Go Beyond | Kolkata

By Guest Blogger – Stephanie Blyth

Stephanie Blyth: I’m often asked why missions, and why India. I’m not your typical missionary, and India is certainly not an easy journey. The answer is easy. This is where God has called me to serve and if you were here, you would understand.

For years I ignored His call. Always reasons that really made sense but in my heart I knew I was simply scared and not willing to take that step. For those introverts out there, you surely can relate to the anxiety of stepping out of your comfort zone. After I lost my dad is call got loud and most certainly clear. India was the place. What I was to do there was up to His will.

Romans 12:6-10

According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy,use it according to the proportion of one’s[b]faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading,with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil;cling to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters.

We all have gifts that have been given to us by God. I am a mother of four very active boys, an engineer in the oil and gas industry, and to top it off, an introvert. I do well in small groups of people and much better if it’s people I know. Anxiety is real and incredibly prevalent in my every day life. But even with these challenges my heart longs to return to this place to use my gift. My gift is to love in whatever way possible. To simply be the hands and feet of Jesus. Through God’s grace, India has a way of breaking down my walls and anxiety. I can come here with a group of women that I do not know and work side by side with them to simply do His work.

So much of this trip I just feel blessed. I am so fortunate to teach science at a slum village school ran by one of the bravest women I know, Mita Singh. The honor felt to simply wash the feet of a woman that is still involved in the trade and listen about what burdens her heart through a translator. There is no judgement. Not by me and not by her (except maybe my paint work on her nails). I crave this time every year where judgment is left behind by women as it is all too common back home. Here we simply sit and enjoy each other’s company and I do my best to show her how much she is loved and valued by such a simple act like a pedicure. The stories are heartbreaking and far too many than there ever should be. One after another I hear of the darkness that surrounds this place. But the JOY…..that is indescribable.

We were honored this weekend to take a group of ladies on a retreat. These ladies are at the forefront of the battle against human trafficking. They are the social workers, the caregivers, the orphanage workers, the teachers, and a variety of other positions that are here giving it their everything to stop modern day slavery and abuse in God’s name. We spent the time with devotions, crafts, and just time together to share our stories and the pain but also the good. There is so much good in such darkness and such beauty in these warriors.

As we ended these two days, we were surrounded by these women to just pray. The feeling of the Holy Spirit that swept over this group and the love felt absolutely filled my tired soul and I hope theirs. While I certainly miss my family, to leave such a place is so incredibly difficult. There is so much need in this City of Joy and so many beautiful people I will miss. I ask that as we close this trip and this blog that your prayers for this place and these people continue. The need is great and I know overwhelming at times for those here for the duration. I also ask for prayers for safe travel and for this team. The mental toll of what and who we leave behind until next year will weigh heavily until our return.

My name is DeAnna Parsell and I am today’s blogger. This is my first trip to India as well as my first mission trip. I’m truly blessed to have had the opportunity to visit Kolkata with these special KBC women. Each one has moved me with their testimonies, personal life struggles, and experiences/relationships with the ministries we have visited. I think we have worked well together as we all have contributed differently with a common goal to spread love, prayer, peace and fun to those who endear so much pain, uncertainty, fear and sadness all too often.

Today was an amazing day at the Mukti Network Retreat. The retreat was held at Vedic Village. The goal of this retreat is for KBC to host a fun and relaxing two days for the phenomenal women who provide services in freedom ministries for so many women and children in need. Words cannot explain what these women have heard, seen and experienced first hand, yet their faith and love for God our Father and their desire to serve our Lord keeps them strong.

Our day started around noon with introductions, opening prayer, and lunch. After lunch the ladies painted picture cubes. This was followed by a beautiful bible story with Sterling followed by her emotional and touching testimony. Our next craft was earrings which the ladies seemed to enjoy. Walking around the room I saw some very cool creations. After tea and snacks we followed with a beautiful and wise teaching with Reagan. The women then had the opportunity to leave and relax for a bit or stay and play games. The day finished with free time, dinner and bowling.  There was also dancing and a lot of laughter!

I’ve learned so much from this trip. It truly was life changing for me. I’ve realized that although personal struggles seem hopeless and dark, there is always light if you keep Jesus close. I want to embrace the good in my life and let go of bad…the anger that has consumed me. As our trip is closing, I feel so much joy from this experience. These women and children blessed me beyond what I can write in words, and I am so honored to have been able to serve and love them.

Today’s guest blogger is Reagan Sinclair, Kingsland Missions Intern.

Today we returned to New Hope School. Although it’s a one room classroom, they have multiple teachers that each take a subject and rotate between the different age groups. There are multiple white boards around the room so that each teacher can have space for their lesson. While we were there, Stephanie taught on circuits. We all agreed that she should’ve been our physics teacher in school. We split up into different age groups, and each student made their own flashlight using a popsicle stick, copper tape, LED light, and a battery.

After school, we were invited to Rudra’s house to enjoy that Eastern hospitality and have a meal prepared by his wife, Mita. Mita is the headteacher at the school and Rudra pastors several churches. As we ate, he shared his passion to go out to the rural villages to work with the unreached people group. He is making the most of every opportunity to share God’s redemption with others, and together they bring light into a dark place.

In the late afternoon, we went back to one of the red light districts and visited a second location of a ministry we saw earlier in the week. The women made tassel earrings and rotated to receive pedicures. The Indian people have very strong bodies, because after many days sitting “Indian style” on the concrete floor painting nails, I’m really feeling it. And I’m only 28.

We were walking back to the bus when a woman ran up to our group. Remember this is a red light area, so we are very much on guard. However, as it turns out, we knew this woman. If you read Tuesday’s blog, you will learn about a woman that Sterling spent much time with that day. She shared hard things in her life, and Sterling prayed with her. This is a very large area, so it’s rare that our paths would cross again. But God has His ways. She and Sterling embraced many times and were thrilled to see each other. The woman walked us to our bus and waited until we drove away. I wouldn’t be surprised if they find each other next year.

I taught in a rural African village for five years but have recently moved back to the US. On this trip, I was hoping to figure out how to apply what I learned doing long term missions in a short term setting. If I’m honest, I was a little hesitant about all this. During my time overseas, I saw people with good intentions be harmful, and I was worried about unknowingly participating in that. In our first few days, I watched how the women lit up in excitement to see the returning members of our team. By coming to the same places each year, Kingsland has been able to build relationships and build a reputation of being trustworthy. One of the workers of a certain ministry told me that she really appreciated that we didn’t come with our agenda of how to end human trafficking or how to make their lives better. We simply came to love and to have fun. It’s for this same reason that another ministry said that Kingsland is the only group of foreigners that they allow. We’re not coming to start something and leave it; we are supporting the nationals who are already working here. This city is full of amazing people that want to fight evil in their city. We’re just here to visit our friends, support them, and give them a short rest from the emotions that ministry brings. On Tuesday, the coffee shop was full of ladies who just wanted to have a good time, and as it quieted down, hardships were shared and ministry happened. I believe a good work is happening here.