As I type this message I am sitting within 100 feet of the doors to the Missionaries of Charity Mother House, the home of Mother Teresa for much of her ministry, and the site of her tomb.
Visiting the other day it was interesting to reflect how one person could so completely follow Jesus, and be almost universally accepted and loved. At the same time it was bizarre struggling with the fact that she was just a person. There was something special about her certainly, but she was still just a person.
We have completed our first week of ministry and are in to our second week already. So you know what's going on here's a break down of our schedule.
6:00- 7:30 Wake up/Shower/Devotions
7:30- 8:30 Breakfast at BMS Guesthouse
8:45- 9:15 Team Devotions
9:30-10:00 Guys Depart for Howrah Drop in Centre/Girls for Kalighat Red Light District
-12:30 Depart for Lunch in Kalighat
2:00- 3:30 Set up and pray for Kids Club Ministry in Kalighat
3:30- 5:30 Kids Club!
5:30- 6:30 ESL/Prayer and Worship
And then the evening consists of eating, debriefing, attending to personal hygiene issues, and often a time of fellowship with at least some members of the Shaw family.
Today at Howrah was especially heart breaking because two of the kids who I had connected with last week were high on glue and sleeping when we arrived. By the end of our time there one had woken up and was starting to come around, but the other hadn't. Some days at Howrah are incredible difficult, other days are a wonderful blessing.
At Kalighat our ministry is to street children. Today I introduced them to my favourite superhero Captain Canada and his alter-ego... Kevin. We then proceeded to talk about one of my favourite super heroes from the Bible who has a secret identity of their own, Esther. Later this week we will be talking about other heroes such as Mary, the Justice League of Babylon (Rack, Shack, Benny, and Daniel), Jesus, and the Hero Kit (armor of God). We are also going to be taking the kids to a water park but SHHH don't tell them that. It's a surprise.
Prayer Requests:
Health - as a team we have been remarkably healthy. We've hit only minor snags and nothing that has prevented any of us from fully participating in ministry. However, the same can not be said of the Shaw family. There is some sickness going around their house right now so please lift them up in your prayers. Also pray for the continued health of our team.
Energy - This week looks like it is shaping up to be a week in which we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. Pray that we can find strength in God primarily, but also in the places God has blessed us, with a wonderful team and incredible hosts.
Scripture -
1 Corinthians 13:3
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
2 Timothy 1:7
1 John 3:16-18
Thanks for reading, thanks for praying. I look forward to talking to you all soon,
Water... I mean... Joel
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thursday, May 06, 2010
06/06/2010
Here it is! The final pre-trip update!
We board our plane to Delhi via Brussels at 6:10 and then after a 12 hour stopover will continue on to Kolkata!
Some huge praise items to share with all of you.
1 - EVERYONE HAS THEIR VISAS! This is incredibly exciting as it means that we have already sorted through the most significant red tape that we'll face and we can get on our plane knowing that.
2 - I have received all my financial support! Thank you so much to all of you who were able to contribute, and to all of you who were keeping this matter in your prayers.
So here we go, I'm getting on a plane in less than 6 hours. I'll try to update you from India at least once a week depending on Internet access. Thank you so much for supporting me through this time.
Prayer requests:
Culture Shock - Jet Lag - Heat Exhaustion: These are three things that I would love to avoid, as well as malaria, travelers diarrhea and a number of other things that will make me less able to experience India and engage with the people and the culture as we try to bring Christ's message.
2 Timothy 1:7 - Continually pray that we will recognize that God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline.
The Shaws - Pray that we can truly be a blessing to the missionary family we are going to partner with. It is our desire as a team that we can leave having refreshed, encouraged, and truly helped this family in their ongoing work in India.
India - The country has a lot of needs as it continues to face political, social, and religious turmoil.
Once again, thank you all so much.
Joel
We board our plane to Delhi via Brussels at 6:10 and then after a 12 hour stopover will continue on to Kolkata!
Some huge praise items to share with all of you.
1 - EVERYONE HAS THEIR VISAS! This is incredibly exciting as it means that we have already sorted through the most significant red tape that we'll face and we can get on our plane knowing that.
2 - I have received all my financial support! Thank you so much to all of you who were able to contribute, and to all of you who were keeping this matter in your prayers.
So here we go, I'm getting on a plane in less than 6 hours. I'll try to update you from India at least once a week depending on Internet access. Thank you so much for supporting me through this time.
Prayer requests:
Culture Shock - Jet Lag - Heat Exhaustion: These are three things that I would love to avoid, as well as malaria, travelers diarrhea and a number of other things that will make me less able to experience India and engage with the people and the culture as we try to bring Christ's message.
2 Timothy 1:7 - Continually pray that we will recognize that God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline.
The Shaws - Pray that we can truly be a blessing to the missionary family we are going to partner with. It is our desire as a team that we can leave having refreshed, encouraged, and truly helped this family in their ongoing work in India.
India - The country has a lot of needs as it continues to face political, social, and religious turmoil.
Once again, thank you all so much.
Joel
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