Today, Sunday (January 5, 2014) has been a much needed day of rest!
We began our day by attending an Assembly of God church at 8:30a.m. The church is a short walk from our hotel. Apparently it was founded many years ago. We learned that the church has two campuses and holds 15 services in 8 languages! Upon our arrival (today was the last day that all 8 of us from the states and Canada would be together), we weren't quite certain where the english service was held. We could hear a service in progress and it was definitely one of the native languages. A couple minutes later some people came up the stairs and pointed us to our correct destination.
The sanctuary is a bit "old school" compared to what we are accustomed. It's been quite a while since I've sat in a pew donned with hymnals decades old. But once the service began, it was comforting to hear our native language and the members entered into worship led by a 3 person team (minimal instruments) and hearts turned to God. The voices were magnified in harmony assisted by the acoustics of the room. I was quite tired this morning but I found the time in corporate worship rejuvenated my spirit. I was in awe of being so very far away from home and how our common spirituality bridged any cultural gaps.
One of the pastoral team asked if there were any first time visitors. He looked over at our row of milky, white skin and asked the members to welcome the visiting "team." We were encouraged to meet in small room off to the side of the stage after service. I usually feel quite uncomfortable in such situations but knew that there would be no escaping the meeting if it was mentioned again. After all, we don't blend into the crowd very well, lol!
The talk was about looking back at 2013 and pressing forward in 2014. The pastor was passionate about what he shared and stressed that life is a gift and it is short. We were encouraged to make the most of each moment. These were good reminders as we start a new year! Sure enough, we were reminded to join some staff after the service for a few minutes. The experience was positive. I was touched by the dedication of one young woman (staff). She lives 2 hours away from the church and takes public transportation 6 days a week to work. She has to catch the bus at 7a.m. and often doesn't get home until 9 or 10p.m. That reminded me of my season of commuting in Southern California 10 years ago (2-3 hours each way to and from work); however, I had the luxury of driving my own car on those congested freeways.
Randy and I were impressed by the many services and outreaches the church has. Rebekah was a bit bored during the service. It was a bit slower than what she is used to. Overall, we were appreciative to experience the service.
After that, we walked back to our hotel and had to say goodbye to our new friends, the Groff family from Georgia. It's been such a pleasure getting to know them, listening to their heart to meet the needs of the poor, and for their knowledge of traveling overseas. Rebekah already misses Anicka and looks forward to skyping upon our return home. What a wonderful age we live in where technology can span numerous miles! I think these young girls are forever changed being in Kolkata, surrounded by the poorest of the poor. Neither girl lives in an entitled way; but, both are realizing what privileged lives they live. They are very giving and compassionate girls and I can only imagine those attributes will multiply now.
The three of us ventured off by ourselves to Big Bazaar (kind of like a small Walmart). Our first week has taught us to be more savvy when it comes to fares for taxis. We haled one and the driver wanted to charge us more than what it should cost. We held our ground and he agreed to the fare we knew was appropriate and off we went. Rebekah has learned to be assertive with negotiating prices--she is a tough cookie!
We arrived at our destination. Rebekah and I shopped for appropriate Indian attire. I am sure we spent a bit more at this store but after experiencing the chaos (and the very long negotiations) of the open market yesterday; Big Bazaar was convenient and peaceful! Randy looked around the two floors of the store while we tried on our clothes. Then we joined him to stock up on some snack food and pop. Back to the taxis we went. This time the driver quoted significantly less than what we'd been charged before. I think he took a shine to Rebekah and was happy to show off his foreigners in his taxi!
Referring back to yesterday's New Market experience. I'm not much of a shopper to begin with (unless I am at my few favorite stores during less crowded times) so to add a language barrier, mass numbers of people, and sticking out like a sore thumb didn't help me cope. No transactions happen quickly. The market reminded me of when Randy and I had been to Mexico. All the little shops seem to be somehow connected with other shops. They saw us coming and several men "latched" onto us waiting to take us to the next shop. Rebekah was successful with purchasing some jewelry and I found material that our Hutterite friends asked for. The shop owners were "smooth talkers" and referred to us as their brother/sister/niece. Meanwhile they were jacking up the prices for their new family members!
We walked through the meat market. That was "sensory" opening. The smell was overwhelming and the sights were graphic. Randy mentioned that he wouldn't want to eat the chicken or meat that he saw there. The loving wife I am reminded him to think about where else our food we are eating comes from! Ignorance is bliss--we'd rather not see our food in the raw here. I'm not sure where all the chickens are located but there were flats and flats of eggs for sale. Everywhere we looked, we saw something new.
Anyway, after our outing to Big Bazaar, we rested the rest of the afternoon in our hotel room. Randy "braved" our tv. It's very interesting to watch tv here. There are some english channels. Yet, they use very long clips of tv shows as commercials. So, you may think you're actually watching a show and as soon as you are interested and engaged, you realize it's merely a commercial and never find out the ending! Again, we are grateful for some english channels because it is a way to relax and decompress.
Other times, we watch tv shows or movies on youtube. We introduced Rebekah to The Cosby Show and Anicka introduced her to the old cartoon, Dudley Do Right. We watched Esther--One Night With The King last night (kind of...it was very loud due to a wedding that was held at our hotel).
Oh yes, I must pause and tell you of our adventure finding tires for Rachel's van. Due to language and not knowing the area, it took Randy 4 days to locate tires. Yesterday he and I ventured to the car dealership Rachel had purchased her van. We discussed the possibility of purchasing another used vehicle for Tabitha's Heart and inquired about tires. The dealership only sells cars. The salesman directed us to a tire shop down the road. It was already dusk when we started our search. The first two tire shops were already closed but third one was a charm! The shop was very small but Randy was able to communicate our needs to the shopkeeper. There was a ladder to the attic in the cramped quarters. Up the ladder the gentleman went. A couple minutes later, he returned with 2 new tires that looked like they were gift wrapped. Fortunately, he charged us the price that the dealer had told us would be fair. Upon purchase, Randy carried one tire in each hand and we walked back to our hotel. Four days after beginning the search and the tire shop was only a 5 minute walk from "home."
Then we were greeted with an extravagant wedding! There was a live band (trumpets/tuba/drums and so forth) that played for a couple of hours. The getaway car was decorated with a canopy and colorful adornments. Randy and Rebekah went downstairs to watch for a while. Apparently the groom was much more decked out than the bride. That surprised Rebekah. She also said the men were amazing dancers. The festivities ended with fireworks above our courtyard!
Back to our restful day....we did more laundry in our bucket and we have moved up in the world--our friends left us their clothes line! Oh the things we take for granted and the simple pleasures/conveniences we are acutely aware of now.
More tv watching for tonight and hopefully a solid sleep!
We are to meet Rachel in the morning to discuss purchasing a vehicle. Rebekah and I will assist her with admission paperwork for this new school year and assist the children in their studies (as much as we can). Randy only has one week left here and I know it will fly by. I am not worried about his leaving but do question what it will feel like to be here, so far away from home, without him.
I realize this post is a bit of a hodge podge of experiences I've shared but I'm finding my thoughts go in circles as I attempt to put them to writing! So, you get to experience some of our journey with us...
Until next time...
We began our day by attending an Assembly of God church at 8:30a.m. The church is a short walk from our hotel. Apparently it was founded many years ago. We learned that the church has two campuses and holds 15 services in 8 languages! Upon our arrival (today was the last day that all 8 of us from the states and Canada would be together), we weren't quite certain where the english service was held. We could hear a service in progress and it was definitely one of the native languages. A couple minutes later some people came up the stairs and pointed us to our correct destination.
The sanctuary is a bit "old school" compared to what we are accustomed. It's been quite a while since I've sat in a pew donned with hymnals decades old. But once the service began, it was comforting to hear our native language and the members entered into worship led by a 3 person team (minimal instruments) and hearts turned to God. The voices were magnified in harmony assisted by the acoustics of the room. I was quite tired this morning but I found the time in corporate worship rejuvenated my spirit. I was in awe of being so very far away from home and how our common spirituality bridged any cultural gaps.
One of the pastoral team asked if there were any first time visitors. He looked over at our row of milky, white skin and asked the members to welcome the visiting "team." We were encouraged to meet in small room off to the side of the stage after service. I usually feel quite uncomfortable in such situations but knew that there would be no escaping the meeting if it was mentioned again. After all, we don't blend into the crowd very well, lol!
The talk was about looking back at 2013 and pressing forward in 2014. The pastor was passionate about what he shared and stressed that life is a gift and it is short. We were encouraged to make the most of each moment. These were good reminders as we start a new year! Sure enough, we were reminded to join some staff after the service for a few minutes. The experience was positive. I was touched by the dedication of one young woman (staff). She lives 2 hours away from the church and takes public transportation 6 days a week to work. She has to catch the bus at 7a.m. and often doesn't get home until 9 or 10p.m. That reminded me of my season of commuting in Southern California 10 years ago (2-3 hours each way to and from work); however, I had the luxury of driving my own car on those congested freeways.
Randy and I were impressed by the many services and outreaches the church has. Rebekah was a bit bored during the service. It was a bit slower than what she is used to. Overall, we were appreciative to experience the service.
After that, we walked back to our hotel and had to say goodbye to our new friends, the Groff family from Georgia. It's been such a pleasure getting to know them, listening to their heart to meet the needs of the poor, and for their knowledge of traveling overseas. Rebekah already misses Anicka and looks forward to skyping upon our return home. What a wonderful age we live in where technology can span numerous miles! I think these young girls are forever changed being in Kolkata, surrounded by the poorest of the poor. Neither girl lives in an entitled way; but, both are realizing what privileged lives they live. They are very giving and compassionate girls and I can only imagine those attributes will multiply now.
The three of us ventured off by ourselves to Big Bazaar (kind of like a small Walmart). Our first week has taught us to be more savvy when it comes to fares for taxis. We haled one and the driver wanted to charge us more than what it should cost. We held our ground and he agreed to the fare we knew was appropriate and off we went. Rebekah has learned to be assertive with negotiating prices--she is a tough cookie!
We arrived at our destination. Rebekah and I shopped for appropriate Indian attire. I am sure we spent a bit more at this store but after experiencing the chaos (and the very long negotiations) of the open market yesterday; Big Bazaar was convenient and peaceful! Randy looked around the two floors of the store while we tried on our clothes. Then we joined him to stock up on some snack food and pop. Back to the taxis we went. This time the driver quoted significantly less than what we'd been charged before. I think he took a shine to Rebekah and was happy to show off his foreigners in his taxi!
Referring back to yesterday's New Market experience. I'm not much of a shopper to begin with (unless I am at my few favorite stores during less crowded times) so to add a language barrier, mass numbers of people, and sticking out like a sore thumb didn't help me cope. No transactions happen quickly. The market reminded me of when Randy and I had been to Mexico. All the little shops seem to be somehow connected with other shops. They saw us coming and several men "latched" onto us waiting to take us to the next shop. Rebekah was successful with purchasing some jewelry and I found material that our Hutterite friends asked for. The shop owners were "smooth talkers" and referred to us as their brother/sister/niece. Meanwhile they were jacking up the prices for their new family members!
We walked through the meat market. That was "sensory" opening. The smell was overwhelming and the sights were graphic. Randy mentioned that he wouldn't want to eat the chicken or meat that he saw there. The loving wife I am reminded him to think about where else our food we are eating comes from! Ignorance is bliss--we'd rather not see our food in the raw here. I'm not sure where all the chickens are located but there were flats and flats of eggs for sale. Everywhere we looked, we saw something new.
Anyway, after our outing to Big Bazaar, we rested the rest of the afternoon in our hotel room. Randy "braved" our tv. It's very interesting to watch tv here. There are some english channels. Yet, they use very long clips of tv shows as commercials. So, you may think you're actually watching a show and as soon as you are interested and engaged, you realize it's merely a commercial and never find out the ending! Again, we are grateful for some english channels because it is a way to relax and decompress.
Other times, we watch tv shows or movies on youtube. We introduced Rebekah to The Cosby Show and Anicka introduced her to the old cartoon, Dudley Do Right. We watched Esther--One Night With The King last night (kind of...it was very loud due to a wedding that was held at our hotel).
Oh yes, I must pause and tell you of our adventure finding tires for Rachel's van. Due to language and not knowing the area, it took Randy 4 days to locate tires. Yesterday he and I ventured to the car dealership Rachel had purchased her van. We discussed the possibility of purchasing another used vehicle for Tabitha's Heart and inquired about tires. The dealership only sells cars. The salesman directed us to a tire shop down the road. It was already dusk when we started our search. The first two tire shops were already closed but third one was a charm! The shop was very small but Randy was able to communicate our needs to the shopkeeper. There was a ladder to the attic in the cramped quarters. Up the ladder the gentleman went. A couple minutes later, he returned with 2 new tires that looked like they were gift wrapped. Fortunately, he charged us the price that the dealer had told us would be fair. Upon purchase, Randy carried one tire in each hand and we walked back to our hotel. Four days after beginning the search and the tire shop was only a 5 minute walk from "home."
Then we were greeted with an extravagant wedding! There was a live band (trumpets/tuba/drums and so forth) that played for a couple of hours. The getaway car was decorated with a canopy and colorful adornments. Randy and Rebekah went downstairs to watch for a while. Apparently the groom was much more decked out than the bride. That surprised Rebekah. She also said the men were amazing dancers. The festivities ended with fireworks above our courtyard!
Back to our restful day....we did more laundry in our bucket and we have moved up in the world--our friends left us their clothes line! Oh the things we take for granted and the simple pleasures/conveniences we are acutely aware of now.
More tv watching for tonight and hopefully a solid sleep!
We are to meet Rachel in the morning to discuss purchasing a vehicle. Rebekah and I will assist her with admission paperwork for this new school year and assist the children in their studies (as much as we can). Randy only has one week left here and I know it will fly by. I am not worried about his leaving but do question what it will feel like to be here, so far away from home, without him.
I realize this post is a bit of a hodge podge of experiences I've shared but I'm finding my thoughts go in circles as I attempt to put them to writing! So, you get to experience some of our journey with us...
Until next time...
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