Jadesh's mother also live with them. An elderly woman who was abandoned by her family has been welcomed into the family circle.

There are also 25 orphans in Jadesh and Bavya's home.

Needless to say, there is little privacy in this household in Chhattisgarh, India. There is not much in the way of material possessions, either. What they do have is plenty of love. Visitors might consider the Kour home a modern-day manifestation of the command in James 1:27:

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world (James 1:27 NKJV).

Jadesh and Bavya established the orphanage in 2004. Today, Bavya's life is consumed with caring for the many people who live under her roof. Out of necessity, the Kour household runs on an established schedule. And it is centered on training its smallest residents to become passionate followers of Jesus Christ.

The Kour family, which includes Jadesh, Bavya and their four children, is committed to caring for the orphans and helpless widows in Chhattisgarh, India.

"We want to love them, so that ultimately we will be able to teach these children to love and serve the Lord. I want these children to grow in the Lord," Bavya says.

Not much time for sleep

With so many people to care for, Jadesh and Bavya maintain a rigorous schedule. Jadesh is out of the home tending to his many duties as a GFA missionary. That leaves Bavya to provide for the elderly people and children at home. Her normal days begin at 4 a.m., when she rises and spends quiet time alone with God. After she prays and prepares herself, it is time to wake up the children. The infants and preschoolers still need her attention, but the older children get themselves ready for the day. Bavya cooks breakfast and feeds the older children, who leave for school at 7:30.

"I want these children to grow in the Lord," Bavya says.

Once the older children are gone to classes, she turns her attention to the needs of the older adults in her house. Then it's time to get the younger children bathed. Later in the morning, she begins preparing a meal for the school-age children who come home to eat lunch early in the afternoon.

After lunch, the babies and toddlers go down for naps and Bavya catches up on her other housework.

After school and into the evening

By 3 p.m., Bavya is back in her kitchen. She is preparing for the children's arrival home from school at 4 p.m. When they bound through the door, they will have tea and snacks, followed by a 30-minute play time and then homework.

At 7:30 p.m., it is family devotion time. Jadesh leads the children in Bible stories, prayers and songs. Many times, the children join Jadesh and Bavya in praying for a specific need in the household. There are always plenty of things to pray for! These are times when the youngsters learn complete dependence upon God.

Jadesh Kour is compelled by God's love to care for 25 orphans in his home.

Dinner is served after devotions (Asian families typically have later evening meal times than Western families). After dinner, Bavya tends to the needs of the younger children while the older children prepare for bed. By 10:30 p.m., the children are all asleep on their cots spread throughout the couple's home and in rooms built especially for them in the adjoining GFA-related church.

But Bavya's day is far from over. She is usually busy until after midnight, tending to the little details that remain.

Many have asked her why she continues to take on the burden of caring for these children, and she explains that it seems right to her.

"It feels really good to serve these children."