The team left the north side of Kolkata for a region called Uluberia where we were met by Rev Samir Kumar Singha, the director of a 100 year-old ‘mission station’. He showed us several aspects of their work.
From its early days, there has been a strong emphasis on education. We were shown one of the oldest self-supported schools in the region, which currently has 254 children enrolled, most of whom come from underprivileged families.
Many were from other faith groups including Muslims and there seemed a strong emphasis on social development with these families. It was such a joy to hear the children singing Christian songs and to hear how many, in a recent Sunday school camp, had accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
The team then left for a long drive, followed by a walk down a small path, to an even more rural place called Shibganj where one mission worker, Mr Shapan Biswas had been based for a couple of years.
We were introduced to the first convert of the village, a man called Avijit Majhi (shown below with his mother) who had recently opened his home to the mission worker.
A large crowd gathered, peering through the windows and queuing up outside to hear us share our testimonies, Bible stories and prayers.
Children playing in tyres seemed to be having lots of fun.
The whole village wanted a picture taken with them and were very hospitable.
Our walk continued down to the river, passing a brick factory and some open ground, to watch the locals playing cricket. No wonder India is so good at this sport!
A two-hour drive via Uluberia left the team feeling very tired, as we slowly came towards the end of this amazing ‘taste of mission’ experience.
12/11/2009
“Jesus is the child I teach” (Mother Theresa)
“How privileged to have been chosen to be 24 hours in the presence of Jesus in his distressing disguise.” (Mother Theresa)
Wednesday began at 6.00am when one of the team visited the Mother House for a service of mass.
He heard heavenly chants of Kyrie Eleison in four-part harmony sung by 50 nuns and novices.
This was a superb start to a long day as the team left to see the work of the Good News Children Education Mission (GNCEM) started by Subir Roy and Eunok Roy Lee.
The team visited the mobile school, a project fully supported by BMS Action Teams over the past few years. The Good News bus picked up street children from set places in the city and took them to the school.
After each child had been washed, they received a school uniform. Then they played games, listened to Bible stories in English, prayed and sung Christian songs. This was followed by a mid morning snack and a good lunch.
Working with the
BMS Action Team, the ministers used puppets, sung choruses or told stories to get their attention.
The team was then taken to two Good News hostels in Gobindapur and
Chandpur that provide free boarding education for 175 girls and boys
respectively. The children entertained them with highly colourful song
and dance.
The team continued their visit to a couple of local schools set up by GNCEM as well as the Daspara baby nursery and Logos academy for training local rural pastors.
The day ended with a visit to a small house church where a dozen people prayed, sung and shared fellowship. Rev Hilary Jardine gave a short sermon on the woman who touched Jesus and a man, Zachaeus, who was touched by Jesus.
The team were fed spiritually and physically and went home a little exhausted but with that satisfied sense of having met with Jesus.
One of the team said, “It was evident today that Jesus can bring beauty from ashes and praise from a spirit of despair. We saw young lives being transformed through the ministry of GNCEM”. (Isaiah 61: 3)