A breath of fresh air in Rajahmundry: Adrienne

Our experiences in Rajahmundry were so much different than in Kolkata.  It is much cleaner and less populated, with farmland and clean air.  Not that Kolkata was bad... it is just a typical big city with lots of people, polution, and busy-ness.

We were greeted at the airport by all the children and the pastors of Rajah Children's Home (RCH), Isaiah and Ananth.  They gave us leis and had signs to welcome all of us.  They were all so excited to see us and super polite!  They all kept saying, "Good morning Madame.  How are you?  I am fine."  I quickly figured out that those phrases were the only English that some of the children had learned.  It was fun to let them practice English with us.

After we were checked into the hotel, we walked around toen to find a money exchange.  There was a huge Hindu festival in the streets.  Parades of people with statues of their Idols being carried in the back of trucks.  All the Idols were decorated and there was a lot of music.  The men were all wearing orange headbands and they were all painted different colors.  Purple, Orange, Yellow, and Red.  Ananth said this was the festival of colors.  He said the parade goes all through the streets and ends at the river.  The men will then carry the statues to the river and launch them into the river.  I asked what happens after that.  Do they float or what?  He said they just sink.  Hmm, kind of anticlimactic to me, but oh well.

At one point during the festival, a man came up to me and offered to put color on me.  It was a colored type of powder.  I politely refused but he became more aggressive and came at me with both hands extended, reaching for me.  I said NO loudly and started to back away.  I grabbed Ananth and hid behind him.  He told the man something in Telugu and the man went away.  It was kind of scary for me, but I quickly got over it and went about our business.

We really enjoyed our time with the children at RCH.  They all stand at attention and salute us while saying in unison "Good morning Sir/Madame."  They snag and danced for us and we presented our bible study lesson.  I enjoyed learning new songs from the children.

Our time was cut short with the pastors of the Deep Forest area because the chief minister of the sate had died.  All the townspeople were in mourning so businesses were closed and there were several road blockades.  Most of the villagers at these road blocks were drunk and angry... not a good combination.  They were not allowing people to go through the road blocks, so we had to turn around and go back to the hotel.  We had to pass through 2 more road blocks to get back into the city.  At one blockade, the people were hitting our car and yelling at us as we drove through.  I was scared, but knew that God would protect us.  It is hard for me to understand expressing your grief through violence, but I guess these people have few outlets for their emotions.  

We were able to spend a whole day with the children at RCH, since our other plans had been cancelled due to the Chief Minister's death.  I learned how to play a modified version of Cricket and then we taught the boys how to play kick ball.  It was fun!  The girls taught me and Shelley how to play Karem, a board game that they love to play.

I really enjoyed my time in Rajahmundry and was not looking forward to the long trip home.  I am still having trouble adjusting to the time change, but as things become more routine I should level out.  I am looking forward to future trips to India and the seeing our new friends again!

Making sense of it all in Kolkata: Adrienne

Well, if you've been reading older posts, you've seen a lot of things that we all experienced while in India.  I am truly thankful for having the opportunity to go on this trip.  I know that it has changed me forever, even more than my other life experiences combined.  But I guess we all continue to grow through those types of experiences.

The team members were truly a blessing.  Everyone had a positive attitude throughout the trip and we all shared lots of laughs.  I feel much closer to my fellow India travelers after all that we experienced together.

So Brad and Shelley have talked about feeling overstimulated in Kolkata and some of the darker areas we visited.  The thing that weighs on my heart is that Mother Teresa devoted her life to serving and helping the people of Kolkata, and yet there is still so much that needs to be done.  So many people who are in need!  It makes me feel overwhelmed with sadness and feel defeated before I have even begun.  But I think of her strong faith and the faith of others in my life.  Even when their circumstances are overwhelming, their faith is strong.  It gives me courage to continue to be hopeful and strength through prayer.  The work of Smiriti with Mudpath Ministries, and Isaiah and Ananth at the Rajah Children's Home gives hope and love to so many people.  I constantly remind myself of the power of one.  One person, one people, one God.  Even if we can make a difference in one person's life; even if we can bring one person to Christ... powerful.

I was moved by the overwhelming love the children showed for us.  Everyone wanted to touch us and shake our hands.  But after a while it sort of felt like they were touching us in hopes of receiving some kind of blessing.  Almost like we were Idols.  It left a weird feeling for me.  

One of the unusual experiences we witnessed was a Communist Party Rally while in Kolkata. There were communist bars and flags all over the city.  The communist flag was frequently seen painted on the sides of buildings.  Cars would drive around town blaring out messages for the party.  The party actually "buys" people for the day to go vote during elections.  Very different from what we are used to in America.

In reflection of my time in Kolkata, I'd say I felt a lot of tension among the people.  Stress of the people's daily life and tension between the Muslim and Hindu people.  I guess I felt more aware of my surroundings and how people looked at me.  

The airport in Kolkata was interesting too!  Not too heavy on security in terms of checking your passport and checking in at the gate, but there were a lot of armed guards on the premises.  Kind of scary to be in line at security and have a guard loading a clip for his assault rifle right next to you!  Kolkata is beautiful from the airplane view.  So green and lush.  You can't see how cluttered and littered the streets are, but you can see the extreme population density.

A Note from Shelley

When one is faced with the opportunity to go on a trip like this, certain ideas of how it will be tend to surface. Throw all that out the window. I tried really hard not to expect anything when I was told that we were going to a city with 20 million people to spend time in the slums and then travel to smaller city of 750,000 to work/play/present skits to 50 children in a home for orphans. It was SO much more than that!

Kolkata was very crowded. I never imagined what 20 million people looked or felt like much less experienced traffic the likes of what we experienced. Take Manhattan and add rickshaws, cows, people, bicycles and lots of motorcycles. All in the street. Multiply it and see what you get. Amidst all that, we ended up on the outskits of town in the slums where we met the most incredible women that had chosen to join the sewing ministry that our friend Smriti with Mudpath Ministries started. These ladies are taking classes twice a week along with a bible study. The awesome thing about this is they are learning a trade that will provide for their families while learning about God and His love for them! They showed us their sewing and were so proud. Seriously, pleats and puffy sleeves. One yound lady, Lita, quickly became a friend. She was abandoned by her husband when she could not conceive. My heart really went out to her. All the ladies were beautiful, smart and seemed happy regardless of their circumstances. I look forward to hearing about their progress. Smriti has a love and passion for the slum ladies that will move Mudpath Ministries to more slums and have a huge impact on lives. It's a privilege to be a part!

Rajamundry was more my speed, although you still have rickshaws, cows, people, bicycles and lots of motorcycles. All in the street. Rajah was more in the country with fresh air by a huge river. The G Brothers were gracious hosts and the kids at the home were very excited to see us! We had lots of quality time with the kids in Rajah. So smart! So quick to learn English! If only their language of Telugu was as easy... The Rajah Home is home to about 25 girls and 25 boys who have either been orphaned or are children of widows who cannot support them. Each little face was precious. I know a friend who would have adopted all of them if she could. I'm excited that these kids get a chance to learn, to be encouraged, to be nourished spiritually/physically/emotionally... There's still a chance that when they reach the age of 10 that their extended family could take them out of the Rajah Home to go back to work in the rock quarries. That's the understood age to put a child to work. During days with the kids, we were stretched, challenged, entertained and loved..and it was all given back to them as well! I tried so hard not to cry when we had to leave. Fortunately, Randy was ready with the jokes to ease the transition. I heard only about 1/3 of the kids are sponsored right now, so that is a challenge that needs to be met.

That is by far not the extent of what we experienced, but I will let you go. We leave for Frankfurt in about 5 hours. Time for a rest...and a wash of the feet.

Something BIG in Rajahmundry

Our time spent with the 47 boys and girls at the Rajah Children's Home in Rajahmundry was wonderful! We spent nearly the entire day with the kids presenting our Bible skit/puppet show, singing songs, teaching some English, playing games and learning new ones. It was a rich experience. Many of these kids come from widowed families, while others are orphaned. The caste system in India keeps millions of people in bondage to poverty, both economically and spiritually. Economically, these people are under the strong arm of unjust employers and landlords. Thousands in Rajahmundry work in the Rock Quarry where they must purchase large peices of rock at a rate that keeps them indebted to their employer. As a way to earn more money by breaking more rock, the families will remove their children from school to break rock alongside them. Therefore, the opportunity for an education is absent as well as the opportunity for earning a more dignified wage. Hence, the cycle continues.
Spiritually, people like this are kept in bondage to the Hindu system of belief. Sure they've heard about Jesus, in fact many will claim to believe in him. However, they will not give up their devotion to the Hindu gods, which involves paying tribute via priests and other forms of offering to one of the hundreds of concrete idols along the roadways. Essentially, these people live in fear of abandoning their religion. They will have nothing to do with devoting themselves solely to Jesus unless they see some sort of miraculous change in their life or the life of one of their family members. Funny thing, the pattern Jesus gives in the New Testament is one of believing in Him first, turning from that which you depend on for purpose, then life change occurs. This is the reality for many of the Christ followers we met. Men and women finding themselves in hopeless situations (addiction to alcohol, severe depression, illness) coming to a breaking point and believing in Christ and miraculously their lives are changed.
There is a huge movement of God's grace going on in the city of Rajahmundry. Through the eyes of prosperity, it would seem insignificant, but meeting people like Isaiah and Anunth who lead the Children's home and train pastors in the rural areas, and the pastors of churches in these rural areas who are risking their lives and reputation for the sake of proclaiming the hope of Christ, you know that God is up to something. These people are determined, tenacious, and confident that nothing will stop this movement. They are building churches in places those in their neighborhoods and villages never thought possible. They are offering hope to children who never thought it existed by their compassion of giving them a home, an education, and a chance to experience the love of Christ. All this is possible because men and women have given themselves fully to the service of Christ, who desires all people to come to Him through faith. Take part in this movement by partnering with Children's Relief International and come see for yourself next time!

sensory overload

To all who have been looking here, sorry I'm just now posting. I have not been able to get to internet so I'll do my best to bring you up to speed of the past four days here in Calcutta.
What comes to mind to summarize the past few days is sensory overload. There are 20 million people in Calcutta. That's 10 times the number of people in the city of Dallas. Two and one half million of those people are homeless. Another three to five million of those people live in the slums (overcrowded villages of people living in rooms the size of most American garages and making about $2 a day). The slum people are essentially in bondage to "slum lords" who overcharge these people for renting their dilapitated rooms.
We visited two of these slums over the past couple days, and presented a dramatic retelling of the parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son using puppets and games. There were about 70 kids on one day, and another 30 on the next. The kids were very into it, and unexpectedly, so were many of the mothers and adult bystanders ("What in the world are these white people doing here?").
None of this would be possible without the courageous efforts of a woman named Smriti. She has been building rapport with many of the familes in the slums for the past year and a half. She is an incredibly joyful and motivated woman. Within the past year she has established a "school" (sort of a formal education) for the children in one of the slums and has started a sewing school for some of the young mothers. We were able to meet these women who are extremely excited about the privilege. If they complete this training, they will be able to earn a dignified wage and life for themselves and their families. In the midst of the sewing, Smriti is also teaching them about Jesus. I can't help but connect the incarnation of God's love for humanity (God sending his Son as a lowly servant, to come into the world to give life to the lifeless), and Smriti's willingness to humble herself and come into the slums to serve these people by showing them what true life can be. What a powerful reminder this is for me--to give life is to sacrifice something of your own--wow!!
Our team is getting along well. I'm very thankful two women have joined the team (Adrienne and Shelley). They were able to really connect with the women in the slums in a way that men cannot. Randy has also been such an asset to the team, as his fun-loving and kind spirit has put a smile on so many faces, whether he's posing on a rickshaw with some of the kids or cracking a joke in the hour long taxi ride while sitting in wall to wall traffic. This is a great team of people to be with.
Today is our last day in Calcutta. Tomorrow we head south to Rajahmundry. We spent the day seeing some of the sights. One of which was an area of the city with a large Hindu temple. The streets surrounding the temple were bathed in vendors selling items to offer to the gods and perform necessary rituals. I actually really felt a darkness while walking through here. To see so many people celebrating their devotion to an array of gods they do not know. To see their desperation for some sort of "blessing." And all the while, all of the brokenness surrounding this building. Literally. People lying on the street dying, crying, and begging. Women selling their bodies. And police officers sitting in the shade as though they were there to keep it that way. My heart hurt. My mind ached. My spirit uneasy. Quite a way to end our time in this city of sensory overload.
There is so much more to tell. Perhaps I will share more of the stories from Calcutta when my mind is rested. Thank you for reading and praying for us.