Kolkata 2014: Big Life Ministries overnight adventure!

Thursday morning we caught a train from Kolkata to Hasnabad as we were travelling with Benjamin Francis and Big Life ministries to visit villages in the Sundarban region of West Bengal. We would be helping with the medical camps and outreach to the villages to help build relationships with the hope that Big Life could then revisit the villages as a follow up and eventually plant churches there.

The train journey took about 2 and a half hours and was chaotic, cramped but a lot of fun. At every stop traders would enter the carriages selling their wares of fruit snacks and kitchen utensils etc.

Seeing the countryside like this was very enjoyable and we passed through some interesting station names including one called Dum Dum junction.

We eventually arrived in Hasnabad and had a quick lunch of eggy bread with chillis and onions and then followed a ten minute walk to catch a boat across the river. The boat was one you had to stand on like the one below.

Hasnabad station

This was a bit 'hairy' to say the least as you needed to have good balance! Anyway we all survived I'm glad to say and soon reached the other side of the river. There followed an hours car ride to the village we were visiting that day. The village was called Bakradobar and we were the first Western visitors they had seen so this was going to be rather an interesting visit!

We travelled across the river on a boat like this

Our arrival at the village sparked a great deal of interest. We were soon put to work by setting up a medical camp offering free medical care to the villagers. The doctor saw the villagers one by one and then wrote up prescriptions which were then passed to us to make up. Myself, Kathy, Linda and Malcolm helped with this whilst the others went and played some games and shared a drama ( Prodigal Son), testimonies and songs with the rest of the villagers. At first we found it quite difficult to find the correct medication as it was quite hard to read the doctor's handwriting. We were just about getting into the swing of things and it was time to stop.

The villagers were lovely, warm and gentle people and we were able to share some simple testimonies with them before praying for them. We had so many offers of hospitality as they were all so excited to have white people in their village! It was a real privilege to visit with them.

It was soon time to do the return trip including the boat crossing which was much easier this time!

We then caught a rickshaw to the Taki Guesthouse which took around 30 minutes. Four of us to a rickshaw plus luggage! The doctor named Oni (not sure about the spelling!) serenaded me with Bengali Christian songs on the journey to the guesthouse which was rather nice and told me in his basic English that he had been a Christian for 20 years and came from a Hindu background. He worked in the local hospital and came out regularly with Big Life to do these medical camps.

This is the type of rickshaw we travelled on to the guesthouse

Our rooms were basic and because the guesthouse was overbooked we had to share beds which was rather interesting. Fortunately they were king sized but the mattress was as hard as lying on the floor and not the most comfortable. I did keep reminding myself though that the accommodation we were being offered was luxurious compared to the villagers.

The guesthouse overlooked the Ichamati River and the Bangladesh border was exactly half way across the river.

The next morning after quite an uncomfortable night we dined on curry for breakfast and then took a short car journey to catch the BMS Big Life boat.

We sailed for about an hour before we arrived at the village of Baunia. Once moored up I and a small team remained on the boat to help with the medical camp again and this time we were running like a well oiled machine. Again it was a privilege to meet with these people who were so curious about us ( as once again they had never had Western visitors to their village) and so friendly.

A short trip back on the BMS boat left me feeling a little sad to leave these people but at the same time recognising how much I have grown in my faith since coming to India. To disembark we all had to jump from the boat onto the bank which was a bit daunting but we all managed it and then we saw the lovely sight of one of the BMS vehicles ready to drive us back to Kolkata.

How can I sum up these past two days? Well we were warned they would be challenging and they certainly were. I came back feeling exhausted and grubby but I am so glad I went. To witness local evangelists operating in this way and sharing the love of Jesus was humbling ( there I've used that word again) and special and I apologise if my words don't do this experience justice but that's probably because I am still recovering from the trip. The work that organisations like Big Life and GNCEM should be a shining example to us of having a servant heart.

Please find below a few photos of the last few days! I hope you enjoy them.