Month: October 2025

Happiness seems like a hard thing to find sometimes in our everyday life. We are constantly busy with something, and don’t pause to consider if we are actually happy. The joy and constant Happiness among the poor in Calcutta kept constantly surprising me.

I would arrive at Shanti Dan every morning to the sound of “Morning Auntie!” and a smile. While I was putting on my apron, the girls would peek their heads in the door saying, “Hello Auntie.” Many of the girls in Shanti Dan are extremely disabled, but they are the most happy people I have ever met. As I was helping out in the physical therapy room one of the girls cried out in pain as the doctor worked with her. Rinku, another girl right next to her, grabbed the first girl’s hand and started kissing it. Immediately the first girl started smiling and held Rinku’s hand tight. The girls live in the moment, and do not expect anything from the next, and this is what I believe makes them so happy. They are truly present in the moment, appreciating what is happening at that specific moment. 

Another day, I was helping at Kalighat, the house for the elderly and dying. We were painting the ladies’ nails and talking to them. One of the ladies’ face lit up as I approached to speak with her. Amyllda spoke to me for a long time telling me all sorts of things. It did not matter that I didn’t speak her language, she was just happy someone was listening to her. I pointed at one of her bracelets and told her that it was beautiful. She immediately took off the bracelet and attempted to put it on my wrist, but the bracelet was too small. Upon realizing this, she folded it in my hands and pretended to be asleep. Amyllda too was extremely happy, especially because she had someone to talk to. Such a small action on my part had a large impact on her. Her bracelet still reminds me of the joy that fills the people in Calcutta.

During my time in Calcutta, I witnessed firsthand the incredible impact of love, compassion, and faith in action. Whether it was through serving meals, offering encouragement, or simply being present for those in need, I saw how God’s work is being carried out in powerful ways. There was one woman whom I developed a friendship with named Smita. She suffered from hip problems and I was able to go with her for an x-ray at the clinic. Once her x-ray was done, she was lifted into the ambulance that had benches on either side and was told to scoot down the bench. Smita inched ever so slowly wincing in pain after each attempt. Frustrated and dismayed, Smita began to cry and overcome by the situation, I also couldn’t hold back the tears either. I couldn’t say anything to alleviate the pain so it felt like the most compassion I could show her. She looked at me and smiled through her tears. I looked at her and felt her sorrow. She was stuck in India with no family or friends and plagued with health issues that she didn’t understand. It was so tragic to see the hopelessness of the situation right in front of me. But it struck me as something beautiful too–we were separated by a language barrier but that did not stop us from communicating because there are no barriers when it comes to love. For Smita and all the other women I had the opportunity to serve, it was evident that all they wanted was love and that was something I could give.

Jacinta
Calcutta Mission Trip
2025 Spring Break

Grace pulled me aside.

“Are you okay?”

The question frustrated me since we were already on the streets of downtown Dallas with several small groups – I didn’t want to stop to think about it.

“Grace” — I whispered back — “I’m fine, but even if I weren’t, now would not be the time to ask.”

That was just the latest time I’d been visibly stressed when I was supposed to be ministering to others.

Like many others who find themselves stressed out during the week, I thought the main problem was time; I always got out of work immediately before ministry and jumped right into hosting several people at my house, then helping them get to Downtown Dallas with enough snacks and water to open the doors of conversation to the homeless, while explaining safety protocols, organizing groups, and taking care of last-minute emergencies. 

But I knew that even on days when I wasn’t terribly busy, I still began with an unsettled feeling – the issue was not the busyness of life, but a noisiness of the interior.

So over the next few weeks, we began to add a one-minute pause at the start of the evening – it goes like this:

Jesus, 

I give everyone and everything to you. 

I give myself to you, for union with you.

I am created for union with you.

I need more of you, God, fill me with more of you. 

The world is noisy, so noisy that silence is often marketed as a luxury good. The pause helps remind us that our purpose isn’t to be a solution to the noise or the suffering of those around us, it’s not even necessarily to alleviate it, though we try our best. Instead, we serve God best when we accept his unceasing offer to connect with Him.

Cast all of your cares upon Him because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

Gabe Farrell
PFC Volunteer
DFW 2025