My last post on India stopped when we had gone to Calcutta from Delhi.
We arrived in Calcutta and went to our hotel there, but we didn't stay the night.
We left our things there and packed an overnight/day bag.
We went to the Calcutta train station around 9.
Left around 11 p.m. on an 8 hr overnight trip to Purulia where the ministry does leper ministry.
We arrived in Purulia EARLY in the morning and went to a hotel there where we freshened up and then had breakfast and then went out on a day where we saw and experienced amazing sites.
This is on the train after we put up the 'bed' and were getting ready to arrive.
Even though the quality of this picture is horrible, I had to include it because it helps me remember one of the worst mornings of my life!
I had developed a horrible sinus headache/migraine in the night, but couldn't really sit up to help relieve it - there was nothing - no distraction no way to take medicine -- to take my mind off the pain.
Oh, look!
Here's my friend Debbie- she was in our 'car' on the train.
It slept six - three 'bed' to a side so it was Debbie, Jeanne, myself, Matt, one of the brothers from the field, and Philip, the pastor from San Antonio who was on our trip.
That's Matt taking out his contacts the night before.
Yep, that's how much room you have.
Oh, back to my headache.
When everyone was moving around, I could take some migraine medicine and some people prayed for me back at home and I was better an hour or so later!
It was pretty treacherous ground for a bit.
I was just silently crying from pain - I mean, how 'honestly' can you cry when a brother from the field and a pastor you don't really know are sitting right across from you?
Debbie was an angel though and took care of me, providing me with kleenex upon kleenex and helping me get more comfortable.
BUT, all of that was worth it to see this!
Look at her!
This is one of the two leper colonies we visited. We were giving out food.
It was very surreal.
And ... they gave us gifts - they honored us with flowers and two wrapped gifts - a nice journal and pen for each of us and then we get to pass out food - that we didn't even purchase and parcel out but the brothers and sisters were letting us have that honor. They were taking no reputation for themselves.
It was like stacking debt upon debt as we received honor upon honor.
It was eye-opening to just experience what life is like for these people who LIVE here - to imagine. And to think about the sacrifice of those who come here to serve.
The missionaries get to be the very hands of Jesus to these people as they EVERYDAY change the dressing on the leper's wounds. For those who can't come out, they come to them!
Day in, Day out.
This missionary is a good friend of my friend Rachael here.
Later, on our trip, when we went to GFA's seminary, I heard that this particular student feeling called here and praying for the grace to come was really a great example to many other students who have followed her example.
She liked my glasses.
Jesus Well in action - bringing clean water right to you!
A Goat!
Have you bought some goats yet for a Dalit family in India?
Go to gfa.org and go to the Christmas catalog and have fun shopping.
This is where people live.
There is a Jesus Well right here - think about how much cleaner it is for them to have water that isn't being used by animals and people to bathe in.
Feeling happy yet lame - (for all of the honors being heaped on us)
As I focus on all the light, don't forget about all the darkness that is right there.
I think being surrounded by so much exciting Gospel-work it was hard to really sense the depravity of so many.
Kind of looks like all the store fronts in India - glass canisters lined up.
I guess the ubiquitous 'strip malls' are universal.
The Brother on the right has a ministry of making specific-shoes for the lepers. He was trained on how to measure their feet and make shoes that work for whatever state of disease they are in. Matt videotaping here.
One of our new friends.
Regarding the missionary in the back left standing.
I'd have to look at him twice and make sure he was there sometimes.
It was eerie how much like-Christ this man was.
Never, ever in my life have I been around someone and felt like they were not of this earth.
If Christ were here walking around, I think he'd act like this man, have the same expressions and mannerisms and love as this man.
Yes, you can get in the HOV lane.
WHY do we buy so much for our children here in America?
They hardly even appreciate it or pay attention to it because they have so much and are so distracted by media.
Sorry.
Off the soap box now.
Children at the second Leper Colony we visited.
Front left reminds me of a little girl we used to know!
(Cynthia in case you know her)
Here's our buddy just naturally and instinctively engaging and connecting with the kids.
This Brother serves in Calcutta but came along on the train ride with us.
Matt and I really spent a lot of time with him
and felt like we really got to know him, and him us.
Just the street in their 'neighborhood.'
I know you want to just scoop them up.
We were able to spend some time with these children and pass out more bags - that we didn't acquire and put together, but, it was a gift to us to be able to do that.
The people gathering for a quick meeting and exhortation.
I see pictures like this, and I have already forgotten so much of that day.
I'm glad we have pictures to remind us of what life is like somewhere else.
Not so we can feel sorry for others or feel guilty about ourselves, but so that we can have a 'shelf of realism' about the world on which to hang our thoughts and prayers.
It was a very spiritually-healthy experience to spend so much time around people who have so little and around people who have so much to give of Christ.
Yeah, so these are the girls we later scared with Matt's elephant impersonation.
It came across as scary instead of funny, I fear.
The tires are holding down someone's ROOF.
This is back in Calcutta - somehow I don't have pictures of our return train trip.
We were able to go see Mother's Teresa's ministry site and burial place.
Some machine being used to help build the church building.
Look at this sweet Brother taking such good care of the equipment!
The puppets were a hit, even at a ladies' Bible College.
One of the leaders really liked the puppets and wanted to be in the 'show.'
I think I was sharing my testimony here and some scripture.
Don't worry, I went before the puppets.
They aren't an act you want to follow.
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