We are the body of Christ. We worship sitting cross-legged on the floor, perched on stools or propped up on rattan chairs. We meet not in buildings with steeples on broad, tree-lined avenues, but in the apartment buildings of believers. We are few in number but in no way lacking in community. Our children wriggle [...]

Pray for those who visit Kali temple each day offering sacrifices to different gods. Thousands crowd into a small courtyard, even in the early morning hours. Each wish to get a glimpse of the Kali statue and offer their sacrifice. One worshipper said she tries to go to the temple at least once a week. After offering her sacrifice flowers and sweets, she feels at peace. Pray for this woman, as well as thousands of others, will find real peace through the One True God.

Thousands come in pursuit of peace at the temple of Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, each day. It’s a sea of humanity. Pushing, shoving and chanting surround me.

Standing in the courtyard, I try to figure out how this mass confusion can lead to peace. I ask two women who stopped to chat about this. Kajori Sett* and her niece, Garji Sett*, graciously offer to walk me through their weekly pursuit of peace, giving me a hands-on introduction to Hinduism.

Volunteers arrive in Kolkata today. They hit the ground running. Pray for strength and health during their time here. Pray they will find “persons of peace,” people who are open to the message and willing to offer help when needed. Pray there will be many divine opportunities during this next week. Pray for boldness in [...]

A young Indian woman walks in the door of the church and immediately puts her Bible on the floor, staking out a spot near the front.  Chitta Thakur* explains that both the men’s and women’s side of the church fills up pretty fast. So, it’s best to come early just to make sure you have [...]

Pray for discipleship training programs taking place throughout the city of Kolkata. The training consists of 10 levels covering everything from how to be “fishers of men” to dealing with “spiritual warfare.” The goal is to begin cell groups or home fellowships that eventually lead to a new church. Pray that local church and lay [...]

One pickup at the corner, a drop off at the next street… a few blocks more, and we make it to the slum area. Following one of the teachers, I step out of the bus and into the first wave of trash.

Making our way across the open field, it feels like many eyes are already on us, wondering, “Who is this woman? What is she doing? What does she want? I want to go see her up close.”

Waking up from her nap on the multi-colored mat, the 15-month-old is carried off to the side by one of the caregivers at the baby care center. Most of these babies go to the center while their mothers spend the day begging on the streets of Kolkata.

Something draws me to this 15-month-old named Puja, a Bengali word meaning “worship.” She stands wiping the sleep from her eyes only a minute before I put down my cameras and walk over to say hello.

“Hi!” I say with a smile and then make hand motions for her to come to me. Puja only stares and doesn’t move. I pick her up and snuggle, remembering what a volunteer worker told me. “They just need love … that’s what they’re lacking.”

What appears to be a “small” church is really not so small. Their members meet in hundreds of homes and locations throughout the city. They train their leaders and members to always think about sharing with their friend or neighbor. The goal is to have pockets of believers spread throughout the entire city. Pray for [...]

Impatience is the boundary line between education and reality — literally and figuratively.

The pink, five-leaf flower called, “Impatiens,” forms a hedge separating the yellow and salmon colored Christian school from an amorphous body of water.

If anything, these children are impatient to learn. It’s the inquisitive nature so commonly associated with a child-like spirit that fuels their impatience to leave no rock uncovered.