Friday 28th October. Education, Education, Education.

We arrived at Seelampur, about 9-30....a daily miracle, Amanda prays every day for safe journeys.... and someone needs to. The roads here makes Scilily look gentle. The morning group singing was led by Subodh, the energetic committed christian ASHA leader of Seelampur centre.  The thought for the day was led by Ruth, very appropriately adapted to be perfect for ASHA. It was all the more  powerful to hear someone saying "expect miracles in your life "when the speaker is a grandmother. The work of God though ASHA has enabled 1600 slum kids to go to University which helps them get jobs so they have a chance to buy their family a home and be lifted out of poverty in one generation. That's miraculous to me. Joining us for the day was Phil Leighton (Friends of ASHA GB) and his grandson, Dan.  Another Granparent here.

Then we went to a poorer area of Seelampur slum, Block A , located by the river which floods regularly.ASHA has been building relationships there for 2 years and is now trusted. They have a mobile health clinic in a van, and helped the community lobby the MP to get water pumps. The ASHA college students give lessons in writing to the kids. When ASHA first came to this part of the slum very few, if any kids , attended school. Now 50% do. We met one bright girl who is in year 12 and has caught up so well she hopes to be the first from this area to go to College. Her Mum, a member of the ASHA initiated women's group, was so proud. ASHA health workers also monitor the weight of the under 5 s and distribute bananas and eggs , some are seriously underweight but they are showing weight gain gradually. I also saw folded blankets that had given to the community last winter by ASHA.  One of the slum dwellers thanked us for coming to visit, their smiles and Muslim greetings did suggest they were pleased we were there.

We returned to the ASHA centre for lunch, delicious eggy bread, spicy potatoes and bread and spreads. I chatted with Hina a student helped by ASHA who confidently explanned her plans to do a PhD . After lunch we had another treat, an experience of a life time - Elephant and camel rides. This was back at A Block slum and was awesome. The elephants sauntered along with 4 of us on top, and a youthful driver, one was a child like Mogli, sitting on his neck, guiding the elephant along a beautiful patch of vegetable growing land, v fertile just by the river. The money we paid for the rides we understood will go into the slum because the people from the slum run these rides. The would not accept payment from the 2 ASHA staff with us.

In the evening we went to the flat of Dr Kiran and Freddie Martin, ASHA's founders. We had a delicious curry buffet. Four ASHA students came with us. Peter was suitably impressed when he found out one of them had just got a First from Delhi University. One of the students, Shiv, danced and had us entranced. Michael Jackson's moonwalking incorporated into a kind of Hindi street dancing. Then he got us to join in......which was actually fun and chaotic. The students were very patient and tolerant with us as they tried to teach us moves. I have a feeling Kiran and Freddie's flat is a place of good food and fun parties, but mostly it was obvious the students had been their a lot and were much loved and part of the family.

I personally feel so grateful to have been able to come on this trip, and especially to have come with Peter. Any doubts about whether we would be of any service have gone. Watching the ASHA students interacting with our students confidently, encouraging each other to see Education as the ticket to future choices, for themselves and their younger siblings and friends, has given me even more respect for teachers everywhere and ASHA as an organisation.
Aideen.

A day of extremes

Usual breakfast of toast, and  porridge with idly as the Indian choice - delicious!  Then drove to Jeeva Naga a different slum which Amanda and Tommy had been to last year.

Great welcome then sat down to hear from all the children and students. They told us about how they were passing on information they learnt about diseases such as TB to people living in their lanes and how they were learning about ASHA values such as gratitude and putting them into practice.  The students spoke about how by being part of ASHA from a young age, they had been encouraged to study and do well at school so that they were able to go to Delhi university. So inspiring! And also they were now mentoring children in the slum to encourage them to achieve what they had done.

Then we went to afternoon tea at the British High Commisioner and his wife with some other teams of sixth formers from Northern Ireland. It was all rather posh in a huge house with a massive garden - including monkeys!  We were served lovely cakes, biscuits, cheese straws, proper tea, juice and a Bhaji type thing.  But the highlight for some was to find the signatures of William and Kate in the guest book as they had stayed earlier in the year.  So a bit of a contrast to the morning!

After that we fitted in some shopping before ending back at the YWCA for more food !

Monkeying around

Hi everyone, Lily here!

Summarising today: we joyfully survived!

This morning, having fought the urge to "have just another 5 minutes" after the 3rd time, we dragged ourselves out of bed, and prepared (physically and mentally!) for the day ahead! We left the YWCA in taxis, with the expectation of a similar day to yesterday, that is: making crafts with the children or painting an underwater or jungle room! What we didn't expect though, was the craziness of the journey that lay ahead! In our car, we delegated tuneee control to Tommy, but upon our arrival at Seelampur, we were excitedly informed by the girls in the other car that an elephant had been spotted! Katie was super excited and hilarity ensued when Victoria also excitedly pointed out a "camel" that was actually a broom! 😂😂 After this, we entered a time of daily devotion lead by Subodh, singing in both English and Hindi, or at least attempting to! We then split into our teams, either doing a turtle craft with the boys or finishing off the painting, which was fantastic, if we do say so ourselves! :P

After this, while others continued with the painting, a few of us visited some more of the slum. We visited the homes of several Asha volunteers and workers, and sat in on part of a women's group meeting, learning about the work the women can do within the community when even slightly empowered! It was truly inspiring, and visiting one bedroom homes that housed up to 12 people at one time was a real reality check in my opinion! What amazed me most was that even though the houses weren't what we'd consider homes, the owners made every attempt to keep them clean and present them nicely; they felt such a sense of ownership over their small plot that they somehow transformed them from what could have been small bare shells into warm homes that accommodated their family life!! It was really amazing to see, and really reminded me to be grateful for my home, with electricity, clean water and my own bed! I have to say though, I was very glad that Asha workers accompanied us around, because I definitely would have got lost in all the twists and turns and alleyways of the slum!

After this, we returned to the Asha Centre for an awesome lunch spread, in which our end of the table experimented with crisp sandwiches, masala flavoured crisps (which I think only Ena enjoyed!) and nutella on banana 😂 side note: Katie's recipe for a great summer snack when the BBQ is out is a banana split - with the skin on - sliced in half, with nutella in the middle, and optional brandy poured on top, wrapped in tin foil, and BBQ'ed! Apparently goes down a treat!!

We then travelled from Seelampur to Old Delhi to go to the spice market! This was quite an unforgettable adventure, from the very start! After a lot of walking past the Red Fort (a beautiful red fort -hence the name- that in its prime I bet would have flourished with a lovely moat!) we just crossed the road to enter the market... Or attempted to... There's no such thing as "just crossing the road in Delhi"! It's a whole process, involving: stepping out in blind faith, some hand signalling for oncoming vehicles to stop, and some frantic running and weaving in between moving vehicles when all else fails!!So, having made it across the road with the help of some lovely students from Asha, we entered the main road of Old Delhi, along which there must have been hundreds of shops and stalls! We somehow managed to stick remotely together, despite the hundreds of people pushing and shoving and weaving in and out of the heaving crowd! It was completely wild, and to even understand remotely what it was like, you'd have to imagine Oxford Street, London, on Christmas Eve, with added motorcycles on pavements and the very real threat of pick pockets adding to the fun! So overall, a really crazy experience, both there and back! The actual stall itself with the spices was really lovely, selling everything from loose nuts and bagged spices! And, as a lovely surprise, they gave us some complimentary spices and rose water for our purchases, so that was an added team bonus! And best of all, we saw a monkey!! A wild monkey!! It was jumping around and swinging from the loose wires, and was a real treat to see, and was probably one of the cheeky highlights of my day!!

In conclusion, a blessed and full day, full of laughs and memories, and many new experiences as well as important reminders! Looking forward to tomorrow, and a good sleep on our rubberised coir beds! :D

Lily xx

Tommy's Tuesday Tales

Tuesday 25th of October is a day that means different things to different people. To some, it means 6 days until Halloween, to others it means 2 months until Christmas, however for the team this year, it means cake to celebrate Peter's birthday.

We woke up at the painfully early time of 7am, which was rough... Really rough. We had to force ourselves out of bed and through the "shower" (personally I would prefer the more appropriate "dribble") making sure we remember to keep our mouths shut lest we ingest any of the water. Having completed this palaver, it was time for breakfast, meaning the usual toast (or frightened bread), porridge, eggs, fruit or curry, and when we all had finished this we made our way back up to room 309, (Tommy and Amanda's room) for our daily devotion. After singing some songs, including a spiritual medley of Oh When the Saints, Swing Low Sweet Chariot and Sing Sing Sing all being sung at the same time, practising for our tea, performance at Kiran and Freddie's house on Friday. After a short thought for the day, and some notices, we were ready to go.

As we emerged from the YWCA, a sight of pure horror met our eyes... A new driver. This was terrifying as how would we know how mental he was on the roads?! It was quickly discovered that he was perfectly safe, which was a relief. The trip to Seelampur was easy and quick, and we arrived shortly after 9.30.

Subodh and the Asha team, including Shiv who wasn't there yesterday met us, and we had a small prayer meeting, with a few songs of worship in both Hindi and English which was quite hard to keep track of. Then after this, we had the really special opportunity to pray for people who wanted it, whether it be for healing, or for starting a new career, or provision of a new house. Then after this we divided up into teams. Katie led some sporting games (being a PE teacher) outside with the boys, and from, inside, we could hear nothing but shrieks of joy, and the other two teams were doing more painting of the jungle or fish room.

At 12.00, we all went round the slum. We sat in some peoples' houses and heard their stories and were able to pray. This was amazing, as we could see the joy and love the people had for their communities, despite having very little material things. I should add at this point that while we were doing this, Aideen was at Asha HQ poly clinic shadowing the doctor, which was apparently very interesting, as it was 'very efficient and kind'. Then after visiting and praying for 2 houses, we returned back for lunch.

This was bread, eggs, spread, and fruit and was again delicious. Then having eaten this, we made more progress on the two rooms for painting (I should add, with some really superb songs blasting out at immense volume), and John and Ena did some musical games with the girls, which went down an absolute treat. After this, there was a craft activity of decorating fish to hang in the fish room when we are done. After a cracking day, we were all tired and were able to get back into the cars and return home to the YWCA for relaxing, dinner and cake. All in all, a super day.

- Tommy

First Day in Seelampur Slum!

Today we had an early start, so as to reach Seelampur, the slum in which we will be spending most of our time, early. After an energising breakfast and a meeting, we prepared to leave. Unfortunately, there was a vehicle delay; however, we still arrived more or less on time, despite startling road conditions.

On arrival in the slum, we entered the Asha centre and were greeted with confetti and a warm welcome; next we were introduced to the team and the Asha volunteers, including local women who had undergone three months of basic medical training to treat those in their community. We also presented them with a fantastically manufactured Monopoly game that Karen had produced using the pictures from our team building day. After a back and forth sing-song with children, youth, volunteers and leaders, which was full of smiles, we split into groups and began to paint murals on the walls of two rooms and do craft work with the children.

Despite my hilariously hideous drawing and painting in our 'Under the Sea' mural, we appear to be making good progress and are hoping to finish on Wednesday. Our other mural has a jungle theme, and is also going very well. The children were very excited by the craft activities, to the extent that they were running into the room where I was painting to show us their wonderful creations! After a delicious lunch, with fruit, crisps and drinks provided for us, we rotated our activities. One group went on a visit to some of the homes in the slum, while the others did more painting and craft, this time with the girls (as the students only go to school for half the day, the girls in the morning and the boys in the afternoon).

We also completed 'Shields of Honour' with the youth. This began with each student filling out basic information about themselves; information about their study and future aims; and the challenges they currently faced (for most, this was the small size of their home and/or financial issues). Then we got them to sit in a circle and read through them one by one; for each one, we asked the group why they thought the person reading was special. This was filled in in the centre of the paper shield, under the heading, 'I'm special because:'. One girl was told she was a great dancer, and Lara made her get up and do a demonstration - the other girls were not lying! We hope this was a motivational activity.

We ended with another sing song, including dancing, which was great fun and enjoyed by all. The positivity and happiness present in this community, despite the poverty all around them, was inspirational. We were sad to leave, but look forward to seeing everyone again tomorrow! A trip to the Cottage Emporium, followed by a delicious meal at a South Indian restaurant, for which most of us opted for tasty dosai pancakes, closed off a long, but unforgettable and inspirational day. We hope to do more work both with and for those served by Asha tomorrow, as well as music games. Until then, goodnight!

Peter

P.s. In other team news, congratulations to Thomas Clegg for gaining an offer today to study Geography at the University of Bristol!

A day of sightseeing...

Good Afternoon, Katie here!

After 3 good nights sleep (for me anyway!) we were up and breakfasted for our meeting at 930am. A few of us were brave enough to try the Indian potato curry for breakfast - it definitely had a kick to start the morning. Our meeting summarised the plan for the day after reassuring words from the Bible and couple of songs. (Don't think we will be entering any choir competitions soon!).

Our first stop on our day of sight seeing was Humayun's tomb. This is in an incredible, sandstone original version of the Taj Mahal, it left us all a little speechless. As you walk around the grounds and the impressive tomb you are struck by a sense of calm and peace. There was quiet, birds chirping and small hushed tones between groups - not even a car horn to be heard! The building was made from sandstone and marble and each grate was formed of a unique pattern followed through the main tomb and the adjoining rooms to family members. The quiet reflected the tranquility and importance of the grounds and building itself; allowing each of us to have some time and thoughts to ourselves.

After this we endured yet another 'experience' on New Delhi's roads and their road system will never fail to amaze me. Saying that, we all feel very safe with our drivers and we are currently up to a total of 6 in the competition of spotting a Tuk-tuk with the most number of people of on. Khan market was our next stop and more middle class with recognisable British shops and a sense of safety from the vast number of security guards outside restaurants and shops. We went to "The Big Chill" for lunch which from the outside looks like a dilapidated doorway but holds host to a morden style American diner. The amazing food continues (Peter very kindly shared his Oreo cheesecake with the entire group) and all of us were desperate to have the salads on the side of our plates but thought better of it; except Maverick Ruth of course!

Next on the list was of stops was the Lotus Temple. This is the house of worship for the Baha'i faith, a faith founded in Persia in the 19th Century. The building was completed in 1986 which was evident from the impressive structure, clean lines and Morden architecture. It stuck me as to how accepting Delhi is in regards to religion, having visited several different places of worship for varying religions in the short time we have been here already; something we can all learn from.

My favourite stop was next, the Qutb-complex. Here housed the Qutb-minar, a beautiful 72.5m tall pillar which was constructed at the end of the 12th century. The minar is also constructed of sandstone, except the top two layers which are covered in marble after the previous top tower was damaged by lightening. Lightening damage struck (pun intended) twice more but thankfully it remains in tact as the tallest minar known in the world. There were other incredible monuments to look at here, one was a small building that marks the beginning of Islamic architecture as we know it today. Additionally there was an un-rusting iron pillar that had been moved to the areas in the 11th century. The 24ft pillar has a large percentage of phosphorous in its outside layer which has led to the lack of rusting and it weighs an extraordinary 6000kg! The pillar, originally holding a statue of Vishnu has been lost/removed from now. We also saw the abandoned attempts of another minar, designed to be grander and twice the size, however it remains at 25m of rubble as not future generation wanted to take it on after the founder passed away - a sad tale indeed.

Interestingly all taxis here have a sticker that says "this taxi respects women"; a government initiative to reduce the number of sexual attacks in taxis on women by taxi drivers. Each sticker has a code relating to the taxi and all taxi drivers have had to had training and passed a test, a very good idea indeed.

We are off for dinner at the YWCA later today, some already swapping to the Chinese side of the menu to branch away from curry. No doubt we all will at some point this holiday!

Hope all is well at home - sending our love xx

Delhi Trip 2016 . We had a refreshing and fun team building day on Saturday 1st 0ctober. This was planned to brilliant precision by Victoria and Tim. We were using the theme of Monopoly because ASHA have asked us to bring board games with us. We went to various Monopoly favourites that I had never actually been to before. We found out that Vine Street used to have the largest police station in Europe because it was a street of Brothels. It's now a tiny cul de sac. Scott showed us the site of the Reformers tree in Hyde Park , for the Park Lane stop, and he told us the history, which was very encouraging.  The rain was light and held off mostly. We all went home having had a lovely day. Please pray for good health for us on the trip and that we can serve God while we are there.if anyone can download a photo to this that would be great ? Thx. 

31st October 2015

Today was our last visit to Jeevan Nagar, it was our earliest start of the trip as we wanted to be there early so we could spend as much time as possible with the kids and Asha Staff. The team had recovered one of the wounded soldiers from yesterday but Delhi-belly claimed another leader as a victim.

With two leaders down we set off and headed to the slum; somehow we managed to miss the dreaded Delhi rush hour and made it to Jeevan Nagar in record time. On arrival all the kids were there to greet us with big smiles and full of anticipation as today was the celebration day!

The celebration started with a prayer and worship, today was particularly special as we had been teaching them My Lighthouse over the week and by now they knew all the words and dance moves; they looked and sounded amazing!!! After the worship the kids performed some great dance routines for us and the a couple of the students shared what Asha meant to them, this was very moving! We then moved onto the speeches, as predicted things got emotional and people started to cry. Joel, being an absolute gent, was on hand with a pack of tissues. Once the tears had dried, the music started and this meant dancing for everyone...not for the first time on this adventure Mr Talbot showed off his cracking moves.

At the end of the celebration we exchanged gifts with the Asha staff then began the awful task of saying goodbye. Even though we had only met the kids at the start of the week, we had grown to love them so leaving them opened the flood gates of tears and there was barely a dry eye in the group by the time we had left.

Now our work in Jeevan Nagar was done we had a free afternoon...which meant SHOPPING!! I think Beth brought one of everything she saw!

Later in the evening Kira and Freddie invited us round to their house for dinner and to watch the world cup final. It was really good way to what has been a fantastic experience.

Friday 30th October

Today was our last full day in Jeevan Nagar...with the painting still someway off completion we knew that we had a very busy day ahead of us.

Disaster struck first thing in the morning as two of our team were hit with the dreaded Delhi-Belly. Amanda stuck behind to tend to our wounded soldiers and the rest of us jumped in the taxis to once again brave the Delhi roads. We arrived safely and were given a heroes welcome from the children and staff. By this point we all have started building great relationships with all the children and so it is just so exciting getting to see them all.

We had a brilliant day painting, doing crafts, drinking the delicious Masala Chai tea and playing with the children. The girls (and Sam) all got Henna in the afternoon, which looked brilliant and then by about five o clock the painting was completed and we got to show everyone the finished product. It looks quite good if I may say so...

In the evening Dave and Lauren went hunting (in vain) for Mark Zuckerberg who they heard was staying at a local hotel, Joel hit up a random wedding he somehow got invited to whilst everyone else took the opportunity to relax and emotionally prepare themselves for the big farewell party tomorrow...

Thursday 29th October

Today saw the day of the Asha East meets West concert, a frankly daunting and hateful prospect for about 100% of our touring party. However, a half day at Jeevanagar beforehand lifted spirits with a yet again stunning umpteenth performance of My Lighthouse and a fabulous rendition of 'This is the Day' from our Jeevanagar counterparts, a personal favourite of our co-team leader Bethan.
After a half day packed full of painting (of mixed results I must admit) and hours of street cricket and craft, our drivers came to pick us up to ship us back to the YWCA for some 'chilling'. Unfortunately, less than two metres into our commute home one of our drivers decided to crash into a passing car, causing a typically Indian brawl to take place and many completely unrelated strangers seizing on the opportunity to argue with one another. Meanwhile, we politely stayed in our cars and sat the whole thing out in the most British way possible. One hour later, we took the roads again and made it back to the YWCA unscathed.
The evening saw the East meets West concert, which saw our group performing what has to be described as a somewhat average rendition of Pharrell's Happy, admittedly not helped by the sound team's inability to start our backing track at the start of the track. Our set also included a piano solo from Joel, an acrobatic performance from Louise and Nat (I think it's fair to say they can both touch their toes), and a performance of. Hillsong's This is Living by Lauren, accompanied by Joel, Sam and Tommy. The concert also included a performance from each of the slums that the volunteer teams were working in, and it was really amazing to see the kids we had been working with in the slum showcase their many amazing talents which they would otherwise never get the chance to do. Two of the dance groups from the slums had their routines choreographed by older students from the slum itself.
The concert had started half an hour later than planned (tis India after all) and gone on a lot longer than expected too, so the post-concert dinner was embraced with open arms by all. We were presented with another delicious array of curries and Indian sweets and delicacies, and all were very much enjoyed by each person at the dinner. We returned home with bellies filled and eyes dreary, and as much rest as possible would be wise before another packed day at Jeevanagar awaiting us on Friday.

Wednesday 28th October 2015

This morning was a slightly earlier start as we were heading to Seelampar slum to visit the community centre that Amanda has been into twice before.

After an hours journey on the treacherous Delhi roads we arrived on the edge of Seelampur slum. The change between the slum we are working in and this new one was incredible; Seelampur having a population of 40,000 people and rubbish that lined the streets, piled high on street corners.
Despite this, we were welcomed with open hearts and loving smiles as we walked through the community centre gates.

We commenced with a tour of the centre which was amazing to see the wonderful murals done by previous teams, including a space room and another jungle scene, this was followed by an 11 o clock devotion which involved lots of singing from both groups of people including my lighthouse and our god is a great big god which everyone enjoyed following the actions to.

Secondly, prayer was asked for by a large group of women and a few men so the guys prayed for the guys and the girls split into pairs to pray for the women. God moved in this time and made his presence known giving words and pictures of encouragement and making promises of healing whether gradually or in the near future.

We were then taken around the slum and visited many houses where we were shown wonderful hospitality and were again received with love and great joy. It was wonderful to see how so many people take such pride in the little they have and that they take so much care of what they have and always strive to provide more for the people they love. Our walk around the slum lasted roughly an hour and a half during which we prayed for several families and also received gifts from the president of the women's groups who gave beautiful scarves to all the women and pocket handkerchiefs to all the guys.
She was a truly wonderful women and made an astonishing effort to make us feel welcome even putting up adorable fairly lights and playing music that we recognised to be christmas songs.

Lunch was next which was a simple biryani which tasted delicious. It came with a fabulous sauce and the majority of people went back for seconds and thirds with some of the guys going back for even tenths and twelfths!

Once lunch was over, we danced with the children from Seelampur. They danced for us first, then we danced for them, showing off little sections of routines and particular dance moves. Shiv, one of the members of Asha staff, is a dancer and he was very talented, so he taught us how to dance, he got us each up individually to dance and unfortunately for us all, Dave Jessel caught the whole thing on camera!

A trip to the new A block followed our interesting dance session and it was really striking how poor this new area of Seelampur was. The slum huts were all temporary, made of tarpaulin and tents, constructed in a dry river bed underneath a busy road. We were told that 3-4 thousand people live there and there are approximately 700 homes. We were unable to venture into this slum area, but we looked at it from a distance and I'm sure it will be in all of our prayers.

Amanda and Beth, being the amazing people that they are, surprised us next with the treat of seeing elephants. Then after all the desired selfies had been taken, we mounted the elephants in threes for an amazing experience riding on an elephant. There were award winning facial expressions as the elephant stood  up, the best being from Beth as a look of fear and wonder appeared on her face!
Just to top off the awesome elephant rides, we had some slightly old mushy bananas in the boot of our car which we decided to fed to the elephant. Her trunk approached Dave Talbot as he brought them out of the car and we each had a turn at feeding the elephant a well deserved treat for carrying us all around.

For dinner, we were welcomed with open arms and the amazing smell of home cooked food, when we went to Joel's family's house. We had an amazing main meal of chicken with biryani that was followed by three wonderful cakes. Most people had two or three slices as we had been deprived of most sweet things. There was a lovely walnut cake, a delicious apple cake and finally, much to everyone's delight, a mouthwatering chocolate cake that i think we would all eat all day everyday if we could.

Today was such a good day; the range of activities we did came together to make the most amazing uplifting experience that I'm sure will stick in all of our minds. 

27th October 2015

Day 2 in Jeevan Nagar today. Another cracker!! We woke up, nice and early as usual (solid 7.30 alarm, and a huge thump on the door from Davey Jessel). Then we had breakfast, for those brave enough we went for bovril and honey on the same slice of toast.
Then we had a brief meeting in Amanda's room, in which we sung a few songs, prayed and Tim said a few words if encouragement. Then it was time to go. In classic fashion, the cars were late, so we left at 9.50 rather than 9.15. The hilarious roads of India made us slow to get there, but when we did we were met with a short shower of petals. We had a quick game of cricket, a particular highlight was when Joel got creamed for 2 consecutive sixes by a 12 year old, the latter losing the ball.

We had a quick pray with the kids, Kulwinder, Anita and Parveen, and sung a few songs, again including Lighthouse. Then the kids were told to go outside, and Parveen (the Community Health Volunteer) showed us her box of medicine, and through Anita's translation we learnt a bit about what Parveen does: it turns out it's everything. She is the go to person if someone is ill, needs a loan, isn't receiving a pension, or is even giving birth. A truly inspirational woman! We then prayed for her and began the activities.

We split into 3 groups. Two painted: one in the Jungle Room. The highlight being Louise's amazing Tiger, and Tommy's snake. And the other in the fish room, the highlights being Lauren's shark and the pink coral, and the quality puffer fish. The others played games with the kids outside, and the amount of energy they had was frankly inhuman, they jumped all over them, hugged, played cricket etc etc.

Then we had an amazing lunch, cooked by Parveen (again showing her range of talents). And it was absolutely delicious!! We had daal and mixed vegetable curry and rice, and it was amazing. Joel had about 4ths, which summed up its quality. We continued to do crafts in the afternoon, which was a picture of the Christmas story. And more painting. And half the team went on a prayer walk round the slum in the afternoon. Which was apparently amazing (I didn't go, but they said it was a fantastic experience).

An amazing day. Bring on Seelampur tomorrow !

Today was our first day in Jeevan Nagar, and we had an incredible day. We received the best welcome when we arrived and the children gave us all flower garlands to wear. We then sat in the Asha centre with lots of the children and the Asha staff, and introduced ourselves , which somehow turned into them singing us numerous songs so beautifully, and then us trying to sing songs to them not so beautifully!

After introductions, we all bundled into the playground and played cricket with some of the boys, and we lost, much to their delight! Then it was time to get cracking with drawing the murals for the rooms we are painting; we are having two themed rooms, one jungle and the other 'under the sea'. So some of us spent the afternoon drawing tigers and sharks and the rest bit stuck in and made friendships bracelets with some of the children.

We finished the day by going to visit some of the families in the slums, and we were welcomed into their homes with open arms. The women who live there with their families take such pride in their houses, and there is not a speck of dust anywhere. It was so amazing to speak to the women and to hear some of their stories and to meet their children. We even got to hold a gorgeous 3 month old baby!

Then we headed back to the YWCA and played a lot of Irish snap whilst waiting for our curries! Today has been incredible but tiring, so time for an early night!

Sunday 25th October

Another lovely nights sleep at the YWCA followed by breakfast in the diner. We then gathered in Amanda and Beth's room for some worship, prayer and a thought for the day. Beth shared a great word about how God has gone before us and we do all that we do because He has sent us. Such an encouragement!

Our very trusty drivers then arrived and out we headed into the chaos that is the Delhi roads for our sight-seeing day. Tuk-tuks tooting, cars swerving...we've never loved seat belts so much! A new experience for many of us was being approached in the traffic by beggars asking for money...heartbreaking, especially as we knew that we ought not to give them any as it will just go to their master.

We arrived at our first destination: Qutb Minar. After walking across the road (an experience in itself), we entered the gates and were immediately surrounded by beautiful trees. Looking ahead we see it: the 73m high tower, surrounded by carved, beautiful ruins. Onto the next...

Lodi Gardens were lush and green, full of Indian families and loved-up, courting couples. We wandered around taking pictures in various alcoves, and were even treated to Joel and Sam doing their best catwalk impressions along one of the many pathways. Quite the talent.

And finally, we made it to Humayun's Tomb, an extravagant complex and a forerunner to the Taj Mahal. Photo opportunities galore. Despite being in the heart of  New Delhi where peace and quiet is something only to be imagined, the whole site seemed to instil calm in all of its guests. We even managed to get up on the platform, look out over the slum we'll be at tomorrow and pray.

Our evening has so far consisted of the wifi working and so a well-needed social media fix for many, followed by cricket the the Talbot's room (much to Lauren's dismay), a scrumptious dinner and then watching the Australia-Argentina Rugby World Cup Semi-Final. Bedtime soon as we have an early start tomorrow and our first day in the slum. Let's go! 

Saturday 24th October

After waking up still feeling slightly jet lagged from the flight on Thursday/ Friday, we where picked up and taken to the ASHA headquarters where we met some of the Asha staff- Anita, Feddie and Usha.
We where told about what ASHA do, what they have done already for the 60 slums they work with and what they hope to do in the years to come as well as the ASHA values. We then had lunch (dominoes pizza- a classic! and an orange soda) which all tasted delicious. Anita and Usha then took us to one of the main markets in Delhi which was rammed packed with people and stalls, where we all bought our Indian outfits- which all look fab.
After what seemed like a long day, we headed back to the YWCA where we tried on our new and traditional Indian outfits, and relaxed before having dinner in the restaurant on sight and watching the New Zealand win against South Africa in the rugby! 

Less Than 2 Weeks To Go!

It’s less than 2 weeks till we go to Delhi, and preparations are in full swing, and we are fundraising like crazy! We are all so excited to go, and are frantically trying to sort out the last bits and pieces. We are taking a team from Older Youth, this is the second time a youth team has been, and we can’t wait to see what God is going to do!

A couple of Saturdays ago we took a day out of our busy schedules, and spent the day as team hanging out and getting to know each other better. We spent the day being tourists in London! In total we visited 12 sights from The Shard to The London Eye, and at each stop we took a group photo; which we are going to use to make some funky posters to take with us to Delhi, to give them a taste of what London is like. We had an amazing day together and took over 22,000 steps! So you can imagine by the end of the day we were pretty tired, but it was so worth it as we all got to know each other so much better.

In terms of fundraising, this time a couple of weeks ago we were slightly worried we weren't going to make our target, but God is so good and since then we have raised loads of money through different events, from a Movie Night to a Gig to a huge Cake Sale which raised over £400 on its own!

We will be posting on the blog in the run up to leaving and whilst we are in Delhi, so we hope you enjoy reading our adventures. Please be praying for us in our final preparations, that God would have his hand on us, and we would know his presence and protection as we take this trip.

Saturday - Last day!
The morning was spent sightseeing in old Delhi. We met two students and staff from Seelampur, the slum supported through St Stephen' s at the entrance to the Red Fort.
Old Delhi was as chaotic as everywhere else in Delhi but narrower and busier. It was hard to stay together as a fifteen (Roanna was recovering back at the YWCA). Some were better at shopping than others and the most popular bazar was the spices shop (sorry if this spoils any surprises). Due to tired legs we opted for rickshaws on the way back and haggled them down to a fare equivalent to 20p each for the half hours in journey; Christian generosity! The traffic was ... well Delhi and we spent most of the ride stationary. Amanda remarked on what good condition our rickshaws were in compared to most, by which she meant they weren't held together with string and the brakes weren't held in place with a match box! To me the contrast which is India was someone outside a Smartphone shop using the old water pump to get their water.
Afternoon and more shopping; the market and Central Cottage Industries Emporium. The latter of these involves at least four different members of staff and three different queues to buy anything and so at least 15 minutes must be added to the purchase time. It is also a system which seems very likely for people to end up with the wrong items, but somehow they don't.
Cutting our time a bit tight, we did a rapid refresh before heading out for our final meal together at Gulati Restaurant, unfortunately minus Roanna who has still not fully recovered. Excellent food (but a bit more spicy than usually) and I hope some of us don't regret the ice we had in our drinks.
Back at the YWCA and now to pack...

Friday 31st October - Today, sadly, was our last day to spend with the beautiful people of Tigri. Before heading to Tigri, our first port of call was the Asha HQ where we had a debrief and discussed and fed back about our experiences and observations. We were also encouraged to give any further suggestions on how Asha can improve the Asha centre in Tigri and the overall experience for visitors. We then made our way to Tigri where we were treated to a cooked lunch by the Asha team which was a welcome treat after a week of sandwiches pasted with varying toppings ranging from Peanut butter, fish paste, sandwich spread, tuna mayo, Marmite or Nutella!

After our generous and tasty lunch the room was prepared for the celebration. A few ladies from our team had bought sari's and were assisted by the Asha team members to put them on. Whilst the fittings were going on the children and students were ushered in. Once everyone had been seated the speeches began. We listened as three students described their personal journeys with Asha and how much they have benefitted so far and been supported by Asha. Likewise, Amanda, Chris, and Heather shared with everyone their experiences. Once the speeches were said it was time for some music in the form of singing and dancing! The next hour proceeded with us alternating between a song by our team and a dance by the children. By the end of it we were all dancing with the children who taught us some 'moves' Bollywood style which some managed better than others. The default was the 'changing the light bulbs' move! The music varied between slower drumbeats to faster drumbeats which by the end of it left us all laughing and exhausted. Not so for the children! As the celebration came to an end we had to say goodbye to the children and students as it was time for them to go home. Each one said goodbye in their own way and it was a bittersweet event for all concerned. Our team then had the opportunity to pray for the Asha team and bless them with gifts. They have looked after us so well since day 1 and have worked very hard to make us feel welcomed and comfortable. They are a blessing and key component in Tigri and we hope that God will continue to bless their work as they persevere in such a challenging environment.

It was then time to make our way back to the YWCA. Our timing couldn't have been worse as we hit peak traffic on a Friday evening. It was bonkers! Between the jamming traffic and the random herds of cows walking along the road we finally got back safely to our hostel. Our driver was cool as a cucumber under the pressure and has been such a brilliant driver this whole time!

Tomorrow we spend our day sightseeing in the old part of Delhi with some of the students from Tigri. It is difficult to believe that a week has flown by and that our time in India will come to an end. It has been a whirlwind tour but at the same time a lot has been achieved and many memories made. The people of India and especially Tigri have left an impression on me which I will never forget. They have so little but yet so much and love so wholeheartedly, even strangers from a far country who could never begin to try and identify with their suffering. I hope that our visit has brought them joy and made them realise that they are not forgotten, but are more loved and more precious to our Heavenly Father than they could ever imagine. They may be considered untouchable by some ranks of society but God has reached in to the depth and darkness of their suffering and pain to give them hope through the work and love of Asha so that in turn they can be empowered to change their communities and work towards a brighter and successful future for their families and generations to come. Roanna Grims

Thursday - Today was our last 'working' day in Tigri. Durning the morning devotion we adventurously sung a Hindi song. After this Chris successfully set about explaining the Good Samaritan through a translator focusing on how we will always remember them as God does too. With only half a day to finish our 'Muriel' a few members of the team set to work finishing the wonderful jungle scene. Meanwhile the majority of the boys assembled outside for a collection of ball games which unsurprisingly quickly developed into a game of cricket. With some questionable bowling from the opposition I managed to loose all of my games :( despite these three considerable loses the children in my team still had broad smiles across their faces.

As the heat increased we retired inside for some crafts. Soon the rooms were full of card lions along with sari dressed card people. As lunch approached we finished our painting and put up our posters. Now that every room had some colourful decoration we were ready to pack away the last few days of mad mess. With the scissors, pens and paints cleared away we were ready  for our second excursion of the day.

Having spent four days in Tigri slum we took the exciting journey to Kalkiji slum. One of the first slums in which Asha worked we experienced the ways in which the slums vary. With taller slum buildings Kalkiji seems as though it is busier. In a similar manor to our first morning in Tigri we introduced our selves and had a time to ask question to a group of girls from the balmandl and to a  group of university students hearing about the ways in which they had helped to reduce tuberculosis in the area. The main difference in the Asha setup here was that there were more community health volunteers. They showed us their simple medicine boxes and explained how they ran their 'clinics'. After this we had a short slum visit and returned to the YWCA via Qutub Minar an amazing stone tower built in 1193.

Tomorrow will be our final day in Tigri, we will spend the morning in the Asha HQ and in the afternoon we will unveil our paintings in an end of week celebration in Tigiri. 

Wednesday -  a new day to face the incredible Delhi traffic, but with our Asha driver at the wheel we seem to weave our way and avoid major collisions!!
Our morning in Tigri began with a time of worship and prayer - Ken shared the passage Matthew 6 v25 -34 which was translated into Hindi for all to hear and we sang together.
We were asked to tell the children the Christmas story so, to make it fun and visual, we decided to put on a nativity show!!! The cast:
Mary:  Rachael
Joseph: Tom
Donkey: (no donkey as Chris decided he would rather be a shepherd) we made noises instead.
Inn keeper: Kim
Shepherds: Chris and Ken. (All made sheep noises)
Kings: Amanda, Karen, Christine - bearing gifts of ginger and sunglasses ( well you have to improvise in Delhi)
Angels: Roanna, Rafaela, Rosie
Narrator: Heather
Great performance by all and almost a standing ovation ( certainly a lot of clapping).
we are open to offers for the nativity at st. Stephens if you need volunteers!  Contact our agent!,
We then bust into massive craft activities of colouring Christmas story wheels and
Christmas cards and decorating Christmas trees with all the glitter and bling imaginable - everyone loved it.  We also taught the children to make loom band bracelets and rings etc.  Loom bands are now a favourite in Tigri.
Whilst some were having great fun with the craft, Chris was slaving in the lobby straddled on a bamboo ladder (dodgy rungs, in fact missing rungs) and others were continuing with the 'Muriel' which will be finished tomorrow.
In the afternoon, we were so pleased to meet the university students who were keen to learn about interview techniques.  We each had 3 students and we gave them mock interviews and then lots of advice, key skills and encouragement. They are amazing young people who through the most difficult situations have succeeded in obtaining degrees and are looking for jobs. We were glad to help.
A group went for a prayer walk and were invited into homes. Then began our journey home though the rush hour traffic ( actually it's always the rush hour here).
A few of us had the energy to go shopping before supper, so Amanda took us to the  Emporium where we enjoyed choosing some presents for the Tigri workers to be given later at the celebration party.
We have just enjoyed a varied selection of Indian foods for supper at the YWCA and having had a lovely chai tea we are all ready for bed.
Thank you for your prayers and support.  More news tomorrow.