A cold drink of water....

Tossing and turning in my bed last night for about 2 hours resulted in me sitting straight up in my bed and saying, "What, God?! Why can't I sleep right now?"...He just said, "Listen"...then, after a time, I just began praying for my journey to Kalighat today! After about 30 minutes, I finally fell asleep, but was off and on all night! Then, I woke up and met with the other volunteers at breakfast! I didn't really know anyone going to Kalighat that was around me, but I saw some Japanese people holding a sign, so I walked over to them and became quick friends with Takku and Atushi! They spoke English pretty well! I have found that one of the joys of this whole trip has been not only getting to learn about the different culture of India but of the cultures of all the foreign people I keep meeting! So far, I have met people from Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, England, Poland, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Spain, France, Germany, and India (duh! :) )!

Well, shortly after introducing myself to the boys, we began to follow these girls who knew where to go! We walked to the bus stop, and when our bus came, we walked toward it! I soon came to realize, that cars are just always on the move here, so as the bus began to move ahead, I had to jump on real quick...they don't like to wait, I guess! We had about a 20 minute bus ride, and then a 5 minute walk, arriving at Kalighat! It was COMPLETELY different than I expected! It was just a whole lot cleaner (in terms of Calcutta)! The men and women are separated on different sides, the simplest of beds on two levels, lined up pretty much side to side!....a quaint little place! I thought there might be a little more guidance to the volunteers, but they basically showed us where to wash our hands, and get our aprons, gloves and masks, then simply said, "Just go help!"...so, I jumped right in on the female side! They had this whole system down! I filled some cups with water, helped give medications out, sat and held an elderly lady named Laila for about an hour (my back was killing me after, because she would not let me shift positions), and she was so precious! She was wanting me to sit and hold her, like a child and she rocked back and forth from time to time! then we walked a few patients, and put lotion on their arms and legs and gave them massages!...just little odds and ends! I am hoping to be able to help with wound care tomorrow, being a nurse and all, that really interests me!! :)

At 10:30, there was a tea break for the volunteers while lunch was being prepared for the patients, and we all went up to the roof, and I got SUPER excited, because on our last day, we can take pictures (inside and out), and the view of the streets is just INCREDIBLE from the roof, so get ready!!! :) After tea (which once again, HOT tea on a HOT day, but apparently, it helps you to sweat less, because your insides are hot...makes sense!! ), we helped serve lunch and then clean up after!!

There was one woman there named Krishna, and she was just a sad sort of woman. A hefty middle-aged amputee, who just sat there and stared straight ahead of her with no motivation to move or do anything! She seemed like she just wanted to be left alone and just to die! I kept finding myself praying for her, over and over!

I have found that none, so far, speak English, but when Christ talked about serving the least of these, he always mentioned actions...cold drink of water, clothing their nakedness, visiting them when they are sick/in prison, giving them food, etc...we are getting to serve Jesus through caring for the least of these, and what glory God is receiving! I just love working with these people too, because they all have such great hearts...not to mention, most are traveling alone, so they love to talk and get to know you!!

After the morning shift, Marjorie, Ciara and I decided to go to the Mother Teresa film, but we had to get the tickets from a friend named, Joan first. When we arrived at her house, she offered us tea, so we gladly accepted! She has been here for 15 years, and she works as a "paramedic". The healthcare is A WHOLE LOT different in Calcutta than it is in America!! She was telling us of the hospital situations and how it is just better to try and get well on the streets than it would be to go to the hospital! They are dirty, they cheat you on money, and they seem to not really CARE for you that much. Also, some kids are taken into slavery...it is just bad! I would say that I want to see it, but I don't know if I could handle it! She was SUCH a kind-hearted woman, though, and she is doing what she can to serve Jesus here and try to make a difference!

After tea, we went to the film, but it ended up being moved to another location, so we were all crammed in a tiny bus, and the boys were VERY respectful and gave us ladies their chairs, which was nice to see! Then, they said that there were too many people on the bus and it would be unsafe to drive, so they made us get off and said they would arrange for "private transportation"...which just meant a car, driven by one of the workers at the theater! Haha! So, when we finally made it to the auditorium, we had missed about 30 minutes of the film, but it was still pretty awesome the part we did get to see! Mother Teresa TRULY lived her life, fully for the LORD! She gave every little piece of herself to Him, and it was just obvious the type of impact Christ had through her, because it showed her funeral and all the different leaders of the world who attended! It was INCREDIBLE!! Christ used this lowly woman with a heart to love Him above all to change the world! How great is that?!?!!?!

Anyways, then we just caught a taxi back, and I am about to go to dinner with the girls! All in all, today was just sort of a time to get oriented with things at Kalighat, but I am hoping to be more involved on my next 4 days there!!! Please pray for my health and for the beautiful people I am privileged to be able to care for in their last moment of life!