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