Friday 17th

 This has been the first full day for us as a team, and full it certainly has been!  

Travelling by road in India is an experience for us from the UK.  In a remarkable way the traffic does keep flowing as drivers jostle for position and remind each other of their proximity with their constant peeping of their horns.  We set off early to reach the Biglife boat in the Sunderban Islands region – a network of rivers and islands that works its way down to the Bay of Bengal in the south.  Having navigated getting on to the boat we then had a wonderful cruise down the river and entered what is another world to the hustle and bustle of the city of Kolkata.

The Islands have no cars and just the occasional motor bike crawls safely by.  Otherwise, it is a tranquil setting with a slow and steady pace to life.  Undoubtedly the people work hard to eke out a living from their fish farming and vegetable growing, but there is a quieter atmosphere than the frenetic activity of the city.  

Today we had the privilege of going to two of the House Fellowships – small groups of Jesus’ followers gathering together outside or inside their homes to met with one another and with the Lord.  The groups use the Three Thirds format as their basis – Look back, look up and look forwards (you can download a simple explanation here - https://www.yba.org.uk/big-life ).  It was really encouraging to share is this rich time at two homes.  

A lady in the first home has been the catalyst in terms of coming to faith and then sharing with others, seeing about 35 similar groups start in the past 2 years.  It was great to hear how her husband has now come to join her and support her in all that she is doing.  The simplicity of the format contributes to the ease of multiplication, and yet also allows for all to share what the Lord is saying through the Bible passage rather than just hearing one person’s perspective.

 

Knowing the theory is one thing, but seeing this in practice is another, and deeply moving.  Our times concluded with times of prayer for one another and for a range of needs, as well as opportunities for the team to share their own stories of following Jesus.

The long return journey to Kolkata and a fabulous Bengali meal to end the day gave great opportunity for reflection.  Journeying together as a team is very rewarding as we share experiences and our own reflections on what we are part of. Learning as we go from some of the Biglife team in West Bengal is inspiring, and a reminder of how God still calls ordinary people to do extraordinary things when they love the Lord and follow what he calls us to do in making disciples who make disciples.