We are in a cramped taxi traveling down the smog filled streets of India it was like Indiana Jones but less Hollywood, it was real. While oncoming traffic is racing at us at every corner weaving in and out of traffic, the rule is if your vehicle is bigger get out of the way! This is just a little taste of Calcutta.

I have never been to a third world country before or what I envisioned it might be like wasn’t even close to reality, A photograph from my fancy Kodak digital camera or adjective after adjective could not describe this experience. Their were stray dogs roaming aimlessly with no food, some that were missing limbs. The streets were overpopulated with people and traffic, vendors with pictures of Hindu and Muslim idols and statues littered the streets and shops, Families outside were washing their clothes and their baby and getting water from a polluted pond with garbage surrounding every step, while a cow with sunken in ribs is drinking out of the same body of water. This was my first real glance of India; I thought to myself surely god can’t be here in this chaos.

At that moment the taxi stopped and here we were standing in this reality, as the taxi sped off and my heart raced with fear and confusion, then suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw the orphanage and the darkness became light, The orphans were peeking around the corner with curious glances, We made our way into the orphanage, These children were here because their parent or parents were prisoners.

We sat down and the children greeted us by putting flowers around our necks, They introduced themselves and sang songs about Jesus loudly and proudly their song of his love echoed this small building while passer by’s stopped by the window of the orphanage to get a quick glance of us, I broke down, holding in my tears as hard as I could, these children had Jesus he was here in India and their prayers were answered,7 people from across the world are here in Calcutta to bring gods love to theses children this is surely a blessing.