Hello Everyone,
A quick update: I just passed the 2 week mark of my time here in India. As stated in my previous entry, I've been working on my research project with the street children in and around Sealdah Station. There were some complications with CINI ASHA that made it to where I was unable to start until late last week. This is about 3 weeks from when I was originally trying to make headway on the project.
In these last 2 weeks, I am attempting to finish both this project as well as my other two classes. In this time, I really covet your prayers for strength and energy of mind, body, and spirit, to not only accomplish these tasks, but also to do them well. Especially with my research project, I do not in any way want to feel rushed with interviews and with my time with the children, for they and their stories deserve all the time, care, and attention that I am able to give. I have been feeling very weak at times due to fatigue, neck pain, and headaches. But God's strength is so much bigger than all of this, and I continue to seek Him and wait on Him for strength and peace. He continues to be faithful in giving me strength when I need it most, and when not, the ability to be gracious to myself and allow myself to rest.
Lastly, I really wanted to express my sincere appreciation for all of your indivdual comments and encouragements during my time here. Being here alone, many of you were able to be that companion for me and give me the encouragements that I needed during times of struggle, and also continually remind me of the simple but everlasting truth of God's mercy and companionship, and of His power and strength in the midst of one's weakness. No matter how much one may know or thinks he/she knows of these truths, in this hurting and dieing world of constant struggle and suffering, we all need the reminders of truth from God's Word, and for the body of Christ to step it up and be that community of encouragement. Even though I have been unable to respond to most comments individually, know that they brought forth what I needed at times when I needed it most, and I came back to them time and time again for encouragement. This journey has been in no way made alone, but with all of you, and most of all with our loving, merciful, and faithful God. That is the beauty of the body of Christ. If we are able to see life in the bigger picture of things, that being the kingdom of God, we are able to realize that we are never and will never be alone, even though our thoughts, feelings, and emotions may lead us to other conclusions. We need to hold on to the truths and promises set forth for us in God's Word, and be able to fully embrace what God has said to be be able to prepare ourselves to hear what God is about to say. God is good.
Blessings and peace.
Scott
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7
Hello once again. It has been a little while since my past entry, so this is going to be a fairly extensive update, even though I wont be able to cover everything. Quite a bit has been happening, so I’ll try to give you a little picture of what has been going on.
This is an excerpt of a journal entry of mine from a week ago. It will give you a little picture of what my days look like:
Today was an interesting day, with its downs but ending on its ups. I started out the day waking up feeling exhausted, having to peel myself out of bed. After doing my normal morning routines, I conversed with Uncle about going to the Victoria Memorial tomorrow morning, and then headed on my way to the church to try and get some school work done. I was tired and didn’t feel well, thus I contemplated not going to work. The battle within my mind was won over by the fact of needing to discuss with Poulami (the director of the half way house) issues concerning my time with CINI Asha this month. I left for the Half Way house and boarded the most cramped bus I have taken thus far in the city, which is saying a lot. It was packed like sardines in a crushed tin box (as the great Thom Yorke once said). I was back-to-back with a middle-aged woman (who was trying to save her two children from being flattened by the older gentleman that surrounded them) and stuck in the middle of four or five other men. This went on for the entirety of the journey to Sealdah Station where I finally was released from the fiery pit. I then ventured on to the auto-rickshaw stand to continue my daily route to Pottery Road for work. After sitting with four others inside the auto-rickshaw for nearly 15 minutes waiting for the driver, I and the four other no longer patient souls went our separate ways to find a different way of transportation. I ended up taking one of the buses that drives in the same direction, soon to find out that the driver had different plans and went off route to fill up the gas tank before moving on. Eventually the bus found its way to Pottery Road, where I finished my trek across the city in my routine walk from one end of the road to other, finishing at the half way house. Upon entering, I went up to have lunch in the cafeteria-esque room with my newly found friend Babu, having the traditional Bengali dish of rice, dal, potatoes, and curry. After the meal I went downstairs to talk with Poulami, which ended with me heading back to Sealdah Station with Babu. There I was to meet up and talk with my new supervisor Lopa, whom I met my very first day of being with the organization. She (figuratively) walked me through the process in which CINI Asha deals with each of the street and platform children residing at Sealdah. This was very helpful. Babu then (literally) walked me through the station and surrounding areas and described the ways of the children and families who find their home on the platforms and surrounding railroads of the station. Babu’s job description is to walk around the station and surrounding areas to find and talk to the street and platform children and encourage them to visit one of CINI Asha’s drop-in-centers (DIC). He is a gifted communicator and is well suited for the job. Babu was once one of them, a child living at Sealdah and on the streets of Kolkata, seeing no hope or future in life besides that of surviving day by day on the streets. He now is working on his last year of his bachelors degree in social studies, working for CINI Asha, and is a walking testimony of the organization’s work. After going through the station, we went back to Uttaran (the DIC for 5-9 year old boys) and talked for a little while before I left for my journey back to my host family’s house.
The first few weeks with CINI Asha, I was mainly stationed at the boys Halfway house near Sealdah Station. Now since last week I have been starting to be more at the station where a good portion of the field work is done with the organization. I have been involved with the outreach team, which consists of Babu, and two other new friends Sutanu and Shubhalakshmi, all around my age or a little older. They are the ones who have the most contact with the children that are still presently living on the streets and platforms in and around Sealdah. I’ve been and will be walking around with Babu and talking with the children and families that find their home at or around the station. Also on Saturdays I have started to be involved in what they call “Saturday Club”, which is where a lot of the children or even older men and woman that live at the station come and enjoy music, games, food, and other activities. Also during this time informational discussions are taking place with the children about life at the station, and other health information that would be useful for them. This time is also a place where the children can talk about ways that they have been abused or exploited by different people at the station… Being involved in this way has awakened my spirits and has given me a rejuvenation of passions within me for reasons why God has brought me back to this city. From the first day being stationed at Shealdah with the fieldwork, the children, and the staff, I felt a peace rush over me and a sense of this being where God wanted to use and teach me in my time with the organization.
I am gearing up now for starting my Global Study Project, which is part of my academic study here. The main research question that I have made in which will be spearheading the project is: Why, when children know about the supportive organizations that promise to provide health, educational, and other developmental benefits, choose to continue life on the streets around Sealdah Railway Station in Kolkata, India? In the following weeks I will be conducting interviews with street and platform children in and around Sealdah with Babu, as well as utilizing the research team that is located at the main office of CINI Asha for other resources to tie in with my findings. Alongside the fact of this being part of my academic studies, it will also (and much more importantly) be helping CINI Asha better understand what the children need and how to better reach them in the state of mind that they are in. It will also hopefully serve as a survey of sorts for the drop out rate of the children that have visited the drop-in-centers to later choose to be back on the streets… I am really excited to get this all going. It will be a lot of work, but I seem to have been placed in a perfect situation for what I am trying to do. I’ll have much more to say about this as I get farther along.
I have already passed the half-way point of my time here in India. For awhile when anyone here asked me if I was homesick or missed family and friends, I would for some reason always shrug it off in a way that denied even the possibility of the thought. I have now become conscious of this and am able to admit to myself that I do indeed miss family, friends, and other things of being at home, but at the same time I know this is where God has me right now and where I need to be at this given time. Even through all the challenges of being in a foreign land by myself and being alone much of the time, God is good and faithful and is continuing to reveal things to me that I need to work through right now. By no means is it easy, but neither is the life that God has called us to live as followers of Christ.
This is an excerpt of a journal entry of mine from a week ago. It will give you a little picture of what my days look like:
Today was an interesting day, with its downs but ending on its ups. I started out the day waking up feeling exhausted, having to peel myself out of bed. After doing my normal morning routines, I conversed with Uncle about going to the Victoria Memorial tomorrow morning, and then headed on my way to the church to try and get some school work done. I was tired and didn’t feel well, thus I contemplated not going to work. The battle within my mind was won over by the fact of needing to discuss with Poulami (the director of the half way house) issues concerning my time with CINI Asha this month. I left for the Half Way house and boarded the most cramped bus I have taken thus far in the city, which is saying a lot. It was packed like sardines in a crushed tin box (as the great Thom Yorke once said). I was back-to-back with a middle-aged woman (who was trying to save her two children from being flattened by the older gentleman that surrounded them) and stuck in the middle of four or five other men. This went on for the entirety of the journey to Sealdah Station where I finally was released from the fiery pit. I then ventured on to the auto-rickshaw stand to continue my daily route to Pottery Road for work. After sitting with four others inside the auto-rickshaw for nearly 15 minutes waiting for the driver, I and the four other no longer patient souls went our separate ways to find a different way of transportation. I ended up taking one of the buses that drives in the same direction, soon to find out that the driver had different plans and went off route to fill up the gas tank before moving on. Eventually the bus found its way to Pottery Road, where I finished my trek across the city in my routine walk from one end of the road to other, finishing at the half way house. Upon entering, I went up to have lunch in the cafeteria-esque room with my newly found friend Babu, having the traditional Bengali dish of rice, dal, potatoes, and curry. After the meal I went downstairs to talk with Poulami, which ended with me heading back to Sealdah Station with Babu. There I was to meet up and talk with my new supervisor Lopa, whom I met my very first day of being with the organization. She (figuratively) walked me through the process in which CINI Asha deals with each of the street and platform children residing at Sealdah. This was very helpful. Babu then (literally) walked me through the station and surrounding areas and described the ways of the children and families who find their home on the platforms and surrounding railroads of the station. Babu’s job description is to walk around the station and surrounding areas to find and talk to the street and platform children and encourage them to visit one of CINI Asha’s drop-in-centers (DIC). He is a gifted communicator and is well suited for the job. Babu was once one of them, a child living at Sealdah and on the streets of Kolkata, seeing no hope or future in life besides that of surviving day by day on the streets. He now is working on his last year of his bachelors degree in social studies, working for CINI Asha, and is a walking testimony of the organization’s work. After going through the station, we went back to Uttaran (the DIC for 5-9 year old boys) and talked for a little while before I left for my journey back to my host family’s house.
The first few weeks with CINI Asha, I was mainly stationed at the boys Halfway house near Sealdah Station. Now since last week I have been starting to be more at the station where a good portion of the field work is done with the organization. I have been involved with the outreach team, which consists of Babu, and two other new friends Sutanu and Shubhalakshmi, all around my age or a little older. They are the ones who have the most contact with the children that are still presently living on the streets and platforms in and around Sealdah. I’ve been and will be walking around with Babu and talking with the children and families that find their home at or around the station. Also on Saturdays I have started to be involved in what they call “Saturday Club”, which is where a lot of the children or even older men and woman that live at the station come and enjoy music, games, food, and other activities. Also during this time informational discussions are taking place with the children about life at the station, and other health information that would be useful for them. This time is also a place where the children can talk about ways that they have been abused or exploited by different people at the station… Being involved in this way has awakened my spirits and has given me a rejuvenation of passions within me for reasons why God has brought me back to this city. From the first day being stationed at Shealdah with the fieldwork, the children, and the staff, I felt a peace rush over me and a sense of this being where God wanted to use and teach me in my time with the organization.
I am gearing up now for starting my Global Study Project, which is part of my academic study here. The main research question that I have made in which will be spearheading the project is: Why, when children know about the supportive organizations that promise to provide health, educational, and other developmental benefits, choose to continue life on the streets around Sealdah Railway Station in Kolkata, India? In the following weeks I will be conducting interviews with street and platform children in and around Sealdah with Babu, as well as utilizing the research team that is located at the main office of CINI Asha for other resources to tie in with my findings. Alongside the fact of this being part of my academic studies, it will also (and much more importantly) be helping CINI Asha better understand what the children need and how to better reach them in the state of mind that they are in. It will also hopefully serve as a survey of sorts for the drop out rate of the children that have visited the drop-in-centers to later choose to be back on the streets… I am really excited to get this all going. It will be a lot of work, but I seem to have been placed in a perfect situation for what I am trying to do. I’ll have much more to say about this as I get farther along.
I have already passed the half-way point of my time here in India. For awhile when anyone here asked me if I was homesick or missed family and friends, I would for some reason always shrug it off in a way that denied even the possibility of the thought. I have now become conscious of this and am able to admit to myself that I do indeed miss family, friends, and other things of being at home, but at the same time I know this is where God has me right now and where I need to be at this given time. Even through all the challenges of being in a foreign land by myself and being alone much of the time, God is good and faithful and is continuing to reveal things to me that I need to work through right now. By no means is it easy, but neither is the life that God has called us to live as followers of Christ.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
JDS
As of Friday morning, I am officially an uncle! Praise God for the miracle that is Joshua David Skarka.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Nomoskar
Nomoskar,
Here is an overdue update. Sorry for not being able to get back to a lot of you in a timely manner. Every time I have tried to get on the internet in the past couple weeks, either there has been a power cut in the cyber café, or their has been a server malfunction either not allowing me to get on at all or cutting my time while I was in the middle of writing something. It has been a little frustrating. But nonetheless, here I am. I will be trying to get back to those of you who have sent me personal messages as soon as I can.
The last couple of weeks we have been getting monsoon teasers, where it is raining quite a bit for a day or two at a time and flooding in some places around the city. It is only a taste of the craziness that is to come. I have heard that in some parts of West Bengal that are nearer to the ocean, whole houses are completely flooded, to where whole families and even towns or villages are literally living in trees above the flooded ground. Kolkata won’t get that bad, but it will get even more chaotic then it already is once the monsoons pick up and floods are more consistent in size and longevity.
Last weekend I was able to hang out a little with the team from APU that came through Kolkata and Darjeeling, as well as Bhutan, and back to Kolkata. Last Sunday night we were able to serve and do ministry together at the Sunday night service at the English section of the AG church. A couple of them brought the Word through spoken word while I led musical worship. The next day my friend Isaac and I brought them around to one of the biggest markets in the city to shop and hang out. The rest of the day we hung out before we dropped them off at the airport. It was really refreshing and encouraging to be able to spend some time with them, being the last time I will see anyone from home for a little while.
I started my internship at CINI ASHA 2 weeks ago Wednesday. The first day someone took me around to see two units around Sealdah Railway Station, the second largest train station in Kolkata, where many street children come to live. Both units were drop-in-centres, which are places for street and platform children (children who live on the platforms of the station) where they can “drop in” and leave on their own free will. These centre’s run to provide protection for the child, nutrition, recreational and counseling support, and basic health and hygiene information regarding prevention of STD/HIV/AIDS. They have positioned me at a boys Half Way house near Sealdah. The Half Way house consists of around 40-50 boys ranging from 9 to 14 years of age, mostly coming from the streets and slum areas around the city. It is a transit home for traumatized and exploited children, where the goal is to facilitate the process of mainstreaming them into society and education systems. Most of the children have little or no education, so in this time, which can range anywhere from a few months to over a year depending on the child, they put the child on a educational fast track system trying to catch them up to the academic level they should be by their age. Also within their time at the Half Way house, they have access to all the other benefits listed above at the drop-in-centres. For the past couple weeks, I have had a pretty basic structure of hanging out and getting to know the children, while getting a little bit of a feel for the organization. They originally asked for me to teach the children English, which I have only done one official session with them thus far. I’m trying to figure out if they are still wanting me to do this or not. Even though it has been good to just be able to hang out and get to know the children, I am getting a little antsy to do something that is more beneficiary to them and to help the organization. Also something that stretches myself more and to be able to better understand the workings of the organization throughout the city. I have a meeting on Friday with both the director of CINI ASHA and the head of the unit at the Half Way house that I have been with for the past two weeks. Pray that this will be a fruitful time and that I will be able to clearly put into words what I am thinking and feeling, and that together we will be able to figure out what will be the most beneficial use of my time and abilities with the organization.
Every Saturday evening I have been going to my host brother Sudip’s youth group that he runs at the Bengali section of the AG church. He usually has me sing a song every week, and then usually sit and try to make out as much Bengali as I can to try and piece together what is going on and being talked about. It is a good time of being fully immersed in the language and being able to try to pick up different words and phrases.
Also in the past week or two, I have had my first experiences getting my beard trimmed at a local hair salon, as well as a test drive of getting a massage at the salon (which wasn’t very good), both of which were interesting experiences.
On that note, I have had bad neck pain for awhile, but it has been even worse lately. I have been trying to stretch it and massage it with my little electric massager (thanks mom and dad J), but it hasn’t seemed to help very much. I have told my host parents about it, and my uncle said he will be looking in to possible professional massage therapists in the area. Pray that something comes out of that, and that I go in the right direction with it, because it has been difficult to function properly as well causing more headaches. Also if anyone has any advice in that area, please let me know.
Blessings and peace.
Scott
Here is an overdue update. Sorry for not being able to get back to a lot of you in a timely manner. Every time I have tried to get on the internet in the past couple weeks, either there has been a power cut in the cyber café, or their has been a server malfunction either not allowing me to get on at all or cutting my time while I was in the middle of writing something. It has been a little frustrating. But nonetheless, here I am. I will be trying to get back to those of you who have sent me personal messages as soon as I can.
The last couple of weeks we have been getting monsoon teasers, where it is raining quite a bit for a day or two at a time and flooding in some places around the city. It is only a taste of the craziness that is to come. I have heard that in some parts of West Bengal that are nearer to the ocean, whole houses are completely flooded, to where whole families and even towns or villages are literally living in trees above the flooded ground. Kolkata won’t get that bad, but it will get even more chaotic then it already is once the monsoons pick up and floods are more consistent in size and longevity.
Last weekend I was able to hang out a little with the team from APU that came through Kolkata and Darjeeling, as well as Bhutan, and back to Kolkata. Last Sunday night we were able to serve and do ministry together at the Sunday night service at the English section of the AG church. A couple of them brought the Word through spoken word while I led musical worship. The next day my friend Isaac and I brought them around to one of the biggest markets in the city to shop and hang out. The rest of the day we hung out before we dropped them off at the airport. It was really refreshing and encouraging to be able to spend some time with them, being the last time I will see anyone from home for a little while.
I started my internship at CINI ASHA 2 weeks ago Wednesday. The first day someone took me around to see two units around Sealdah Railway Station, the second largest train station in Kolkata, where many street children come to live. Both units were drop-in-centres, which are places for street and platform children (children who live on the platforms of the station) where they can “drop in” and leave on their own free will. These centre’s run to provide protection for the child, nutrition, recreational and counseling support, and basic health and hygiene information regarding prevention of STD/HIV/AIDS. They have positioned me at a boys Half Way house near Sealdah. The Half Way house consists of around 40-50 boys ranging from 9 to 14 years of age, mostly coming from the streets and slum areas around the city. It is a transit home for traumatized and exploited children, where the goal is to facilitate the process of mainstreaming them into society and education systems. Most of the children have little or no education, so in this time, which can range anywhere from a few months to over a year depending on the child, they put the child on a educational fast track system trying to catch them up to the academic level they should be by their age. Also within their time at the Half Way house, they have access to all the other benefits listed above at the drop-in-centres. For the past couple weeks, I have had a pretty basic structure of hanging out and getting to know the children, while getting a little bit of a feel for the organization. They originally asked for me to teach the children English, which I have only done one official session with them thus far. I’m trying to figure out if they are still wanting me to do this or not. Even though it has been good to just be able to hang out and get to know the children, I am getting a little antsy to do something that is more beneficiary to them and to help the organization. Also something that stretches myself more and to be able to better understand the workings of the organization throughout the city. I have a meeting on Friday with both the director of CINI ASHA and the head of the unit at the Half Way house that I have been with for the past two weeks. Pray that this will be a fruitful time and that I will be able to clearly put into words what I am thinking and feeling, and that together we will be able to figure out what will be the most beneficial use of my time and abilities with the organization.
Every Saturday evening I have been going to my host brother Sudip’s youth group that he runs at the Bengali section of the AG church. He usually has me sing a song every week, and then usually sit and try to make out as much Bengali as I can to try and piece together what is going on and being talked about. It is a good time of being fully immersed in the language and being able to try to pick up different words and phrases.
Also in the past week or two, I have had my first experiences getting my beard trimmed at a local hair salon, as well as a test drive of getting a massage at the salon (which wasn’t very good), both of which were interesting experiences.
On that note, I have had bad neck pain for awhile, but it has been even worse lately. I have been trying to stretch it and massage it with my little electric massager (thanks mom and dad J), but it hasn’t seemed to help very much. I have told my host parents about it, and my uncle said he will be looking in to possible professional massage therapists in the area. Pray that something comes out of that, and that I go in the right direction with it, because it has been difficult to function properly as well causing more headaches. Also if anyone has any advice in that area, please let me know.
Blessings and peace.
Scott
Monday, June 9, 2008
Daisai Adventure
The last few days I have been in a small village called Daisai, which is about a 45 minute drive away from the Bay of Bengal. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing that a couple friends asked me to be a part of. It turned out to be quite the adventure. Three others and myself took off from Kolkata on Wednesday night with a pastor and his family from the village. There was only one person in the bunch that knew decent English, so I was completely surrounded and immersed in Bengali. (This made it interesting in the beginning since we stopped in Kolkata for literally 2 hours or so while half the car went outside to grab folders, or so I found out after the 2 hours. No one thought it very important to let me know what was going on. Ha. During that time I had absolutely no clue what was going on besides little bits and pieces I could gather from my growing Bengali vocabulary. There was a big protest in the area where we were because of the raised fuel prices. On Thursday and Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. literally everybody in the state of West Bengal went on strike. Absolutely no shops or businesses were open both of the days, giving everybody a holiday of sorts. This supposedly happens anytime fuel prices go up.)
During Thursday and Friday we spent time at the orphanage (or dream center as they like to call it) that the pastor and his wife help run. In this time my three friends and I played cricket, sang songs (in Bengali, English, and Swahili), and just hung out with the children. I taught them all a couple songs in English with hand and body motions, which we ended up doing over and over again because the kids were having such a good time. I also taught them Baba Yetu, a Swahili song that my team last year learned in India, and sang time and time again. All in all we sang in three different languages lifting up praises to God, which is such a beautiful thing.
Also on the last night of being in Daisai, we held a service where only Hindu people of the village came, about 40 in all. We sang some Bengali worship songs, and I sang a couple in English. Then my friend Dileep, who’s life is such a testimony of God’s power and love, gave the message and presented the Gospel. Dileep grew up in a Hindu family, and when he came to know the Lord 6 years ago or so, he was kicked out of his house and told never to return. He also was a huge part of the RSS (a Hindu radical political party that does whatever it takes to literally wipe out anything that is not of Hinduism in India) before coming to know Christ. He is now in his last year at the theological school at the AG church and is being mentored in ministry under my host brother Sudip. He is gifted speaker, and a passionate and anointed preacher… To say the least, God showed up in a powerful and mighty way and His presence filled the room. Several people came to know the Lord for the first time, and many came forward for prayer for healing in various forms. It was absolutely beautiful and His presence was overflowing. Pray that this advancement of God’s kingdom spreads throughout the village and that there is follow up with the people within the pastor’s church. JoyJeshu (Bengali for Praise Jesus). Afterwards we went to Digha, which is the seaside of the Bay of Bengal. It was so refreshing to see the ocean waves, even though it was at night and dark.
On the way back we took a non AC train. Ive been on an Indian Railway before, but not like this. Non AC trains equal completely stuffed full of people and people hanging off because there is not enough room for everybody. Me and my three friends were those people hanging off the train for at least 20 or 30 minutes. It was quite the rush. We had to continually try to inch our way into the train, which took a little while, but with enough determination and time we succeeded in our attempts. There is not much sense of personal space in India. I was pretty much hovering over this tiny old man for about 15 minutes of the ride because we were so smashed inside the train. Eventually people got off the train here and there, and we were able to breathe once again. This was quite the experience.
I’m closing in on my first month here in India, and I am starting to get more and more adjusted. It has been starting to cool down a little bit the last few days, which has been really nice. It is still hot and humid, but its been a little more bearable. The last couple weeks at the AG church have been really great. God has been moving in me and encouraging me in ways that I need right now. Please pray for continued clarity of thoughts and mind in what God is moving inside of me, and that I utilize the outlets he has given me to express them. You are all appreciated. Your comments and notes have been very encouraging. The community of the body of Christ is such a beautiful thing.
I am going to go watch the 2nd game of the NBA finals at my house. This is a big game. The Lakers really need this one... Blessings and Peace.
Scott
During Thursday and Friday we spent time at the orphanage (or dream center as they like to call it) that the pastor and his wife help run. In this time my three friends and I played cricket, sang songs (in Bengali, English, and Swahili), and just hung out with the children. I taught them all a couple songs in English with hand and body motions, which we ended up doing over and over again because the kids were having such a good time. I also taught them Baba Yetu, a Swahili song that my team last year learned in India, and sang time and time again. All in all we sang in three different languages lifting up praises to God, which is such a beautiful thing.
Also on the last night of being in Daisai, we held a service where only Hindu people of the village came, about 40 in all. We sang some Bengali worship songs, and I sang a couple in English. Then my friend Dileep, who’s life is such a testimony of God’s power and love, gave the message and presented the Gospel. Dileep grew up in a Hindu family, and when he came to know the Lord 6 years ago or so, he was kicked out of his house and told never to return. He also was a huge part of the RSS (a Hindu radical political party that does whatever it takes to literally wipe out anything that is not of Hinduism in India) before coming to know Christ. He is now in his last year at the theological school at the AG church and is being mentored in ministry under my host brother Sudip. He is gifted speaker, and a passionate and anointed preacher… To say the least, God showed up in a powerful and mighty way and His presence filled the room. Several people came to know the Lord for the first time, and many came forward for prayer for healing in various forms. It was absolutely beautiful and His presence was overflowing. Pray that this advancement of God’s kingdom spreads throughout the village and that there is follow up with the people within the pastor’s church. JoyJeshu (Bengali for Praise Jesus). Afterwards we went to Digha, which is the seaside of the Bay of Bengal. It was so refreshing to see the ocean waves, even though it was at night and dark.
On the way back we took a non AC train. Ive been on an Indian Railway before, but not like this. Non AC trains equal completely stuffed full of people and people hanging off because there is not enough room for everybody. Me and my three friends were those people hanging off the train for at least 20 or 30 minutes. It was quite the rush. We had to continually try to inch our way into the train, which took a little while, but with enough determination and time we succeeded in our attempts. There is not much sense of personal space in India. I was pretty much hovering over this tiny old man for about 15 minutes of the ride because we were so smashed inside the train. Eventually people got off the train here and there, and we were able to breathe once again. This was quite the experience.
I’m closing in on my first month here in India, and I am starting to get more and more adjusted. It has been starting to cool down a little bit the last few days, which has been really nice. It is still hot and humid, but its been a little more bearable. The last couple weeks at the AG church have been really great. God has been moving in me and encouraging me in ways that I need right now. Please pray for continued clarity of thoughts and mind in what God is moving inside of me, and that I utilize the outlets he has given me to express them. You are all appreciated. Your comments and notes have been very encouraging. The community of the body of Christ is such a beautiful thing.
I am going to go watch the 2nd game of the NBA finals at my house. This is a big game. The Lakers really need this one... Blessings and Peace.
Scott
Monday, June 2, 2008
Hello everyone. Just wanted to give a little update. This past week has been pretty slow overall for me. I have been trying to get going on my academic classes, and trying to motivate myself to be disciplined with them. I have had better times at it than others :) Almost everyday around the afternoon the power cuts out of my house, which makes it pretty hard to do anything because its so prefusely hot. Usually in the afternoons I try to go to a bookshop that is close by, a coffee shop, or the cyber cafe just to be able to get out of the house turned sauna.
What I wanted to share with you is something that happened this past Sunday. Especially for those of you that have been in faithful prayer for my health problems in the past year and a half... I went to the English AG church in the morning, and there was a guest speaker from Germany named Walter (I cant remember his last name off hand). He gave a really powerful message that was a huge encouragement to me being here in Kolkata for the summer. After the message there was a time for the Eucharist, and then a time of prayer for healing. After awhile of praying by myself in the back, I felt the need to go up and ask for Walter to pray for me. By this time the prayer time was about wrapping up, and most of the congregation had already left. I went up and ended up talking to someone else for a little bit, while Walter was talking to and praying for others. While I was waiting for him, he was being escorted out by one of the pastors to let him go from the church. I tried following him off the stage to try and catch him to talk and pray for me, but he was with his wife and other pastors and ended up taking the elevator down as I was right there trying to catch his attention. By this time I really felt a really strong urge in myself to talk with him and have him pray over me. When he went down the elevator, I just gave up and figured I wasnt going to follow him down and bother him as he was trying to leave and probably get some lunch with his wife and others. So I went back into the church auditorium and prayed for awhile, disapointed and confused by the strong urge within myself to talk with this man, and figuring it was God that was pulling me towards him. By this time time he was probably already on his way to wherever he needed to go. After sitting there alone for awhile praying and thinking, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and when I looked up it was Walter. He said that when he was trying to leave the building he couldnt because God was pulling him back inside to talk to me. He said that he literally could not leave because he knew that God was telling him to go back upstairs to the sanctuary (there is no other explanation because I never even made eye contact with him beforehand, let alone asked to talk or pray with him). So he asked me what was going on with me, and I told him what has been going on with all of my headache problems in the past year and a half, and how I have been continually seeking the Lord's healing in prayer, as well as others with me. In talking with him, I couldnt hold back tears that were flowing out. After talking and praying with him for a little bit, he left and I didnt know what to do but praise and thank God, and even laugh. I ended up praying there for another hour or 2 by myself, along with other things seeking direction and guidance for my upcoming months and beyond. I honestly didnt know what to think afterwards and still am seeking clarity. I wanted to believe that I was fully healed at the time, but later that night I had a headache. Even in spite of this, I am confident and walk in faith that this was another step in the healing process, for both my headaches and other things. I know that afterwards I was encouaged and emboldened for my continued journey. God is moving in mighty ways, even though it is not as I or others might imagine it to look like. I continue to place my trust in Him, and He continues to give me peace and rest. And I will praise Him for that!
There is other things I could say, but this has already been pretty long. I am doing well, but feeling a little restless with not starting my internship yet. I am going to call them today and see when would be a good time to start. Im praying for wisdom and direction with that, and am really looking forward to be and serve with CINI soon. Shanti (peace in Bengali).
Scott
P.s. I found out that I will be able to watch the NBA Finals here early in the mornings, which is exciting news :)
Monday, May 26, 2008
life, youth conference, etc.
Hello Everyone. I havnt had too much access to internet lately, thus the lack of updates and delay in responding to emails. Last night was the RAVE youth conference finale, which went really well. I’ve been really busy all this last week with doing things for the conference. With being sick all week with a cold, it was a whirlwind of a week, but it went well. During each day of the conference I helped lead musical worship in both the morning and evening sessions. On Tuesday I fully lead the morning session. During the days I did different things, as going to breakfast with friends from the church, ate lunch in the church cafeteria, rest and hung out. Everyday there was a contest called “RAVE Idol” in the veins of American Idol. Three others and myself were the judges of the contest, which was set up exactly like American Idol. They especially wanted me to be a judge because I am American. At first I wasn’t too excited about being a judge, but it ended up being a really good time. The night of Wednesday was a huge blessing, the last night of the conference. At the end of the message, there was an extended time of prayer. I prayed over 5 or 6 boys during the time. God was moving, and it was a very powerful time. Near the end I ended up talking with a guy named Paul, whom I met a few days before. I talked with him and another guy named Mark. Mark told me about a ministry that him and his parents do at their house on every Sunday night where they invite people on the streets of the city, rickshaw drivers, street children, etc, over to their home to worship God. He invited me to come, and I will try to next week. It was really encouraging to hear him talk about their ministry, and I am excited to join them next week, and possibly more in the future. I talked to Paul for awhile about his conflicts with his parents. He is 19 and living with his parents (as is customary in India). His parents are Catholics, and are far from supportive of Paul now attending the Assembly of God church. He started coming to the church 2 months ago, and God has met him there in powerful and mighty ways. His parents are fully against him going to the AG church instead of Mass with them. They have threatened to kick him out time and time again. He was trying to hide from them about going, but now is quite bold with them about it., which I think he is going about in a wise way. I then met a man and his wife, Russell and Jane, originally from Lakeland, Oregon, but have been living in India for 7 years, and Kolkata for 2. They also have a 12 year old daughter. The man helps the church out with some business aspects of an orphanage they run, and him and his wife both work with the deaf people in the church and in the community. It was really good talking with them, and hope to talk with them more in the future.
Ive had numerous talks with people at the church, which has been really enlightening to hear the stories of the people here. More on that to come.
Ive hung out with all three of the teams here from APU some. Mainly with the India/Bangladesh team, and the Bhutan team. Adam Carpenter, the head of the Office of World Missions at APU has been here as well. It has been really nice seeing all of them. Team Bhutan went with my host brother and I to the AG Bengali church yesterday and also went to the RAVE finale last night.
Now that the conference is over, I am looking forward to a new pace of life here, and hope to start my internship with CINI here really soon.
Hope all is well with everyone. Thanks for tuning in. Blessings.
Scott
Ive had numerous talks with people at the church, which has been really enlightening to hear the stories of the people here. More on that to come.
Ive hung out with all three of the teams here from APU some. Mainly with the India/Bangladesh team, and the Bhutan team. Adam Carpenter, the head of the Office of World Missions at APU has been here as well. It has been really nice seeing all of them. Team Bhutan went with my host brother and I to the AG Bengali church yesterday and also went to the RAVE finale last night.
Now that the conference is over, I am looking forward to a new pace of life here, and hope to start my internship with CINI here really soon.
Hope all is well with everyone. Thanks for tuning in. Blessings.
Scott
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