music at mass

I got to sleep in a little today because I was planning on going to mass at Daya Dan which starts at 9, although sister Joahna fa wanted me to be there at 8 am. Either way I slept in till 6:30am which felt good since I was so dead tired last night. We grabbed breakfast to go since we weren't headed to mother house for breakfast and went out towards the metro, when I arrived at the metro it was closed... I thought to myself "It's pass seven, why isn't it open?" Then I remembered the metro doesn't open on sunday till 2 or 3 pm. I've been having the worst luck with the metro in the morning towards daya dan. Well, I found a taxi on sudder street and checked if he had a fare chart and hopped on in. I've become fairly familar with the streets in Kolkata and can drive myself there if I had a car so I told him where to go and ran it by the meter. It felt nice to be familiarized with the crazy streets of Kolkata and was able to tell the guy to take the turns that headed back on the streets when he took a wrong turn to try to take me on a detour to run my meter. I was able to tell the taxi driver by street names and show him directly to daya dan and it felt amazing! I fare was almost 60 Rps so I tipped him a little extra because out of all the taxi drivers I've taken besides my own hotel taxi driver, he gave me the least problems.
I got to Daya Dan and sister put me straight to work, setting up the mass and bringing up the mics/stand , reciever, and speakers. I ran a quick music rehershal with all the downstairs children or all the parts of the mass that was going to be sung. It was so adorable with all the kids dressed in matching colored shirts. I love it so much! Mongol and Megha led singing for me during mass and I only played the guitar. It was really nicely done. Raul played the drums today.
The priest gave an amazing homily on service and fighting for life and how the service we do is a service to perserve life and at the end of time how God will thank us for perserving his children when all has lost hope, dignity and respect for life.
After mass, I helped get the children to where they needed to be; whether it was upstairs, downstairs, in the feeding room or sitting in the main eatting room. Today i helped feed Sanju in the feeding room. He's a lot older then some of the children there and a little more difficult to feed but today was was amazing! He finished his food without a fight. I'm always so suprised at how much food the children finish. The masis always give me a plate with an immense amount of food, twice as much rice as I would eat on my biggest meal and they top it off with curry. Than once the child finish that they would fill up my plate with mango juice and a side of apple sauce! It's insane but I can understand why they give them so much in one sitting. The children are only fed 1 and 1/2 meal a day and it's a really tough task to get all the children fed, especially without a lot of masis or some volunteers.
When the day was finished I was headed out and was stopped by Sr. Johana Fa and was asked to do more drawings; she wanted Corina and I to draw some (and when i say some I mean A LOT) pictures for an offertory for mass on September 2nd, a big mass for the feast day on the 5th. She wanted a painting of our holy father, of mother, of Sr. Nirmala, all the MC sister and fathers, the volunteers, children and the poor! This is on top of painting the icons on the walls. Sr. Johana Fa keeps looking and asking me when I'm going to return when she already know that I've told her I'm leaving Kolkata the 27th because I need to be back for my sister's wedding. She adds in... can't you just stay? You can come back. She really wants me to be here so they have a guitar player for the 2nd of September, the 5th and the 8th of September. All of which are important dates for the society. I'm really sad that I won't be able to make it for Mother's 10 year memorial and won't be here when Sr. Nirmala comes, but at the same time I'm excited that I'll be home soon although it hasn't really kicked it. It seems a little surreal if the time would ever come. Leaving India seems weird to me now. I've become so use to the fact that home is so far away that coming back seems like a fantasy or wishful thinking but realizing my time is coming to an end really makes me want to put as much as I can into my day! My blogs are getting a little more tidious and possibly shorter because my daily work is the same but only if I was able to convey my experience with everyone who reads this ... you would understand each day is an encounter and meeting with Christ in disguise. I seriously find some of my happiest moments with the kids at Daya dan and feel so filled by the love of Christ through their smiles, their tears, their laughters and their comfort.


Prayer:
My dear sweet Jesus, you've given me your everything; our daily bread, the air we breathe, and the world's beauty, through your creation you have given us all. You've gave to us your beloved Mother Mary at the foot of the cross, so we may be guided by the Mother of the Most High only to your sweet embrace. When much is given, much responsibility is expected and you've given me more than I ever can dream and ask for, but yet my Lord, I suffer from my laziness. I take the things you've given me for granted and am slothful with my time. May you take my life and mold, conform and transform it to become a messenger of your love, voice, and message to others. Make use of me your servant and help me learn to serve as you have serve to those of the poorest of the poor. To those that were dejected and unloved. Teach me oh Divine master... I place myself in your hands.