Jayamasi!

So I'm home.

I apologize for not writing this last entry sooner.

4 flights + 36 hours of non-stop travel + 0 hours of sleep = 1 EXHAUSTED Jocelyn

I can finally sleep through the night!

So here's what went down our last week in Calcutta...

We continued our service at Prem Dan and Shanti Dan. Half of us were at Prem Dan- the home for the dying. The residents here need help eating, washing and dressing. They also just need people to hang out with them. The other half, including me, continued our ministry of presence at the home for mentally challenged women. I came to some difficult realizations.

1. Some of the "cute" women at the "adult pre-school" I was helping to facilitate were once as confident, independent and functional as me. One morning, during greeting time, I said hello to a woman who just stared at me and then said, "No." My first reaction was to think, "Well, someone is just a lil' grumpy today." But a few minutes later, I realized that if our roles were switched, I would be just as upset with me as she was. These women used to have families, friends and lives and now they were stuck with me trying to make them laugh by blowing bubbles in their faces.

2. On Tuesdays, many of the women are forced to undergo electroshock therapy. Also, I witnessed several beatings and discovered a "cage" of women chained to the floor. I recognize that I unexpectedly came across these things without explanation. I don't have all the information, and I don't have a full understanding of acceptable cultural practices regarding mental illness and discipline. Yet, I have not been able to rationalize or justify these behaviors in my mind.

3. Many women at Shanti Dan are traumatized. While the home does admit residents who were born with mental disabilities, several of the women are severely burned and missing limbs. Others have intense tattoos across their chests and all over their arms. Their husbands, parents or strangers horrifically abused them. And they couldn't defend themselves. These women are wives, daughters, mothers and friends, but they don't know it.

Each morning after breakfast at the "Mother House," all the volunteers gather and sing,

"We have our hope in Jesus that all things will be well in the Lord."

This is my continuous prayer. God is faithful.

On our day off, we visited the slums. All are narrow and consist of mostly makeshift tents built along a river. We walked the streets and chatted with kids and their families. We also wandered into a large muddy field to play soccer. I scored 2 goals against the cocky local college-aged boys. :)

Then on Saturday night we began our EPIC journey to the U.S.

And now I'm here—sitting at my desk and scratching my head [lice was my souvenir...]. Glad to be home but longing to be there. Pondering how to speak/act everything God grew in me and trusting the transformation is still taking place.

I can't wait to see you all in person and hug you. And when you see me, please ask me how my trip was and ask me to tell you a story about a student, a leper, a widow or a bearded lady who changed my life. I'm excited to share and to learn all about what God has been doing in your lives. So let's get together soon, OK?

When we were in Darjeeling, we quickly learned that the Indian/Nepali Christian greeting is actually "Jayamasi!" [Christ has the victory!]

This greeting has followed us throughout our journey as a source of inspiration, encouragement and comfort amidst the secular yet beautiful "Namaste"s of other beliefs.

As I think about my summer—the people, the places, the prayers and the passions—this simple phrase resounds.

Jayamasi, my friends. Jayamasi.