As I sit in our hotel room for our last night in Kolkata, time seems quite surreal. We have been here for almost five weeks. In some ways, it feels like we've been here much longer and in the next thought, it feels like it was only a few days ago we landed in this country so foreign to us!
The past few days have been very full. On Monday, Rachel had a small team visit the outreaches of Tabitha's Heart. Rebekah and I joined them for part of the day. The team came from Boise, Idaho and Medford, Oregon. They are connected with a state-side not for profit which raises funds to support various NGOs (non government organizations) who support children in India. It would be wonderful if Tabitha's becomes one of the supported organizations!
We started the day at the local youth centers, Charisma House 1 and 2. Ryan, from Oregon, had many questions for us concerning our time here. He works part time putting together short term mission/service teams and as a children/youth director at his church. He was 12 years old when he went on his first mission trip and he really connected with Rebekah!
Then we went on to the newest center located a few miles away, Topsia. We hadn't visited that center before. It was a great space with room for growth. Not many children were in attendance that day. This could be partially because the day before was a holiday, India's Republic Day, and the work is so new that Rachel and the team are still building relationships and trust within the community so the families feel safe to have their children participate in the programming. That location only serves nursery/preschool age children at this time. So it was decorated with their bright colored drawings.
Off to the boys' and girls' home we went. We also had not visited the boys' home (Randy had). Boys will be boys--they are definitely rougher on the home and their belongings than the girls are! Twenty one boys (from early teens to twenties) live in the home. Some boys are still in school and the others have classes in the home. This home serves the needs of recovering addicts (ranging from sniffing glue to heroine). The guys were very friendly and were not camera shy whatsoever!
And finally we were at the girls home (Rebekah and I had visited by ourselves the day before). We spent the rest of the afternoon there while Rachel took the team to their next destination (another NGO). Both days we visited the girls, Rebekah had so much fun playing with them! We were surprised because Shagufta, our sponsor child, wasn't home. We found out that she had been spending time caring for her mom (in the government hospital) who had an operation. Fortunately, we were able to get her a message to come to the home on Monday so we could say goodbye.
We had an interesting experience that afternoon. While the children were playing outside, a large group of teen girls (very well dressed) walked by. At first they didn't notice Rebekah and me. I could tell they were "looking down" on our girls and whispering about them. I found myself very protective of the girls we've grown to love. Then, the group walking by saw Rebekah and me. They asked if they could take pictures with us. I felt quite conflicted since I'd just witnessed their discriminatory spirit toward our group. But, we consented to the pictures (what else could we do?). They asked us where we were from and we told them. All of a sudden they squeeled and giggled and said, "Oh, Justin Beiber!" They asked if we knew him. It took Rebekah and me great restraint not to bust out laughing. "No, we don't know him but we know he is from Canada," we replied. Rebekah has not been interested in any of the "teensensations" thus far and thought it was quite silly that these girls were so giddy and thought we might know Justin Beiber.
A little while later, we had to bid our goodbyes to the girls and the young boys. It was difficult to think we won't have the regular contact we've become accustomed to. I am not certain if or when we will return. We may never see these precious children, again. This will take a while to process (but I sense that won't happen until we actually transition at home).
On Tuesday, we went to the Victoria Memorial Gardens. This is in the older part of the city where the British first came. Walking through the gardens was very peaceful. The flowers were in full bloom. The lawns were kept up nicely lending to many areas to sit and relax. We saw a tent set up for a wedding. The memorial (building) was breathtaking. We were allowed to take pictures outdoors but not in the building. The architecture was grand and held many intricate details. Inside the ceilings were reminiscent of cathedrals, including some stained glass windows). We saw an art exhibit with portraits depicting the local area many years ago. There were pictures depicting the journey of creating the memorial and much more.
Since we'd discovered that Shagufta was staying in the hospital with her mom (located on our side of the city), we have had unexpected additional time with her. What a blessing! We took Shagufta and Rubina (a staff member) out for an early dinner last night. It was fun to "spoil" them a bit.
Due to family circumstances, Shagufta hadn't been able to buy groceries for a while. So,we trekked to Spencers last night and filled the cart with some basic food items. Unfortunately, there is a rule that you cannot take pictures or video in the store. I wish we could have. It was so amazing to watch the two girls walk hand in hand up and down the aisles, giggling, and filling the cart. Shagufta couldn't believe everything we sent home with her.
Sharing about Shagufta may be a bit confusing. She usually lives out at the girls' home due to very difficult circumstances at home. She is offered a safer and more vibrant life in the girls' home. However, due to her mother's illness she has spent the past week mostly at the hospital but some time in her small home.
I will also clarify about how the government hospital system works here. This evening we visited Shagufta's mom. She had warned us about the conditions, but no words could describe what we witnessed. Unfortunately, the lighting was not conducive to pictures. We walked into the hospital and it was filthy. We climbed several flights of stairs to get to her mom's room. On the way, there were smaller rooms housing supplies (that's a loose term) and possibly some offices. Again, everything was dirty. I can't imagine how anyone gets well in such unsanitary conditions. Upon arrival to see Shagufta's mom, we entered a large room housing approximately 20 women (there are seperate rooms for men and women). The beds were meager cots with a sheet and blanket. Shagufta warned us that her mom's bed has bed bugs.
Shagufta's uncle and cousin were also visiting. They had requested to meet Shagufta's sponsors to thank us for our generosity. It was very humbling to take in the surroundings and their gratitude. The hospital does very minimal care. Doctors prescribe medications, but family members are responsible to go to the pharmacy to pick up the meds. and administer them. Also, the food is not always safe. Therefore, family members have the burden of bringing food and water, as well. Shagufta has been caring for her mother for almost two weeks, hardly sleeping on a hard chair by her mother's bed, and eating very little. My heart has broken for this young girl who carries such immense burdens and responsibilities. I know we can't fix everything, but I am thankful we could help meet some basic needs and alleviate some immediate burdens.
Today we also were invited to Rubina's home (staff from youth center). It was an honor to have built a close enough relationship with her to be invited to visit her home. Rubina has eight siblings. She is second oldest. All the children still live at home. Her family lives on the first floor of the building. They share the space with her uncle's family. Rubina took us into what we thought was a fairly large room for this area. After visiting for a little while, we came to realize that the majority of her family also sleeps in this room. Suddenly the room seemed much smaller. They do have electricity, a nice refrigerator, and tv. The hallway houses the electric range tops for cooking. They do not have an oven. Her uncle's family lives another room and there is a common room they share (some of her siblings sleep there). We met her brother (next in line down from her). His english was excellent and he engaged us in conversation. A highlight for Rebekah was when Rubina showed her the hand-cranked sewing machine. Neither of us had seen one cranked by hand. Rubina is an accomplished seamstress and showed us one of her newest projects. She had Rebekah sew on the machine. Apparently they do have an electric machine but it is broken so she is grateful for to have the antique machine so she can keep sewing.
We are winding down tonight. We have packed most of our belongings and will finish in the morning. Our plans tomorrow include going to the center to say goodbye to staff and make sure we eat a solid meal before we leave for the airport.
I'm uncetain if I will have access to wi-fi while we are in Germany. I will try to post another blog entry, otherwise I will definitely do so upon returning home.
Until next time...
We started the day at the local youth centers, Charisma House 1 and 2. Ryan, from Oregon, had many questions for us concerning our time here. He works part time putting together short term mission/service teams and as a children/youth director at his church. He was 12 years old when he went on his first mission trip and he really connected with Rebekah!
Then we went on to the newest center located a few miles away, Topsia. We hadn't visited that center before. It was a great space with room for growth. Not many children were in attendance that day. This could be partially because the day before was a holiday, India's Republic Day, and the work is so new that Rachel and the team are still building relationships and trust within the community so the families feel safe to have their children participate in the programming. That location only serves nursery/preschool age children at this time. So it was decorated with their bright colored drawings.
Off to the boys' and girls' home we went. We also had not visited the boys' home (Randy had). Boys will be boys--they are definitely rougher on the home and their belongings than the girls are! Twenty one boys (from early teens to twenties) live in the home. Some boys are still in school and the others have classes in the home. This home serves the needs of recovering addicts (ranging from sniffing glue to heroine). The guys were very friendly and were not camera shy whatsoever!
And finally we were at the girls home (Rebekah and I had visited by ourselves the day before). We spent the rest of the afternoon there while Rachel took the team to their next destination (another NGO). Both days we visited the girls, Rebekah had so much fun playing with them! We were surprised because Shagufta, our sponsor child, wasn't home. We found out that she had been spending time caring for her mom (in the government hospital) who had an operation. Fortunately, we were able to get her a message to come to the home on Monday so we could say goodbye.
We had an interesting experience that afternoon. While the children were playing outside, a large group of teen girls (very well dressed) walked by. At first they didn't notice Rebekah and me. I could tell they were "looking down" on our girls and whispering about them. I found myself very protective of the girls we've grown to love. Then, the group walking by saw Rebekah and me. They asked if they could take pictures with us. I felt quite conflicted since I'd just witnessed their discriminatory spirit toward our group. But, we consented to the pictures (what else could we do?). They asked us where we were from and we told them. All of a sudden they squeeled and giggled and said, "Oh, Justin Beiber!" They asked if we knew him. It took Rebekah and me great restraint not to bust out laughing. "No, we don't know him but we know he is from Canada," we replied. Rebekah has not been interested in any of the "teensensations" thus far and thought it was quite silly that these girls were so giddy and thought we might know Justin Beiber.
A little while later, we had to bid our goodbyes to the girls and the young boys. It was difficult to think we won't have the regular contact we've become accustomed to. I am not certain if or when we will return. We may never see these precious children, again. This will take a while to process (but I sense that won't happen until we actually transition at home).
On Tuesday, we went to the Victoria Memorial Gardens. This is in the older part of the city where the British first came. Walking through the gardens was very peaceful. The flowers were in full bloom. The lawns were kept up nicely lending to many areas to sit and relax. We saw a tent set up for a wedding. The memorial (building) was breathtaking. We were allowed to take pictures outdoors but not in the building. The architecture was grand and held many intricate details. Inside the ceilings were reminiscent of cathedrals, including some stained glass windows). We saw an art exhibit with portraits depicting the local area many years ago. There were pictures depicting the journey of creating the memorial and much more.
Since we'd discovered that Shagufta was staying in the hospital with her mom (located on our side of the city), we have had unexpected additional time with her. What a blessing! We took Shagufta and Rubina (a staff member) out for an early dinner last night. It was fun to "spoil" them a bit.
Due to family circumstances, Shagufta hadn't been able to buy groceries for a while. So,we trekked to Spencers last night and filled the cart with some basic food items. Unfortunately, there is a rule that you cannot take pictures or video in the store. I wish we could have. It was so amazing to watch the two girls walk hand in hand up and down the aisles, giggling, and filling the cart. Shagufta couldn't believe everything we sent home with her.
Sharing about Shagufta may be a bit confusing. She usually lives out at the girls' home due to very difficult circumstances at home. She is offered a safer and more vibrant life in the girls' home. However, due to her mother's illness she has spent the past week mostly at the hospital but some time in her small home.
I will also clarify about how the government hospital system works here. This evening we visited Shagufta's mom. She had warned us about the conditions, but no words could describe what we witnessed. Unfortunately, the lighting was not conducive to pictures. We walked into the hospital and it was filthy. We climbed several flights of stairs to get to her mom's room. On the way, there were smaller rooms housing supplies (that's a loose term) and possibly some offices. Again, everything was dirty. I can't imagine how anyone gets well in such unsanitary conditions. Upon arrival to see Shagufta's mom, we entered a large room housing approximately 20 women (there are seperate rooms for men and women). The beds were meager cots with a sheet and blanket. Shagufta warned us that her mom's bed has bed bugs.
Shagufta's uncle and cousin were also visiting. They had requested to meet Shagufta's sponsors to thank us for our generosity. It was very humbling to take in the surroundings and their gratitude. The hospital does very minimal care. Doctors prescribe medications, but family members are responsible to go to the pharmacy to pick up the meds. and administer them. Also, the food is not always safe. Therefore, family members have the burden of bringing food and water, as well. Shagufta has been caring for her mother for almost two weeks, hardly sleeping on a hard chair by her mother's bed, and eating very little. My heart has broken for this young girl who carries such immense burdens and responsibilities. I know we can't fix everything, but I am thankful we could help meet some basic needs and alleviate some immediate burdens.
Today we also were invited to Rubina's home (staff from youth center). It was an honor to have built a close enough relationship with her to be invited to visit her home. Rubina has eight siblings. She is second oldest. All the children still live at home. Her family lives on the first floor of the building. They share the space with her uncle's family. Rubina took us into what we thought was a fairly large room for this area. After visiting for a little while, we came to realize that the majority of her family also sleeps in this room. Suddenly the room seemed much smaller. They do have electricity, a nice refrigerator, and tv. The hallway houses the electric range tops for cooking. They do not have an oven. Her uncle's family lives another room and there is a common room they share (some of her siblings sleep there). We met her brother (next in line down from her). His english was excellent and he engaged us in conversation. A highlight for Rebekah was when Rubina showed her the hand-cranked sewing machine. Neither of us had seen one cranked by hand. Rubina is an accomplished seamstress and showed us one of her newest projects. She had Rebekah sew on the machine. Apparently they do have an electric machine but it is broken so she is grateful for to have the antique machine so she can keep sewing.
We are winding down tonight. We have packed most of our belongings and will finish in the morning. Our plans tomorrow include going to the center to say goodbye to staff and make sure we eat a solid meal before we leave for the airport.
I'm uncetain if I will have access to wi-fi while we are in Germany. I will try to post another blog entry, otherwise I will definitely do so upon returning home.
Until next time...
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