We woke up to a niiiiice 26 degree Friday. We had a bit of worship and a word from Amanda. Meanwhile Steve headed off to a meeting with RBS, to talk about them supporting and working with Asha (which went very well!). The rest of us went to the Asha headquarters, spoke with Vanola and relayed back to her each of our personal highlights. Some of these included seeing the boys playing cricket together, the girls group giving back to their community and the inspirational people we've all met. From there we drove on to visit a different slum, Mayapuri. Initially, it appeared a much more industrial area, full of scrap metal and old cars. I think most of us found the contrast between Mayapuri and our beloved Seelampur quite substantial. There were fewer smiley children wanting to shake our hands and more men covered in oil watching us. There was constant noise from drills and clanging metal. We were welcomed in to the Asha centre by Trehsi and other volunteers. Sadly, there had been a car accident in the slum that morning, killing two people, so it was a very sad day for the community. It also meant that some of the Asha volunteers were away dealing with that. But we still got an introduction from each of the children and songs and dances were shared (what cuties). A young guy that had grown up through the Asha group came and told us what a difference Asha's support has made to his life and that he is now studying at university. Later we were taken through the slum and invited in to the home of a woman who lived by the railway line. She had lost her legs after being hit by a train as a child, she now has a husband and four children. The tracks were no more than a meter from the homes and the children were playing on them in between trains coming (on the half hour). I think the danger of that struck quite a few of us. We were welcomed in to another woman's home. She was very welcoming, offering us tea. Unlike Seelampur, the buildings were low rise and made mostly out of tarpaulin and wood, so felt very close to the ground and cosy. We went back to the centre, prayed for Trehsi and got ready to leave. On the surface, the majority of us felt more uneasy in Mayapuri, but maybe we would have felt more at home if we had stayed there longer. We definitely came away appreciative of Seelampur's community spirit. For lunch we went to McDonalds, which gave some of our tummies a rest from 24/7 curry. Then we went to the Emporium, with floor after floor of beautiful Indian craft. We ended the day on a meal from our trusty YWCA canteen. Holaaaaa, Amelia xxxx (classic Steve)

A hectic but fun day!

Today started off with a wonderful devotional from Slim Shady AKA Chris Shady AKA Slim Grady AKA Graham AKA Chris Grady, praying that we would rely on God and really see his work in the slums but also within our group. I think that a large part of our prayer throughout the trip went towards really seeing God's heart for Seelampur. Not just hoping to see a vast improvement but to also realise that some things take time and to appreciate all of the work we've been able to do and to see Him in the little things. As the day progressed we finished off all of the murals in the space and jungle rooms and gave a few of the rooms a fresh coat of paint and gave the main part of the Asha building its finishing touches. While most of the group were painting in the morning a few of the boys snuck off to play cricket with the local guys- even seeing an elephant on the way! The rest of the team ended up joining them around lunch time to watch the rest of their match. Despite the slight wait due to a herd of buffalo deciding to walk right through the pitch the London Lions beat the Delhi Devils and it was time for a quick lunch before fitting one last match in, with Georgi even bowling and batting a few times. It was wonderful to soak up the sun and enjoy a nice time out with the guys after praying for an opportunity to bond with them. The highlight of the day has to have been the absolutely wonderful dinner at Karim's, a traditional Mughlai restaurant in Green Park, founded in 1913. The evening was hosted by Freddie Martin, who is married to Kieran, who founded Asha nearly twenty five years ago. Everyone was fast friends with him and thoroughly enjoyed our taste of real Indian food, instead of what Freddie called "white people trying to choose Indian dishes", returning home very full but very satisfied. It really was the perfect way to end the day, causing everyone to return to the YWCA in high spirits. I'm very much looking forward to visiting a new slum tomorrow morning and fitting in one last shopping trip. Although I miss my friends, family, and soft bed this trip has opened my eyes to a whole new culture and I will find it extremely difficult to leave all of the friends and smiling faces I have met in Delhi. Looking forward to making the most of the few day we have left in such an amazing, bright and colourful city! Bethany xx

What a day! The team woke this morning to a beautiful, sunny day and we all seemed in good spirits when we met for our morning meeting. We discussed how we were all finding the experience so far and what we wanted to pray for. A lot of us agreed that we felt encouraged seeing how the young girls were really benefitting from their girl groups at the Asha centre. They explained to us that Asha had taught them about a variety of illnesses and how to treat minor injuries. We were all very impressed by the children's group committee which gives the girls responsibility within their community to monitor sickness and to collect money to provide for those most in need. However, quite a few of the team recognised that the boys group, which is currently non existent at the centre, needed to be revived. We all recognised how vital the Asha support is for boys at Seelampur after hearing the stories of 4 young students aged 19-20 who we met on Monday. These boys have been supported by Asha since they were around 10 years old and directly through Asha, have now managed to go to college and set up a local business together. I was inspired by their testimonies and realised how important the help of Asha is for boys like these students in Seelampur to provide them the opportunity to extend themselves and give them the chance of a successful future. Our prayer this morning was that God would provide the opportunity for the men on our team to meet some boys from the slum and spend time playing cricket. After another quite hairy journey to the slum, we arrived to a crowd of familiar smiling faces and began painting our jungle and space murals again. As soon as we arrived, a group of around 20 boys from the slum came through the doors of the Asha centre and of course within a very short space of time, were playing a game of cricket with Ali and Chris. God clearly answered our prayers! In the afternoon, a group of six of us were led into the slum by Subodh. We visited a lady who had been working as a health volunteer at Asha for three years and her husband who was being treated by Asha for an illness. Both of them told us how Asha had given them so much joy in their lives and that they wanted it to continue to bless the community forever as it brought such hope to all. Whilst we were out, the other group spent time doing crafts with the girls who were making friendship bracelets and when we arrived back, a large crowd of girls had gathered to watch Ben and Ed attempt to dance an India routine!! In the afternoon, Chris met up with a young student called Salim who he had met on his last visit to Seelampur two years ago. Salim had been attending college but was under financial pressure to leave and get a job to support his family. Two years on and from much support from Asha, Salim has now graduated with a degree in political science and he is planning to spend three more years studying to become a corporate lawyer. Chris was clearly very encouraged by this story and we could all see that God had answered many of his prayers!! We left Seelampur in the afternoon and were taken by three of the students to Old Delhi. Walking down the famous street Chandni Chowk, It was agreed that in terms of busyness, Oxford Street could not even compete!! The highlight of the day for most people was riding on rickshaws down this crazy road from The Red Fort. The journey went as smoothly as it could have except for a very close call with Amy and a cow! In the evening, we visited India Gate which looked stunning as it was lit up by lights in the dark. A very exhausted and hungry team arrived back at the YWCA for a meal, bed and hopefully some good sleep, ready for another full on day of this unforgettable experience! Hannah x

What a day! The team woke this morning to a beautiful, sunny day and we all seemed in good spirits when we met for our morning meeting. We discussed how we were all finding the experience so far and what we wanted to pray for. A lot of us agreed that we felt encouraged seeing how the young girls were really benefitting from their girl groups at the Asha centre. They explained to us that Asha had taught them about a variety of illnesses and how to treat minor injuries. We were all very impressed by the children's group committee which gives the girls responsibility within their community to monitor sickness and to collect money to provide for those most in need. However, quite a few of the team recognised that the boys group, which is currently non existent at the centre, needed to be revived. We all recognised how vital the Asha support is for boys at Seelampur after hearing the stories of 4 young students aged 19-20 who we met on Monday. These boys have been supported by Asha since they were around 10 years old and directly through Asha, have now managed to go to college and set up a local business together. I was inspired by their testimonies and realised how important the help of Asha is for boys like these students in Seelampur to provide them the opportunity to extend themselves and give them the chance of a successful future. Our prayer this morning was that God would provide the opportunity for the men on our team to meet some boys from the slum and spend time playing cricket. After another quite hairy journey to the slum, we arrived to a crowd of familiar smiling faces and began painting our jungle and space murals again. As soon as we arrived, a group of around 20 boys from the slum came through the doors of the Asha centre and of course within a very short space of time, were playing a game of cricket with Ali and Chris. God clearly answered our prayers! In the afternoon, a group of six of us were led into the slum by Subodh. We visited a lady who had been working as a health volunteer at Asha for three years and her husband who was being treated by Asha for an illness. Both of them told us how Asha had given them so much joy in their lives and that they wanted it to continue to bless the community forever as it brought such hope to all. Whilst we were out, the other group spent time doing crafts with the girls who were making friendship bracelets and when we arrived back, a large crowd of girls had gathered to watch Ben and Ed attempt to dance an India routine!! In the afternoon, Chris met up with a young student called Salim who he had met on his last visit to Seelampur two years ago. Salim had been attending college but was under financial pressure to leave and get a job to support his family. Two years on and from much support from Asha, Salim has now graduated with a degree in political science and he is planning to spend three more years studying to become a corporate lawyer. Chris was clearly very encouraged by this story and we could all see that God had answered many of his prayers!! We left Seelampur in the afternoon and were taken by three of the students to Old Delhi. Walking down the famous street Chandni Chowk, It was agreed that in terms of busyness, Oxford Street could not even compete!! The highlight of the day for most people was riding on rickshaws down this crazy road from The Red Fort. The journey went as smoothly as it could have except for a very close call with Amy and a cow! In the evening, we visited India Gate which looked stunning as it was lit up by lights in the dark. A very exhausted and hungry team arrived back at the YWCA for a meal, bed and hopefully some good sleep, ready for another full on day of this unforgettable experience! Hannah x

First day in seelampur and Hannah's birthday!!

Monday 18th February, YWCA, New Delhi Today was our first day in the slum and was also Hannah's 18th birthday so there were double reasons to be excited this morning as we woke up to a beautiful sunny day here in Delhi. We negotiated the crazy rush hour traffic and 100's of bicycles and motorbikes coming at us the wrong way down our side of the road!! Soon after we arrived to be greeted by the amazing subodh (aptly pronounced support) who works in seelampur and is the centre manager there. He introduced us to some of the lovely health care workers there and also to 4 of the 3rd year university students who have grown up in the slum and through the asha system. With asha's support they are now 3 months away from graduating from university , and what is amazing is that they have also set up their own business making ID cards, fixing mobile telephones and providing access to the Internet. These 4 young men (Faisal, shiv, wasim and nuhal- excuse spellings) and their friend ashad were so fun and took the 5 of us lads on the trip around the slum, into their homes and also showed us the shop front where they run their business from. Their entrepreneurial spirit and get up and go attitude from such a place of poverty was and is such an inspiration, and I am looking forward to hanging out with them more this week. We also played a little bit of cricket which was great fun, one of them is named after wasim akram, the great Pakistani fast bowler!! The girls spent the morning preparing the two rooms for painting, and began to transform one room into a jungle and one room into outer space. Their drawings and designs are so clever and as the day went on the rooms began to be painted and look amazing!! We then had an amazing alternative picnic on the roof for lunch with Chris grady looking nervously over his shoulder while eating his sandwich as the massive birds of prey(eagles or kites we think?) swooped and circled nearby (one actually landed on his head two days ago which was reasonably dramatic!!) The afternoon was spent with the girls going on a journey further into the slum, they visited people's homes and were I know really moved by the hospitality and also by some of the people and stories they encountered. Instead of pass the parcel for Hannah's birthday they all seemed to play pass the baby as were all keen to cuddle a very cute baby in one of the houses, the photos are great!! Us lads stayed and got on with some painting and preparation work for bigger areas to be painted later on in the week, and I suddenly found myself mistakenly in charge of a group of children aged 3-13, I think they thought I was their English teacher. The asha staff urged me to entertain them and for the next hour or so a huge amount of fun was had learning games, them learning new English words with the help of a book of animals from across the world, and me learning the Hindi words in return. My personal highlight was the whole class yelling polar bear back at me at the top of their voice about five times. ( unsurprisingly they'd never come across one of these before! ) We finished by being introduced to all the slightly older girls with their really inspirational stories and heart to serve their community. These 13 year olds regularly lobby their local mp and are each responsible for 25 houses in the slum and reporting back if anyone is ill in any of the households or the rubbish has got out of hand. I think our younger youth could learn loads from these guys and am learning a lot myself about empowering youth and what a difference they truly can make if we give them that responsibility!! We had an amazing southern Indian style meal in the evening for Hannah's birthday and then came back for cake yum!! All in all a fantastic day and can't wait for tomorrow... I'll be posting photos on my Facebook which should be accessible to all and photos will also be uploaded to the st stephens Facebook account... Please continue to pray for us and a different person will blog every night so please do have a read, god bless, Ali

A day of sight seeing...

Apologies for the late post, the Internet is not particularly reliable over here and was unavailable last night. We began our first Sunday in Dehli by 'doing church' together in one of our rooms which was a great way to start the day. We had a time of worship followed by a short word from Georgi and some prayer. Along side all the excitement about what is to come from Monday onwards there are also some nerves about how we'll cope with what we find and how we can really make a difference to those around us in such a short space of time. We spent some time reflecting on how important it is to rely fully on God and what we need Him to help us with on a personal level as well as a team. God gave me an encouraging word to remind us that though we may be limited in what we can do to alleviate physical suffering, He is sending us out with the hope of Christ in our hearts. A hope that stands firm when suffering looks set to overwhelm and a hope that has claimed victory over death. If we step out in faith that the power of this truth and His Holy Spirit go with us I believe we can bring life and joy to those in Seelampur. We're all eager to get our Indian clothes on tomorrow and get stuck in! 

We spent the majority of the day visiting some of the famous land marks in Dehli which was fantastic , even with the drizzle! We started off by driving past the famous monument India gate on our way to Dehli's presidential palace. The grounds of the palace were very impressive and we were fortunate enough to see the official guards make their way through on horse back. We also saw a few monkeys which was very exciting! 

Our next stop was at the beautiful Lodi gardens (comparable to kew gardens perhaps) which were full of amazing birds and plant life. There were several famous tombs throughout the grounds dating from as early as the 1400's which had remarkable detail throughout the arch ways and walls. We stopped off at a quirky western restaurant called 'big chill' for lunch...we may have indulged in some rather tasty puddings too! :-) 

After lunch we visited another tomb which is the famous resting place of the Mughal Emperor Humayun, built in the 1500's by his second wife who supervised the project over the nine years it took to build! Thankfully the sun decided to appear at this point which was well received by everyone. Our final destination for the day was the Lotus temple of the Bahai religion, it had an interesting feel as it was very contemporary and beautiful from the outside but felt sparse and slightly empty from the inside. It was interesting to find out more about a religion that most of us had never heard of and it gave us an insight into the diverse and varied faiths existing in India. 

It's been a lovely day exploring more of Dehli together and we are all pretty keen to get a good nights sleep before tomorrow so I'd better round this up! I will just ask you to pray for Georgi who had to miss out on the last part of the day due to a persistent headache, she is doing a little better this evening but is still suffering with pain towards the back of her head and neck. Please pray that this would go away tonight so that she can feel fit and ready to really enjoy tomorrow. 

Thanks so much for all your ongoing prayers! 

 

God Bless,

Amy x

Our second day in Delhi!

After a night of loud pigeons and thunder, we started this morning with a time of worship and prayer, and were reminded that God has called us all to be a part of this mission and as individuals we all have talents that we can bring.

We travelled by minibus to the Asha base and saw an Elephant in the middle of the road on the way, we all got very excited! We were told more about projects that Asha are working on and also met two Asha students which was really great- the Asha staff were really proud of the achievements the students had made and the students were telling us how grateful they were for the support that Asha had given them to help them get there.

After this, we decided to go to an Indian market and buy our Salwar Kameez (Indian clothes) which was really fun! Surprisingly the girls were quicker than the boys at choosing. We then headed to Pizza Hut for a late lunch and then travelled back over to the YWCA.

We were all really full after our lunch and so we decided to stay in tonight...we played corridor cricket, monopoly deal and a few other games and are now getting a fairly early night in preparation for a day seeing the sights in Delhi tomorrow. The whole team seem really excited to get stuck in and It's now sinking in... WE'RE IN INDIA!!

Nakita x

Arriving in Delhi!

So today is our first day in Delhi with Amanda who's been here since last wednesday. We had a great flight and everyone was very excited to arrive in Delhi and start our adeventure. We did however miss out on a good nights sleep only getting about 3 hours in total! Even though we were tired enthusiasm was still high and once we got settled in the YWCA and had a quick nap we headed out for our first sight seeing trip. We visited the local Sikh Mosque where we took a look around the inside of the Mosque whilst what we would call a 'prayer meeting' took place. We were informed all about Sikhism and inspired by their dedication to the poor and needy. Anyone can sleep at the temple and eat there for free. We visited the kitchen with huge pots and a big open oven where i got to flip chipattis with the cooks!! They then go out to feed about 10,000 a day, 25,000 on sundays! Their hospitality was incredible and there seems to be a real respect for all people no mattef your gender, religion or status. 

Already amazed by India and can't wait to see and experience more! Also very jetlagged, so signing off for now!! Night, Georgi

Ready and waiting for the team at the YWCA...

I am writing this sitting on my bed in the YWCA waiting for the team to arrive. I'm sure as I write, they are busy packing and preparing for the adventure that lies ahead. I think only 2 have been to India before, so they are in for a bit of a treat, as well as lots of eye-popping surprises! The itinerary is now agreed with Asha, and we have a great week planned: an Induction at Asha HQ on Saturday followed by clothes shopping in the market; sight-seeing on Sunday; Monday to Thursday working in    Seelampur; Friday visiting Mayapuri and finally the Celebration back at Seelampur on Saturday. The forecast looks dicey for the weekend, so please pray it doesn't rain too much as it will spoil things a bit, especially on Sunday.
The two Asha events last week were both wonderful. Kiran sang fantastically at the Cultural Evening on Friday and I saw lots of familiar faces from past trips (Rani,Sweeta,Saroj,Shiny, Treshi etc) which was such a treat. The event at the Hyatt on Saturday was spectacular and I can only imagine that the Asha team are both buoyant and exhausted now.
Anyway I'd better get some kip so I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed for tomorrow...Although i don't suppose that's how the team will feel when I meet them after their overnight flight!
More from the team tomorrow....
Amanda xx

Nearly ready to go!

Welcome back to the Delhi team blog for another year! Just thought I'd write a quick update before I fly off to Delhi tomorrow....
I am busy packing clothes, books (15 copies of Asha's new photographic story called "A Journey of Hope" that I am taking out for them to follow on from it's launch today), pencils and mural ideas, snack bars and lots of immodium of course! I am really excited to be going again although it's strange to be setting off without the team; I will definitely feel like I have forgotten something as I take off tomorrow evening. Still Jonathan is accompanying me on the first stage of the trip to join Asha in some of their celebrations for their 25th Anniversary, which will be wonderful. On thursday afternoon we are going to a celebration in a slum, on Friday a Cultural Evening where -amongst other things-Kiran is singing, and on Saturday a gala dinner with an Indian Government minister.
The second stage of the trip starts when the team arrive on Friday 15th and we go into the slum on Monday morning after a weekend of sightseeing, induction and acclimatising.
We are re-visiting Seelampur this year, which is the slum that St Stephens visited in 2010. It is the first time that we are going back to work in the same slum again and I can't wait to see some familiar faces and old friends. (Although it might be a bit odd painting over my own murals!) St Stephens is choosing to partner Seelampur for 3 years, helping to fund the Higher Education Programme, so it felt right to be spending another chunk of time there , especially with the kids and students. Please pray that we can form great relationships and really add value to their lives, bringing blessing, hope and lots of fun with us.
So, thanks for following this and do hold us all in your prayers. It means so much to have your support and to read your posts as well!
Lots of love
Amanda xx

Asha Team 2013 update

By Royal appointment!

The 2013 Delhi team are in the final stage of their preparations to go to Delhi in February to work with Asha again. They recently did a team building pilgrimage walk from St Stephens to St Paul's Cathedral in central London - about 13 miles once a few detours for photographs had been included. They are now making posters of the London sites they visited to take to the slum to decorate the walls of the IT room. They will be working in a predominantly Muslim slum in Seelampur, in the east of New Delhi. This is the slum St Stephens is planning to partner as part of the Global Engagement initiative....

and they are taking out a number of books to start a library there for the slum children to use.