Karen Henein
Posted on December 29th, 2006 by info
Day 1
I came on this trip to do mission work in Kolkata, India with two main focuses: working on my materialism and working to be more obedient. You see, I have my first grown-up job and my first condo and my first dining room set that did not come from my parents’ old kitchen. Also, you see, I have a very independent (and my father would say a very rebellious) nature that is not easily tamed. So I thought that in addition to being able to serve Christ by serving the poorest of His children, that I could work on my own weaknesses.
What I was not prepared for was that God would take over this learning process and that really, fixing my weaknesses has nothing to do with my will and has everything to do with His will. I started this journey very focused on healing my own faults and “working on myself” and in only one day, God has already shown me that I am His to heal.
So, like I said, too much materialism, too little obedience.
On the subject of materialism, God has already shown us the beauty of simplicity. We met several of the Sisters (nuns who are part of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity Order) with whom we will be serving. Each Sister owns 2 sets of clothing, one pair of sandals that she made herself, one bowl, one plate, one cup, one fork, and one spoon. That’s all. I could fit everything one Sister owns into my tiny carry-on bag, and still have space for my make-up and hairdryer. Yet these women have more joy in one minute than most people have in their whole lives. The light that shines from their smiles feels physically warm. The love in their touch when they just shake your hand to say hello has a soothing strength that I have never felt from another human being before. It is like these women are not merely human anymore, they are pure love. Their theory of service is, how can you serve the poor without knowing what it is to be poor. They are proof of the meaninglessness of material possessions. The Sisters have nothing except God’s PURPOSE; they live for nothing except to serve God’s PURPOSE for their lives — PURPOSE to serve God, PURPOSE to love His poorest children, and PURPOSE to bring us mere volunteers closer to Him.
So, while I don’t expect that I will go home and sell all my worldly possessions, I am sure that my material goods have no connection with the value of my life because a life is only full when it aims to fulfill God’s PURPOSE. Now, if only I can be attuned enough to God’s will to understand His purpose for me. I hope, dear reader, to be able to tell you be the end of this trip, that I have started to understand that purpose a little bit more.
On the subject of obedience, God has also done powerful work already. During prayer in preparation for this trip, I felt that I needed to be more aware of being open to God’s will and going with His flow. When you focus on obedience, though, you really start to see how many rules and regulations we have to follow every day. For example, on this trip, we follow 1) the doctor’s orders to take malaria pills every day and use bug spray everywhere, 2) the group leader’s schedule, 3) the rules of the house where we are staying, 4) the rules of volunteering at Mother Teresa’s mission houses, and 5) God’s will. It is so natural to think of rules 1-4 first and follow them first. It is harder to tune to number 5, God’s will — but His will should be the one we look to first and foremost.
So today I decided to follow God’s flow and be as open as possible. Here is what happened. At breakfast, we met a volunteer who had been here for one month. His eyes were bright with passion for the work he was doing with handicapped children at Mother Teresa’s orphanage called “Daya Dan.” I instantly knew I did not want to volunteer there — candidly, I am not very comfortable around children or disabled people — combine the two and I would not be comfortable at all. Later in the day, we happened to meet this volunteer at lunch and he invited us to attend a play that the disabled children were performing at Daya Dan. We went, and it was beautiful (from very far away where we comfortably sat on the balcony). We played with the kids for about 10 minutes afterwards and it was ok but it was very difficult to communicate with the mentally disbled kids and I was almost afraid to touch the physically disabled kids. The Sisters were very gentle and explained some of the kids’ sign language to us and told us a littel bit about some of the children. And then I met Raja, an intense little boy of about 7 years who could not speak, he could only sign. He tugged my shirt and looked at me like what he had to say was the most important thing I will ever know. He signed the same thing over and over again but I could not understand. Finally, he took me to the playroom and acted out what he was trying to tell me: he got the cut on his forehead because he fell while riding his bike. I fell in love.
Later, we were given our assignments for the volunteer work. There are 7 different houses where the Sisters need help (they range from “Kaligat,” for dying people, to “Prem Dan” for long term care, to “Shante Dan,” for mentally disabled women. I prayed about where to serve, still did not really want to serve in Daya Dan, and decided to let the Sisters decide where I should go. When my name was called, I met with Sister Kareena, the volunteer coordinator. “Where do you want to volunteer?” she asked. “Well, I would like to go to Shishu Ban.” That was a school for orphaned children. I couldn’t believe I said it — I had told God that I would let Him lead me, and I was trying to lead myself again! “Well, Sister, even though I would like to go there, please put me where you need the most help.”
“Daya Dan,” she said with a loving smile. “That is your place.”
Dear reader, please say a prayer for my service and for the service of all the missionaries in our group who will be serving in the following places:
Shishu Ban (orphan school): Jeana, Gloria
Prem Dan (long-term care): Eddie, Maria
Kaligat (house of the dying): Mariam, Mark, Ramez
Daya Dan (handicapped children): Monica, Sarah, Jacki, Karen
Please pray for us and for our service.
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looking forward to hearing more of God’s leading and how you are hearing Him!
Thank you for sharing so honestly, your words are making a difference for me.
Wow Karen! this is totally awesome. it sounds like God is really really working. i almost cried reading your words. it is truly amazing how much God opens our eyes and speaks to us when we put ourselves thru a little bit of discomfort for His sake. you made me jealous. a piece of me wishes i was with you guys. i can’t wait to see you all you guys when you get back.
Hey I am interested in working for Mother Teresas Orphanages as well in Calcutta yet I can not seem to find any information on how to register for it. Please let me know a contact name or number, I am in India and just trying to figure this whole thing out!
Thanks a lot
email me at lindzswitz@hotmail.com