Entry for January 31, 2013

Dear Friends in Christ—

The internet can go down here depending on the weather, so our posts are a day or so behind. 

 

Our day began with an extended cup of tea with Bishop Probal Dutta after breakfast.  He shared story after story of the work being done here.  He explained the caste system to us and how Christians have often come from the lowest caste, the serving caste.  Why are they attracted to Christianity? Because in Christ there is no caste.  He was adamant that before we see what the children are capable of doing now, we see where they have come from.  So, midmorning we headed across the street to the basti, a slum area.  When we go into this area, we are seen as friends because the work of the church is respected here.  We quickly learned that the children and women love having their picture taken, and Libby was smart to bring her ipad so that they could see the pictures right away.  The living conditions are very tough, and we were told that it night it is even worse.  Huts made of all kinds of materials.   Very little electricity.  Very cramped spaces.  Lots of dogs.  Several goats.  No sewage system.  One wonders what becomes of all the dirt paths in the monsoon season.  And yet, there is also remarkable beauty here—in the people and in the care which they take with their homes.  One woman has created sculpture on the walls of her adobe house—elephants and antelope and peacocks, even placing pieces of mirror in the eyes of the animals.  She also has flowers growing in pots.  Others have paintings on the outside walls of their homes.  And the children absolutely capture your hearts.  Many of them come to Durgapur Child Center in the afternoons.  Some of the children who live in the hostel in the compound have come out of unbelievably distressing situations in this slum.

I was struck listening to Bishop Dutta how the issues we face in the church are so much the same.  He spoke of challenging his churches to look beyond the walls, literally, to see how to be in relationship with the community beyond. He spoke of how some of his churches are right across the street from these slum areas, and how they now are serving people in these areas in ways that they never have before. It is the very same question many of us are asking in our churches—what is God up to in our neighborhood?  He doesn’t worry about converting people.  The church here serves hindus and muslims.  They simply live the gospel and love as Christ loves.

In the afternoon, several of us went to a shop around the corner on the hunt  for sarees to wear to the Thanksgiving Service on Sunday—the tribal people will be in their finest—we want to honor them by doing likewise.  God bless Jim Shine for his patience.  It sort of had the feel like shopping for a prom dress, only much more fun!  The women of our group now understand why the women in India wear sarees—they make you feel beautiful.  I never dreamed I would find my inner shopper in India, but it feels wonderful to support the local economy in this way. 

One of the projects of the Diocese of Durgapur is a sewing center training program.  The men and women who go through this six month training get a certificate from the government that makes it possible for them to find work.  The alternatives for women here are bleak, but this program gives them the possibility of a different life.  Their work is impeccable.  They don’t just sew, but they do fine tailoring as well.  The machines are foot pump like the one that my husband has from his grandmother.  One could sense the beauty and honor involved in learning this trade and being able to obtain this certificate.  And Bishop Dutta says that this center is now completely self-sustaining.  Amazing!

The afternoon also held playtime with the children.  I have long known how my background as an accountant is put to use in my priestly ministry, but I never dreamed how handy it would be to be a former basketball player!  We have a ways to go with rules, but they loved playing.  They are so fast and made passes between our legs.  I usually play on a gravel court, so playing on concrete was a blast.  I have not had that much fun in a long time.  Next step is to the get the girls on the court.  The children are so eager to engage with us.  They are thrilled to be at the Durgapur Center.  I look forward to many more times of play with them this week.  And watching them rehearse for their dances, we can’t wait to see them perform Friday evening.

Late in the day, we were honored to be invited to the Companion Diocese Meeting.  We were greeted with roses and served tea and pizza with chips.  Such gracious, gracious hospitality.  At this meeting, we talked about the relationship between our two dioceses and what it means to the Diocese of Durgapur and the Diocese of Western North Carolina.  The child sponsorship program is our main project, and there is great need to expand it.  It was powerful to watch Libby, Jim, and Susanne of our delegation become godparents/grandparents today.  It is hard to know who was happier, the children or Jim, Susanne, and Libby.  I got to meet the little girl that our family sponsors—what a sweet, sweet spirit.  Norma has had the chance to interact with her many kids.  These sponsorships make this afternoon enrichment possible for these children, and things change in this place where life is so hard, one child at a time.  There are now six child development centers throughout the Diocese of Durgapur.   Several of us will go to the newest one next week.  The parents of the children in this newest center are coal miners, and the conditions there are pretty tough.  The connection to Appalachia is not lost on me.

There is hope to do a women’s exchange bringing some of the women here to our diocese for a visit, and maybe some exchange around their summer camp here.  Bishop Dutta talked of how seeing programs in our diocese has helped inspire them to try things here.  I think the opposite is also true.  Being here makes you see what is possible when we truly engage the world beyond our walls.

After the drive from Calcutta, I was wondering out loud how it changes here.  It is so overwhelming, so much hard, hard poverty, so much pollution, so much infrastructure that needs attention.  And Jim Shine looked around the diocesan compound and said, “Maybe it changes like this, one piece at a time.”  I think he is right.  When you look around the compound, you see beauty and a safe place for the children to be children and to be happy and loved and fed and nourished in so many ways.  You see men and women who are sewing and earning a living.  You see hope.  Though we have not gotten out to the parts of the diocese yet, it is my guess, that the Diocese of Durgapur is a light of hope in every community where they have a presence.    The world changes by changing one little corner at a time.  I think Jim is right.

In peace,

Cyndi