T.I.I. - This is India! (part two)

(part two)...

After lunch at Kolkata Assembly of God Church, Team USA boards the Mercy Hospital bus bound for a quick trip to the Kolkata Blind School. Director Jabesh Dutt greets us as the children are dismissing from class. Moving in pairs several boys have found their way to us. Their fingers are light as butterfly's wings touching my fingers and wrists and pressing all of the buttons on my watch. Another group has encircled Terry finding his bald head amusing!

The campus includes a boys dorm, a girls dorm, a chicken house remodeled into classrooms, a small farmyard, a front lawn for recreation and a building being constructed to serve as the new chapel and school. The new building is a 3 floor structure, but only 2 floors have been completed. The top floor will be a dorm for the boys, but presently there aren't enough funds to complete the structure. God, I don't know how nor how much it'll cost, but I believe it's possible for us to raise the money for this project.

The students have planned a special assembly with flowers, songs and a rockin' percussion section! These 161 blind children know, here, they are fed and clothed and Someone loves them. Their backgrounds are tragic. Some are nightmarish. Being born into a low caste system is a strike against One. Add to that being born blind and a female usually seals One's fate: left for dead in the dump or becoming the financial bread-winner of the family by begging on the streets of Kolkata. This is India.

I choke up as one group of older girls sing, "...I once was lost, but now am found. Twas blind but now I see." Then, with arms raised high, the entire school sings, "Yeeeeeees, Jesuuuuuus loves meeeee!" It's almost too much for this momma. They can't see it, but I'm smiling and tears are about to breach the levee.

The middle portion of my theme scripture for this trip comes comes forward, "...Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house." These children have received the Light. I could stay at Kolkata Blind School for the remainder of the day.

But, it's time to go.

Huldah at Wedding Reception 

I've showered and have attempted to have pretty hair for tonight's wedding reception for Bonnie & Jim Long's youngest son (Huldah's grandson) and his new bride. It's a traditional Indian affair. I've got 12 minutes to slip into my new selwar kameez and dupatta and be downstairs. I'm sweating. My hair is frizzing. Good Grief! I can't get my size 9 foot through the bottom of my fancy, red britches! Slight panic. No! Plan B: Leggings. I've never worn leggings until this trip and, now, they must serve as my pants! Oh, well. As the saying goes, "T.I.I. - This is India."

T.I.I. - This is India (part one)

UT Orange?

"HAPPY NATIONAL REPUBLIC DAY!" is the greeting of the most popular of the three major holidays in India. For, today, the nation celebrates it's official Constitution and it's independence from British rule only a short 63 years ago. We clap as India's flags are hoisted and unfurled with streamers showering those below who sing the country's national anthem. Um, I don't know the words, so I'm gonna stand right, here, and look as patriotic as a Non-Indian can. Hey! That flag has a stripe of Tennessee Orange!


Also, we celebrate Founder's Day on the main campus downtown for this would have been Mark Buntain's birthday who came to Kolkata in 1954 by ship with his lovely wife, Huldah, and their toddler, Bonnie. Planning to stay only one year, Mark quickly set his pace to full-steam-ahead to work in a country branded as the "Missionaries' Graveyard," because of the harsh conditions and seemingly impenetrable reception to the Gospel of Jesus.

Buntain Education Center - Founder's Day Celebration

Over 1200 students, friends and faculty are gathered in the assembly hall of Buntain Education Centre to hear of the history and the loving gratitude expressed by School Principal Victor Singh and Headmistress Bansria, both raised in Kolkata and educated at the school. I am caught off-guard when our name, "Reverend and Mrs. Terry Allen," is called and we are welcomed with the traditional garland. CRUD! Why did I wear the cargo pants and ponytail, today!

"Building A Better India by Building Better Boys & Girls
My Utmost for His Highest" - Founder's Day Celebrations

Each grade level performs a song and dance in national costume as praise to God! I whistle and hoot for the high school students who present a human video complete with a heaving Jesus! HA! It's just like being in the Tennessee Fine Arts Festival! Just as the President of Calcutta Mercy, greets everyone, a pigeon invites itself to the celebration flapping it's wings low and over the heads of giggling students! A few girls shriek as it decides in mid-air whether to land on them or keep moving. Oh, yeah, this is funny stuff! We just need a redneck to pop the pigeon in the rafters!

Huldah with grandsons in front of Mark Buntain's Grave

At the conclusion of the celebration, we parade out with the Buntain Family to the church's courtyard where floral wreaths have been placed to mark where Reverend (Dr.) D. Mark Buntain is buried. The inscription reads "Only One Prayer I Ask. Only One Good I Crave. To Finish My Task And Then To Lie Within An Indian Grave." The three grandsons, Mark, Daniel and Paul, speak of "Grampy" while Huldah silently dabs at tears.

A view of Kolkata from the
Buntain Education Centre 

God, This is India. I can't believe Terry and I are standing in the middle of Kolkata with this family remembering a hero of the faith. It's surreal. It's humbling. Thank You for this new bend in my journey.

"T.I.I. - This is India  (part two)" 

to be posted...

A Holy River Runs Through It

Wednesday, January 25, 2012.


The morning fog is lifting into the ever present, dense, pale brown haze over the Kolkata region as our van arrives in Kadamtala.


Earlier we walked from the hotel down and around the block to Calcutta Mercy Hospital to catch our bus. Couldn't help but notice how quiet the streets were at dawn. Whether homeless or by choice, men were sleeping on the sidewalk, on tables or in their taxis. I quietly gestured for Terry to notice the sleeping bundle we just stepped around.

Kadamtala School

Our van stops at a clearing where in a few minutes we are to witness and participate in feeding the people of this tiny village...one of three drop points in Kadamtala. In the fog I see some women in colorful saris gathering near the road awaiting the ministry truck to arrive. These women have assumed the responsibility to organize the food distribution.


It is early and the village is still asleep with the exception of the women at the road and a woman who wants to show us the Project Rhino School sponsored by Calcutta Mercy Ministries (CMM). It is a modest one-room, dirt floor hut cleanly swept with mats rolled out where the children will sit for their lessons. The children's handiwork is neatly displayed on the woven walls. She is proud for not many children in the villages or slums have the opportunity for education. Here, they do! I smile and say, "It's a lovely school."

A hungry early riser!

We meander down a path between more huts and discover Kadamtala is on the bank of a tributary from the Ganges River, the same river Team USA floated down our first evening together. As we make a turn into the heart of the village, an adorable toddler stands with his feeding bowl, most likely provided by CMM. Our white faces must look strange to him. 

It's not decoration!

Farther down the main path, I notice brown "patties" are stuck to tree trunks and tossed onto roofs and wrapped around long poles. Can you guess what they are and what they are used for? A young woman squatting beside the Ganges tributary washes pans. A hog eyeballs me from under a bush and snorts. A cow is nearby.

AG Food Truck

The truck from the Kolkata Assembly of God Church arrives loaded with huge cooking pots of steaming rice mixed with dal, a savory broth of lentils and yellow spice. As the villagers position themselves, several assist in off-loading a couple of pots so that the truck can continue on to the next two stops on this route. We observe the distribution process and ask if we can help. I wish we could do more. Do these families have more food items to add to this daily portion? How many mouths will this portion feed, today? Do they tire of their daily portion of rice and dal?


It's quiet on the van out of Kadamtala. I think we all know that without God's provision and the support of CMM partners worldwide, 25,000+ people could not be fed on a daily basis.



Baboo Ghat is the next stop. Ghat refers to a flight of steps leading to a bathing area in the Ganges River where Hindu men and priests chant and ceremonially "wash" their sins away in this river considered holy in view of the orange monkey-man god. Jesus, they don't know they need only to ask You to wash their hearts.

Step into the River!

The Ganges is filthy! Its murky, swirling waters are filled with environmental pollution, human waste, trash, carcasses and...everything!  When a family cannot afford to pay for a burial of a loved one, a raft is constructed to carry the deceased, set afloat and set afire. I spot a recent Hindu offering of a garland of yellow and red marigolds drifting with the current. There are men brushing their teeth with twigs using this disgusting river water to rinse their mouths. Gross!

Mmmmmasala Chai

Not too far from Baboo Ghat, Danielle knows where the best Masala Chai in Kolkata is served in large clay drinking pots with saffron sprinkled on top. Chai is a beverage made by brewing tea with a mixture of Indian spices. Gaining popularity in the USA costing upwards to $5 per cup, we purchase our street-side chai for less than .50 cents per pot. After drinking it is customary to dash the pots to the street which insures the pots aren't re-used passing along germs. 

"Bottoms" up!

It isn't until after we have finished our chai that we are informed the chai drinking pots are made of baked clay from an abundant source of mud out of the Ganges River bottom! 
Oh, Lord, may the holy Pepto Bismol protect me!

Meet Team USA: 2012

~Namaste~ Two things I've learned in (2012-1982=30) 30 years of ministry: (1) I can probably accomplish a task better and faster in the time it takes for me to explain it, (2) BUT, ministry is sweeter when shared!

Each summer while conducting the camp program in Camp Jackson in Tennessee, Terry and I had the honor to work with 12 students known as the Crunk Crew. Behind the scenes, it was this team who kept summer camps running smoothly, poised the kitchen and concessions for the yearly health inspection, cleaned the toitees, setting-up chairs in the "Gymernacle-Tabernasium," prepared meals, organized the shirt shack and so much more. It was with these students --even though the faces may change each year and I miss them dearly-- we tried to create FAMILY.

Family equals people related to one and so to be treated with special loyalty.

**Team USA pictured in Mark Buntain's office set-up complete with desk, typewriter, his Bible and memories capturing his life.

**Scott M. of Alabama (We won't hold that against him.) The Kolkata side of CM operations & newly named president of Calcutta Mercy pictured floating on the Ganges River.

The spirit of compassion unites us to raise awareness and funds for the children and families and ministries sponsored by Calcutta Mercy Ministries.

I'm thinking there sure are a lot of Georgia Bulldawgs on this team, Billy.

Each member brings a specialized tool and calling whereby God blends talents and passions into a dynamic team.

**Pictured in New Market, Kolkata. Jason K. (with the surprised look) brings leadership and a heart for the medical community...as he should, because he's married to a doctor! Boomer Sooner! Robby B (behind Jason) a great leader and mentor.

"Christ has generously divided out His gifts to us." Ephesians 4:7 CEV

**Justin Fennell, President of Just-in-Time Communication, Inc. in Georgia, travels most of the year as public speaker/comedian/chef...you name it, he's probably done it and done it well! He is pictured in the bowels of New Market purchasing Indian spices & Darjeeling Tea! 


Although not related to one another by the blood flowing through our veins, the hearts of each member of Team USA are united through the blood of our Savior which flowed on Calvary for our sins.

**Allen A., also of Georgia, pictured with Scott M. (I taste Lemon-Pledge)  journeyed into India to see Calcutta Mercy at work in several villages and in the lives of hundreds of children receiving education,  food and medical care.

**Pictured with Terry (My handsome man!), is David M., and Pastor P. C. Hota (in the middle)! Pastor P. C. has started over 200 churches! Approximately 18 months ago, God stirred him awake and to lead congregation members to safety during a flooding storm! Miracles still happen!

**Lastly, Terry & "Sam" Allen, the  then-current Assembly of God District Youth Directors (DYDs) of Tennessee until April 2012, pictured with Huldah Buntain in her office at Calcutta Mercy Hospital on Park Street.

Mark & Huldah Buntain, planning to spend just one year in Kolkata, became friends with a godly woman, Mother Teresa, and began to make an impact on one of the biggest cities in India by loving people! More than 60 years into the process, the mission continues because two people were willing to go!

God, please call people to give and others willing to go to Kolkata to become FAMILY to little boys and girls of India!

Tomorrow:

• Feeding in Kadomtala
• Baboo Ghat on the Holy River
• Chai for Everyone!

Breakfast, Bathrooms & Bishnupur

Monday. January 23, 2012.


Breakfast at hotel: Omelette and Idly. This Southern Girl loves a fluffy biscuit and the Indian equivalent is Idly (eed-lee). If I were to describe it as a rice biscuit, you'd wrinkle your nose. Right? Idly is light, crustless and a good vehicle for anything that needs to be sopped!

Airport Squat Toitee

After a long journey to or through India, one needs to refresh herself. One being me makes her way to the nearest bathroom India calls "washroom" or "toilet." Doing a little "dance," I open 3 stalls discovering "toilet" means "hole in the floor" with these weird foot grips on either side. God, please give me a real toitee! YES! The last door opens to the familiar white, porcelain throne. Aaaah, the pause that refreshes.


Today, Team USA is going in two directions: Orissa and Bishnupur. My team is on the van traveling north-ish out of Kolkata (toward Mt. Everest) to the small town of Bishnupur where we'll tour a Mercy Clinic sponsored by Calcutta Mercy Ministries.

North to Bishnupur

Paddies w/ Rice Plugs

This country in the Nadia District is green, agricultural land with neat rows of orange and yellow marigolds, banana trees and rice paddies where I see people stooped over working in ankle-deep water. On the side of the road, mats are rolled out with rice spread thinly and drying in the warm sun. I remark to my honey, "This looks like the Mississippi Delta." For the first time, I realize I haven't seen blue sky since arriving in India. Kolkata has so much dust and smog and pollution the sky has a constant haze. 


Halfway to Bishnupur, it's time for a pitstop. Uh-oh! Door 1 reveals the scary little hole. No way! Behind Door 2 is my throne. I discover much too late there is no toitee paper. Instead there is a spray nozzle and a measuring cup. Hmmm. I'm at a loss. Wait a minute! I packed Kleenexes! Indians call these "face papers," which I find humorous at this point. I'm good to go!

Bishnupur Mercy Clinic

Mercy Clinic is a modest store-front structure of 4 rooms, 3 beds, 1 doctor and a host of patients! The doctor comes twice a week. The pastor comes everyday making a 2 hour trip by train and leaves by the same. The clinic needs a computer for records, medicines for low-level care, continued funds for rent and the doctor. We pray for those who are awaiting medical assistance. It feels slightly awkward. The villagers stare at the white people. The white people smile at the villagers. Time to break the ice.

Patient Intake & Records

While Sompa, the beautiful Hindu medical assistant, distributes forms and questions the patients, I pull out the iPhone I received for my birthday during Youth Camp #4 at Camp Jackson. Time for pictures! Spin the camera and watch the smiles! It's fun taking pics with the white lady and seeing yourself on the screen!

The doctor has arrived as patients line up in Bishnupur

My first subject was a little old lady who had traveled roughly 6 miles from a nearby village. The young pastor decides we should head to the village and give a ride to this little old lady. Disembarking my new friend grabs my hand and away we go down little paths through a wooded area. Word quickly spreads of our arrival. Men and women, boys and girls of all ages run up and stop short to shyly regard this group of pale skins. She must have let them know all was safe, because we dart from hut to hut meeting and greeting and praying for the villagers, who want to show me life in their village!


Before leaving the USA, I learned of the extended families in the Indian culture. As a point of respect, older women are referred to as "Aunty" or "Mossi-Mossi." Realizing she has claimed me, I address her in the appropriate fashion. OH MY GOODNESS! You've never seen anyone so proud as this petite, little old lady who petted my hand as we visited other "Aunties."

Me & my Bishnupur "Mossi-Mossi"

It's getting dark and time for us to make the drive back to Kolkata. All of my new mossies are reluctant to let me go, which is just fuel for Team USA. 


"Do you wanna just spend the night? We'll come back for you!"
"I believe you're the new queen of the village!"
"I think they want to erect a statue of you!"


Silly boys. From this point on, I am "Sam" Allen, Goddess Divine...who requires a white, porcelain throne and "face papers."

Radiant Grace

Sunday. January 22, 2012.

We join part of Team USA for the early service at the Kolkata Assembly of God Church with Pastor Ivan Satyavrata. It is the first of two English services, today, with sweet worship. Our team leader recently named as President of Calcutta Mercy preaches of God's grace and mercy. On campus there are 8 services in 8 different languages!

As you may have heard, Terry and I have resigned as the District Youth Directors of the Tennessee Assemblies of God effective at District Council in April. We will represent Calcutta Mercy raising awareness and funds to further the efforts associated with CM; such as, Mercy Hospital and village clinics in the West Bengal and neighboring states, Nursing School, School for the Blind, Kolkata AG Schools and Bible School, Home of Hope, Kolkata AG Church and feeding 10,000 every day. Our goal at CM is to FEED, EDUCATE and MEDICALLY ASSIST all who have need.

Altar Call in Nepali Svc

At the beginning of the second English service while the choir of Bible School students lead in worship, Terry and I are escorted to the Nepali service held in one of the gyms of the school. Pastor Phillip is a gentle and godly man. He explains that many of the people in his church came to Kolkata for a better life only to discover it rivals what they left in Nepal. We are traditionally honored with silk scarves. Twelve beautiful people give their hearts to Jesus when Terry gives the invitation!

Sheila serving lunch!

Lunch is with Team USA in the home of Pastor Ivan & Sheila Satyavrata, two people who radiate grace and compassion. Sheila has prepared a groaning board of savory, spicy Indian fare, most of which I can't spell. Bengah or Begun Bartah is my new fave: Roasted eggplant blended with chilies and coriander (You and I call it cilantro)! 

Benny Prasad - Musicianary

Most of Team USA takes the evening to recover from jet-lag. NOT US! We join about 200 students at church for a concert of worship with "musicianary" Benny Prasad from Bangalore and his custom designed guitar/harp/drum and a blended band from America featuring Dilip Kurian and Brandon Bee. Look up all 3 on Facebook & iTunes! It is comparable to our worship services at Camp Jackson and youth convention! We jump and sweat and praise Jesus with all our might!

The Holy Spirit, again, reminds me of my theme verse, Matthew 5:14, when Brandon Bee stood alone singing of the redeeming grace of the Radiant Son. "The Light overcomes what the darkness has done." God, use every part of me to illuminate hope to those who think darkness has won.

Chai for the Fearless!

To cap off the night, I enjoy Chai on the street. We are fearless! 



Tomorrow: 

• Bathrooms
• Bishnapur Mercy Clinic & Village
• Hi, I'm Queen "Sam" Allen. You can call me "Goddess Divine."