Hey there!
It is so hard to sum up my life here, but there are so many
little things that continue to brighten my days and lift my spirits.
I wake at 8:30 in the morning, on the concrete floor with
only a small mattress as my bed. I wake up, frankly, very uncomfortable. But
when I open my eyes, I see that I am being surrounded by a team of 11 loving
sisters, and holding each other up is the most beautiful thing.
Our team starts off our day in study of the Word and in
worship and prayer.
We walk to Asha home at 10 am, and are always greeted by
precious children, grinning and they never fail to be excited to see us. We eat
a wonderful breakfast cooked by Pastor Sam’s wife, Bayula.
After that, we spend team time together, either having quiet
time, which is sometimes much needed or we go out on the streets for ministry.
We eat a great lunch at 1:30, yellow is starting to be a
very common colour for our food!
And at 2:30, the boys get home from school, which they start
at 5 am, and we tutor them in English and Math for 2 hours. I have loved
teaching the girls with Abby, they continue to blow me away with how much they
want to learn. It seems almost surreal, reminding me of when I would play
school with my dolls and stuffed animals, except this time, I am writing on a
tiny blackboard, with limited chalk to 8 beautiful girls, eyes wide open and
trying their best to repeat what I say. My favourite thing is when the girls
copy down the words on their scrappy notebooks, and then shriek “Auntie, Auntie”
and show me their proud accomplishment. And when I am pleased, their faces are
beaming.
At 6:00, its prayer time, a time I absolutely adore. All the
Aunties and kids pile into a tiny room, and we all pray aloud, with Pastor Sam’s
booming voice singing his praises. We all clap and sing songs, and then listen
to the devotion that one of us Aunties have prepared.
In the evening, we have more time to reflect and spend time
together. Our days are so full of great things, so many blessings. I love what
our ministry is like here, and I love what life looks like here!
Yesterday, our team went to a youth fellowship night in
downtown Kolkata. It was so incredible to see so many joyful and on-fire Indian
youth, gathering together without fear and praising their Father. Their faces
are so bright and they walk in freedom. Praise the Lord for them! These are the
people who can make such a difference in their nation! On our drive back to
Barasat, Kolkata, there were so many things to see. We drove past Mother Teresa’s
homes for the dying, we saw 3 Indian weddings in progress, full of lights and
colour on parade, and a funeral, where the deceased was placed in a glass
coffin with bright flowers covering the body. Its incredible to think that we
are in India, but all these crazy things we see are good reminders to make the
most of every day, and every moment. Because how many more chances are there to
be here, doing what we are doing! I am falling more and more in love with this
place, and I seem to find encouragement everywhere I look.
