HAPPY DAY
Happy day! In June of 2022, after two years of struggling to return to India, Sister Nectaria is back with her beloved children at the Theotokos orphanage near Kolkata. Their joy and hers can only be imagined. The pandemic, closed borders, and frequently changing rules and regulations had thwarted every reconciliation effort.
In May 2020, Cyclone Amphan struck as one of the most powerful and catastrophic tropical storms ever to hit India. The greatest damage was in the West Bengal area where the Theotokos orphanage is located. Terrifying winds uprooted trees, blew roofs and water tanks off, tore down electric poles, and poured waves of water through broken windows. On the heels of the cyclone, the Covid pandemic closed India and isolated the orphanage and its school. The resulting school shutdown meant the loss of tuition income just as massive storm repairs were needed. Coinciding with those difficult times, Sister Nectaria was required to leave India because her visa and passport had expired.
Although the roofs, pipes, and water tanks have been repaired, there are no funds to repair the many broken windows. The West Bengal area receives over 51 inches of rain a year. Summers are the wettest. Water pours through the broken windows and into the hallways during the frequent tropical storms.