September India Update

Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support this past month. It was amazing how God used four different people to speak the same Scripture into my life: “Do not grow weary in doing good. For in due season, you shall reap if you faint no,” Galatians 6:9. By the time the fourth person said they felt God had given them a Scripture for me, I started to laugh because I knew exactly what she was going to say and started quoting Galatians with her.

The English program is now officially in full swing at our two new centers, Tangra and Balarampur. I feel so fulfilled mentoring the teachers there, and I’m so grateful for their teachable spirits. The students at Tangra all speak Hindi rather than Bengali, so they are really challenging me to step up my game. Today,
a friend of mine helped me create a small intro to Hindi cheat sheet, so I can have a little easier time communicating with them.

September 18, a 6.8 earthquake struck Northern India destroying numerous homes and claiming the lives of 68 people. The quake was felt in some parts of Calcutta as well, but the aftermath only consisted of some minor structural damage to a few buildings. Praise God that Calcutta was spared from the devastating effects of this earthquake.

A team of eleven lovely ladies from Washington came to volunteer with Project Rhino this past month. They were such a blessing to all of us. Four of the ladies were nurses, so they were able to assist with the much needed medical checkups at two of our Rhino Centers. The other ladies enjoyed loving on the kids and helping me with little projects for the children. One of the team members, Hannah, was so touched that she is seriously praying about coming back to serve with Project Rhino for a more extended period of time. If it is His will, please pray that God will open up the doors for Hannah to come and serve with me.

Please pray that God continues to guide and direct the leadership team of Project Rhino. Also pray for our Balarampur Center which is currently functioning without electricity. They need to receive funding so their solar panels will function properly to light up the dark classrooms again. Thanks for praying for us!

Note: The first picture is of me playing Duck, Duck Goose with my Tangra students. The second picture is of the Rhino teachers and me traveling to our Balarampur Center on a motor van because of the extremely narrow roads.

August India Update

I hope this blog finds you doing well. I found myself on an emotional roller coaster earlier this month because of how much some of our learning centers were struggling. The good news is that attendance has increased dramatically at the center for which I was most concerned. The highlight of my month was when our volunteer team from New York came and ministered at our village school. They even taught me how to make doggies out of balloons. The kids absolutely loved them!

Right now, I am busy starting a new Project Rhino Center in Tangra, which is known as the China Town of Calcutta. Tangra consists of many Chinese restaurants and leather tanneries. Mostly, I have been assessing students in order to determine their educational level so that I will know how to plan my lessons accordingly.
Another center that I'm involved with starting is in Balarompur, which is an agricultural village located two and a half hours south of Calcutta. I had my first chance to visit this remote location on August 16th, and it turned out to be quite an adventure. The first two hours of my little road trip were pretty uneventful, but the last leg of my journey involved traveling down a narrow bricked pathway in an auto-rickshaw with water surrounding us on either side. Each time we hit a bump or dodged a cow in the road, I became terrified that I would fall right on into the green, murky water. It was all worth it when I finally got there, and was greeted by 180 smiling faces.

God has answered another one of our prayers! A very experienced local teacher is going to start planning lessons with me. This will help me out on so many levels. Her greatest contribution will be helping me synchronize our curriculum with the Country of Indian guidelines.

As you continue praying, please pray that attendance will increase at all our centers. Thank you again for all your prayers!

Note: The fist picture is of me and a Balarompur student, and the second picture is of me testing a student at Tangra.

My Return to India - August Update

Thank you so much for your prayers. I had a great trip back to Calcutta and met a lot of interesting people along the way too.
Here's a little excerpt from my diary about my first day back that I'd like to share with you...

Sunday morning-
This is my first day back, and it already feels like home again. In fact it almost feels like I never left. This morning it's pouring like crazy which is no surprise seeing as it's Monsoon Season. I'm actually about to head off to church in this mess. But it will definitely be worth it to be in God's presence and to praise Him with my friends who I haven't seen in over two months. I've got a feeling that it's going to be an awesome day!

Sunday afternoon-
One of my biggest fears about coming back to Calcutta was loneliness since I was pretty sure all the Project Rhino volunteers would have dispersed. To my surprise Jobin was still around since they decided not to send him off to the village learning center which is 3 hours south of Calcutta. In light of friendship, today was actually nation Friendship Day, so everyone has been going around wishing each other Happy Friendship Day and sending out cheesy, sappy friendship texts. Today I got to go out for lunch with 5 friends, some old and some new. I feel like everything is already falling right back into place. God is already answering my prayers and providing me with an abundance of friends. After lunch my friends needed to head back to the church early for worship practice before the evening service. I was planning on just walking home from church, but my street had been replaced with a river that flooded knee high. It really wasn't a big deal since I could just hang out at church until the evening service, but I do regret not packing my blue and pink polka-dotted galoshes.

So there you have it folks! A day in the life of Kari Westlund. Aaber dekha hobe - See you later!

India Summer Update

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support this past school year. I couldn't have made it through without you. Though the challenges were great, God answered our prayers, and so much was accomplished for the children of India. This summer I am home raising support, so that I will be able to return for my second, fulfilling year of starting learning centers for Project Rhino. If you're interested in helping me out, you can go online to awakeningchurch.org click donation and enter Kari Westlund in the description. If you'd rather you can snail mail a check (with my name in the memo) to Awakening Church Ministries, PO Box 810, Euless, TX 76039 Thanks so much!

April & May India Update

It’s hard to believe I have less than a week left in India. April brought about many changes for me. It was time for three of five of my long-term volunteer friends who had stayed with me for three months to fly out to their various destinations. We had become so close that it felt like I was sending a piece of me away with them. They were such an answer to prayer. It was amazing to see how God had brought us all together with our own strengths and talents to add to the team. I couldn’t have asked for better people to come alongside me to plant Project Rhino Centers all over Calcutta.

By mid April it was evident that the original plan for me to move on from the Katabon Rhino Center to start at a new location had fallen through. I was actually relieved to stay on at Katabon because I still needed more time to train in the local teachers. I’ve been told that children under the age of five in Calcutta are not held accountable for their actions in the home, so one can only imagine how difficult it has been to teach our classes of 3-5 year olds. I’ve had to pull out every teacher trick in the book, to show the teachers how to maintain a manageable classroom. Some days are definitely more trying than others, but little by little we are beginning to see a lot of progress with these little guys.

The highlight of my semester was when one of our local teachers put together a little program in honor of a famous Indian poet’s birthday. Two of our older students recited some of his poems while a traditional Bengali dance was performed by one of our local teachers and a 12 year old student.

The first of May flew by so fast, since we were accommodating 30 volunteers. They were such a blessing to me because of their eagerness to assist me with whatever classroom preparations that I needed. With my ever approaching trip to Nepal and report cards on the horizon, it was crunch time. Thankfully after I completed testing the students for their report cards, I was able to delegate the filling out of them to the local teachers just in the nick of time for me to head off to Nepal. I enjoyed nine full days there with my close friend Lizzie. As much as we loved volunteering at the learning centers, it was a much needed and refreshing change of pace for the both of us. We stayed in the valley of Kathmandu, which is surrounded by beautiful scenic mountains and historical sites everywhere you turn. Each day was filled with a cool summer’s breeze, plenty of shopping, and eating at fantastic, affordable restaurants. My most memorable afternoon was spent riding on a cycle-rickshaw for the first time on our way to explore the National Museum. One day later Lizzie and I woke up at the crack of dawn to take the Mountain Flight to see the famous Mt. Everest. The most breath taking sight I beheld was when they let me climb up into the cock pit to see a panoramic view of the Himalayas. Unfortunately, Mt. Everest was shrouded in clouds that morning, but it was still totally worth the flight to marvel at the glory of God’s magnificent creation. Towards the end of my stay, I was anxious to get back to Calcutta to wrap up all of my final tasks before basking in the Texas sun.

Honestly, I’m a little stressed right now because I have to organize all of the lessons and materials, so the learning centers can carry on while I’m gone this summer. No pressure right? Please pray that God will continue to give me wisdom and foresight to arrange everything and that I have a safe flight home, starting next Wednesday. Also, I am feeling a little sick with some stomach issues. Please pray that I recover quickly. God bless y’all!

Pict 1 – Lizzie and I on the cycle rickshaw. Pict 2 – Me in front of the ancient bird temple. Pict 3 – View of Himalayas from the Mountain Flight. Pict 4 – me & a student from Katabon

March Update

The big news this month is that I have officially decided to come back to India next school year!!! For some reason no one seems to be surprised by this news. I think it was pretty obvious to all of us that I’m totally in my element and am so fulfilled here. There are still lots of details to work out, but I know everything will fall into place as God has given me the go ahead.

After teaching school all morning, I share lunch with my friend Pinki, the Indian teacher’s assistant/translator at our Kadamtola Learning Center. Then I tutor her to help her improve her English and computer skills. I really enjoy teaching her because she is so bright and eager to learn. This week I helped her set up her very first e-mail account. She was so excited. I received this text from her soon after. "Hi Kari didi. Do you know u r so good lady, thank god his send u. U r changing my life, thanks so lot didi. I love u so much, love Pinki." She is the first of many local teachers that I will be mentoring over the next school year.

My fellow missionary Nicole wrote a wonderful blog about our time at the Bagha Jatin Learning Center, so I wanted share it with you. “After our first day at Bhaga Jatan, it seemed like an impossible task but a few weeks later, and we are already seeing a huge difference in the children! It has been three weeks since we came into BJ to introduce the new curriculum. Amongst the newly decorated classroom, you’ll see a bunch of children who are eager to learn! Starting at the basics, we’ve been teaching the alphabet, numbers, colors, and singing many songs! On days where we don’t have any songs planned you’ll hear the kids starting to sing, “Ten little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head…” It is so encouraging to hear them just belting it out and singing English words they did not know before. It has been such a blessing to be able to get to know these kids and their stories. We can’t wait to see what’s in store these next few months!”

After bringing the BJ School up to speed, it was time to move on to my next center, Kadabon. Once again, we needed to assess all of the students and to my surprise, some children already knew how to read in English at about the first grade level. Then we formed three small groups of students based on ability. Lastly, we mentored the local teachers on the implementation of the new lesson plans. My favorite part is actually teaching the teachers and children the new songs, and I think that’s their favorite part too. On my first morning at Kadabon, about 30 enthusiastic children sang three lively Bengali songs with all the coordinating motions. It was so adorable to see two confident children leading all the others in the choruses without missing a beat. The children are so winsome. It’s hard not to get attached. No, it’s impossible. The intelligent, the struggling learners, the obedient, the disobedient, and the downright adorable alike will all take a little piece of my heart with them when I have to leave. Unfortunately, I will already be moving on from Kadabon in about a week to get the Project Rhino at Bakutala Kudghat under way. I pray that God will continue to give me the strength to give and keep giving without looking back.

Feb India Update

We're almost at the three month anniversary of having Project Rhino underway in Kadamtola. When I arrived on the first of January the school had only been in full swing for about two weeks. My friend Jobin did such an excellent job recapping it all that I wanted to share it with you too.

“Looking back, it's amazing to see how far we've come in only a few weeks. So far, the biggest accomplishment hasn't come in the form of academia, but rather in how the community has accepted us into their village. A foundation of trust has developed between the children, mothers and volunteers. As a result, the mothers even bring the really little ones to join along during daily activities. Word about the school has spread around the village, and new children have been showing up daily at our doors. It is really starting to feel more like a learning environment as the bamboo walls of the hut are starting to look more and more like a classroom with all the ABC posters, drawings, calendars, and decor hung up around the room. We even have a globe hanging in the center of hut as our very own disco ball. Now with alphabets, animals, fruits, vegetables, seasons, and parts of the body under our belt, we are now delving into the phonetics of each letter.”

Now that things up and running smoothly at Kadamtola, I have been moved on to our next Project Rhino location called Baga Jatin. Each morning I am greeted by about 40 energetic students who shout out, "Good morning, Auntie!" Why do they call you Auntie you might ask? Well it's because Auntie and Uncle are the Indian version of Ma'am and Sir. Since we don't have a local translator at this point it has been extremely challenging for us. Please pray that we will be able to find a local English/Bengali speaking teacher as soon as possible. Also pray that I will be able to use my time wisely and efficiently as I am now doing the lesson planning for two Rhino Center Locations which is extremely time consuming. That's all for now. Thanks again for all your support!

Jan India Update

Great news! The Kadamtola Project Rhino Learning Center is in full swing. Right now we are creating our own lesson plans, so please pray that the curriculum will be purchased as soon as possible. Friday I had my first chance to go out to the village and help teach English to the children. We had such an awesome time! I taught them some new, silly, educational songs and the school rules that I adopted from Life School.

For all of my Life School friends out there, I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing my phonetic spelling of how to say the rules in Bengali.

1. Instant obedience - Kotha sono

2. Respect for others - Sobar sommon koro

3. Respect for property - Somaner jutno koro

4. Diligence to duty - Aro bholo kore koro

5. Listening learning position - Bhalo kore bosho

It really made me think the only difference from me and these children is that I was born in America. It could have been me sitting in that classroom. The payoff for doing what I'm doing is far greater than I could ever give, but I want to give my very best to these kids.

Back to India

What a wonderful, refreshing time I've had these last two months being home for the holidays. It's bitter sweet going back to Calcutta, India. I'm so excited to get back to start the school I prepared for last fall, but I'm sad to leave behind all my wonderful friends and family. Please pray that I have a safe flight back. My travels start the morning of January 18th and end the morning of January 20th. I wish I could give everyone a big hug before I leave, but since that isn't possible, how about I just give you this silly story to brighten your day.

I haven't had any encounters with burning bushes yet, but when I was in India I did have an encounter with the chicken man. Who's the chicken man you might ask? Well, let me tell you about him. Every morning the chicken man gathers about 50 unsuspecting chickens and straps them onto his bike to deliver fresh to the local markets. The first time I saw this peculiar sight, I gawked at his bundle of feathers in disbelief. I was even more shocked with I realized that the chickens were blinking back at me and content to be hanged upside down. It's truly a sight to behold. On my last day in India, I was quick on the draw and actually captured a picture of him after many failed attempts. I think it was God's little going away present for me.

December India Update

Great news! God answered our prayers! The Kadamtola Learning Center will be ready to start when I get back. Since the curriculum I was planning on using is still not available, I will need to use a different curriculum in the mean time which is totally fine with me. We are also planning a winter camp for the kids called Winter Safari. I think it will help build momentum and give us a chance to get to know the kids before the school starts.

About two months ago I went out to Kadamtola to assist with the feeding line where CMM faithfully feeds the families rice six days a week. We arrived early, so I took advantage of this opportunity to teach the children a few songs. When I started singing “If You’re Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands” a huge crowd of around 100 women and children gathered around me. I tried to get them to participate, but they just smiled and stared. I thought maybe the “Hokey Pokey” would bring them out of their shells. I have to teach the kids what it’s all about right? They did get a kick out of it, but were too shy to participate. To my surprise the next time I jotted out to Kadamtola around 50 kids came running up to the van. I didn’t want to disappoint them, so I gladly sang some songs with motions for them. This time some of the children were even comfortable enough to participate. I think I gave them quite a shock when I sang a kids song in their local language of Bengali. I’ll never forget them, and I’m so excited that this is just the beginning.

My friend Melanie wrote this incredible blog about Kadamtola on Nov 18th, so I thought I’d share it with you. She highlighted me on the 17th too : ) Feel free to view her other blogs about Calcutta Mercy Ministries as well. Here’s the link.

http://melaniebeagley.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

November India Update

Thank you so much for your prayers and notes of encouragement. I’ve been keeping myself busy by preparing for the first learning center to start by the end of October, but unfortunately things haven’t gone as planned. Due to complications beyond my control, I haven’t been able access to the curriculum, and it would not be wise to start the school without it. Since I will only be here for 15 more days, it doesn’t look like the school will start before I go home for the holidays. I’m disappointed, but I have peace that God to sort it all out in His timing.

On the bright side last week I had the exciting opportunity to go scope out the next site for a future learning center. I’m honored to have input on where the next Project Rhino Learning Center will be located. I keep thinking to myself who am I to have this sort of influence? I feel God’s responds back to me is you’re willing.

I’m also looking forward to this weekend when another volunteer and I will be going on an eleven hour train ride to explore a bit more of India. Benaras is a city with a rich history which I’m anxious to unravel throughout my sightseeing endeavors. This will also be my first time to travel by train for any extended period of time, so I feel like a little kid ready climb aboard in awe and wonder.

I feel really torn at the moment because I desperately miss everyone back home, but I feel so needed here to get the school of to a smooth start. I know it will be a refreshing time for me to be surrounded by my friends and family, but I will be anxious to get back to India at the end of January.

Prayer Needs:
1. Please pray that I can have access to the curriculum, so that I can finish the preparation to start the school.
2. Please pray that my team has wisdom on when to start the school.
3. Please pray that I have a safe train ride this weekend and flight home November 16th-17th.

October India Update

About every other week or so, I get a chance to go to the Kadamtola feeding station to meet with some of the children that will be attending the school that I am helping develop. The first time I went there, I assisted by feeding the children their morning meal. On the other occasions I either profiled children for Project Rhino or took photographs for the Project Rhino blog or newsletter. I’ve been thrilled to have other opportunities to do some photojournalism with two other volunteers for the School of Nursing and Mercy Hospital.

The people that I volunteer with at Calcutta Mercy Ministries are so personable. I feel like I've learned so much about India, just by listing to their stories and explanations of the Indian way of life. They've been so hospitable and shown me some major sights of Calcutta including the Victoria Memorial, Mother House. The Cultural Center, and a tour of Mercy Hospital and of the city. Later, I enjoyed having the opportunity to serve the children with disabilities at Missionaries of Charity. I’ve also been able to visit two rural Mercy Clinics in Bagnan and Serampore. While in Serampore, I was given a tour of CMM’s Montessori school. It was so incredible to see all of these amazing outreaches first hand!

I will continue to profile new students, but I’m also focusing on writing up the policies and procedures for Project Rhino, so that there is continuity amongst the numerous learning centers that will spring up over the next several months. I truly thank God for this opportunity to serve!

September India Update

I am so blessed to have all of you in my life, and the fact that you are praying for me means so much. In my last update I mentioned that I was super busy registering children for Project Rhino. Well I proud to say that as of yesterday I have helped successfully register 150 children for the first two learning centers. Now I’m moving onto phase two which is writing up the policies and procedures for Project Rhino, so that there is continuity amongst the numerous learning centers that will spring up over the next several years. I’m so thankful that I was able to be a part of Life School and watch it grow as a young district. I didn’t realize at the time how God was strategically molding me for the role I’m playing now in starting a brand new school from the ground up. I have a renewed deepened appreciation for the administration at Life School as I am swimming through the new unfamiliar waters of the administration world.

Recently I was asked to write a bio on myself for the Calcutta Mercy Ministries website, www.childrenneedlove.org. Writing doesn’t always come easy to me. I really wasn’t sure what to say at first, so I simply prayed that God would give me the words to say. I feel like He truly came through for me, so that I was able to express my heart for India.

“I fell in love with the colorful, delightful culture and people of India years ago, while volunteering at a university filled with international students. My heart for internationals and impoverished children only grew during the seven years I taught kindergarten, English as a Second Language, and Special Education to children living in the inner city of Dallas, Texas. Now when I look into the eyes of the disadvantaged children of India, I see their untapped potential. I know they truly are kids with destiny, a hope, and a future. I’m thrilled to be a part of the big picture by heading up the Project Rhino education initiatives in Calcutta.”

http://buntain.org/volunteers

Prayer Needs:
1. Please pray that I continue to make some more local friends here, so I won’t be lonely when the other volunteers leave.
2. Please pray that I have wisdom as I continue to write up policies and procedures for Project Rhino.
4. Please pray that God will give me creativity as I update the ESL curriculum.
3. I also need Gods wisdom as I seek him on where he’s leading me next school year.

Thank you again for your prayers.

Love from India,

Kari Didi Moni (Didi Moni is an affectionate Bengali term students call their female teachers which literally means dear older sister)

Mid August India Update

I'm doing OK, but I was feeling pretty homesick today. I felt much better after going to church and making some new friends.
When my current roommate flew back to Canada, I was left all alone. However, I've been able to establish friendships with some friends I met at church from England, Finland, and Sweden. I also met some Koreans, volunteering at Mother Teresa's Mission. You know me. I'm always excited to have such an international group of friends. Tonight I made friends with two ladies that are living in Calcutta long term which is such an answer to prayer. Now when the other volunteers come and go, I'll have some quality friends to keep me company. Thank you again for your prayers. They are working!

The people that I volunteer with at Calcutta Mercy Ministries are so personable. I feel like I've learned so much about India already, just by listing to their stories and explanations of the Indian way of life. They've been so hospitable and shown me all the major sights of Calcutta.

My volunteering is coming right along. So far I've helped profile/register over 100 children for Project Rhino. Profiling a kid involves driving out to a village or their inner city neighborhood. Then one of the local families helps round up around 20 plus children, so we can interview them one at a time. Since most the families only speak Bengali or Hindi, we use a translator to jot down their basic information such as name, parent's name, parent's income, whether or not the child is currently in school, etc. The majority of the kiddos aren't able to afford schooling, so they are entirely illiterate. Also I had the privilege of taking all the profile pictures of these precious children. Later, I type up all the info, reformat the pictures, and then match the pictures with the correct child's info. It can be quite a tedious process, but it's so worth it as I look into the eyes of each child as I type away. Also this Saturday Project Rhino will be hosting a training session, where I will learn the inner workings of the online education program. However, this is just the beginning. The entire semester will be devoted to refining the curriculum and working out all the kinks. Our game plan is to have the program up and running so that we can start our first Project Rhino learning center at the beginning of January. I'll keep you posted as the program progresses.

The first picture I posted is of me with two other Calcutta Mercy Ministries Volunteers (Aparna & Jeff) and the winsome children at the feeding station where my Project Rhino learning center will be located. The following picture is of me standing in the doorway of my one room school house which pertains of a 6ft x 13ft classroom. We have room to expand, but we are so thankful for the community building us this classroom as an open invitation for us to come teach their children.

First India Update (August)

Life in India is so different, but I’m really enjoying the newness of it all. I arrived safely in Calcutta, India late Wednesday evening on August 4th. On the drive home from the airport, I was astounded at the vast poverty that would encompass me for the next several months. Sure there's flourishing wealth here too, but it coexist right alongside the oppressed. I guess that's why they say that India is a land of extremes and contrasts. I’m not sure if I will ever get used to seeing people begging or sleeping on the streets. Yet I’m so blessed to be a part of a ministry that not only sees the needs, but is being proactive to meet those needs.

After attending a service at the hospital chapel today, I went for a stroll at a beautiful park with flowering trees. However, I didn’t stay long because of the extreme humidity and intense heat. A statue of Mother Teresa resides just beyond the park gates as a focal point of honor and admiration. Speaking of Mother Teresa, I’m so excited that I get a chance to serve at her mission, Missionaries of Charity, this week. Also I will get to meet some of the kids at the feeding station that will be attending the learning center that I am helping develop for Project Rhino.

The picture I posted is of me on top our Mercy Hospital overlooking this concrete jungle known as Calcutta. If you want to see more pictures and you have a facebook account, please feel free to look me up.

Please pray that God will give me wisdom and creativity as I forge on with Project Rhino. Thank you again for your prayers. They are greatly appreciated : )