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Posted in Admissions by Nick Hindes on 9/12/2011
 In the last week, Real Life has gone through some amazing changes. In fact, it's kind of a big deal. Check out the exciting news.Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Life on the Field by Carin Cownden on 7/25/2011
Hello friends and family,
We've been having a great time here in the outskirts of Calcutta - Barasat, which we've come to consider as our little temporary home.
We will be leaving for Hyderabad on July 28th. We have decided to fly to Hyderabad instead of taking the train.
We'll have a couple days in Hyderabad to celebrate our summer and reflect and then catch another plane towards home.
Thank you for your prayers throughout our time abroad.
We are doing well, and finishing strong.
I'm off to prepare for the party we're throwing for the boys at the Asha home!
Sincere love,
Carin
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Posted in Life on the Field by Francesca Bugeja on 7/21/2011
Dearest friends,
It has been quite some time since I have updated you about my time in India. I have so many thoughts, so I apologize if this seems scatterbrained. Currently I am residing in a part of Kolkata known as Barasat.. After some pretty wild adventures, taking the train to Kolkata, stopping in Visaqputnam, and picking up the train again here we are. Barasat is a more rural part of Kolkata, characterized by the rainforest terrain, and intense humidity. Currently we are in the midst of the rainy season. Everyday it rains, and I love it.
Life here is different than life in Ongole. Life is quieter and simpler. Here I have experienced more “ culture shock”. The city of Kolkata, in the heart of the city, it is crazy, much more of the “India” you read and hear about. Kolkata is definitely a place of extremes. A few blocks down from the nicest mall I have ever seen are slums—beggars and street people are the norm... Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Reflections by Coral Sweatman on 7/17/2011
Hello from Calcutta! What a week it has been! This time last week I was boarding a 24-hour train to Calcutta. After a few detours and a surprise stay on the beach we arrived 48 hours later. We have gotten settled in our new home and we love it here. We miss SCH but are excited for the new things that await us.
We are working at an all boys home. Pastor Sam and his wife and 6-month-old beautiful daughter have adopted 18 of the sweetest and most well behaved boys from ages 4 to 14. Since the day I met them I have been in love! Pastor Sam and his wife are giving these boys not only a home but also a mom and a dad. They take such good care of these children and pour the love of Christ into them daily.
While here we are teaching English to the boys, playing games with them, and having nightly worship and devotion times. We have also had the opportunity to go into a village and preach! For those of you who know me this is a dream of mine!
It’s so cool to see the Lord at work in these villages! The contacts here say that the villages are hungry but there is no one to tell them. I am praying that the Lord will send more workers into the harvest!
Please be in prayer for our team, as we will continue to be sharing in the villages and pouring the love of Christ into these boys. I can’t believe I will be home in 14 days! The time has flown by!
Thank you for your continued support and prayers! They are fueling our work here!
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Posted in Spiritual Journey by Carin Cownden on 7/15/2011
Made it to Calcutta. Took a bit to get here but we arrived, all safe and sound. We are just outside the part of Calcutta called Barasat. We are living with, playing with, loving these 16 boys who live in a truly-home style orphanage. Really it feels like a home with a bunch of fun, well-behaved, energetic, and care free boys! I love them, pretty hard not to!!
Pastor Sam and his wife are the house parents and there are three guys in their twenties who live here with the boys and minister to the boys and the community.
The boys come from villages around this area. Many of them came to the home already addicted to smoking and alcohol, at the age of 6. Many of their parents split up and they were left unwanted and neglected. They came to the home only familiar with violence, course language, lying, stealing. I asked Pastor Sam if he has any rules in his home that we should follow and support him in… he didn’t seem to understand the question. I asked again in some different ways… finally he responded confidently: “we conquer them with love… when they know they are loved, they will do anything for us, they would die for us”... Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Life on the Field by Kelly Chadwick on 7/13/2011
Just wanted to pass along an update that internet is harder to come by in Calcutta than it was in Ongole. The team will update the blog as soon as they are able, but in the meantime, know that they are safe and sound and settling in to this new location. We appreciate your prayers; the Lord is doing great things in and through this team and they're looking forward to sharing more stories.
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Posted in Admissions by Tamica Sloan on 7/12/2011
We spoke with India team leader Carin, and the team has safely arrived in Calcutta. On their way to Calcutta from Ongole, the girls were able to stop long enough for a movie and some Baskin Robbins. They were tired, but in good spirits. :)
Carin will have all her team members blog within the next couple days. Please pray for renewed energy and rest after their long travels. We know God still has so much for them in India. Thank you for all the prayers and support.
Real Life field support team
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Posted in Life on the Field by Coral Sweatman on 7/9/2011
Wandanalu! Today is our last day in Ongole. In a few short hours we will be going to SCH to say goodbye to the children who have stolen our hearts. There is no doubt that these kids will be missed! I see their faces in my head before I go to bed and every morning when I wake up. They are so amazing and they have so blessed me. Over the past two days as I have been preparing myself to leave Ongole and SCH I have been thinking about all the things the Lord has done in me while here.
He has broken me down and removed my comforts. He has moved me to love even when I had no strength to love. He has shown me hope and where true joy is found, and that He is sovereign and my life in His hands is the best place for it to be. Needless to say I have had my fair share of lessons. In the beginning they were all hard to learn and yield to, but when grace starts to reveal truth it is all worth it.
At the beginning of my time in Ongole I was homesick and really didn’t see how I could make it 8 weeks. Now I cant imagine any other way to have spent the first 5 weeks of my summer. I have been stretched and there is still more stretching to come. Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Reflections by Carin Cownden on 7/1/2011
Today it was Veronica's birthday!
Veronica is 20 years old. She is blind. She was found on the streets and someone brought her to SCH. She had been sold, trafficked and was used at others disposal. She has 2 children, we're sure where they were. We knew very little about Veronica because she speaks Hindi, not the local dialect of Telugu, and she didn't like to speak, well actually she didn't seem to like much of anything. Most of the time she seemed rather lifeless.
From the first time I heard about her story I was drawn to her. The depressed state she was in seemed rather appropriate considering the devastating life she'd had. Almost everyday I would sit with her and sing songs of hope and restoration over her, pray with her, and occasionally brush her hair for her. I saw her speak to one of the Ahyahs one time - it was a little break through...
Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in Reflections by Francesca Bugeja on 6/27/2011
Anyone who knows me will attest that I love food. I love to cook and I love to eat. People will often joke about my ability to “put it away”. Food is a weakness of mine. I use it for comfort and satisfaction. It lifts me up when I am down, and serves as a means of satisfying boredom. When left to ponder, my mind wanders to food. I enjoy the luxury of being able to snack as I please, and eat as much as I like. In India I daydream about curry and naan, and sometimes luxuries from home i.e. whole wheat bread.
I lack self –control; in dietary choices, and other facets of life. Living with six others on a limited budget has made me keenly aware of this. Because we share everything, I cannot eat as I please. Moods seem to be heightened in this place. I find myself naturally being more irritated because of various circumstances (the heat, community style living, and challenges at the orphanage). But there is beauty in this; here I must frequently choose to act virtuously despite elevated moods. Timshel—Thou Mayest, for you Steinbeck fans out there, I am reminded that we have choice. I can choose to eat small portions, because I don’t need more. I can choose to give a child who is difficult to love attention, because I believe they are valuable.
I love and miss you all dearly,
Francesca
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