There is so much to tell of all we’ve experienced in the past 36 hours, but so hard to put into one blog post! I’ll have to rely on my fellow pilgrims to tell the rest of the story as they see fit…

We have just returned from the Inter Cultural Program at St. Michael’s School (literally just beyond the wall and down the road from our diocesan “compound”), which featured incredible dances by girls and boys from the various diocesan-supported child development centers. This was an impressive production, complete with professional sound, lights and – yes – a smoke machine. Our own offering for the event was a puppet show called “The Frog Prince” (created by Adele Chappell of St. Philip’s). The Inter Cultural Program is an annual event, coinciding with the diocesan Thanksgiving Service and Celebration each February.

The evening program was followed by a gala dinner outside on the grounds of the school, with people literally from all over the world. The setting was elegant, with lights and flowers and beautiful decorations everywhere. One thing has become clear in a few short days: these people know how to throw a party! Visitors like us from other countries were showered with gifts and encouraged to mingle with people from other places. I met Christians from Bangladesh, Canada, England, and also chatted with the former bishop of Durgapur.

I will just mention here (but hope someone else will write about) the visit some of us made earlier in the day to the “basti” (the neighborhood some call a slum) just beyond the gate and down the road from the diocesan compound. I will never forget meeting people living in simple huts with mud floors who, despite their circumstances, radiate a dignity and inner strength that is nearly tangible. I thanked God that we had Lynn with us, since she got to know many of the people from the basti during her missionary year here and on subsequent visits.

Rob Field

Photo captions:

Lynn Coulthard (center) with residents of the basti, situated just beyond the diocesan compound in Durgapur.

Student dancers at the Inter Cultural Program held Friday evening at St. Michael’s School, adjacent to the diocesan center in Durgapur.