Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Last day in India
We are spending the day with Stuart and Monique Shaw before heading to the airport tonight. Though the students are tired, they are well. The flight home will certainly be filled with sleep!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
A quick update
The team has arrived safely in Darjeeling after a one hour flight and a three hour journey up the mountain. All are well.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Friday update
Our study of the book of Acts has been significant in helping us to process what we are seeing and experiencing in India. This morning, our study took us to Acts 4 where Peter and John are on trial for healing a crippled man. The Sanhedrin are struck by three things about Peter and John: their courage, their lack of education and their ordinariness. Yet what defines these men is the fact that "these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Our students live in a culture where a premium is placed on education and being extraordinary. Yet what matters - what really matters - is that they have been with Jesus. Oh, that PCA would raise up a generation of men and women who have met Jesus, have been with him and who journey with him through their lifetimes!
Monique Shaw came and presented a tragic story of a woman who had been sold into prostitution at a young age in order to help her parents pay off their debts and acquire medication for her brother. However, through the intervention of Christians, this woman was able to get an education and leave prostitution. This presentation, in the form of a movie, captures the heart of what Monique does here in Calcutta. After this, we journeyed into the heart of Calcutta where we saw the Kalighat temple from a distance. Kali is the goddess of death in Hinduism and is the goddess of this city. The Kalighat temple is a spiritually dark center of idol worship built along the banks of the Ganges river and adjacent to the red-light district where Monique Shaw ministers to women trafficked for sexual exploitation.
The students were led around the vicinity of the temple and devoted themselves to prayer for those captive to this false religion. The things seen, heard and smelled today will likely never be duplicated in our lifetimes. We saw grotesque images of Kali with blood stained lips, heard the sales pitches of merchants selling idols for personal worship and smelt the stench of the Ganges river. As we journeyed through alley ways filled with merchants selling idols or images of Hindu gods, the words of Isaiah 44:9-11;16-19 were never more clear or poignant:
" All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame... Half of the wood he burns in the fire;over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!” They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to travel to Darjeeling. Our planes flies out at noon. After landing in Darjeeling, we have a 3 hour jeep ride up a mountain to our cottage retreat. Because of the monies raised, we are able to provide the entire Shaw family with a much needed retreat as well. We are looking forward to spending this time with them and the chance to bless them with a break from their labours.
Thank you for your prayers for the team. Please pray that God would be pleased to raise up from this team and from our school those who would give of themselves to serving the people of India through the sharing of the gospel and the sharing of their lives as well.
Monique Shaw came and presented a tragic story of a woman who had been sold into prostitution at a young age in order to help her parents pay off their debts and acquire medication for her brother. However, through the intervention of Christians, this woman was able to get an education and leave prostitution. This presentation, in the form of a movie, captures the heart of what Monique does here in Calcutta. After this, we journeyed into the heart of Calcutta where we saw the Kalighat temple from a distance. Kali is the goddess of death in Hinduism and is the goddess of this city. The Kalighat temple is a spiritually dark center of idol worship built along the banks of the Ganges river and adjacent to the red-light district where Monique Shaw ministers to women trafficked for sexual exploitation.
The students were led around the vicinity of the temple and devoted themselves to prayer for those captive to this false religion. The things seen, heard and smelled today will likely never be duplicated in our lifetimes. We saw grotesque images of Kali with blood stained lips, heard the sales pitches of merchants selling idols for personal worship and smelt the stench of the Ganges river. As we journeyed through alley ways filled with merchants selling idols or images of Hindu gods, the words of Isaiah 44:9-11;16-19 were never more clear or poignant:
" All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame... Half of the wood he burns in the fire;over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!” They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to travel to Darjeeling. Our planes flies out at noon. After landing in Darjeeling, we have a 3 hour jeep ride up a mountain to our cottage retreat. Because of the monies raised, we are able to provide the entire Shaw family with a much needed retreat as well. We are looking forward to spending this time with them and the chance to bless them with a break from their labours.
Thank you for your prayers for the team. Please pray that God would be pleased to raise up from this team and from our school those who would give of themselves to serving the people of India through the sharing of the gospel and the sharing of their lives as well.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Thank you PCA for the gifts!
We had the privilege of delivering gifts to the children both yesterday and today. PCA's grade 10 students donated shoes for each of the children here at the Children's Home and we surprised them with the shoes by having them lift a parachute which then revealed the shoes underneath. They then searched for their own pair of shoes by looking for their names in the shoes. The children were so excited and so grateful for the new shoes that they don't want to take the tags off! Thank you grade 10s for your generous gift to these children!
Today, we delivered the bed sheets that the grade 9s purchased for the children. We placeed each of the new bed sheets on their mattresses and had them open the packages and helped them to put them them on. They were so thankful to own something new, I saw a few of the girls hold the sheets to their faces to feel how soft they were. Thank you grade 9s for giving them these gifts. They will sleep on new bed sheets tonight!
As I finish up this post, our team is leading the last session with the children downstairs. They are singing "Same, same hands" and the a part of the lyrics goes "The same, same hands that made the mountains....And in His hands I know I'll always be!". That is our prayer for these children, that they will know that their lives are in God's hands, which is already evident by their being able to be here in this home. These children have a captured our hearts in the time we have been with them. They have shown us that joy and happiness is not dependent on possessions and challenged us by being so generous with the little that they have.
We will be leaving here soon and I can imagine that it will be difficult to go, knowing that we will not return. But we find comfort to know that they are in good hands.
Today, we delivered the bed sheets that the grade 9s purchased for the children. We placeed each of the new bed sheets on their mattresses and had them open the packages and helped them to put them them on. They were so thankful to own something new, I saw a few of the girls hold the sheets to their faces to feel how soft they were. Thank you grade 9s for giving them these gifts. They will sleep on new bed sheets tonight!
As I finish up this post, our team is leading the last session with the children downstairs. They are singing "Same, same hands" and the a part of the lyrics goes "The same, same hands that made the mountains....And in His hands I know I'll always be!". That is our prayer for these children, that they will know that their lives are in God's hands, which is already evident by their being able to be here in this home. These children have a captured our hearts in the time we have been with them. They have shown us that joy and happiness is not dependent on possessions and challenged us by being so generous with the little that they have.
We will be leaving here soon and I can imagine that it will be difficult to go, knowing that we will not return. But we find comfort to know that they are in good hands.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Thursday morning
Good morning from India.
Our morning began at 6:30am as we woke up with the children in the home. Last night was filled with laughter and fun as we played and shared and sung with the children until it was their bed time. We were moved to discover that the matresses which served as our beds last night were actually the children's mattresses. They donated them to us so that we could sleep. The children here are teaching us about generosity, worship and gratitude in very practical and meaningful ways.
Morning devotions:
Breakfast!
Today we continue to teach in the day. We have been studying through the story of the Exodus and seeing how God keeps his promises to us in Christ, how God protects his people and how Jesus alone kept all of God's perfect law on our behalf.
Thank you for your prayers.
Our morning began at 6:30am as we woke up with the children in the home. Last night was filled with laughter and fun as we played and shared and sung with the children until it was their bed time. We were moved to discover that the matresses which served as our beds last night were actually the children's mattresses. They donated them to us so that we could sleep. The children here are teaching us about generosity, worship and gratitude in very practical and meaningful ways.
Morning devotions:
Breakfast!
Today we continue to teach in the day. We have been studying through the story of the Exodus and seeing how God keeps his promises to us in Christ, how God protects his people and how Jesus alone kept all of God's perfect law on our behalf.
Thank you for your prayers.
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