India was an adventure for sure! My first response to India was a total overload to my senses! There is so much of everything! So many people, cars, outdoor shops, but also NOISES, COLORS and SMELLS! There is constant noise: vehicles driving, animals calling, and horns honking!Everywhere you look; bright color in everything! Smells of food cooking, incense burning--all kinds of smells! Our guesthouse was located right down from the church where Mother Teresa spent her last days. The people in this area were very poor, many lived on the streets. The “shops” were merely stands set up to sell their goods. I'm sure they exist in Kolkata, but I never saw large hotels or restaurants. Everything was squashed together! We walked about a mile from the guesthouse two nights to a McDonalds to eat. We walked through tons of people, between shops that were on our left and our right. It was very crowded! We did one "tourist" day where we went to the Ganges River, the Queen Victoria Memorial, the Howrah Bridge and Howrah Train Station, William Carey's church, a Hindu temple, and several markets.
Three days, we worked at one of Mother Teresa's facility...Prem Dan. It is for the destitute and dying...I was amazed and have the greatest respect for the Sisters and the organization they run to take care of these people. There are multiple facilities in Mother Teresa’s organization, Prem Dan is one of these. Each day, the Sisters are there, and have a few Indian workers. They depend on 100 volunteers a day to help out, and it seems to run super smoothly! There is little direction, you just dive in! There is usually a volunteer that has been there before, and everyone just teaches each other! There were many volunteers from all over the world. Some worked one day; some had been working for a month, or longer. When we arrived, the patients were out in a courtyard each morning. While they were there, Beth (another Beth!) and I, and others, would wash down a stack of mattresses, then put them back on small bed frames, and put on clean sheets, and pillows. Then, it was time for tea and biscuits for the patients. We served those, and helped them eat/drink if they could not manage it themselves. We then washed the cups. Then, we would use lotion or oil, and rub their feet and hands. After that, lunchtime! Lunch came from a kitchen in huge pots, and was rice, Dal, fruit and bread. We served that, helped them eat, then washed the dishes! All of the washing was done outside at sinks, with a hose and soap. Emily worked each morning washing clothes in a large tub, then they were rinsed in another large tub, and taken to the roof to hang and dry. Later, if we had time, we would go up and take the laundry off the line. Larry and the guys from our group did similar tasks in the men’s section of the facility. And this goes on everyday! It was such a blessing to know that these precious people had a place to stay. It was as clean as could be in that environment, and I really appreciated that it has been there for years, and will continue! The nuns are in for the duration!
One other day, we went to a slum school. The children there...I would guess around 50 were from 3 years-to-7 years old, learning English, to read and write, and do math. I loved working with them. They live in an area where their parents are day laborers, and leave them in the slum during the day while they work. The pastor and his wife go from household to household, bringing the children into school to learn. They have a small room for the school, so the pastor told me they only take the poorest students whose parents cannot pay for them to go to public school. They were precious children, wanting to learn and study! The pastor and his wife have such a vision! Not only do they want these children to learn to read and write, but to also learn about Jesus! This was, of course, my favorite thing we did in India!
Thanks to Emily for taking AWESOME pictures! I could only post a few here, but she did a great job!
I thank God daily that He continues to lead us One Step at a Time!
 |
| Baptist Missionary Society Guesthouse (our "home") |
 |
| View of Roofs Out the Guesthouse Window |
 |
| The Mission Team: Beth "1", Beth "2", Emily, Larry, Steve, Mike |
 |
| Mother Teresa's Tomb |
 |
| "Modes" of Transportation! |
 |
| "Mini" Taxi |
 |
| Traffic |
 |
| Emily Enjoying Goat for Lunch! |
 |
| New Hope School |
 |
| Leaving New Hope School |
 |
| "Our" Walkway to McDonalds! |
 |
| Market Outside of the Hindu Temple |
 |
| Clay Teacups |
 |
| Ganges River |
 |
| Alongside the river...Notice the Teacups! |
 |
| Howrah Bridge...Over 1 Million People Cross This Bridge Each Day |
 |
| Fabrics at the Market |
 |
| Lunch/Dinner for Someone! :) |
 |
| Vegetables at the Market |
 |
| Bangles at the Market |
 |
| William Carey Church |
