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This is the last part of my trip, we traveled to Siliguri from Kolkata; there we took part in several ministry opportunities. Leaving Kolkata and telling our friends and partners in ministry “good bye” was difficult, but we know we would see them again later at some point in time. Kolkata, the time of gathering and training was awesome, our time with the National Pastors and Leaders was exhilarating and challenging. Many on the team were filled with several various emotions. Our time with the pastors gave us the opportunity to share, but what was even greater was the exposure to the world in which the Pastors and Leaders are ministering.
When we made it to Siliguri our National Leader for this area, Pastor Sanjay, was there to greet and welcome us at the airport. We traveled to the hotel where we had a time to talk and get an overview of what we would be doing for the next few days.
Saturday started early, we were off to the church in Siliguri where we participated in a Baptismal service. It is always a thrilling experience to be a part of any Baptismal service; here in India these services can be even more exhilarating. Many of those being Baptized are first generation Christians, and simply by their following the command of the Lord to be Baptized they have taken a stand to follow the Lord. And because of that stand they are often ostracized by their family and community.
Following the Baptismal service we all loaded up in two vehicles and headed up the mountain to Sikkim. The trip up to Sikkim is around a four hour drive, up a winding, curvy mountain road; with awesome sights that gives you a sense of adventure. This time of year in Sikkim it can be cold, so we all put on some warm clothes for our brisk walk down to the Church/Discipleship Center. There we had some enlightened conversation with Pastor Marshal, the National Leader that we are ministering with in Sikkim and the surrounding areas. Afterward we had an awesome dinner with Pastor Marshal, he always wants to bless us with a spectacular meal. It was time to head back to the hotel and prepare for the next day!
We had to get up early on Sunday, we traveled up to an area they call the lookout point, in this area you can view the Himalayan Mountains, some of the highest mountains in the world. It is a spectacular view when it is clear, unfortunately on this day it was not clear. We did not get a good view of the mountains, but we had some awesome time of fellowship, prayer and worship. And the Team sang Happy Birthday to me right there on top of the mountain! After this we drove down to a Buddhist monastery for our guests to see, many had not seen one, with this short visit, it is an eye opening time.
Down from there to the hotel, eat and head to Church for the Sunday morning service at Pastor Marshal’s church. This is always a great time of worship and fellowship with the saints in Sikkim. The worship was lead by young people with a full band and very upbeat music that leads one to a truly wonderful worship experience. Brother John spoke and challenged all of us to a closer more intimate walk with the Lord. Then off to a lunch, prepared by Pastor Marshal’s church, once again another wonderful meal. Then to Gangtok, Sikkim to visit and do a little shopping, before we start the long trip back down the winding, curvy mountain road.
Monday was full of new adventures, but not as much traveling. We took everyone on the Team to an area outside of Siliguri where we have purchased some land and are in the process of building a Training/Discipleship Center. Pastor Sanjay shared with the Team his vision, goals, hopes and dreams for this new ministry opportunity. Then off we were to the Hope Children’s Development Center.
We made it to Hope before the children got out of school, there are 264 children plus their families, which are being reached with the love of Jesus Christ through this wonderful ministry. As the children arrived we were there to start interacting with them, playing and even sharing a meal with them. Through this time our team was able to see the impact that this ministry is having on this community and the lives of those that are in the Child Sponsorship Program. This is a very moving time as one sees the conditions that many of these children and families live in and able to see the difference of these children in this program. You see these children look and act different from many children in India, for they have HOPE in their lives, the one thing that many of the children of India are missing. When you look into their eyes you can see the difference from those in one of these programs to those who are not. After that we headed back to the Siliguri, the hotel and some time to process what we all had just experienced. The next day would find us off again with a long trip ahead of us.
Tuesday morning we were off early, we were heading to the Bhutan border and another Child Development Center in that area. We needed to travel around 4 or 5 hours, depending on the road condition, to get there. The last time we had traveled this road it was in very bad condition, we had hoped and prayed that repairs had been made, but was skeptical. To our amazement and blessing, the road had been repaired and in much better condition. With the better road conditions the trip didn’t take as long so we reached this Child Development Centre before the children arrived. So we drove to the Bhutan border for our team to look into this country and pray for Bhutan, a country that needs to be reached with the love, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ!
After praying we drove back down to the Child Development Centre to get ready for the children to arrive and spend some time with them. Which we did, because of our visit, the entire day was dedicated for us spending time with the children. They got out some Frisbees and a few other pieces of athletic equipment to interact with the children. One of the highlights of this visit was to visit in the home of one of the children. Brother John Boedeker sponsors one of the children from this Program, so during this time John and the team would have the opportunity to visit one of the family’s homes that have been impacted by this program. The team walked up to the boy’s home, they were welcomed and greeted by the father and mother of the child, the father had taken a day off from work just to meet John and the others. I could write many things about this experience, let me say it was a very moving time, with the entire team seeing firsthand the tremendous impact that this Christian ministry has in this pagan society. When you have the opportunity, talk to one of us about this experience, we would love to tell you about what Christ is doing in the lives of these children and families that are exposed to Child Development Centre ministries.
When we drove back to Siliguri a little later it was already night, and we had to take a different road going back so we could take the director of the Child Development Center home. This road had not been repaired; we had a long, bumpy, rough ride back to Siliguri and the hotel.
Wednesday we were leaving for Delhi to spend some time with our National Leaders in that area and to do some sightseeing. Before leaving the Siliguri area, we had some time of prayer and sharing with Pastor Sanjay.
When we arrived in Delhi we were greeted by Kynsai and Chiyomi, a young couple that is working in the ministry in this area. I will not be able to share much about what they are doing because of the sensitivity of their ministry. Let me say that they are working in a very difficult area reaching some of the most difficult people for Christ. They are having challenges and struggles, but the Lord continues to bless them and their ministry. I ask that you lift them up in your prayers.
This young couple traveled with us and served as our guides in this area. We visited the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Old and New Delhi, the India Gate and several other sights while in this area of India. As we traveled in the vehicle, Kynsai and Chiyomi would share with the team about their ministry and their personal testimonies, these were special times as we listened to the hearts of this young couple.
Let me share with you one of the adventures that we had in Delhi (one that was a first for all of us that went, except for our guides). Our guides wanted us to see Old Delhi, and to make the adventure more exciting, we traveled to Old Delhi by the subway. It was around 5 PM when many people were getting off from work and heading home, the subway was jammed packed full of people. When we got into one of the subway cars it was not all that full, but at the next stop people shoved their way in and we were squeezed in like sardines in a can. Then when you got to your stop you had to shove your way out to get off, I have traveled the NY subway and this was much more intense than NYC.
When we finally got off the subway and walked out and up to the street level, we were in an area where there seemed to be a million people. People were everywhere trying to move, going who knows where. The area consisted of very old buildings, with every building having of some sort of shop, selling things from home repair supplies, car supplies, jewelry shops to stationary supplies. We were told that these shops had been family owned for many generations. To add to our adventure we took rickshaws through the crowds to visit possibly the largest Mosque in India. It was prayer time when we arrived at the Mosque so we could not enter; we took a few pictures then started to walk out of the area. Walking through the crowd was almost as difficult as trying to ride a rickshaw through the crowd; we stopped at a few shops, made a few purchases, and then headed to a restaurant for a time of rest, food and fellowship.
We made it back to the hotel later to prepare ourselves for the long airplane ride home. Before leaving for the airport, we shared about our experiences and had an overview while still in the hotel, then we shared with Kynsai and Chiyomi for the last time.
Well this concludes my writing about this exciting and exhilarating Ministry opportunity in India. There is so much more to say than I have shared in these 10 articles with you. . . some things I dared not put on paper. Many of these opportunities I look forward to sharing with you face-to-face.
But I am constantly reminded of the fact that it takes each one of us to do our part.
Together, we are able to do what the Lord has called each of us to do!
Richard Fields
Helping Hands In Motion
Editors Note:
We are scheduling Richard and Debi in churches now to hear about the India ministry and other areas or ministry that Helping Hands In Motion does.
Please call 772-878-7007 to schedule your church today.
[caption id="attachment_269" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Richard at Hope CDC"]
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[caption id="attachment_270" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Singing at Markrapara"]
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[caption id="attachment_271" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="John and the sponsored family"]
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[caption id="attachment_273" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Team at Taj Mahal"]
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[caption id="attachment_274" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Pam helping to feed at Markrapara"]
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