Pics from the Trip

The team in the Hong Kong Airport in June, on our way to India... it seems like forever ago...

The official UK vs USA soccer game at the BMS guesthouse. It poured down rain the whole time, but was a lot of fun!!!

Sarah, Meridith, Cassie and Anu during worship time on the roof of the guesthouse. Anu is the 'house mom' at the BMS Guesthouse, and also a friend of mine(Emily) from my last India trip.

The two Simpson India Teams and our new friend Anu.

Friends from Freeset: Josh Hilton(his parents started Freeset) and Laurissa and Alana, friends from New Zealand.

Team Calcutta Girls with Glen & Karen Malloy, and their kids, Liam & Tiana

Cassie making faces at baby Tiana during our goodby lunch with the Malloys at Pizza Hut

Home Safely

Friends and Family, we arrived home safely yesterday afternoon about 2pm, California time. We are happy, tired and excited to share about our experiences. I'm sure we will all be jet lagged for the next few days or week. We are still processing everything we learned, saw and experienced in India, so it may take some time for us to be able to put it into words, so be patient with us.

Thank you for all the prayers ans support over the last few months.. we will try and post some blogs as we try and make sense of all this in the coming weeks.

Much Love, Team Calcutta!!!

Safe in Thailand

Hello all! once again, we are so grateful for each one of you who is faithfully and prayerfully tracking with our team. We only have a short time to use the internet as we prepare to leave tomorrow for California, but we wanted to let everyone know that we are now safely in Thailand! We have been resting and reflecting on our wild adventures and new insights from India for the past couple days and feel that we are just chipping the tip of the iceberg of all the Lord has revealed of Himself, the world, and our own identities in Him in the past 30 days.
Things in Calcutta during our last weekend were full but so filled with God's blessings. We spent our last three days basking in our developing relationships with the women and missionaries at Freeset. We also greatly enjoyed sharing our hearts, admiration, and appreciation for and with each contact in the city over a few final meals in the city. It was difficult to say goodbye to so many new friends, and we are currently experiencing a mix of emotions as we have just left Calcutta. Above all the prematurely processed thoughts and feelings each one of us now is having, we are celebrating the perfect timing and evident faithfulness of Jesus in our lives and in India.
We look forward to being with all of you-- our family and friends back home-- in just a few hours. Please keep our travels in your prayers. We love and miss you all and are excited for the opportunity to catch up on the last month of your lives when we return. We have so much to share!!
God bless you!

it's been awhile.. sorry

Life in Calcutta is a mix of things.. it's amazing, beautiful, crazy, heartbreaking, busy, and did I mention crazy? So sorry we haven't written in a while. This past week has been so great, but really full. I can't tell you all of it, but I'll give you a few mental snapshots, as well as an update of some recent developments.

First, Freeset just keeps getting better. Gos has answered our recent prayers and given each of us unique opportunities to get to know people on a deeper level. Sarah got a new girl in screenprinting who speaks English & is happy to translate for her. Cassie has had some meaningful conversations with Annie in the marking room, and I(Emily) have gotten to know the teacher and other women who serve in the creche this past week. We have just one more day there. I will be sad to leave, but I am so full of hope that the sadness is only a momentary blip in the realm of what God is doing in their lives.

Cassie has been sick for a couple days with a flu and fever. She's on antibiotics and is getting better, but it's a slow process. It is really hard to feel awful in a place that is so unfamiliar, so while she will be fine in a few days, pray that she is well enough to go to freeset tomorrow and have the energy to spend one last day with Annie and her other women.

We went back to Sari Bari today for a short visit. We got to meet more with their Indian staff, which was really cool. They gave us tea and we learned more about the ministry there. God is at work in Sari Bari and we are blessed to see it even a little.

We are experiencing some new parts of the culture, or maybe we are just becoming more aware. We don't want to leave here frustrated with the noise, the staring, the crowds, the staring, the awkward interactions on the street etc. But honestly, some days, it seems that's all we encounter. Sarah almost got into a fistfight with a kid on the street last night.. I had to hold her back. Anyhow, we desire to finish well, to see God in the people, to take in everything, and to really feel closure with love, so please pray that we would have spirits of Joy, let laughter be our guide and really try and see the Lord in each person we encounter.

It feels like we've been here forever, but at the same time, we can't believe we are leaving. A few days ago, we were processing through many of the difficult things we've seen and learned and were overwhelmed by it all. We decided that we need more than just the 12 hours in Bangkok to debrief, pray and rest before we come home. So, my friend who works for Indian Air changed our flights. We will arrive home at the same time as planned, but we will leave Calcutta Monday instead of Wed. We will be in Bangkok for 2 1/2 days and plan to rest, hang out, pray, and take the time we need to work through this last month. Pray for safe travels, a fun and relaxing time in Bangkok and that God would give us closure before we go.

The next few days are packed. Sarah and I had dinner tonight with some friends of mine from CA that are leaving in the morning, and Cassie went with the other team to meet some of their kids from Nagaland who are traveling through the city.

Tomorrow is our last day at Freeset and then we are having lunch with the Family from New Zealand who have taken us in while we are here, Glen & Karen, and their kids, Liam (3yrs) & Tiana (7 mo). That night, we will watch an Indian movie with Josh and Laurissa, other friends from New Zealand who are at Freeset. Sunday is church and a goodbye lunch for Glen & Karen, who are moving back to New Zealand for good after 4 years here in Calcutta. That evening we will go to dinner with Susanta, the Indian Pastor that we have worked with a little.

Somewhere in there, we are praying that we would have an opportunity to visit the red light area that all our women are from. I think that would be a great last thing to do, so we can see how God has transformed their lives, and also see what still needs to be done to bring hope and light to such a dark place.

So, it's a busy few days. We probably won't post another blog till Thailand, but maybe if we are feeling inspired...

Anyhow, we hope everyone at home is well. We love you and miss you!! Thank you for all the prayer.. we can definitely feel it here. God has been so faithful to us, and although life does not always run smoothly, we are certain that God is directing our steps, which gives us great confidence!!

Paz y Amor,
Emily

July 9-15 Update

Hey prayer warriors!

Well it has been an intense week with a lot of ups and downs, I have to admit. One of the highlights was seeing the other team that came from our school (which my amazing boyfriend happens to be on!). They were supposed to arrive in Calcutta on Tuesday night, but a lot of communication problems occurred and we ended up missing them. Long story short, we finally tracked them down on Wednesday afternoon. So it was a stressful 12 hours, but eventually a happy reunion. Since then we've been able to have several meals with them, and hear all about the ministry they've been doing this last month in Northern India. On Friday, Sarah and I worked our usual morning shift at Freeset, but Emily had to stay back because she wasn't feeling well. We've all been struggling with minor sickness here and there this week. One really rewarding part of my morning was getting to know Annie better. I work with her up in the marking room, and have pretty much fallen in love! She is so sweet and beautiful, and loves teaching me Bengali. I am so grateful for the connection. Pray for more! I want to learn so much from her. That afternoon Emily was luckily able to meet up with us when we went to visit a local Youth Group. We had the amazing opportunity to visit this school that the youth group is held at. It is a Christian school that only takes the poorest of the poor. They actually go to great lengths to make sure that elite don't try to sneak in, because it's that good of a school! (And their sole ministry is to reach the ones who wouldn't otherwise have a chance). They provide two uniforms, so one is always clean, and a good solid meal every day. For some kids it's the only meal they'll get that day. But they look so clean and are so happy at school, it's really easy to forget the slum they just walked from that very morning. The school administrator, Kris, is the one who runs the youth program and set everything up for us to visit. He actually runs three of these groups per week all over the city, plus the admin job, plus Pastoring a local church here. He's awesome. He is married to an Indian woman, whom he met in the U.S., and he has so much insight on the culture and spirituality. We picked his brain during the entire hour drive there! On the property of the school there is also a home for street kids. They've brought 17 girls and 14 boys off the streets and railway stations to live there as well as attend the school. It' is so amazing. It was so cute when we arrived, all the youngest girls had been practicing a dance to perform in church, but when they saw us they stopped what they were doing, ran up sooo excited, and gave us huge hugs. They squealed "auntie auntie!" (That's what younger kids call anyone older). It was probably the best welcome I've ever had. The youth group was really touching as well. There were about 30 high school kids there, and all of them are sponsored for their education. In fact every student is. The school used to be sponsored by Compassion, but is now independently run. It was an awesome thing to see. The entire day was such a blessing because all three of us had honestly just felt really burnt out. We had an emotionally charged week, and were feeling under the weather on top of that. Not to mention this week has had some of the hottest days since we've been here. You have no idea how much that drains you. So Friday was a breath of fresh air. God is faithful!

Today (7/15) we went to church and then to Pizza Hut for lunch (I know I know, it's cheating...but we really needed a taste of home, ok? Lol.) And then amazingly enough we had the afternoon to rest. It didn't last long though, because before we knew it we were all outside playing soccer! It actually ended up pouring down rain and we all got so soaked. It was really fun. Definately a stress reliever, when every 5 minutes we were slipping in the mud and laughing hysterically. So it was a good day. Yay for the Sabbath! :)

Well, this next week we'll be continuing to work at Freeset, as well as trying to meet with some other organizations. Pray for more open doors! We are having a great time, but struggle with being burnt out and occasional sickness. So we'd all appreciate prayers for strength and God's power! It's only by Him that we will succeed! Thank you again for your continued support, love and prayers. We think of you all often and pray for the States as well. God Bless and I'll write again soon!

In His Grip, Cassie

Snaps

Hope you've enjoyed these shots -- more to come!!

Glimpses

Each new day that I spend here I feel like I get a glimpse. A glimpse into the heart of God, a glimpse into the life of one woman, a glimpse into the mysteries of this vastly different culture. The other night as I laid in bed I just started to weep. All of the sudden all of the brokenness of this place and this world hit me. I was so heartbroken over all the evil and depravity and it simply overwhelmed me to the point of being sick. But the next morning we had an amazing morning of worship (our makeshift church service since we accidentally slept in) and God spoke to my heart in a profound way. I realized that all of the things that were breaking my heart the night before are the same evils that I am capable of. This is a devastatingly humble realization. But rather than feeling conviction or guilt I was simply broken. In that moment I caught just a fraction, a glimpse, of how God feels when He sees His children, those made in His image, driven by their flesh. It breaks His heart! All of this has come together for me to feel an even deeper compassion for this ministry to Red Light women. I found it such an honor for God to allow me to see a piece of His heart. I really feel that the prayers of our team have been coming to fruition, that we might realize our own brokenness so that we can live in community with the broken. The amazing thing is, it doesn't end with being broken. Because we serve God incarnate, we can connect our humanity to spirituality, and experience being made whole and living in hope! This is what we so desire for the women we're working with as well. They have just begun their journey to freedom, and we fervently pray they will experience new life with Christ. Something the three of us have been grappling with is how to incorporate this paradox of brokenness and wholeness into our daily lives. It is an interesting and rewarding journey!

Other glimpses that have touched my heart:
-one woman in particular, who likes to hold our arm and walk down the street with us as we come out from our hostel. She just follows a few steps, smiles, and then goes on her way
-little schoolgirls who get so excited and giggly when they see us
-the two-toothed rickshaw driver who rings his bell every morning and offers a ride
-the smile and laughter of Annie, a friend I've made at Freeset (she works with me in the marking room)

So these are just a few of the insights that I've had so far - from my heart to yours. I hope this gives you all a glimpse into our daily life here. I know some of it is rather heavy, but it is real, and I feel right now that it's all I can offer. Although our team is experiencing intensity like this every day, we are also experiencing so much joy and hope, like the list of things above. God is so good and faithful, and we feel Him guiding us every step of the way. Thank you sooo much for all of your prayers and diligent reading! We appreciate you more than you know! Please pray for the other team from Simpson, that will be arriving tomorrow. We are really looking forward to spending time with them, and know it will do our hearts good to see some familiar faces! Love you all so much. God's peace and power be with you.

In His Grip, Cassie