Welcome back, Auntie! 1/20/13

Welcome back, Auntie!  1/20/13

Today was an awesome day.  We started our day with worship at Kolkata Christian Fellowship.  It was a great service.  We enjoyed the sermon on Haggai 2 and of course the warm fellowship of the sweet believers at KCF.  They are always so welcoming and we enjoy our time there.

After church we headed to City Mall to meet the rest of our team.  We ate in a food court at the mall which was quite Western.  It was like nothing I had ever seen in India.  It was pretty much like any other mall in America.  After lunch I had a few moments of panic when Lauren left to go shopping with a few of the other team members and "forgot" to tell me.  Actually panic doesn't describe it.

Then we headed to one of my favorite places in Kolkata, an aftercare home that I will call M.  The girls at M Home are so sweet and always so happy to see us.  There are around 35 girls that live there and 2 of them have babies.  They just opened up a home for "majors" which are girls that have aged out of the minors home (under 18)  We had so much fun with them and can't wait to return on Sunday.  We played some fun games and just took some time to break the ice.  After we played games the girls had their picture taken and then decorated a frame for their picture.  We are printing out their picture here at the BMS and will take it back to them on Saturday.  M home allowing us to take their picture is a huge deal as safety is a concern for these girls.  I know they will all enjoy having pictures of themselves as that is something that none of them own.

After the craft we had a short time of devotions.  I told the Joseph story, layering shades of color onto a blank canvas that eventually told a story about how God uses good and bad times in our lives for His glory.  I asked the girls lots of questions and our translators were right there to help the girls share highs and lows.  Then Lauren shared her testimony and Rachael sang "Beauty from Pain".  It was a beautiful afternoon.  Then we had tea and snacks with the girls and before we knew it, it was time to leave.  Spending time with these girls reminded me of WHY we come to India. These girls are easy to love and they connect with people so easily.  The staff at M home spends a lot of time and resources on counseling for the girls and it is evident that they are in the process of being healed from their traumatic life.  Their stories are heartbreaking and yet they have joy.  It is almost unfathomable.