Springs of Life Orphanage

On the first Saturday in India, we went out to a Seventh-Day Adventist associated orphanage to attend church meetings and to spend time with the kids. Several in our group were asked to participate in the services and classes. Rita helped with a little story for the children. Nancy, Thad, and April helped with some special music. Pastor Rich and Jay taught a couple of the Sabbath School classes, and Pastor Rich gave a sermon during the main worship service.

There are much smaller personal spaces in India, and more social touching. It is common for best friends to walk holding hands or have a hand or arm on the shoulder of another, regardless of whether they are girls or boys, men or women. While I'll admit, I was always a little weirded out by adult men holding hands, the hand leaning on the shoulder was kind of cool, and it was all very special with the children at the orphanage holding your hands.

We were treated to a tour of the grounds by the director with the kids all in tow. The compound, like most places, was completely walled in. The chapel building was rather small and all the buildings were very utilitarian. The are in the process of constructing a new building for vocational training. Part of the training for the kids currently enrolled there is helping with the construction and finishing of the building itself. They have many garden plots for the older children to learn how to raise different crops, partly of their choosing. They are rewarded by being able to sell their harvest back to the orphanage for money, so the better they take care of it, the more money they get.

The orphanage also owns many acres of fields surrounding the compound where they grow rice. They have tried other crops that are worth more, but the local villagers pride themselves on being dishonest. They view that anything they can get, especially from those whom they see as being wealthier (i.e. anyone associated with Americans), if they don't get in serious trouble, it is a blessing to them.

They tried potatoes. The kids would have to go dig up the potatoes when they were very small because if others noticed, they'd be gone quickly. They tried raising corn, which grew very well and is worth substantially more than rice. They even had sentry shifts with the boys holding sticks around the corn fields. The villagers would sit outside the field and watch, and as the guard changed, the people would make a run for the corn, grab some, and sit and eat it in front of the next boys that came out.

They caught a couple people fishing in their pond which they had stocked with fish. When the director asked them if they knew whose fish those were, they replied, "Yes, they are yours." He told them that if they would only ask to fish there, they would be happy to share, but they ignored him and continued fishing. The next day 20 people came out and fished at the pond. So, they've settled on growing rice like the many acreages surrounding them which provides little incentive for others to steal it.

After the tour, we had lunch with the kids and then played with them. We made all sorts of balloon shapes, hats, and played games, and chased around. I missed some of this since I hid away in a classroom upstairs to print off some pictures of the morning's activities to leave with the director. I bought a tiny little photo printer to take on the trip for just that sort of thing. It's a Canon Selphy CP-720, and the prints were a big hit.

Here's some views on the road out to the orphanage which was just outside of Calcutta. Here's some of the "lawn mowers" at work on a soccer field in town, there were small herds of goats helping too.

Here the shacks are built along the large silver water main to take advantage of all the leaks.Here's one of the corner fresh food spots.

Here's a shot of folks hanging off a packed train headed into one of the main stations for the morning.Some of the more ecologically friendly transportation.The manicured welcome mat in the lawn of the orphanage.Joe and Nancy participating in a class.Another class with Nyahon, Carrie, and Terry visiting.

Some of the little girls leading the class singing with Thad, April, Rilla, and Ellen visiting.The lesson on the famed felt board was Rebekah at the well. The kids got a kick out of seeing the pictures of my Rebekah in the little scrapbook Rachel put together for me to take on rotations.

Pastor Rich preparing for services with the orphanage Director.Thad, Nancy, and April leading the music.Some of the older girls had prepared a special song.Nancy favoring us with a special solo.Pastor Rich, doing his thing.

A look at the new building.Some of the student gardens. The building in the background has the dormitories, the cafeteria, kitchen and a few classrooms.Carrie and Lacey hanging out with some of their boys in the shade.The lines in the ground are the beginnings of a foundation for a large swimming pool near the back wall of the compound that will also act as an irrigation reservoir with a drain to the field.Lacey chasing her little brothers. They loved it!
This is a butterfly that I saw on some of the flowers there.The giant balloon man we left guard while we went to see the brick factory.