There is a new word floating around in my country, India. It’s a combination of two words—fantastic and fabulous. The word then becomes, fantabulous! What a fantabulous program the Look In, Shout Out event was. The best part was that it generated authority, vigour and enthusiasm, and all were visible at the Presbyterian Women’s Gathering held at the Sheraton Hotel.
I hold myself fortunate, who by God’s grace could come to this event. I was invited by the Women’s Missionary Society and I feel treasured to have been considered worthy of this invitation. This was my third visit to Canada among the gracious Presbyterians and indeed meeting people again and pondering over lost memories was very exciting. I consider the Presbyterian Church in Canada to be my second home and there’s always an extra bit of energy, excitement and pleasure to be there in person.
The Look In, Shout Out program meant a lot to me. I felt I was there not only in body, but in soul. The spiritual worship was very moving. One of the speakers spoke on the importance of prayer and she said, “Be careful what you pray for because prayers are answered.” Indeed, we need to pray with a lot of thinking and feeling because prayer changes things. The fellowship was exquisite. I made new friends, met with the older ones, had a tremendous exposure to different cultures, but I left feeling that I am under the same roof built by Jesus for everyone, and that’s what I call fellowship. I had an opportunity to be silent for a while and to ponder over my existence, my identity, my role in life, and my commitment to Jesus. I looked inside myself and found that I do lack in my responsibilities. We never seem to find time to be ourselves or to reflect on what we are inside but this gathering made me peer deep inside me. I have learned to stop and hear the call. I know I have to shout out, to reveal, to explain, to share all that I learned at this gathering, and believe me, I have already started. Transformation for me applies to body and soul. It has to be complete and I shall strive for it.
I attended four workshops; all were tremendous eye openers. “How Can We Make a Difference?” told me what can be done in the face of enormous need. Every drop in the ocean counts. Each step taken eventually leads to the destination. “Caring for the Caregivers” focused on compassion, care, love and concern. It spoke of the “healing presence” where the life of a caregiver is healed, embraced and empowered. They do so much for others; we need to find ways to provide support. For more than a decade, I worked with people with HIV/AIDS, but I still needed a supportive hand on my shoulder to help me determine whether I was in the right place. The third workshop was “Looking in … Together.” I know that our day – to – day lives have to be like an open book before God but what matters is how God reads it and provides answers. Through spiritual direction we experience God’s presence in everyday life. The last workshop was on “The Worst Kind of Traffic Jam.” It made us stand with the helpless victims of human trafficking, especially young women and children who face sexual exploitation. A continuous voice has to be raised for stricter laws to fight this inhumane practice. I will continue to shout out.
All these workshops were of great help to me as I am directly involved in this work. I worked for 14 years with the Church of North India as the coordinator for HIV/AIDS programs and later the community health program. I now live in a small city named Haldwani in Uttarakhand State of India, in the foothills of the Himalayas where women shoulder almost everything but are considered the backbenchers. Women are a weaker sex in the true sense because laziness and alcoholism are rampant. Amidst this environment, I have started a registered NGO known as K’s Konsultancy: Daaitva (responsibility towards humanity), Educational and Social Welfare Society where I run programs for children, youth, women, elders and HIV – positive people. My children’s program, “Give Me Some Space,” is a parent – teacher – student counseling program. For youth, I run “Do I Know Myself?” which them teaches various skills, and how to market themselves in today’s corporate world. For women we have, “I Am No Less,” an empowerment program with initiatives to form self – help groups. For the elderly there is “Aging Gracefully” where we talk about coping with ageing, health, retirement, acceptance, and change. The HIV/AIDS awareness and counseling program is called “Live Life to its Fullest.”
All I need is prayer and support, and this conference has made me stronger to handle challenging situations and has taught me to keep going, as God is there to guide me. Thank you, all.
