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!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Day 3: Meeting Compassion East India
This morning Doug led us in a great time of worship, and Brian encouraged us with some things to remember for the week. God has blessed our team with amazing unity so far - pray that it continues for the next two weeks!
This morning we set out to see the Compassion East India office and meet the people that work there. On the way, we got a much better view of the city of Kolkata. Abject poverty sits next to modern buildings and businesses, and bamboo scaffolding surrounds modern buildings for painting or cleaning.
Pastor Henry, from the East India office, spoke to us about the strategies Compassion uses to reach children and their families here in India. Compassion has only been in East India for 8 years, but has already grown to helping nearly 50,000 children! We were all inspired as we listened to the staff's enthusiasm about the work that they do. For them, this isn't just a job - it's a calling.
Then we got to see the staff's offices, and see where they process sponsor letters. Even if a sponsor doesn't write their child, this staff makes sure each of the 50,000 child receives a letter every other month. Talk about an enormous task! Talk about enormous love!
This morning we set out to see the Compassion East India office and meet the people that work there. On the way, we got a much better view of the city of Kolkata. Abject poverty sits next to modern buildings and businesses, and bamboo scaffolding surrounds modern buildings for painting or cleaning.
Pastor Henry, from the East India office, spoke to us about the strategies Compassion uses to reach children and their families here in India. Compassion has only been in East India for 8 years, but has already grown to helping nearly 50,000 children! We were all inspired as we listened to the staff's enthusiasm about the work that they do. For them, this isn't just a job - it's a calling.
Then we got to see the staff's offices, and see where they process sponsor letters. Even if a sponsor doesn't write their child, this staff makes sure each of the 50,000 child receives a letter every other month. Talk about an enormous task! Talk about enormous love!
Then we headed out to lunch and to visit Mother Theresa's home. We saw more of the city... And the Compassion staff at all times were there to guide us and make sure we felt safe.
Days 1 and 2: In the Air
We met early at church to say farewell to our families and head to O'Hare. Bill Whalen graciously agreed to drive us all in a 15-passenger van to Chicago. Once there, we met up with 5 individuals from a church in Racine and a member of the Compassion staff that would accompany us on the whole trip.
We boarded our Air India 777 - which holds close to 400 people - and settled in for our 14 hour flight. Luckily, the plane was only half full, so we got to spread out a little. We left nearly on time, and soon got our first taste of India (literaly) with a delicious spicy dinner.
We passed the time reading, talking, and watching movies onboard. But soon we were drifting off to sleep - some better than others. To help get our internal clocks adjusted, they woke us up at 3:30 am (central time) to feed us breakfast - again a very impressive meal for airplane food!
And then we landed in Delhi, and the adventure began. Our fearless leader led us through customs and we got our visas stamped. But soon we found out that was the wrong thing to do, and we weren't supposed to go through customs until we got to Kolkata. So then we stood around for an hour while they tried to "cancel" our visa stamps. It was one of the many chances we will a get on this trip to trust that God is in control - seeing someone walk away with all your passports and disappear for any amount of time is always a little scary.
But soon we were back to where we were supposed to be, and on our flight to Kolkata. Once we got there, around 11 pm, the Compassion India staff were waiting with a bus to take us on an hour ride through the streets of Kolkata. Wow, what a different world it is here. The streets were still packed with Taxis and cars, and a constant honking of horns. But soon we checked in to the BMS retreat center, thankful for an actual bed, and exhausted after a long two days of travel.
We boarded our Air India 777 - which holds close to 400 people - and settled in for our 14 hour flight. Luckily, the plane was only half full, so we got to spread out a little. We left nearly on time, and soon got our first taste of India (literaly) with a delicious spicy dinner.
We passed the time reading, talking, and watching movies onboard. But soon we were drifting off to sleep - some better than others. To help get our internal clocks adjusted, they woke us up at 3:30 am (central time) to feed us breakfast - again a very impressive meal for airplane food!
And then we landed in Delhi, and the adventure began. Our fearless leader led us through customs and we got our visas stamped. But soon we found out that was the wrong thing to do, and we weren't supposed to go through customs until we got to Kolkata. So then we stood around for an hour while they tried to "cancel" our visa stamps. It was one of the many chances we will a get on this trip to trust that God is in control - seeing someone walk away with all your passports and disappear for any amount of time is always a little scary.
But soon we were back to where we were supposed to be, and on our flight to Kolkata. Once we got there, around 11 pm, the Compassion India staff were waiting with a bus to take us on an hour ride through the streets of Kolkata. Wow, what a different world it is here. The streets were still packed with Taxis and cars, and a constant honking of horns. But soon we checked in to the BMS retreat center, thankful for an actual bed, and exhausted after a long two days of travel.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
We made it!
After hours of flights, and a small snafu in the Delhi airport, we got into Kolkata around 11pm last night, and then took a 45 min bus ride to the BMS Retreat Center, and got a few hours of sleep. Just ate breakfast and getting ready to go visit the Compassion office!
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