Go Beyond | Kolkata

It was a chilly 62 degrees when we left BMS to head to New Hope School.  We were greeted on the main road by the twin boys of Rudra and Mita Singh, the founders of New Hope.  They helped us pull our supplies to the school as it’s quite a trek.  It has been fun to watch these boys grow from shy boys into funny, outgoing, strong young men.  They had a school holiday today and were able to join us at New Hope School.

Mita basically gives us free reign of her school while we are there.  We plan everything from the theme, lessons, science experiments, chapel time, craft, etc.  Stephanie Blyth has done an amazing job of planning everything for school this trip.

In 2012 Jill Fields started the “Tutti Ta” tradition and we were not about to let that fall by the wayside.  If you don’t know the “Tutti Ta”, please Google it.  It’s the best nonsensical thing you’ll ever love.  We started our day with this funny song and it was definitely a highlight!

Stephanie’s lesson plans were about plants. The kids learned about the parts of a plant, different types of fruits, plants, seeds, etc and even built a drip irrigation system. I can’t wait to learn more tomorrow see what tomorrow’s lesson is about!

Mita she told me, “These children don’t see science experiments like this, that’s why they are staring at her like that!”

Stephanie making a drip irrigation system with the kids.  They were fascinated!

After the morning school session, the kids learn about hygiene and health.  They brush their teeth, wash their hands, and then get a healthy snack from the school.  It always amazes me that these kids never complain about anything they’ve been given.  You can give them a purple crayon and they don’t say, “I wanted orange!”.  Today’s snack was a piece of bread with some jam and a hard boiled egg.  They receive it in a little plastic container and then THEY ALL SIT DOWN AND EAT IT, CRUST AND ALL AND YOLKS AND ALL.  You never once hear, “I don’t like hard boiled eggs” or “Can you cut the crusts off of mine?”

Sweet girls from New Hope pumped water so the kids could wash their hands and brush their teeth.  They are being chased by one of the 300 stray dogs in the village.

We left New Hope, escorted by a gaggle of kids.  Then we stopped by for some lunch at KFC and SORRY AMERICA YOUR CHICKEN IS NOT AS GOOD AS INDIAN CHICKEN.  KFC never fails to disappoint.

Our afternoon appointment was with a new ministry called The Loyal Workshop.  You HAVE to go look at their website!  Their products are amazing and they are all made by artisans who have left the sex trade for a brighter future.  They were started by a company in Australia and they all have adorable accents.  We taught them some Texas slang and cleaned out their “seconds shop”.  If you are looking for a gift for me, I wear size Advocacy Pack (seriously, check out their website for details…it is amazing)!

The Loyal Workshop