St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church
Journal Entry - November 20, 2006
Dear friends at St.Brigid's parish, Nov.20, 2006
Its hard to believe that just 2 months ago I was sitting at Pacific Beach, enjoying the ocean breeze, and watching the sunset with my friends in San Diego! How dramatically my life has changed since then!
I first received God's calling to work with street children in India about a year ago, while I was still attending the School of Healing Arts in Pacific Beach. This is the 3rd time He's called me overseas to do His work, and each time the calling has been different. This time it started as a small voice, but then the passion which God gave me to work with street children in India quickly permeated my heart so strongly that I found myself in tears one day, driving down 5 south, completely overwhelmed by the magnitude of His calling within my heart.
About a week later, while I was sitting deep in prayer, the name "Salesians" came to me. I looked up "Salesians" on the internet and found the link to the Salesian Lay Missioners page. It was then that I discovered that the Salesian Lay Missioners had a program established for lay missioners to work with street children in India! I took this as a sign from God and applied to the program without a second thought. The rest is history, as they say.
I've been here in Guwahati, India for about 2 months now, working for a social service program which aids street children, called Snehalaya. Snehalaya means "House of Love". It is an outreach program run by the Don Bosco Educational Society and started by a Catholic priest named Fr.Lukose Cheruvalel in 2001.
Snehalaya now extends care to about 180 street children in the Guwahati area. Most of the children are found abandoned in the streets and local railroad station. Others are orphans and runaways. Each one has their own story to tell. Each of their stories will break your heart. Snehalaya consists of 4 childrens' homes and 1 health clinic. Children are provided with residential care in a warm and loving environment in each of the homes. In addition to providing the basic needs for the children such as food, clothing, medicine, etc. Snehalaya also covers the cost of each child's school fees and supplies, etc. in addition to providing vocational training for many of the older children. Many of the children are also enrolled in art and dance classes.
What the children are most in need of however is love, affection, and kindness...someone to listen to them, to care for them, to share in their joys and sorrows, to support them in their dreams, and ambitions...to catch them when they fall, and to encourage them to rise, and try again....
When I first learned that I would be living and working in a home with 25 street children, the thought was a little bit overwhelming, to be honest. What is the Lord calling me to now, I thought. But I continued to turn to the Lord in prayer and surrender my life completely to Him. I placed my lay mission assignment in India completely into His hands. Only then did I find His peace in my heart.
That was 2 months ago. My time in India thus far has been as much of an inward journey as it has been an outward one. My relationship with Christ has deepened in so many unexpected ways. Each day He seems to be teaching me more and more about His love, His compassion, His mercy, and His goodness. In the short time that I've been here, I've learned so much about life, human nature, about different cultures and traditions, about poverty and the power of prayer, about the capacity of the heart to love and the importance of being aware of God's presence in each and every moment.
The street children who I am working with are constant reminders and reflections to me of the joys and the beauty of life, and of the countless blessings that God showers upon us always. They inspire me daily-more than they will ever know. I'm living in a home with 25 of them right now, ranging in age from about 4 to 15. I wish you could meet them in person and see the sparkle in their eyes!
Every week I spend time in each of the 4 homes for street children and do different activities with the kids-arts and crafts, story-telling, teaching English etc. I am also doing massage and some physical therapy at the Snehalaya health clinic. I realize that each interaction that I have with each child is a gift from God and an opportunity to share His love.. a sacred moment to be shared.
Once a week I spend time at the local railroad station, where we have a "childrens' assistance booth" for runaway kids. A few weeks ago one of the staff members who I work with took me on a walk down the railroad tracks through one of the worst slums in the area. It was a humbling experience to say the least and I was pretty much speechless by the time I arrived home. I was overwhelmed by the reality of seeing such extreme poverty right in front of my eyes, but at the same time, so humbled by the recognition of God's presence right in the middle of it all.
I thank God everyday for blessing me with the opportunity to be here and I am so thankful for the opportunity to share some of my experiences with you via the St.Brigid's website. A special thank you to John Nadworny for encouraging me to do this, and special greetings to all of you who took part in the Mission Awareness trip to Malawi this past summer! Please feel free to e-mail me at tiff_kingham@yahoo.com with any questions, thoughts, or reflections you might have. I will do my best to keep you all updated, as often as I can!
Take care and God bless.
In Christ's love,
Tiffany
