Bonus Experiences

David, Hazel, Katherine and Sally have made it safely back to England. Not sure if their sleeping pattern is adjusted yet though.

Paul and Fiona are snatching some extra days in Jaipur, Agra & Delhi before returning home in the early hours of Sunday. It has been a blessing sharing the experiences of Kolkata together for we know the others found it hard to have such awesome experiences without being able to share it with their spouses.

We have enjoyed the many tourist sights including the spectacular Taj Mahal.  We have learnt about and seen the rich history of the area. We enjoyed a ride to the Amber Fort on elephant back.

One niggle is the whole tipping culture (brought here by the British!) because it feels that many people see us as a source of money compared to Kolkata where we mostly felt valued as people first & received a warm unconditional welcome. I suspect many are underpaid and rely on our tips. Despite this people are friendly and welcoming. India is a wonderful place.

Posted by Paul

Ministry in the villages

Our first stop, as part of a medical camp

Sally sharing her faith

The best breakfast ever!!!!!!

Another medical camp under a tamarind tree

A special moment as a new believer is baptised

More travel

Somebody thinks he is Indiana Jones!

Smiling though I was holding on for dear life

Hazel in the midst of typically mad traffic

Fiona posing by the bike/rickshaw that 8 of us rode!

Don't rock the boat

A converted van

Hanging on to the back of the van - the cheap seats! Do we need a risk assessment?

Travelling through West Bengal

A hot and sweaty train ride

Recreation in a village

?????

Arrived at the first village

The ferry

A Soya Milk factory in the slum

Squeezing out the milk from the boiled soya

Are we going to drink it?  Yes, it was delicious!

Pictures from Mon/Tue

Hazel telling the story of Noah

Sally and Katherine helping feed the babies

A recovery day

After a leisurely breakfast we set off for the botanical gardens, drove through a monsoon which thankfully stopped as we arrived.  We walked through lush growth of many interesting plants and trees and found time to relax a bit.  We found shade under a 250 year old Banyan tree which spread over the size of an athletics track!

Lunch was at a colonial eating house.  I loved the Chilli Omelette and the cakes were fantastic.

As our trip reaches its last couple of days our thoughts have started to turn towards home - we were not impressed when we heard what the weather is like in the UK.  Can somebody sort it out please?  Fiona and Paul are deserting the team at the airport and will go to Jaipur, Agra and Delhi as tourists for a few extra days of humid heat and curry!

Posted by Paul

Two days with Big Life Ministries (photos coming soon)

When we were thinking about these two days, I guess we had at least two questions:

First, how do you get from Kolkata to deepest rural West Bengal?
Start at one of the central train stations and get on a local train, which has no doors on the carriages, but on which people will come along selling everything from oranges to notebooks.  Go two hours to the end of the line (a river town called Hasanabad).  Get onto the back of a flat-bed bicycle rickshaw to the riverfront.  Then either take a boat way up the river, since there is no other way to get to some villages, or cross the river (standing room only on a long, pointed, precarious shallow boat) and travel for an hour by brick roads, in the steaming heat. Either way you end up in the most lush, peaceful villages set among paddy fields, palms, tamarind trees and hibiscus.  It couldn't be any more diffent from the press and noise of the city.

Second, what do you do when you get there?
Well, what we did was accompany a team from Big Life Ministries, who visit the villages telling the good news of Jesus Christ and starting Christian fellowships.  Life is tough there and the people are very poor, but very welcoming.  The team set up a medical camp to help with local ailments.  We shared our testimonies - in a concrete hut; with a group of villagers beside their paddy fields and fish ponds; with others under a great tamarind tree in the middle of their village; and with a group of Christians established in yet another village about two months ago and where another two people were baptised while we were there.  It's impossible to capture what a privilege and a gift from God it was to be so welcomed.  We'll be praying for the Big Life team as they go back to these villages over the next several months to follow up and support those who are starting their journey of Christian faith.

Indian time!

We are still waiting for our lift to the train station an hour after the planned departure time but nothing unusual as this is India!   But very thankful for the cooling fans!  Looking
forward to our trip

Wednesday 11 September

Today we went to see some of the projects run by  'Kolkata city mission', they mainly work with people in the slums. We went to one of the slums that they work in, it was close to the airport, about 1 hour 30mins away from the BMS guesthouse. The local Pastor who works with BMS took us out to meet the person who started the projects. We went to the pre-school first,  it was a very peaceful environment, they take in no more than about 18 per session to keep the classes small, they divide the children into three groups, so each group gets a huge amount of attention but they don't turn anyone away and so run up to three sessions of school a day if needed.
We were asked to tell a story so we put on our dramatised rendition of the wise & foolish man, the kids loved it. We then were shown a small business that they have started in the slum which produces soya milk, this business employs 9 ladies and supplies the children & families of that slum with the milk and the byproduct as well as some of the other slums in the area too. Their vision is to see  one member of all 68 families living in that slum have employment. They are encouraging the setting up of small business and have just bought some land where they plan to weave Sari's. It's amazing work that's totally changing lives, they are seeing  God's provision first hand which is really exciting.
Been out for an Indian tonight to a place called Peter Cat, all a little full. Looking forward to what Big life ministries has in store for us, we may be off line for a day because we are not sure where we are going except that our journey starts on a local train for two hours, and we are staying overnight somewhere.
Exciting?

Hazel

<

Revenge of the ants

After the ants were evicted from Hazel's muesli supply they have sought revenge. Paul found his bed completely infested with them - a previous occupant had left empty wrappers under the mattress (bizarre behaviour!) and there was still crumbs which excited one ant enough to bring the whole colony. Feeling itchy?

Tuesday at Good News Christian Education Mission

We boarded the bus which by the next stop was inundated with children and babies. Some of the women waving goodbye only looked around 15. They could have been siblings of course. 

We dropped the older children off and travelled for a further 50 minutes out to a pleasant suburb.  When I say the word pleasant, I simply mean that it had more of a village feel but with buildings that weren't completely decrepid. It was far less busy traffic wise and things were more spaced out there were shanty type buildings as well.

The building for the babies who were around 20 months old was basic but large and airy. 

We quickly undressed them and washed them outside with a sort of brillo pad and soap and a bucket of water which was tepid. Their filty rags were removed. The black circles in between their eye brows scrubbed off and freshly washed clothes put back on. They looked angelic , clean and beautiful. 

Meanwhile their rags were washed and put back on later. Many of these kids live and survive on the rubbish dump.

We  sang simple songs about Jesus 

And some of the older ones joined in, it was very special.  I hope that they remember the words when they grow older.

We then  took the older ones upstairs and played with them just as we did with our own children when they were small, trains and bricks.  Building the highest tower we could and knocking it down. 

Then downstairs got lunch which at least means that they get fed.   One less worry for their mothers. 

The women helping were kind but firm.

One of the girls helping was a girl who had been to this crèche herself and then onto the school. 

It is a fantastic work. They hear about Jesus and learn a different way of life. Some will go on to a good future and will in the process be able to support their families. It really is mission in the true sense of the word.

Posted by Sally

Photos from Sunday and Monday

David blowing bubbles with a boy at GNCEM

Flower stall at the market

Katherine and Hazel at Ganesh shrine (Ganesh is the one who looks like an elephant...)

Paul and Sally doing the craft with the children

a spice stall at the market

Weighing the fruit

Pouring the tea at the take-away

Blog Monday 9th September

 

As I write this the thunder is rumbling around and another monsoon storm is threatening. We waited for the bus this morning in a short lived downpour, so wet that the guard on the gate of the guesthouse let us shelter in his little room! Sue, who volunteers for a month each year with GNCEM (Good News Children’s Education Mission) came along with us as the GNCEM bus wound its way through the busy streets stopping several times to pick up the street children to take them to a small school for the morning. Usually there are as many as 70 children between the ages of 3 and 13, who would otherwise be left in their makeshift street shelters as their parents go in search of work, with older children effectively taking charge.  Mothers also handed us their babies as young as a year,  who cried for several minutes and who we would be meeting again tomorrow when we spend time with the baby unit, but it was the older children we went with inside the brightly decorated concrete room and today, because of the rain, there were 22 of them. It was a joy to meet them and spend time playing with them, doing drama (using a variety of cardboard props we made yesterday including a scarily realistic saw!) and singing Christian action songs (which they all knew!) and making ‘flying saucers’ then using them for target practice. The children were so beautiful and responsive, their attention span was amazingly long as they persevered in decorating their craft with pens and stickers, the teacher (who is also a Pastor) taking the most care of all over his! I felt a sudden rush of hope for India because of these children- theirs is the future and when you look into their eyes you know that God is already at work.

 This afternoon David, Hazel and myself wandered around a local market and I felt as though I was really falling in love with India. We bought a coconut which a man cut open with a big machete and  Hazel drank the milk from through a straw, some 'custard apple' fruit (which I have never tried but looks ugly from the outside!), drinks of ‘ca’-strong sweet Indian tea- in little pottery cups and sturdy looking umbrellas. You will see some photos taken in the market, such a colourful and relaxed place- could have been the Hindu music being played everywhere because of the festival of Ganesh (the one with the elephant head). The many beautiful flowers, including strings of bright yellow and orange marigolds, are to buy and use in worship to Ganesh. Indian people are delighted to have their photos taken (we always ask permission) although we have not included any clear pictures of children’s faces to protect them. We are beginning to feel strangely at home in this hot mixture of chaos and peace where the people are so gentle and gracious.

Katherine.

Mother Katherine

Can you sense a new vocation Katherine?

Sunday

We celebrated the Lord's Day by going to a number of services. Most of us went to Carey Baptist Church, where we received a warm welcome. We went to the English speaking service rather than Hindi or Bengali and enjoyed joining the worship. It was English in style too with songs we knew and would be familiar to most English Baptists. It worked in this setting, the congregation were middle class and there seems to be a leaning towards western ways which appears common where there is more wealth.

Their youth group led worship very well but in their exuberance had installed a new PA system the night before. The sound engineers spent most of the service fixing problems. Half way through the sermon the system started picking up FM radio but respect to the Pastor for he smoothly carried on lifting his voice so nothing was lost.

Katherine and Hazel went to an Assemblies of God service which was very lively. The church was plush and air conditioned which was incongruous to the surroundings but the worship was good and an excellent sermon.

In the evening we went through another monsoon to Colinga Baptist Church, the oldest Bengali speaking church in Kolkata. We enjoyed the worship, sung in Bengali accompanied be a small percussion shaker. We joined in the best we could. 

Pastor Ashish had invited us to share so David brought a warm greeting and introduced us, we sang a song and Paul delivered the sermon. A strange experience - you had to take off your shoes to stand at the pulpit. As I spoke Pastor Ashish translated so it was hard to get a rhythm and there was also the street sounds (horns continually blaring) the rickety fans going and a dodgy microphone but God is awesome and uses what little we can do in amazing ways.

Communion was very special for though we are so different we are united by Christ who was present amongst us as we shared with our brothers and sisters.

Posted by Paul

Saturday

Our last day at Missionaries of Charity.  As we gathered with all the other volunteers to be sent out they sang a song to us 'we thank you with all our hearts' an emotional moment for we have loved serving these lovely people alongside the sisters and other volunteers - friendships grow quickly out here. We did similar to other days but with more confidence, finding communication without language is something you learn. Fiona had a great idea and took bubbles into the disabled children's group - they were really excited about them. It is interesting that there are few toys or things to entertain at each centre, we don't know why.

It was sad to finish at our various centres, this work is so good and gives value to the poorest of the poor who would not survive if they were left ignored on the streets. We came to know them as beautiful people made in the image of God, special individuals with a story to tell and love to give.

Post by Paul

Healthy choices

Monsoon

Chai time

Chai at the Victoria Monument

Internet access

We finally found wifi

Blog - Friday 6th Sept

It seems that few experiences in Kolkata come in medium or small.  This morning we were helping (at least, we think we were helping) the Missionaries of Charity again.  Paul and I were in the men's  part of Mother Theresa's first home for the dying destitute.  With a great group of other volunteers we washed clothes; set out and made up umpteen beds; served water; served food; fed some who couldn't feed themselves; assisted with basic physio to keep the men mobile - some are in a very bad way.  All in a morning.  The monsoon dropped in on our journey home, flooding the streets in a few minutes and slowing the city's tide of traffic, but pretty much dry a couple of hours later.  Some of the water drained away; the rest rose up again as vapour.  Later we made our way through this steamy, tropical air by auto-rickshaw (6 adults in a speeding covered motorised tricycle) to New Market, one of Kolkata's oldest, a labyrinth bursting with people and colour and with everything you could think to buy, particular clothes.

For all its problems and all its suffering, God must love something about this city for it to be so full of life and energy.

David

Updates at last!

Rest Day!

Due to technical problems (there have to be some to make this authentic) we have not had access to the Internet for a few days, so you will get a few updates at once!

Yesterday (Thursday) was a rest day. David organised a peaceful, restful day comprising 6am Mass for Mother Teresa's feast day, a visit to Freeset, touring the Queen Victoria Monument, an excellent reflection led by Fiona and after dinner an hours walk in humid saunalike conditions just for a cup of chai!!!!

Mass was a new experience for us, a truly peaceful way to start the day. The nuns were all there - they each convey peace, grace and love - and together it was truly beautiful.

Freeset was inspiring, 100's of girls given the opportunity of leaving the sex trade and learning skills to support themselves. We all bought jute bags they had made. We met many of the girls who seemed to have a real sense of hope in their lives. Check out www.freesetglobal.com.

Being a tourist for the afternoon was fun but tiring in the saltry heat. In her reflection Fiona challenged us on what humility is - you can't work at it, it is more your attitude to our awesome God and gracefully giving real value to each person we meet.

And the chai was fantastic!

Posted by Paul.

Wednesday P.S.

Our schedule was modified a bit today and instead of working with the missionaries of charity for the next two days we have a free day tomorrow as these homes are not open on a Thursday. This means we will now have the oppertunity to observe a different mission tomorrow, one that was taken out of our original schedule, called

Freeset

and we will continue our work in the missions of charity homes on Friday & Saturday.

Hazel

Wednesday

Before I start, I realise that this is a long blog but lots happened today & no photos as it was not appropriate.

Well we all managed to get a bit more sleep ready for a busy & challenging day working at the 'Missionaries of Charity' the work started by Mother Theresa. We arrived at the main centre at 7.15am not knowing what to expect, there were about 60 people there waiting to volunteer for the day. Most had been to daily morning mass already that runs everyday from 6-7am which is followed by breakfast. Some of our team had planned to attend but due to a faulty alarm clock didn't make it.
We all prayed together reading a set prayer,  then sang a song dedicating ourselves to the service of Christ for the tasks of the day, which was very moving. Here is the prayer .....

Dear Lord, the Great Healer, I kneel before you,
Since every perfect gift must come from You.
I pray, give skill to my hands, clear vision to my mind,
kindness and meekness to my heart.
Give me singleness of purpose, strength to lift up a part
of the burden of my suffering fellow men, and a true
realization of the privilege that is mine.
Take from my heart all guile and worldliness,
That with the simple faith of a child, I may rely on You.
(From A Simple Heart, by Mother Teresa. Published by Ballantine Books, 1995)"

After this we split into two groups, because Sally is a trained nurse she was used in a clinic that runs out one of the children's homes and I went with her as it was best for us to not go places alone. I was working in the home for disabled children. David & Paul were asked to go to a care home for men who were mainly elderly but there were some disabled men housed there too. Fiona & Katherine went to the women's section of the same place. The homes were run very differently, although they did similar things, starting with hanging the laundry they then were told to pray & talk to the residents, serve them a snack, help with getting in & out of bed & going to the toilet, they made beds & helped with serving lunch. Their place of work required a bus trip there which to their surprise was segregated between men & women & a motorozied rickshaw home.

Sally had a tough time dressing wounds, this included pulling maggots out of a man's toe which was rotting & badly needed amputation, she also helped with dispensing medication.
I was surprised how challenged I felt with the idea of working with disabled children, the experience was very challenging and humbling. Most of the children have cerebral palsy and have been either abandoned or orphaned. Some of the duties we did included feeding them and changing them but the most important thing was just to love them giving lots of hugs, smiles and just holding them while they cried or screamed with frustration. I was amazed at the love that the sisters and helpers showed each child and how much the children love them.  Today I have recieved some of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. What is mission? Much to think about.

Hazel

At the BMS Hostel

Tired but excited about our first trip out.

We've Arrived

After two long sleepless but comfy flights and a frightening drive through the crazy, chaotic, potholed streets of Kolkata we emerged unscathed (physically) and found a warm welcome from the staff at the BMS hostel.

Today we are being taken shopping before our introduction to the Missionaries of Charity (Set up by Mother  Theresa) and three days work there.

Post by Paul

The excitement builds

We have packed, prepared and prayed and the alarm is set for 3:30 tomorrow morning.  But this doesn't all seem real yet, I've been busy and can't quite get my head around the trip.  Sitting on a plane for endless hours will bring the opportunity for reflection and anticipation and I'm sure it will feel very real when we step foot in Kolkata in the very early hours of Tuesday morning.

Please pray for safety in travel, for smooth journeys and that the team will gel quickly.

Written by Paul.

Final Preparations

We had a final team meeting yesterday, checking last minute details and planning what we can take to help as we go.  The team are in an excited mood with a fair degree of nervousness, mostly because of the unknown.  What will we actually be doing?  Will we cope?  Our coping mechanism is plenty of laughter and much prayer.

It is interesting that we don't know each other very well even though we've seen each other around college a lot.  This will quickly change as we spend time together in stressful situations and have to put our trust in one another.

The next time we get together will be in the early hours of 2nd September at Heathrow airport by the check in desk!

Posting by Paul.

Introducing the Team

The team as they prepare to go.
Paul, Fiona, Sally, Katherine, Hazel and David.