Ministry Updates!

Hey everybody!

Sorry I haven't been able to write very much since I've been here, but we have already been sooo busy! Just since arriving on Tuesday, God has opened so many doors and immersed us in Indian culture. On Thursday we met with the Organization called Freeset, that employs women from "the line" in the Red Light district. The manufacturing unit is located in the heart of the district, and employs over 100 women. The women make handbags and then Freeset sells them to various causes in the States. It provides income, childcare, and good hours, and above all, a safe place to regain their dignity. The couple that I had contacted through email previous to our trip have turned out to be amazing. They are a young Christian couple from New Zealand and have two kids. Emily, Sarah and I immediately felt welcomed and loved by them. They are so much fun! During our lunch break they invited us to their small apartment flat and we were able to hear more about their stories and the ministry at Freeset. Later that nite we were also invited back for their home group, and watched a Nooma video and ate some delicious Chinese food. They have an awesome community of Christians around them in Calcutta, and it was an honor to fellowship with them. We've arranged to work at Freeset 5 days a week, from 10am-2pm. We will help in various ways such as working in the nursery, screenprinting, and cutting loose strings off the bags. I have personally worked in that last room cutting strings for most of our time there so far. It has been interesting being the only English speaker in the room! The women are very sweet though, and smile and nod, and talk amongst themselves constantly. I think their room should be nicknamed "the gossipers". It's fun to imagine what they must be saying.

On Friday we set out for yet another adventure. The Indian pastor Sarah had contacted previous to our trip, Susanta Patra, met up with us at our hotel. We had no idea what he had planned for us, so it was quite an entertaining drive. We ended up going to his ministry's headquarters and spending the entire day hearing from his heart about missions in India! It was amazing. He is a man of passion and deep conviction. He is also a man of laughter and loves to tease! We felt right at home. His wife cooked some traditional Indian food for us as well, and we learned how to eat with our hands. We truly felt immersed at this point :)

One thing that has made quite a deep impression on me so far are the glimpses. What I mean is, eye contact is so rare that when you catch just a glimpse, it is sooo powerful. Yesterday as we were driving we passed a muslim girl on the back of a motorcycle. All that was visible were her deep brown eyes peering out through her burkha. She locked eyes with me, and I don't quite know why, but it impacted me quite profoundly. The culture here is so different, and can be so overwhelming. But I am comforted by the constant thought that Jesus is here. He not only loves these people, He is among them. I love that!

Thank you so much for reading our team's updates, and for your faithful prayers. We have felt them so strongly and know they are reason for our success here so far! We hope to post again soon. God Bless.

In His Grip, Cassie

First thoughts

Well, we're finally in India! From the moment we stepped onto our last flight with India Airlines in Bangkok, Thailand, the culture shock began. The plane was small, we were served Indian food, and all the flight attendants were wearing traditional clothing. Most distinctly of all, the staring began.
This city is vibrant with color and life and is busier than i imagined. As we took the cab the 45 mins across the city, Emily gave us the go ahead and we started taking pictures of the traffic and people around us. We all decided that this is a place we will never be behind the wheels of cars! It is a skill and i'm amazed at how relaxed everyone seems when it doesn't seem like there could possibly be space for all of us to make it down the same busy streets. It didn't sink in that we are driving on a different side of the road than the United States until there was a car headed straight towards our taxi on the left side and i was trying to figure out which us should be swerving.
Today we are getting settled in, searching for places to stay, and calling a few of our contact organizations. One thing i am most struck by is the presence of the Lord in this place. The people are beautiful and hospitable. I am excited to experience the unique ways that God shows His unfailing love in this specific culture. Please pray that we would have hearts of learners, that we would walk in humility and with a love straight form the heart of Jesus that transcends culture. He is in this place and as we all acknowledged last night as we entered our new hotel room, we didn't bring Him here but are joining Him and continuing His work.
Thank you all for your prayers. Please share with us what the Lord is saying to you about this ministry while we are away.

Arrival and Traveling

We arrived in Kokata yesteray evening around 6pm. We were blessed with our experience traveling. Here are a few stories about our last few days:

Our first flight was 14 hours long, and the three of us usually don't sleep well on planes. In an unexpected blessing from God, we were all able to sleep most of the first part of the flight. It went by so much quicker than I thought it would..

On that flight, Cassie and I (Emily) were the only blonde people on the whole plane! I think it's because of this that we had an admirer among the flight attendants. He snuck us fruit and cheese trays and chocolate truffles from the business class section. It was nice to get some extra perks...

In Bangkok, we were waiting at the gate for our plane. When it arrived, they had to unload the passengers that were on it before we could board. Much to my surprise, there were familiar faces getting off the plane. Lindsey, Ashley, Jenny and the rest of the APU India team were getting off the very plane that we were waiting to board. I knew that we would just barely miss them, but I had no idea that it would be that close. We stood on either side of a thick glass wall and tried to yell greetings. It didn't really work, but it was a happy surprise. They are off to the islands in thailand for debriefing.

The rest of the traveling went smoothly, we had a little delay from Bangkok to Kolkata, but it wasn't a big deal. We arrived sleepy and a little overwhelmed by it all. So, we just grabbed dinner and crashed early. This morning we slept in, got a late breakfast and did some quiet time. it's about 12:45pm here and we are going to spend the day adjusting and getting some phone calls to our contacts in. Sarah is going to write a little about her experience and first impressions, so I'll stick with the details.

Much Love to Family and Friends... we are thinking of you!!!!

Helpful Hints and General info

Kolkata = Calcutta Kolkata is the official name for the city, but many still refer to it as Calcutta.

Namaste= Hello in Hindi

Email access: we will have access to internet cafe's a lot, but we do want to immerse ourselves in the culture, so we will not be writing every day. A reasonable expectation is to hear from us about once a week.

Phone calls: we are not planning on calling home during the trip. If you need to contact us, email is the best way.

Emergencies at home: if there is an emergency at home and you need to notify us, please call Lorene Holley at Simpson (530)226-4978 and she will be able to reach us.

Comments: please leave us notes of encouragement, or even a simple hello. We may not respond to every email or comment, but know that we love you and are thankful for you!!!

Our Trip Itinerary

Friends and Family, here is our basic flight itinerary in case you're interested.


Getting There:
June 25th 1:20am: Fly from San Francisco to Hong Kong (over 14 hours.. yikes!)
Arrive in Hong Kongat 6:25am on June 26th
Short 2 hour layover
Fly almost 3 hours from Hong Kong to Bangkok, Thailand
Another short 2 hour layover
Fly another 2 1/2 hours from Bangkok to Kolkata(Calcutta)
Arrive(finally!) in Calcutta at 3:15pm on June 26th
**We will send our parents all the actual flight numbers and stuff.


Getting Home:
July 25th 9:20am: Fly from Kolkata to Bangkok
Stay overnight in Bangkok.. debrief, hang out, rest
July 26th: fly to Hong Kong
Short 1 1/2 hour layover
Fly from Hong Kong to San Francisco (only 12 1/2 hours this time!!)
Arrive in San Francisco July 26th at 1:50pm
*fun fact: we actually leave Hong Kong at 4:25 in the afternoon and arrive 3 hours EARLIER in SF... time differences are crazy!!!