KEZIA AND NOAH PERFORM AT CALCUTTA SCHOOL OF MUSIC CONCERT

AS MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE, THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPT. AND THE CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE TOOK OUR CHILDREN AWAY IGNORING OUR APPEAL AND THE FACT THAT THEIR OWN DEPARTMENT HAD LOST OUR FILES PERTAINING TO THE ISSUANCE OF LICENSE FOR THE CHILDREN'S STAY AT THE HOPE  HOME AND CONFINED THEM IN HORRIFIC CONDITIONS IN THEIR OWN 'WELFARE HOMES' ALONG WITH STREET URCHINS AND JUVENILE CRIMINALS. THE AUTHORITIES REFUSED TO ALLOW THOSE ENGAGED IN MUSIC TO PURSUE THEIR TALENTS AND SKILLS AND FOR NOAH AND JONAH EVEN SEND THEM TO SCHOOL...ALL IN THE NAME OF SOCIAL WELFARE!

WE ARE SO DELIGHTED THAT TALENT AND PATIENCE AND TRUTH HAS PREVAILED AND TRUTH HAS TRIUMPHED ...LAST WEDNESDAY, KEZIA AND NOAH WERE INVITED TO PERFORM (CLASSICAL GUITAR) AT A CONCERT AT THE CALCUTTA SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND THEY PLAYED THEIR HEARTS OUT AFTER 9 AGONIZING MONTHS!

INCIDENTALLY WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT MANY IN THE COMMITTEES OF THE WELFARE DEPARTMENT DO NOT HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO WITNESS THEIR OWN CHILDREN EXCEL IN MUSICAL SKILLS AND ARE OUTRAGED IN SOME SENSE TO SEE HOW CHILDREN FROM THE SLUMS AND POVERTY STRICKEN FAMILIES AND ORPHANS CAN BE SO EMPOWERED AND ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE HOPE HOME...THE OLD 'EVIL' - JEALOUSY...BUT THEN, WHO CARES! YOU WOULD SEE MORE SUCH PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE COMING DAYS AND MONTHS AS THE KIDS COME OUT VICTORIOUS! THANKS FOR STANDING WITH THE HOPE HOME CALCUTTA AND FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND HELP!

DEV
hopehomecal@gmail.com

THANKSGIVING DAY!

WE HAD A WONDERFUL AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING DAY LAST THURSDAY. SEVERAL VISITORS JOINED THE HOPE HOME CALCUTTA FAMILY FOR A TIME OF FELLOWSHIP AND THE THANKSGIVING MEAL. REV. JAMES GOMEZ, ASSISTANT VICAR OF THE ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL (WHICH WE ARE NOW PART OF) CAME AND GAVE AN EXHORTATION TO ALL THOSE PRESENT. THE CHILDREN HAD DECORATED THE MAIN HALL WITH BALLOONS AND WE HAD DECORATIVE CANDLES ON THE TABLES! IT WAS A GREAT EVENING AND WE THANKED GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS, PROTECTION, GRACE, MERCIES, FAITHFULNESS, LOVE, PROVISION AND THE GIFT OF FRIENDS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD! AND LIKE I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE WERE NO TURKEY(S) BUT THE CHICKEN BUTTER MASALA (SPICY) AND FRIED RICE AND FISH FILLET WERE INDEED DELICIOUS (ORDERED FROM OUR NEIGHBOR'S CATERING SERVICE!!)

Guria reading a devotional from Psalm 136

Rev. James Gomez bring an exhortation for all of us

The food's almost gone...

There was an amazing silence while all of us were devouring the food...

TRUST ALL OF YOU HAD A WONDERFUL, BLESSED, ENJOYABLE AND MEMORABLE THANKSGIVING DAY!

Dev and the Hope Home Calcutta family

HOPE HOME AND THANKSGIVING

THANKSGIVING IS CONSIDERED AS AN AMERICAN EVENT HERE IN INDIA AND VERY FEW CELEBRATE THE OCCASION. WE AT THE HOPE HOME HAVE BEEN OBSERVING AND CELEBRATING THANKSGIVING FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS - NO, NOT TO ADVERTISE OUR IDENTITY AS ANYTHING AMERICAN, BUT TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE, THANKFULNESS AND APPRECIATION TO GOD FOR HIS LOVE, FAITHFULNESS, PROVISION AND CARE FOR US AS HOPE HOME CALCUTTA FAMILY

WE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THIS HEART-TOUCHING POEM WITH YOU ALL BELOVED PEOPLE AND REQUEST YOU TO THINK OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE NOTHING OR VERY LITTLE TO BE THANKFUL ABOUT IN LIFE...ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE AT THE HOPE HOME AND BEING MINISTERED BY US...WHO WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE LIVED A LIFE OF DEPRAVITY AND HOPELESSNESS...

A Thanksgiving Poem

The tear another's tears bring forth,

The sigh which answers sigh,

The pulse that beats at other's woes,

E'en though our own be nigh,

A balm to bathe the wounded heart

Where sorrow's hand hath lain,

The link divine from soul to soul

That makes us one in pain, 

Sweet sympathy, benignant ray,

Light of the soul doth shine;

In it is human nature giving

A touch of the divine.

Unknown

AND ENJOY THIS PICTURE...ALONG WITH YOUR TURKEY!!

                                                              
AND SINCE TURKEY IS NOT SO POPULAR IN INDIA AND WE SELDOM CAN PURCHASE IT FROM THE LOCAL MARKETS...WE SETTLE FOR THE SECOND BEST OPTION...CHICKEN BUTTER MASALA, FRIED RICE, FRIED FISH FILLET AND A SPECIAL, VERY SPECIAL SWEET DISH :-)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU BELOVED PEOPLE

FROM THE HOPE HOME CALCUTTA FAMILY!

CHILDREN'S DAY CELEBRATIONS

WE WERE ABLE TO CELEBRATE CHILDREN'S DAY TODAY IN OUR SCHOOL- HOPE EDUCATION CENTRE. WE HAD ENCOURAGED THE STUDENTS TO DRESS UP AS THEY LIKED AND ALSO HELD A TALENT CONTEST FOR THEM. IT WAS A REAL FUN TIME FOR BOTH THE KIDS AND ALSO THE TEACHERS AND STAFF...WHILE THE INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY IS COMMEMORATED ON NOVEMBER 20, IN INDIA, IT IS CELEBRATED ON NOVEMBER 14 TO PAY TRIBUTE TO NEHRU, OUR FIRST PRIME MINISTER WHO HAD A SPECIAL LOVE AND BONDING WITH CHILDREN. HERE ARE A FEW PHOTOGRAPHS OF OUR SPECIAL EVENT TODAY...

our girls wearing the saree for the first time and Kezia in her Nagland dress...Naomi dressed as an angel

Naomi dressed as an angel

Joel playing the guitar during Talent Contest

Ruth with some of her Grade 1 students

Prem, Grade 3 dressed as a Prince from Sikkim

Kanika Maám with her Grade 3 students

Kavita with her Kindergarten kids

Dolon (Dorothy) singing during Talent Contest

Grades 6 and 7 with Aloka Maám and Supriyo our administrator

Kezia in her Naga outfit

Tina (name changed) -daughter of a commercial sex worker and part of our school singing at Talent Contest

Sufia who is a daughter of a rickshaw puller from a very poor Muslim family is in Grade 6 and speaks fluent English...singing at Talent Contest

Sabrina with some of her Nursery kids

FINALLY THE CARNIVAL AT ST.PAUL'S CATHEDRAL GROUNDS WAS HELD YESTERDAY, SATURDAY-NOVEMBER 10 FROM 12 NOON - 8 P.M. THE HOPE HOME CALCUTTA PUT UP A STALL DISPLAYING ARTS, PAINTINGS AND CRAFT PRODUCTS PREPARED BY THE CHILDREN OF THE HOPE HOME CALCUTTA - WITH MUCH HELP FROM JOYDEV, OUR ART TEACHER. WE WERE THERE BY 10 IN THE MORNING SETTING UP THE DISPLAY PORTION AND THE REST OF THE KIDS  JOINED US AT 12 NOON. OUR STALL HAD A VERY HIGH FOOT-FALL AND WE WERE ABLE TO SELL SMALL ART AND CRAFT ITEMS, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS ONLY BUYER FOR THE GLASS-FRAMED PAINTINGS (ALTHOUGH WE HAD PRICED IT AT ONE-FIFTH OF THE PRICES USUALLY RESERVED FOR SUCH PAINTINGS (MANY PEOPLE,WHILE APPRECIATING THE PAINTINGS DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE CARRYING GLASS-FRAMED PICTURES IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT!). THERE WAS FOOD GALORE...AND EVEN TWO LIVE BANDS...ONE OF THE INDIAN ARMY BELTING OUT FIRST HYMNS AND THEN OLDIES FROM THE 60'S AND 70'S (LIKE ''(YOU LOOK) WONDERFUL TONIGHT" AND OTHER ELTON JOHN, CAT STEVENS, STEVIE WONDER NUMBERS!

BY THE TIME WE GOT BACK HOME AROUND 10 P.M. - WE ALL CRASHED STRAIGHT INTO OUR BEDS/MATTRESSES...SWEET DREAMS!

 setting up the banner for our display staff...

 some of the children at the close of the carnival

  Leah with Anjanli dancing to the music of a live-band

display with arts and crafts

 crowds throng our stall...

Ruth, our stall manager did an excellent job...

displayed paintings...

Grace and Abigail managed our food counter...

Samuel taking a shot at the 'post-the-ball'contest and WON!

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN 9 MONTHS THE CHILDREN AND STAFF HAD A FUN-TIME IN  CALCUTTA :-)

WE ARE BLESSED INDEED...

I WAS SO BLESSED THIS MORNING AS WE WENT THROUGH THE STATISTICS OF OUR BLOGS...THE VIEWERSHIP EXTENDS TO 15 COUNTRIES AND INCLUDES SUCH DIVERSE NATIONS AS:

U.S.A.
BANGLADESH
INDIA
GERMANY
VENEZUELA
RUSSIA
SINGAPORE
HONG KONG
AUSTRALIA
SWITZERLAND
U.K.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
S. KOREA
PERU
MALAYSIA

WE ARE HUMBLED YET GLAD AND HONORED THAT SO MANY PEOPLE FROM SO MANY COUNTRIES ARE CONCERNED AND ARE FAITHFULLY PRAYING FOR THE HOPE HOME CALCUTTA FAMILY ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN.IT HAS BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT YEAR AND ALL OF THE CHALLENGES AND OPPOSITION ARE NOT YET OVER. BUT WE ARE OVERWHELMED THAT WE HAVE SO MANY OF YOU BELOVED PEOPLE STAND WITH US AND SUPPORT AND SHARE YOUR RESOURCES...THE TRUTH SHALL TRIUMPH!

MEANWHILE, PREPARATIONS ARE ON FULL-SWING FOR THE CARNIVAL ON SUNDAY AT ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL GROUNDS!

CARNIVAL AT ST.PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

The Hope Home Calcutta family (including students of our school program - HOPE EDUCATION CENTRE) are all excited for the Carnival on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10 at the ST.PAUL'S CATHEDRAL GROUNDS from 12 noon till 8 p.m. We have been allotted a stall at this carnival. We plan to sell paintings of the children and crafts made by them, including handiwork! We also plan to sell pre-cooked food prepared by our staff and also well-wishers. Inviting all of you to come and visit our stall and encourage the children, students and staff and also enjoy the fun, fellowship and food available during this Carnival...pictures and updates to follow!!