We were at the airport again. Delirious? had been asked to play at several events throughout Asia in the summer of 2007, so we thought we'd combine work with our summer holiday. A great idea until we realized the monumental task of taking five wives, 16 children, six crewmembers and more suitcases than I've ever seen in one place. As usual, my family was guilty of bringing the most: eight suitcases, a car seat, stroller, our au pair (Eszter), five children and another one growing in Anna’s belly. We were off on the adventure of a lifetime.
India
It had been eight months since Delirious? toured India and visited an amazing project in one of the red-light districts in Mumbai. There I met an Indian child whom I fell in love with and wanted to bring home. Was I going mad? (Anna thought so!) But I returned from that trip in turmoil over how we could rescue this girl from a life of poverty and prostitution.
Once home, the adoption forms sat on the kitchen table, and I clearly remember wondering where this journey was going to take us. Anna, the amazing woman that she is, thought it was right for our whole family to visit this girl, and we planned the trip for August at the beginning of our Asian tour. However, in the meantime, the girl’s mother made a huge turnaround and decided to exit the trade and to keep her daughter. It was the right outcome. And I was both happy and sad.
Still, the whole family was off to India together. To have Anna and the children with me was extraordinary, and seeing my own kids on their hands and knees feeding orphaned kids was a beautiful thing. Our highlight was visiting “our” little girl and meeting her mother and family, too. Who knows why this relationship has happened to us? But I know now that this girl will be educated and given a chance to escape the trap that is crippling millions of innocent lives.
Singapore
The airport in Hyderabad, India, will always be remembered for a stressful Smith family moment! I had put eight passports and boarding cards in the hood of our stroller, and the stroller decided to tip over throwing all the contents across the airport floor amidst a sea of people. I tried at that moment to be a good Christian but failed miserably. Anna is writing a book at the moment called “Being Mrs. Smith,” which will probably be an expose of my humanity!
So off to Singapore, the land of Gucci and huge churches. We were there to play at the Festival of Praise with 12,000 people in the arena every night. A massive contrast from our time in India but still part of God’s bigger picture. We were glad to see our friends from City Harvest Church.
Cambodia
With our fill of sushi we packed the cases and headed off to the airport again. This was our first time to Cambodia, and things didn’t go too smoothly. The government was very touchy about our being there and repeatedly shut down the events at the last minute. One night we were playing when the police pulled the power. I didn't feel we were finished, so I got on the front row with my acoustic and we sang for 40 minutes in complete darkness. I'll remember forever that beautiful sound of the Cambodian people. No one would leave, so the speaker preached on the steps outside with our infamous red megaphone. You had to be there to believe it!
Again, there was poverty everywhere. We visited a rubbish dump where kids were eking out a living, trying to earn 50 cents a day. There is always joy to be found in the midst of human suffering, which is a constant surprise. You can find God anywhere if you look hard enough, and there He was on the faces of these children. We left Cambodia with a degree of frustration, but we know we'll go back someday to carry on the job we started.
Indonesia and Home
Onward to Bali, Indonesia, which was fantastic. To hear the people singing our songs in their native tongue was spine-chilling. By now we were happy but exhausted, and we returned home after being gone 30 days.
A summer to remember, a summer that changed us forever. The kids are now back to school, and life is back to normal, but in many ways we will never return to being normal. We have seen things that have stirred us to action, and I can feel that the heartbeat of the house is different; something has got inside our children that I hope will shape their future forever. 
