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Special
Occasions
Stewart's
Birthday Feb. 19
Monique's
Birthday Jul 30
Anniversary
Oct 8
Bens
Birthday Sept 28
Tim's
Birthday Dec 6
Hope's
Birthday Sept 9
PROFILE
With
over 18 million people in the
city of Calcutta, millions have
still not heard the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.They may have heard
of Jesus or seen his picture
but they do not really know
about His life and what He has
done for them. Stewart and Monique's
heart cry is that the street
children, the sex workers and
the addict children that they
minister to will find hope,
healing and restoration through
Jesus.
Brief
History of Howrah Ministry
In
2002, Stewart started visiting
& ministering to the drug
addict kids at the Howrah Train
Station. His heart litterally
broke when he witnessed kids
as young as seven years old
(girls & boys) sniffing
glue and getting high to numb
their emotions and take away
their hunger pains. Most of
these children have run away
from abusive situations in their
home & community. Several
of them have even been abused
by the local police in the area
or by harmful passengers. The
Calcutta Telegraph has previously
reported that there are up to
three hundred children making
the Howrah Station their home.
At present the "Howrah"
team visits the Howrah Train
Station three days a week. They
have been ministering in this
area for the past four years
and have therefore built a good
rapport with the children as
well as the Howrah train Authorities.
Most of the children that they
visit are very dirty and have
open cuts that are infected.
The team distributes shampoo,
soap & lice remover and
takes care of the minor cuts
and injuries. At times, the
injuries are more serious and
the children are taken to the
hospital for proper care. The
needs of these children are
very great and the team does
whatever they can to show them
love and care.
Once a week, ten to twenty of
the Howrah kids are taken by
taxi to the "Coffeehouse"
Center in Kalighat. These children
are ministered to through Bible
stories, songs and prayer. They
have the opportunity to draw,
paint and do other theraputic
activities in a safe and loving
environment. A warm and hearty
lunch is provided for the children
before they leave. It is difficult
for Stewart and the team to
choose which children will come
to the coffeehouse each week
and which ones will have to
wait for for another turn. Their
space at the center in Kalighat
is very small and the number
of children desiring to come
is increasing. Their next step
is to buy or build a residential
centre for these children.
Ministry to ladies in the Kalighat
red-light area:
Around
the same time that Stewart and
Monique began the Howrah Ministry,
they also felt led to start
a ministry for the sex-workers
in Kalighat. They prayed and
walked in this area for several
months and met a devout Hindu
man who was willing to rent
out his small store-front property
to them. The center is located
very close to the Kali Temple
as well as Mother Theresa's
Home for the sick and dying.
It is a real "lighthouse"
in the midst of spiritual darkness.
The
"At The Well" Center
is known by the ladies in the
red-light district as the "Coffeehouse."
It is a drop-in center where
the ladies come in and spend
time with the ministry team.
They often pray and have worship
times with the ladies who are
open. It is also our "Prayer
house" where the team regularly
intercedes for the Kalighat
area and for the ladies working
in the red-light district. Another
imporanat part of their ministry
is visiting the women in the
brothels. Many of the women
are open to the ministry team
coming to their room for tea
and prayer.. The two different
groups of women that they minister
to are the Bengali women and
the Nepali women. Many of these
ladies have been forced into
prostitution at a very young
age or have succumbed to this
profession due to severe poverty.
Their stories are tragic &
heart breaking. It is the desire
of Stewart and Monique to see
these precious ladies set free
spiritually, physically and
emotionally.
Kids
Club
There
are many homeless families that
live just outside the door of
the "At The Well"
Center. An afternoon program
runs four days weekly for the
children who live one the streets.
There are approximately 14 children
who attend varying in age from
10-16 years old. They hear Bible
Stories, sing, pray, learn basic
English and draw and paint.
The Center is like a home for
them, a place where they find
shelter from the heat, the rain
and where they find unconditional
love. Through this program,
they are growing in Christ and
learning that God has a special
plan and purpose for their life.
These children also attend the
Saturday Church service every
week.
Saturday Service in Kalighat
For
the past 3 years, God has opened
the way for a Saturday Church
Service in the Red Light area.
It is an informal church service
for these ladies and their children.
The Greek Orthodox Church, located
very close to the At The Well
Center, has kindly permitted
Stewart and Monique to use their
outdoor premises for the services.
In a beautiful garden, Christ's
message of love and forgiveness
is shared in the lives of these
precious people. In the beginning,
there were just a handful of
people attending, and now they
are averaging around 50 people
(women & children and even
a few men).
Through God's grace and power,
Stewart and Monique, with their
children continue to serve in
the city of Calcutta to the
broken hearted. Their three
chidlren: Benjamin (15), Timothy
(13), and Hope (10) also share
their parents' heart and help
in the work that God has placed
in their hands.
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