Christy Manning tried to prepare me. “Here, read chapters 7 and 8,” she said, handing me a copy of  Kay Warren’s book,”Dangerous Surrender.” Kay’s words about working at Mother Teresa’s Kalighat, the center for the sick and dying destitute, touches reader’s hearts. Shane Ham also shared with me chapters meaningful to him from Mary Poplin’s book, “Finding Calcutta.” I was grateful for Christy and Shane’s help. But you have to let God have his way with you while working at any of Mother Teresa’s five centers.

At Premdan, I quickly made friends with other volunteers. They came Monday from Malaysia, Japan, France, Spain (and Detroit, Mich.). We scrubbed by hand – in outdoor tanks about the size of small hot tubs — the clothing of about 200 men in the first hour. We used water buckets to wash down concrete walkways of debris, including human waste, in the second hour. We served hot milk in tin cups in the third hour. Then, we served a lunch of mainly rice in the fourth hour.

With every task, I tried to look into the eyes of the men. But it was hard for my eyes. What I saw broke my heart. Men were missing toes, fingers and parts of their legs due to leprosy. Bags of gout hung from a man’s neck. A pimply rash distorted another man’s face. And my eyes just couldn’t take it.

After trips with about a dozen buckets of water, my arms grew weary. I decided I wouldn’t fill up my bucket to the top. And that would help. But then I saw a man carrying two buckets of water – and he was limping on a bad leg. I felt ashamed.  

Finally, the smells of open wounds and horrific diseases broke me. And I walked away. But just for a few minutes. Then, God whispered that he would help me. And he did. I talked with a nun, Sister Corsina, from South India. She told me about her first experience at Premdan. “I never thought God wanted me to be here. We do little service for God. We are weak. But he knows how we are. I went home. But, then, I came back. I am here because God wanted me here.”

I decided to say a prayer, asking God to help me, to help me to see — and smell — past the obvious. I realized my frailty and my need for God’s help in all things, in all circumstances. Especially in Calcutta. And he did. Praise God.

One of the things as we wind up this trip is the team that I believe God orchestrated to travel together and experience this life changing adventure with.

I watched RonO as he is thought with such passion and conviction. His love and compassion for people left me in awe. Last night as he preached I began to pray that I could become more like RonO. I listen to him talk about his life and the people in his life with such love and I think his family is so lucky. His grandson is so blessed to have him as a grandpa. We joke as a team by saying “praise God” because you will hear RonO say that at least once every few minutes. Thanks RonO for making me want to be a better man.

Melanie has become the mother of the trip. If you know her you know her personality to have thought, planned, and prepared for anything that might or might not happen each day. She spends countless hours thinking about the people that we are going to meet, the questions to ask, how we can minister to their needs, and how we can be most effective everywhere we went. Melanie has such a heart for the people of India and as we toured a hospital today you could tell she was walking on the clouds as her wheels were turning about the possibilities. There was no question that Mel has had a heart for India and the people that in such great need.

Shane and I have already made this trip together. It’s like traveling with your brother. We can be honest with each other and neither of us takes offence. Shane is an incredible leader. He had done such a great job organizing this trip and helping everyone feel like they accomplished what they wanted. You all know what a great teacher he is and people afterwards just cling to him because they can sense his gift of mercy. His warm smile and his famous “let me ask you a question” line make people feel important.

Christy jumped in on this trip last minute when Kim couldn’t come. I have to say if it wasn’t my wife coming with me the only other person I would want would be Chris. Being family makes traveling easier. When we are sweaty and smelly and talk about things that make most feel uncomfortable you don’t have to worry about that with my sister in law. Seeing her at orphanage was so moving. Watching her sing to the blind boy is forever etched into my mind. Christy has such a heart for ministry as you all know so it was awesome to be able to experience this life changing trip with someone in my family.

Kim didn’t get to physically go on the trip but Kim you are just as much a part of the team. You were in our conversations daily as you truly put this trip together and helped make it happen. Often we would say when Kim comes because we know you will be coming to Kolkata many times in the future. We all love and thank you for all your work, after hour’s meetings, international phone calls, and everything you did for the team!

Hope… in the smile and joyful giggle of an orphan.  Peace… in the face of a woman sleeping on the sidewalk.  Love… in the friendship of men as one shaves the other’s face on the street corner.  In India, goodness is not contingent upon circumstance.  Goodness just is.  It’s everywhere!  I can’t help but contrast this reality with my own life and consider my lack of contentment with what I have, how I struggle to sleep in the comfort of my cozy bed, and the loneliness I carry due to my strength and independence.  I can’t help but wonder which is the greater tragedy… their need or my lack of it?

What I expected to be my forever picture of human misery has become a new vision of hope. I have found that the people of India don’t need to be rescued from their poverty – I need to be rescued from mine.

I saw the face of Jesus

In a little orphan girl

She was standing in the corner

On the other side of the world

And I heard the voice of Jesus

Gently whisper to my heart

Didn’t you say you wanted to find me

Well, here I am, here you are

So what now

What will you do now that you’ve found me

What Now

What will you do with this treasure you’ve found

I know I may not look like what you expected

But if you’ll remember

This is right where I said I would be

You found me, what now

And I saw the face of Jesus

Down on sixteenth avenue

He was sleeping in an old car

While his mom went looking for food

And I heard the voice of Jesus

Gently whisper to my soul

Didn’t you say you wanted to know me

Well, here I am

And it’s getting cold

So come and know

Come and know me now

What Now

Then it hit me…I saw God today…I was overwhelmed with the reality that I had encountered Jesus!  I saw him in the orphan girl that I held until we were beckoned to go and I had to peal her tiny fingers off my arm, in the woman begging for money to give her baby milk and in the half naked child to weak to lift its head off the hot pavement.

Scripture says that “whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (Matthew 25:40) and “For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you invited me into your home.  I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you cared for me.” (Matthew 25:42-43)

I’m now left with more questions than answers…what now?  What will I do with this treasure I’ve found?  For some reason I always except to see and hear from God in grandiose ways, but today I saw him so clearly in the most pure and humble form.

I’m humbled and in awe.  I look forward to sitting over coffee with many of you when I get home and hopefully I will have words to adequately describe this experience.

We truly appreciate your prayers and rely on them daily.

Hello loved ones and friends. It’s 5:00 am Saturday and I thought I would give you what we have left so that you can be praying in advance for us. Today is day 3 of the Purpose Driven Conference. The last 2 days we covered 4 sessions a day but today we will need to squeeze a 5^th session in to complete the conference. This means that we really need to move quicker than we have. There are a few pastors and ministry leaders who have wanted our attention and some one on one time so this evening we will try and arrange and meet with as many as we can.

Sunday we will split up for a couple hours. Shane will be speaking at the AG church during their morning services and I will be across down speaking at the first Baptist church of Kolkata. We will then be picked up and have to eat our trail mix for lunch in the car as we drive a ways out to an orphanage that we have been wanting to see. We have a dear brother who’s the president and we asked if we could go even though it will be outside of town. We will be a little rushed because we need to be back by 4:00 pm because the AG church has an evening service and Ron O. will be the speaker that night.

Monday at about 8:00 am we will be at the AG church headquarters where I get the opportunity to lead their staff meeting for about 60 staff members. We will then pile into a few cars and make a 4 ½ hour drive out to a leper colony that Melanie has been working with through MMI. Our goal is to make connections with Hospitals and Doctors so that through MMI and NorthPointe we can assist with their needs. Our host has set up meetings with key people in the medical profession that can help make this happen.

Tuesday we actually begin our long journey back to the states but we have some time. Our plan is to take in the market place again where we get to see and meet all kinds of people. We also are going to visit the place that Mother Teresa lived and where she is buried. There is a museum with her possessions (as few as they were) and her writings. After that if we have any time left I think we are in agreement we want to go see the kids we visited the first day at the Mother Teresa orphanage. From there we will begin the 28+ hours of flying followed by the 4+ hours of driving until we are back in Fresno!!!!

After lunch Ron O, Christy, Melanie, and I wanted to get some testimony video so we can show you the heart of the people we are working with. After standing outside for 20 minutes waiting (and sweating like I have never experienced before), we were told to follow them. It was then that we found out that they had rented us a motel room across the street with air conditioning so that we can video them. Did I mention it was across the street! You have to be crazy to try to walk on foot but being great followers off we went. The first trip turned out to be uneventful but on the return trip Ron O. was given a hand jester signaling him to go ahead and cross. What Ron O.  didn’t realize was it was only one of a dozen cars that were racing by that had not given him the ok to cross. It was only by the grace of God that he made it because he was inches from a bus running him down (and they don’t slow down or move for anyone!).

The testimonies were incredible and we can’t wait for you all to be able to hear the heart of the people we have gotten to know. We finished the day with Melanie and Christy meeting with the ladies, and Shane and Ron O. meeting with the key church pastors to strategize the next 3 years where many of you will have an opportunity to visit this great city. My job was documenting these meetings with video and pictures. It was quite something to see ladies opening up about serious concerns and issues to Melanie and Christy. I believe some life long friendships are being made while these two ministered and loved on these ladies.

After the conference we were treated to a car race (it was Ron O. and Melanie vs. Christy, Shane, and me). The race was to get across down and over 2 very famous bridges meeting up at a park where there is a beautiful castle lived in by the Queen of England some 200 years ago. The only issue that I have is that we had no idea it was a race and so by the end of this super fast ride where we were hit once and had numerous close calls we beat them there.

It was while we waited that we were treated to some tricks and dancing monkeys. Who would have thought these monkeys could perform the way they did. It was a great site I have to say they are more limber than me.

We then were asked to go on horse and carriage ride around the block. Once again not the safest with the crazy people who are behind the wheel  but we thought ok let’s go. We pile in and are having a great time laughing about what we are doing but reality set in and we all decided we were ready get off.

We really had an eventful day. Our biggest regret right now is as we are driven around town by professional drivers (this is not a joke). Their goal is to get us from one point to another and we are wanting him to slow down even stop so we can get out and see, talk, and experience the sights and sounds on the street we are flying by. I’m ready for some sleep so again we love and thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. We are having a great time but we do miss and can’t wait to see our family friends next week.

Ronnie