It is Nov. 16th. I have found my third cyber cafe in Jadavpur today. Let's see how it goes!!!
I have just read by Sun post, and I am sure that I wrote more. I remember having trouble posting on Sunday, and just maybe I lost some of it. I thought I had mentioned Sashi along with Shalom. Sashi is from Nagaland and regularly leads worship at JJF. He is a gifted guitarist as are many from Nagaland . . . we had a lot of students from Nagaland when I taught at Woodstock School. Anyway, as I suspected, as we talked on Sun, I learned that Sashi has been through our drug recovery program. He is currently studying graphic design at Jadavpur University. He told me through tears that he often struggles still with temptations related to his addiction. I encouraged him to be in the Word daily, and even if he didn't have much time, to go to the Psalms in order to be encouraged by them. I have been praying for him this week as he comes to my mind often. I will not be in Kolkata this Sun, and I will miss seeing him and just checking in with him.
I will not be in Kolkata because I am going way down South for a week to Ooty, one of the beautiful hill stations in India. I will be attending a retreat for several who are also partners with AlongSide Asia. I used to work with some of them 40 years or so ago when we were all with OM. It will be wonderful to hear what the Lord is doing in their part of this great land!
Children's Day was on Mon the 14th. It is a wonderful concept, and I wish I could have been present at more than one of our projects as the day was celebrated differently in different places. I was at the Calcutta Emmanuel School and went with the Nursery and Kg students to a nearby park. We walked which is another story in itself with that many wee ones, but I think the kids had a great time! We were back in time for lunch . . . fried rice and chili chicken! I also saw some eating ice cream for dessert. Grades 1 - 4 went to the zoo and those in 5 - 10 went to Science City. They were also back in time for the special lunch.
Later in the day I went to the Mall to pick up a couple of things and they were decorated with Mickey Mouse characters, and even a bounce castle, or whatever you call them!!! At Spencer's the place where I went to shop, they were playing children's songs which I frankly found irritating. One of the things that I have realized recently is the I live in a lot of noise!!! My bedroom is on a busy street, and the last thing I hear at night is the honking of various kinds of horns . . . different vehicles here have different sounds . . . that's another whole story.
Yesterday I was over on Ripon Street at the EMC office and enjoyed spending time with some of the teachers and children at the Pavement Club, informal education with children who live in nearby slums. Their teachers had put on skits for the kids . . . I know that they had been practicing for some time. It sounds like they had a really fun day! I kind of wished that I had been there. Special food was also no doubt apart of their day.
I am finding out more of the stories of the 20 "children" who live at the Pauline Bhavan. They range in age from about 4 to maybe 17 or 18. Several of them know nothing of their parentage, two sisters have parents who live on platform 8 of one of the local train stations. Two other girls, who are also sisters, have parents who run a tea stall at the Victoria Memorial in the heart of the city. For these four young women, "going home" means sleeping on the street. It does give one perspective on what it means to them to live with us.
Wed is a big day at PB. The counselor and some of those who tutor come. I am also working with Ishob on M, W, and F evening. He is in grade one but really struggles with reading. I found some games the other day at the Mall to help with that. I have enjoyed using them with the kids! Tonight Ishob and I are going to talk about long vowel sounds! He is such a sweet boy, and has started teasing me about the way I pronounce Bengali. Apparently to his ear, I have a drawl!!! I think I have about learned which child belongs to which name. It hasn't been easy for me!!! Zubani and Moala, the house parents have been a big help.
Sat I had a visitor, an old WS student who lives in Delhi and was en route to Bangladesh for training. He was the second to pass through recently bearing news of what the Father is doing in BD . . . very encouraging!!!
I have just read by Sun post, and I am sure that I wrote more. I remember having trouble posting on Sunday, and just maybe I lost some of it. I thought I had mentioned Sashi along with Shalom. Sashi is from Nagaland and regularly leads worship at JJF. He is a gifted guitarist as are many from Nagaland . . . we had a lot of students from Nagaland when I taught at Woodstock School. Anyway, as I suspected, as we talked on Sun, I learned that Sashi has been through our drug recovery program. He is currently studying graphic design at Jadavpur University. He told me through tears that he often struggles still with temptations related to his addiction. I encouraged him to be in the Word daily, and even if he didn't have much time, to go to the Psalms in order to be encouraged by them. I have been praying for him this week as he comes to my mind often. I will not be in Kolkata this Sun, and I will miss seeing him and just checking in with him.
I will not be in Kolkata because I am going way down South for a week to Ooty, one of the beautiful hill stations in India. I will be attending a retreat for several who are also partners with AlongSide Asia. I used to work with some of them 40 years or so ago when we were all with OM. It will be wonderful to hear what the Lord is doing in their part of this great land!
Children's Day was on Mon the 14th. It is a wonderful concept, and I wish I could have been present at more than one of our projects as the day was celebrated differently in different places. I was at the Calcutta Emmanuel School and went with the Nursery and Kg students to a nearby park. We walked which is another story in itself with that many wee ones, but I think the kids had a great time! We were back in time for lunch . . . fried rice and chili chicken! I also saw some eating ice cream for dessert. Grades 1 - 4 went to the zoo and those in 5 - 10 went to Science City. They were also back in time for the special lunch.
Later in the day I went to the Mall to pick up a couple of things and they were decorated with Mickey Mouse characters, and even a bounce castle, or whatever you call them!!! At Spencer's the place where I went to shop, they were playing children's songs which I frankly found irritating. One of the things that I have realized recently is the I live in a lot of noise!!! My bedroom is on a busy street, and the last thing I hear at night is the honking of various kinds of horns . . . different vehicles here have different sounds . . . that's another whole story.
Yesterday I was over on Ripon Street at the EMC office and enjoyed spending time with some of the teachers and children at the Pavement Club, informal education with children who live in nearby slums. Their teachers had put on skits for the kids . . . I know that they had been practicing for some time. It sounds like they had a really fun day! I kind of wished that I had been there. Special food was also no doubt apart of their day.
I am finding out more of the stories of the 20 "children" who live at the Pauline Bhavan. They range in age from about 4 to maybe 17 or 18. Several of them know nothing of their parentage, two sisters have parents who live on platform 8 of one of the local train stations. Two other girls, who are also sisters, have parents who run a tea stall at the Victoria Memorial in the heart of the city. For these four young women, "going home" means sleeping on the street. It does give one perspective on what it means to them to live with us.
Wed is a big day at PB. The counselor and some of those who tutor come. I am also working with Ishob on M, W, and F evening. He is in grade one but really struggles with reading. I found some games the other day at the Mall to help with that. I have enjoyed using them with the kids! Tonight Ishob and I are going to talk about long vowel sounds! He is such a sweet boy, and has started teasing me about the way I pronounce Bengali. Apparently to his ear, I have a drawl!!! I think I have about learned which child belongs to which name. It hasn't been easy for me!!! Zubani and Moala, the house parents have been a big help.
Sat I had a visitor, an old WS student who lives in Delhi and was en route to Bangladesh for training. He was the second to pass through recently bearing news of what the Father is doing in BD . . . very encouraging!!!
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