Delhi - Day Two

I have talked with people who really resist sponsoring a child from India. After all, we have shifted jobs away from the US and sent them to India. We hear about India’s new prosperity. Yet, for those who observe India, that prosperity has hit a relatively small percentage of the population. Most Americans saw the level of that poverty in the movie “Slum Dog Millionaire.” Over 750 million people in India live in poverty.

We experienced the slums of the Delhi area again today. In the first half of our day, we visited Life Centre Academy. This school has taken kids from extremely difficult positions and is working to give these children a break. They are helping with special needs children, as well as older children that have never had the opportunity for an education.

We met Christina, a 12 year old girl sitting in a classroom with much younger children. Christina lives with her sister’s family. They have a couple smaller children and her sister’s husband would often talk about getting rid of her. She started in school a short time ago, but in her second year, the family would not buy books, so Christina stopped coming. A few weeks later, she came to the principal in tears, greatly desiring to come back to school. The school has welcomed her back and is providing books and a uniform. We can only pray that she can continue and that the family will not force her to work to bring in money.

From there we went to another part of the city where the project reaches out to slum kids in a major way. We walked through some of the worst conditions I have seen, and visited the kids in the slum where they live. As you are assaulted by the smells and the stench of the area, you wonder how it is that we could allow people to live in such conditions. Bags of garbage piled high, and people sorting through it to get any recyclables. This reminded me of the garbage city in Cairo where we also have a project. We were invited in to one child’s home. A small room with a bed is the extent of the home. The home is a shanty comprised of tin, wood and canvas. It looks like a strong wind would blow it over.

The world’s attention is being drawn to this kind of poverty in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. Do you throw up your hands in exasperation and admit that the problem is just too big? I hope not. I hope each of us will do what we can to help – whether it is in Africa, Haiti, or India. That’s why I love what we do at Mission of Mercy. We give hope to children, one at a time. And I stand in awe at the quality of the partners we work with. They truly have a passion for children, and are providing great opportunities with very little resources.

I am still processing what I saw today, but I am deeply moved and challenged by the work that my brothers and sisters in the Lord are doing here in Delhi.

Delhi - Day One

It’s a feeling you never get used to. The feeling in your gut that hurts for the people you see living in extreme conditions.

Today we spent the day just south of Delhi in Faridabad. Rev. Ivan Powar has an amazing work here. From an initial gathering of a half dozen people, he has grown to over 2,000 people that attend their church in 10 different locations. At the main church, he has a day care, orphanage and Bible College. He has a creative staff that is reaching out to the community and has an energetic outreach to young people.

The city has a lot of factories, and has been ringed by a number of slums. We visited one of those slums and saw the school that has been built. It has the only toilet facilities in the whole slum. As we drove into the area, we were struck immediately by the smell. Some of the women collect the dung from cows, dry it out, and use it as fuel. Amidst the trash and filth, children play in worn out clothes and without shoes. The school was built despite opposition for dump yard gangs and Hindu fundamentalists. They’ve stayed the course even after those groups have damaged the school property. On top of that, they have a small church gathering that is pastured by a woman trained in the Bible school. This is almost unheard of in India. Inside the school, a couple hundred students awaited us, standing in greeting, then sitting quietly as we walked through the facilities.

One of the highlights of my day was meeting six-year-old Shabnam Ali. My daughter Emily has a yoga studio in Laramie, WY. Through her business, she sponsors Shabnam. I discovered the Emily’s sponsored child was in this project just a couple weeks before I came. It was a delight to meet Shabnam, as well as her mother and grandmother. They live in a leprosy area, and the residents are isolated by the community. The fact that Shabnam is able to attend school is a blessing to her family.

Driving in India is always a challenge. But the roads of Delhi are jammed with traffic. I sat in the front seat today, and most of the time, wished I hadn’t! There is just a mass of humanity here. You go by areas with clean, middle to upper class apartment buildings. On the next block, buildings are in shambles. The smog penetrates your eyes and you lungs. It is hard to understand how people live with this every day.

Mission of Mercy sponsored projects in Faridabad reach over 600 children. While that creates a tremendous impact on those families, there is much more that we can do here. We need more sponsors to step up to the plate and help. In the meantime, we continue to reach out to those that we can, because One Child Matters.

India - Kolkata and Bonnie

Dee and I met Bonnie for the first time seven years ago. Bonnie is our sponsored child in India. She was eight years old the first time we met. Two years ago, on another trip to Kolkata, Bonnie and her family were our guests at a banquet. On Saturday, I got to spend time again with Bonnie and her mother.

Bonnie is now 15 years old and is maturing into a fine young lady. She will enter high school in a few months. It is apparent that without our assistance, she would not be able to attend school. As it is, her family still needs to sacrifice to provide those costs that sponsorship does not take care of. It is a difficult struggle for her family.

I saw Bonnie in a different light this time. She is no longer the little girl that we sponsor. She communicates clearly and I was impressed with her poise and confidence. She wants to be a doctor someday, but she will need to study hard and to catch a break here and there for that to happen. Bonnie and her family have become an extended family for Dee and me, and we want to support and encourage her growth. If she is able to succeed, her entire family will benefit.

Even as I think about Bonnie, I find myself wondering how many times this scenario is being played out around the world for other children who are sponsored. They are being given hope, and they can dream of a future that is better than their current reality. But, I see that there is more that we need to do. Driving through the streets of Kolkata, it is apparent that for many there is a daily struggle just to survive today. Tomorrow the struggle will be just as difficult.

I know that there are many children that we serve that will not break out of the cycle of poverty their family has been locked into. A child in India, or Kenya, or Honduras still has to have a desire to succeed and they have to work hard. But, if we help, at least they have a fighting chance to get ahead. Bonnie has a chance to dream big, and with determination, she has the opportunity to achieve a level of education and opportunity that no one in her family has ever experienced. That’s certainly worth the price of a few cappuccinos a month.

On the Road Again!

I'm sitting in the Denver Airport waiting to board my flight.  I'm heading to Kolkata (Calcutta) via Seattle, Tokyo and Bangkok.  A trip of about 36 hours.  I used to love to fly, but now I find it more difficult.  Planes are jammed with people, legroom has disappeared, and I'm leaving someone very special at home.

I will be spending time at a Founder's Day celebration in Kolkata, the birthplace of Mission of Mercy.  This is strictly a suit and tie affair.  It will be nice, though, to spend time in the Mission of Mercy offices and enjoy dinner with the staff.  I'll also get to see Bonnie, a young lady of 15 now that we have sponsored for over 8 years, and have seen on several occasions. From Kolkata I'll head to Delhi to visit several of our projects in that area.  This will be my first trip there.

After Delhi, it's on to Katmandu, Nepal to see our work there.  From Nepal, I'll head to Thailand for more of the same.  Once I have seen projects and met our partners in Nepal and Thailand, I will have had the opportunity to view our projects in every country where Mission of Mercy operates.  Each country and culture is so different.  This makes those long flight worth while.

Yet, as I leave, the images from Haiti are on my mind.  I read Dr. Beyda's blog last night.  There is such a desperate need and I am proud of our teams dedication and commitment.  Please pray for their strength and health while in Haiti.  Watch the Mission of Mercy website for updates.

I'll try to keep up with this trip as much as I can.  I look forward to meeting new people, loving on the kids, and especially, returning home to Dee.