The theme for the training was “Released to Maximize Impact.” The first day’s session centered on biblical foundations and biblical mentoring principles with special emphasis on the leadership qualities of biblical characters such as Moses, Joshua, Jacob and Joseph, shared by the Rev. K.E. Henry, Program Manager of Compassion East India. Henry also shared about “Discovering your Spiritual Gifts.”

On the second day, the students learned about the curriculum they would use during their time as LDP students, and the mentoring relationships they will have.

In the Leadership Development Program, each student chooses a mentor who guides them through the program, helping them with emotional, physical, social and even educational needs.

Mentors need to be of the same gender with an ability to capacitate, empower, encourage and motivate the student with godly admonition, love, care, concern and support. Students learned about their roles and responsibilities, and their accountability to their mentors.

Deep, one of the 20 new LDP students, can attest to the positive outcome of mentoring from his days as a sponsored child.

Deep grew up in abject poverty. His father worked at a tea shop, and his mother did dishes and mopped in a few houses to support the household.

Deep’s father was an alcoholic and addicted to marijuana. There were frequent fights at home because of his father’s addiction.

At times Deep’s father would beat and abuse Deep’s mother for money to buy his drugs. There was no peace in the family. Deep was moving into depression because of the unhealthy atmosphere. His parents took little to no interest in his development at the church; neither did they have time for him when they were home.

Because of their poor family condition, Deep’s mother wanted him to drop out of school. She would often pester him to find a part-time job to help in the household. Deep suffered from low self-esteem and lack of confidence.

It was at this time that the accountant at the Compassion child development center began to invest in Deep through counseling, encouragement and prayer.

Deep’s self-confidence grew. He also developed a personal relationship with God during this time. His academic performance improved as he began to excel in his studies. Deep got first division scores in his 10th and 12th grade exams that helped him qualify for the Leadership Development Program.

Deep says the mentoring relationship in the Leadership Development Program will be pivotal to the success of each student. His mentor in the Leadership Development Program is be the same man who helped him as a sponsored child, Lalnufela.

“Lalnufela has been a close friend and guide to me. He has helped me, encouraged me, edified me and prayed for me every time I needed help.

“I know that my journey in the Leadership Development Program is not going to be just that of me alone, but my mentor will be there to help me every step of the way, whether I am faced with difficult circumstances or standing at the crossroad of life. I want my mentor to be a guide to show me the right direction in life and also to pray for me and my family.”

The mentoring relationship is based on trust, hope and confidence as it can either build or demotivate a student. A mentor must be a mature Christian, exemplifying humility, mutual respect, love, hope, confidentiality and accountability.

Through the mentoring relationship, a mentor can share wisdom, value, knowledge and experience to help the student develop Christian values and professional skills.

Deep’s mentor has helped him in many ways. He helps Deep in counseling when he needs it. He has also helped guide Deep to discern and set priorities while making important decisions in life.

A student can discuss many things with a mentor during regular contact time that corresponds to the student’s academic, social, spiritual and leadership progress.

Deep’s mentor shares his experiences with him, counsels Deep from the Word of God, and helps him plans how to best fulfill the requirements for all 24 curriculums that LDP students must complete while in the program.

After completion of his bachelor’s degree in administration, Deep plans to pursue management studies for two years. After his graduation from the Leadership Development Program, Deep wants to help children who cannot reach their potential because of poverty.

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Biplab has a very charming and loving personality. He is married with a son who is 5 years old. His wife is a teacher. Biplab has a very good sense of humor and knows how to be like a child when relating to children.

Children at the Gazole Child Development Center love him and call him Biplab Kaku. (Kaku means “uncle” in Bengali) Though at times he can get angry, the children know how to bring him back to a good mood.

Biplab lives about two miles away from the child development center and travels back and forth on bicycle every day. The development center is right in the middle of a big open space surrounded by paddy fields. This is a rural setup where the vast majority of people lives in extreme poverty.

Houses made of mud walls with thatch and straw roofs are a common sight everywhere. Daily labor, rickshaw pulling,and cultivation are among the commonly available jobs in this region.

Children do not have proper education, as the schools often underachieve and parents lack exposure to the importance of education, often resulting in children dropping out of school early.

There are no good roads to the development center, except for one that is also half-pitched and half-muddy. Children walk through the cultivated land to get to the center. It takes 20-25 minutes. During the rainy season, it is very difficult to walk through the fields, as they remain mostly under water.

As an accountant at Gazole, Biplab’s main duties include writing vouchers and maintaining the cash book, ledger book, stock registers and other project office registers.

Apart from that, he also has to monitor the children while they eat their morning meal to ensure they don’t waste food and that they are fully fed before leaving for school. Biplab also visits children in their classrooms once in a while to see if they are able to follow what is being taught by the caregivers.

If a child falls ill, he has to take the child for medication to the nearby medical facility. So, he has a fair mix of duties after the center manager.

Biplab feels that that his job is very important and requires a responsible commitment. For any organization, accounting is one of the primary tasks that requires a great deal of integrity.

“If I falter in my job, it will not only affect the center but also the lives of these little children.

Another important thing I have learned is patience. This job has taught me something even more; to remain faithful in God and to depend on him for every small thing. I have learned that ministry is not just preaching the word of God to adults but also advocating for poor children and helping the children to become soldiers for Christ.”

When Biplab starts his work in the morning, he prioritizes his day’s tasks. It helps him to work in a rhythm and organize his work better. Biplab gets encouragement for what he does from his colleagues and the children here. There has never been a moment when he was left to handle pending work alone.

Once in the office, Biplab starts his day with prayer. Then, he usually finishes the bill- and voucher-related work first. Each month he also sits with the caregivers to distribute hygiene supplies to the children.

Sometimes, sponsors send large family and birthday gifts for the children. Biplab does the purchasing after consulting with the parents to find out what best suits the family’s needs. He also has to attend to the guardians when they come down to inquire how their children are performing.

In the morning Biplab has devotions for the children from 6:45-7:00. After that, children go to their respective classrooms along with their caregivers, and Biplab sits down with the kitchen staff to discuss replenishing food items before ordering further stock from the market.

Biplab has to enter the expense records into the vouchers, cash book, and ledger book, and also get the signature of the center manager on each one of them for approval.

Around 9 o’clock, Biplab oversees the children having their meals to make sure they are eating properly. After they leave for school, he has staff devotions from 9:30 until 10:15. After the devotion, caregivers are released for the day, and the center manager, social worker, and Biplab stay back for office work until 3 in the afternoon.

Occasionally, Biplab has to stay a little longer when the center has visitors from the Compassion office or during cultural get-togethers organized for the children.

Biplab says that the most frustrating experience as an accountant is when the debit and credit values on both sides of the ledger book and the bank reconciliation statement do not match at the month end and he has to start the calculations and the back calculations from scratch once again.

Biplab chose accounting because it is a difficult and challenging job, and he thrives under difficult situations. He take up every challenge in stride and gives his best to get the work done in the most accurate and flawless way.

“What really gives me great joy and satisfaction is when I am able to complete the reports on time and match both sides of the ledger columns in the accounting book at month end.”

He thanks you, sponsors of the children, for your generous support. Without your continuous prayers and faithful support, these children would remain in darkness. And with your relentless prayers and support, these children have received the light of love in Christ that otherwise may not have reached their hearts and their homes.

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