Dynamite

This is a bit of a test blog for me but also a chance to say how much I agree with all the blogs here - I too am looking forward to next week with mainly excitement but also a mixture of feelings and taking Helen's words on board about what could be described as God's dynamite - wow! I join with her questions about what God will do but if these point towards what God will do for us all in Kolkata I cannot think of a better group of people to be with as God shapes me, challenges me and forms me - see you all Monday!!

Haddoks Expectations

Unlike Great Expectations (I didn't like the book, probably because I was made to read it for my O' Level English Literature) I hope this will not be a long and tedious entry. Despite being a seasoned traveller and also having made 3 "mission" trips to Zinguinchor in Senegal I must admit I am a little apprehensive about our trip to India. I have seen poverty and hunger, I have witnessed the exploitation of children in the extreme - http://arm-senegal.org/talibe.html - and have wept over it. Perhaps my apprehension stems from the expectation of even more extremes in India? In Senegal I only ever saw one person sleeping on the streets where as I know in Kolkata there are thousands, even whole families that live on the streets in appalling conditions. Or perhaps it is because of the profound impact that my brief trips to Africa had on me? I found returning to the UK and all of it's excesses of comfort, food, money, belongings and the white noise that it produces difficult to adjust back to. I even had a strong desire to return to the simpler but harder life of Senegal with its smells, its sounds, its colours and its vibrancy, a desire that swells up every time I look at my pictures or speak to a returning missionary.

So what are my expectations for this trip? I expect to be challenged, shocked, confronted but I also expect to be changed, to grow a little more. My hope is that I approach everything with an open mind and a servant heart, and that in my own faulty, sin-ridden way, I can be a blessing to all those I meet.

In college on Wednesday we spent some time reflecting on Jesus' healing of the two blind men (Matthew 20:29). A story was given to us about children who were healed of congenital blindness in the early days of cataract surgery. Many of them never adapted to their new life of sightedness, often closing their eyes to navigate at home, and feeling overwhelmed by all the sights that pressed in on them.

I've been reflecting on this - on whether we really want our eyes opened to God's reality, or whether it's safer, and easier, to remain blind.

There's a song we sing at church which has the following chorus:

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdom's cause
As I go from nothing to eternity

And there we stand or sit, mouthing these words, ignorant of the fact we are playing with dynamite. What if God took us at our word? What if he really did open up our eyes to the realities we haven't seen - about ourselves, about the world around us? What if he really did break our hearts as his is broken, so that we know the passion he has for the lost and broken, so that we know that passion that took Jesus to the cross?

These questions feel very relevant as our trip to Calcutta draws near. What does God want to show us? What does he want to teach us - about ourselves, about his heart for the lost and broken? Will I allow my eyes to be opened? Will I allow my heart to be broken?

Playing with dynamite, indeed.

Hello fellow travellers. I am feeling a bit scared but also excited. Just off to see what supplies i need

I can't believe it's all coming round so quickly! Quite scary really.

Seems like we only started planning a few weeks ago and yet on Monday we fly off to Kolkata.

Must admit to being apprehensive, even slightly nervous. I have this feeling that the experience is going to be complete sensory overload on many levels.

But...... I am still looking forward to it passionately! I am really looking forward to seeing what BMS and other agencies get involved with at ground level; how it all hangs together and what it looks like.

It's going to be especially interesting in light of the Intergal Mission modules that we have studied, thinking about the people that we have met and spoken to and all of the contextual and cultural baggage that it comes with for us.

I am anticipating having a lot of my preconceptions challenged and sterotypes overturned.

Things are hotting up....

….you should just look at the weather, 101deg next Friday in Kolkata. Check out the weather and local news that is now available on this blog! And watch out for the tentative postings of some new bloggers over the next few days.

 

 

Welcome to the official blog of the Bristol Baptist College's mission trip to Kolkata India from 2nd to the 19th April 2012, hosted by the Baptist Missionary Society.

You will find regular updates of our experiences of this trip posted by all members of the team. Enjoy!