Quiet day Saturday

Today was our day off however I did attend the Keswick Fellowship breakfast meeting with three other members of the team. I have to say that the breakfast was interesting Scrambled eggs,crisps,a bread roll, an orange  and what I can only describe as a curried veggie bite.
The room was packed though and British LT Jeyachandran delivered  the message.

The rest of the day I caught up with some rest and also my blog.
It was lovely speaking  to Tony earlier this evening as well and so good to hear his voice! :-)

Off to bed shortly as we have two church services tomorrow.Night night!

Sorry about the boring blog entry for today! :-)

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.

The team. Left to right Benjamin Francis (Big life), me, Charlotte, Sam, Kathy, Malcolm, Kat, Mat, Linda and Anj

Doctor Oni on the left and Bimaldas on the right who work with Big Life

GNCEM baby care and school visits

Today we boarded the  bus  this time remaining on board when the first lot of children got off and then accompanying the babies to the baby care centre.It was a very long drive of around 45 minutes to get there in extremely busy rush hour traffic and reminded me again that the babies would not normally have so many people to look after them on the drive. Quite  shocking really considering the heavy traffic etc. We then turned off the main road and proceeded down a bumpy dirt road through a residential area narrowly avoiding amongst other things, cows, goats, motorbikes, people, rickshaws  and various other modes of transport. The constant use of the bus's horn was now no longer surprising to us!

Once we arrived at the baby care centre, we had the privilege of helping to undress, wash and dry the babies before putting them in a clean nappy and clean  clothes whilst their own clothes were washed ready  for hometime . We then all helped feed them their breakfast of sweet cornflakes with very hot milk. All too soon we needed to leave as we had three GNCEM schools to visit that day but we did have time to share some of their story time  and song time. A truly wonderful experience!

Breakfast time

The first school we visited, in Daspara, was a large school and a reasonably  short drive away situated beside a very picturesque lake. The children were in assembly when we arrived and after introductions we were asked to perform a song  and some of us also did a drama based on the story of the prodigal son which went down well. We then were given a tour of the school and I was so impressed with the staff and pupils and it was obvious how much the teachers care about the children's education and welfare.

Outside St John's. Medium School 

Geography lesson

Maths lesson

Subir ( Subir and his wife Enoch head up the work of GNCEM)

The second school, Bethany School,was a tiny school for early years  serving the  Bangladeshi community The young male teacher was so charming and it was clear he  cared deeply for these little ones. The children were adorable and again we were asked to perform!I also prayed for the children before they went home.

We had lunch provided for us at the third school-curry and rice again! :-) This was a small school serving the immediate community and they were in the process of adding a shower block for the children as well  as building some accommodation for the  teacher.

It was then time for us to board the bus again and collect the babies.We changed them into their own clothes and sang a few songs before loading them up on the bus.

I was again struck by the dedication of all the staff we met today.

We had the privilege of seeing the babies reunited with their parents in the slum areas and it was a joy to witness . Despite being exceptionally  poor in the material sense there was an abundance of love in the parents faces on being reunited with their children again illustrating how money cannot buy you everything.

What a wonderful day! We have been amazed by the selfless work of the people we have met and we could learn so much from their attitude and sacrifice. A lot to process yet again.

GNCEM

The big yellow bus rolled up outside the gates of the BMS Guest House at 8.15am. We entered wondering quite where we were supposed to sit as the seats were already overflowing with hoards of noisy children and babies. Quite quickly we realised that we just needed to literally pick a child up and plonk them on our laps!

Shouts of  'aunty aunty' and 'uncle uncle' filled the air and soon we were on our way. Some of the children appeared to be old hands at this already and had some of the biggest smiles I had ever seen. For some however it was their first time on the bus and they were naturally tears. What I found so touching was the love and care they showed to each other as there would quickly be a child ready to comfort a screaming baby. They were also quite boisterous with one another but none of them seemed to mind the rough play.

We were all quite horrified when we disembarked to discover that the babies were left on the bus to travel on to the babycare unit. Still this is India so we keep being told.

Kathy makes a new friend

On arrival the children were washed and dressed in a blue shirt and after a short play went in for their lessons.

The children lining up to be washed

There followed  a mixture of prayers, singing and lessons ( which we were privileged to take part in). The teachers whilst quite strict were extremely caring .The room was quite simply wall to wall cuteness. One little boy spent the whole time asleep under a blanket. He had a fever and looked quite unwell. They gave him medicine however I think he was oblivious to everything going on around him. This was a stark reminder of how fortunate we are in the UK.

Me teaching the children their ABCs

After a quick snack lessons continued and then it was playtime!

The children loved interacting with us and I loved my time spent with them. They seemed so happy.  The fact they were grubby and a bit rough round the edges didn't matter. They were just beautiful!

Soon it was lunch time and the children sat in a big circle outside and were served large servings of curry and rice. This would probably be their last meal of the day.

We got back on the bus and I for one felt so much love for these grubby, noisy, boisterous but enchanting children. I felt quite sad to leave them on the bus knowing they would be going back to the slums. They would be back at GNCEM the next day though!

GNCEM stands for Good News Childrens Education Mission.

Church Kolkata style

Sunday morning took a while to arrive mainly due to lack of sleep. The term 'Kolkata never sleeps' had a whole new meaning with what sounded like a nightclub in mine and Kat's room for most of the night. We were told in the morning that there was a big Hindu celebration coming up and this was part of the run up to it! All I kept thinking was that if that was the run up goodness knows what it would be like on the actual day!

Anyway, I digress - back to church in Kolkata. The first service we attended was at the Circular Road Baptist Church which to all intensive purposes was just like a typical Baptist service back home. Very much male led however with the exception of the youth participation where they led some of the worship.Mat spoke on Jonah and all in all we were made to feel very welcome.

Me outside Circular Road Baptist Church

The second service we attended that day was a complete polar opposite. This was at the Big Life Hindi Fellowship and we were accompanied by Benjamin Francis . The worship was spontaneous, exciting and incredibly loud, with the worship leaders and congregation not holding back with regard to showing their emotions. We were all introduced to the church and all given a scarf as a welcome gift. Again a humbling experience for me.

Benjamin Francis in action

Benjamin. Francis 

Worship being led at the Big Life Hindi Fellowship

Sam and I both shared our stories of how we came to become Christians with Benjamin translating for us. This was quite a leap out of my comfort zone but I decided that it was better to jump straight in. I found it quite an emotional experience. Kathy, Charlotte and Kat sang Our God is An Awesome God to the church and I think they appreciated our contributions.

Charlotte and Kathy singing

Towards the end of the service we were asked to pray for people with the main need being for healing. I was not alone in finding this aspect particularly difficult. The language barrier as well as feeling rather out of my depth and to be honest not feeling adequate enough made this a difficult process. A lot of these people had such a need but what was quite striking was  their reliance on God and belief that God would answer their prayers.

All in all it gave me quite a lot to process. 

Official welcoming ceremony

Saturday after lunch we began a 20 minute walk back to the guesthouse which was challenging to say the least weaving our way through a variety of people, traffic, sleeping stray dogs , vendors selling their wares... and of course men, women and small children begging.

Sheer tiredness in addition to the overload of all my senses left me feeling quite at a loss for words. It felt too much to take in. Some members of the team were quite distressed by what they saw and all of us were touched by it in one way or another. At the time it was hard for me to see God in all if this I must admit.

On our return we had a chance to relax for a short time and then after dinner of curry (!) we were invited to watch Abigail (Benjamin Francis' daughter) and a friend of hers dance for us. We were then all presented with a flower and scarf and welcomed. I felt really humbled that they would do this for us.

I will add some photos later as they need to be uploaded still so watch this space!!

During devotions that evening it was helpful for us all to be able to try and process the day so far. I feel we will really value these times together to unpack each day.

Tune in later for the next gripping instalment!

Lunch on Park Street

We went to Park Street in downtown Kolkata. Photos below taken just outside restaurant where we had lunch.

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