Integrating faith in the classroom environment can occur in a variety of ways. Since India has given me extraordinary life-changing experiences from a spiritual context, it deserves mention here. My very first encounter with Kolkata in its roughest form came in the summer of 2008. I don’t think any course, readings, or stories from those who have gone before could have prepared me for Kolkata. We arrived on a sweltering evening in May of 2008. The ride from the airport to our hostel was probably one of the most disturbing experiences I have ever had. In the darkness, the city was alive with lights, cars (or rickshaws), people, dogs, and smoke. The most striking of all of these were the silhouettes of adults and their children against the fires they had made to cook food. Many of them were without clothing; all of them emaciated looking. I saw people defecating or urinating completely exposed; some trying to sleep on cardboard boxes even with the noise surrounding them. I wondered what in the world God had in store for me here. I don’t believe I slept at all that night. Since this very first experience, I have returned to India nearly every summer. Because India captured my heart in the most amazing ways, I return to her as a mark of deep gratitude to the saving faith of Jesus Christ in my own life.
