Day 7: Serving Duars

Tuesday we spent serving the project through painting, and building.  The program is expanding to be able to help more children, and they need more classroom space!  So we had to learn quickly the art of Indian brick-laying, and helped create the new rooms.  We also worked on painting some parts of the newly-created playground.

Pastors Rajiv and Pravir make sure our wall is plumb.

Sara and Jane paint the gate to the playground.

Doug also opened the Compassion program this afternoon, with a great song he wrote himself last night when he couldn't sleep.  He patiently taught the children to sing the song in English.

We've already made so many friends here, and we feel so welcome and so blessed to be able to witness, and be part of, this miracle that God is doing here in India.  We miss the comforts (and cheeseburgers) of home, we miss our families, and we miss the quiet streets of Stevens Point.  But we are continuing to be blown away by all that God is doing here.

Please pray for our team, as we are doing some community evangelism tomorrow, where several team members are preaching and giving testimonies in the communities (with a translator, of course).  We are also opening the compassion program, and doing the teaching in all of the classrooms.  A lot to get ready for!  There is so much spiritual darkness in the villages here - so many idols everywhere we look.  Please pray that God would demolish the strongholds in these people, and open their heart to the gospel as we share the good news tomorrow.

Day 6: Duars Child Development Center - A Portrait of Love

We spent Monday at the Duars Child Development Center, observing the staff, and assisting as much as possible with the programs.  Miracles are happening here - hundreds of children flock each day to the center, as the highlight of their day, because this place is filled with love.  And because of the hundreds of children that hear the gospel here, hundreds of families are hearing the gospel when those children go back to their homes.  Here's a small glimpse of what we've been able to be a part of:

Monday started out with several of the team members being able to go to their sponsored child's home and visit their families!  This was an amazing time of being able to meet them, share love with them, and encourage them.  Children gathered and giggled as we gave the gifts that we had brought for them.  Parents stood tall as they felt the love of these people from around the world.

Andrew and Sarah meeting Sajina's family

As we've written before, the staff here has treated us as honored guests, so we have been recipient of the most amazing Indian feasts for lunch.  One thing is for sure - we have eaten good on this trip!

Next, we began the 3-hour task of preparing dinner for the 350 children that would be coming.  This included cutting up vegetables, peeling boiled eggs, and stirring huge cauldrons on a fire.

The children begin arriving around 2:00 (the program doesn't start until 3:00), all dressed in their center uniforms.  The older children grab water and spread it on the dirt courtyard to help keep the dust down during the day's program.  We got out the frisbees we had brought, and they were an immediate hit with all the children.

The program starts promptly at 3:00, and all the children line up very orderly in straight lines, by age group, each evenly spaced apart.  They say prayers and sing songs together in a large group.

Then, they each split into separate classes, some in "classrooms" (cement-floor rooms, with tin walls and roof), and some on tarps in the dirt courtyard.  Instructors teach them songs (In Bengali or English), reading, writing, drawing, math, and/or geography.  Several team members got to help teach new songs in English!

The last part of the program is dinner.  We had the privilege of serving the children.  We were touched by the hearts with which the older children go through the line with two plates, and go serve the younger children.  When all have been served, only then do the older children eat.  And wow, do they eat!  And eat and eat and eat!  Being that it may be the only meal they get in a day, they eat two - or three - large plates full of rice, vegetables, eggs, a sweet (dessert), and hot milk.

Our faces hurt from smiling.  Our minds spun from a love overdose.  This small, humble center in North-East, rural India, is an amazing place.

Day5: Off to Samuktola!

Day 6:

(Day 5 will have to be posted later - sorry!)  suffice it to say Day 5 was filled morning to night with all kinds of travel... air and land... and the land travel was characterized by one of our team as a "300 mile roller coaster'.  A very apt description.  think of an old unused logging road with potholes that would make Buzz Aldrin jealous ;)

Yep.  rough.  and it was a full 4 hours...

Anyway on to today:

To say that today was powerful and life changing for every member of our team would be a vast overstatement.

We traveled to EI-187, our Church 2 Church partner and the Compassion Project site.

We were greeted by a flowing stream of children wanting to greet us with "hello", "good morning", and "Nomoshkar" - the local greeting.  Tears flowed freely and our hearts were incredibly touched by the unconditional love shown us by the kids and the adults.

We then joined the church for worship.  Again, it may sound like an overstatement to say it was a piece, or glimpse of heaven, but also very, very true. One of the young men shared how he had come to Christ from a Hindu background, in a village with strong demon oppression.  only the prayers of visiting pastors drove the demons away and he (and his family) now believe in Jesus. They honored us all publicly during the service and by the end both a group of men and a group of women were dancing to praise songs of Jesus. We're hoping to post video at some point, but just to be here and experience the strong, heartfelt adoration of Jesus by our Indian brothers and sisters was more moving than words can articulate.

Part of our team then split off the main service to teach Sunday School, which again ... powerful.  Jane W, Sara H, Rob M and a few others taught the kids lessons as well as teaching them "Jesus Loves Me This I Know' for the first time they had ever heard it.  They caught on very quickly.

After this the church held a dedication ceremony for the new playground Woodlands helped build.  Pastor Brian cut the ribbon and the children got their first opportunity to play on the playground.  Pastor Brian described it best as "pure unadulterated joy."  We had so much fun playing with the kids on the slides, merry go rounds, swings, teeter totters and monkey bars.

Next we shared a wonderful Indian lunch which was soooo good and we got to know the pastors better.

After lunch our team sang, "Here I Am to Worship" for them and then Pastor Rajib shared stories of how God is moving among them, including some truly miraculous stories.  Real miracles - not just cool stories.  genuine miracles.

Next we were part of their jr/sr high time.  These kids are from the village and not necessarily part of the church. I (Doug) shared "Glory to God Forever" with them and then Paul Otto shared an out-of-the-park message that had us all moved deeply.  We then taught these students the chorus to "Rescuer' and sang together of our God Who is 'mighty and strong to save.'

  After this time several of us shared our stories of how we came to faith in Christ and the time ended with Pastor Rajib and Pastor Praveer giving an invitation for the kids to place their trust in Christ.  Six responded for the first time.  Six children of India, now six brand new children of God! What an awesome God we serve!!!!

Next we "took tea" and we then surprised to meet our sponsored children well ahead of when we thought we would be able to.  This was a very deeply moving experience and we are very excited to continue the ministry we are here for!

Please continue to pray for us for the work ahead.  We miss soft beds, hot showers and real burgers... scratch that last part - we are all in love with Indian food now.  Yes, even Jane W and Dara H.
We miss aspects of home, but this is 'just the way we like it.'

For the team,
Doug

Day 4: Off to our project!

The enthusiasm and warm hospitality of the Compassion staff here has simply increased our enthusiasm for getting to the church and Compassion project.

Our Compassion host, Marty, shared with us that if a child receives just one letter from their sponsor each year, their academic performance improves 12%. The letters we write our sponsored children do really get there, and are very important.

Everyone is healthy and got a pretty good night of sleep last night.

Were off to catch our flight. Don't know when well be able to write again. Were back in Kolkata next Saturday, so it might not be until then.

Thank you for your prayers!