Blessed are the poor...

Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:20

Living in India affords many opportunities to serve and minister to the poor, needy, and outcast. Upon arriving in the country, one is nearly overwhelmed by the tremendous needs of such a populous country. It can be really intimidating because you can't even figure out where to begin...

That is part of what makes Mother Teresa's work so remarkable. She devoted her life to serving the poor and was able to make tremendous contributions to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of so many people.  She is quoted as saying, “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” So what was her motivation to give up a comfortable life? Well, Mother Teresa was driven to serve the poor, outcast, sick, and dying because she was a committed disciple of Jesus. She followed in Her Lord's footsteps for Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) The calling of Mother Teresa was to live for Christ (Philippians 1:21) by being his faithful disciple, which is what all followers of Christ are to be.

For those believers who read my blog, but are not involved or engaged in serving the needs of others (in particular the poor, sick, elderly, etc.) you need to take this calling seriously. Please don’t think that I’m speaking from a position of judgment or condemnation because I'm nowhere close to being the next Mother Teresa (let alone Christ), nor am I any more gifted at serving than anyone else. I am not. I have lived in India for over two years and have not been nearly as involved in mercy ministry as I should be. Is it because my heart has become calloused or ignorant or uncaring? I hope not, but it certainly can become easy to make excuses when you're confronted every day with waves and waves of people who have more needs than you could ever imagine. Making excuses is not the mark of a disciple...

If we are truly Christ’s disciples, we cannot and should not look the other way when we see suffering or ignore the cries of the innocent. If God “loves righteousness and justice,” (Psalm 33:5) should not the disciples of Christ also? Absolutely, God commands it: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
 And what does the Lord require of you?
 To act justly and to love mercy
 and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

Today, I had the privilege of going to a poor area on the outskirts of my city to see and be a part of how God is working. After navigating our way through the city traffic, we were met by two brothers whom God has used to build a small sewing ministry for women. We followed these guys on their bike (aka motorcycle), as they turned off the main road onto a nearly hidden and unprepared road. A nearby sign marked the land as government property, consisting mostly of green fields with shrubbery and trees intermingled with boulder outcroppings. After driving about 2-3kms, we turned onto a rocky, dirt (hiking?) trail. I hesitated at first because my little compact car is hardly ideal for off-roading, but we were able to manage it for a small stretch. We parked in a green fern plant (something like what's called a creeper) and then continued up the dirt pathway on foot.

On either side of the pathway were stone/brick homes without any running water or electricity. Ladies were out washing pots and pans, children running around, and various animals (mostly goats) eating or sunning themselves on the rocks. Of course, all eyes were on us as we passed by because there probably aren't too many goras randomly wandering through this stretch of God's creation. After a short walk up the small, rocky hill, we reached the hut where the sewing ladies were gathered. We took off our shoes/sandals and stooped to enter the tiny room. At head/face level, a ceiling fan was whirring dangerously (fortunately we had been forewarned!).

Inside the hut, three chairs were set up for us on the left side of the room opposite the ladies and children. They all smiled as we walked into the room, offering us a warm welcome. We took our seats and were then told a little bit about this ministry that offers 6-month sewing training to 10 ladies at a time because only 3 sewing machines are available. These women come to the city from nearby villages to earn money for their families, so after completing the sewing training they go on to get jobs elsewhere.

We were showed (lecture?) notes written in Telugu, though some of them are actually  of the Banjara tribe. Nearly all were Hindu. Each of them proudly showed us little samples of their sewing. Apparently they start small (slightly larger than Ken or Barbie size!) and then progress to “big people” clothing. Sitting across from them, I was struck by how fortunate I am… By blood and citizenship, an American. By faith, a Christian. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus. Only by God’s grace am I any of those things!!

What a privilege and honor it was to share a small part of my day with a kind, humble, and gracious group of people. I know that my Jesus would have poured out His love so abundantly upon them, if He were there… and that’s exactly what He does through us! As He says in 

Matthew 25:35-40, "'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

And conversely in 25:45, “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”

Adventures in Rajasthan

It has been far too long since my last blog... though I suppose some might argue quite the opposite! I am too far behind to catch up on all the blogs I intend to write, but am planning to begin chipping away at them. What follows is the first of my "catchin' up" blogs and my most recent blogworthy experience.

As has often been the case in previous blogs, this will be more like an illustrated book than a novel. Photography is about as close as I can get to releasing my artistic side without a canvas, brushes, and some paint. I hope you will find in these photos my love for people and my appreciation for architectural marvels (i.e. forts!). I continue to be amazed at the fact that God has created us in His image with such wonderful, creative minds and has give us ways to express ourselves in such marvelous ways... Soli Deo Gloria! Now, join me on a short, but majestic journey through Rajasthan!

First fort visited in Rajasthan - Amber Fort (Jaipur)

Where's the escalator?

View from the Amber Fort

Lake Palace... swimmers welcome

With only a day in Jaipur, there was hardly sufficient time to see all that there is to see there. I missed the Jaigarh Fort and sadly didn't get to do the Elephant Ride up to the Amber Fort. Nonetheless, Jaipur was a nice welcome to Rajasthan... next stop: Jodhpur!

My stay in Jodhpur lasted two days, which still wasn't sufficient, though it sure beat spending a day in Jaipur and another day in Udaipur! The Mehrangarh fort was impressive (enough so to have been filmed in the Dark Knight Rises) and the views were phenomenal. Just down from the fort was the Jaswant Thada, which is a memorial to one of the Maharajas. I'm beginning to realize that the stories I've read about the Maharajas are not made up--they were quite an eccentric group of characters! Now I know what is meant by the term, filthy stinking rich! I visited the Umaid Bhavan Palace, half of which was sold by the Maharaja to the Taj Hotel group and made into a luxury hotel. Having lunch there cost me a pretty penny, I mean, rupee, but was quite an experience.

Wandering through the streets of the Old City was one of the highlights in Jodhpur. My negotiating/bargaining skills need some serious work, so I only walked away with some tea that probably cost me at least twice what it should have... Everyone likes giving me the "white man's discount" for some reason. They all promise me their best price and I find it very difficult to resist at times. If only I had some clue about the actual value of goods over here!!

Entering the Jodhpur Fort

The life of a Maharaja must have been rough...

View of the Old City clock tower

Yeah, the Maharaja must've had a tough life!

I'm still trying to figure out why it's called the "Blue City"...

I think those pots are real... not just for show!

View from Jaswant Thada

Jaswant Thada memorial

Learning the difference between real and fake Saffron

The Spice-walla... i.e. Spice guy

Sardar Market

Every kid seems to love having their picture taken...

More of the market

A great lassi was found here (thanks to a buddy)

After two days in Jodhpur, before the grass could start growing under my feet, it was time to move on to Udaipur... This city was probably the most scenic of the three I visited in Rajasthan, primarily because of the lake views. If you've seen the James Bond movie, Octopussy, much of it was filmed in Udaipur. I was tempted to stay in the Lake Palace, but instead spent the night in a mediocre (but much cheaper) room that didn't even have a view of Lake Pichola. Wandering around Udaipur reminded me a bit of some European cities, though it was certainly not anywhere near as clean. Speaking of which, one memory of Udaipur I won't soon forget is the feeling I had after realizing that I had unintentionally killed a small rat that was attempting to gnaw on my ankle...

Near one of the bathing ghats

View of the enormous Shiv Niwas Palace

Note: no children were harmed in the clicking of this picture

Not a bad chill spot, huh?

Did I mention that kids like having their picture taken?

I wonder if those mangos taste as good as they look?

I'm a wanderer...

This is where I should have stayed...

Night falls over Udaipur

A small portion of the Shiv Niwas Palace

Will I ever regret not taking a dip in the lake?

So this is how they make my favorite Indian dessert... Gulab Jamun?

After visiting Rajasthan, I have a newfound appreciation for Psalm 18: 2...

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

The later part of this opening line from “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens pretty much describes the last two weeks of my life. It has been an incredibly challenging few weeks for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the news that my mother has cancer. She has already had surgery, but we’re still waiting on a pathology report before the doctor can offer a prognosis. How in the world does one handle this kind of situation when living on the other side of the world?

Well, communication has certainly been very difficult at times, but the separation is softened by the fact that we are able to use video chat. In fact, I was able to “sit” in the waiting room with the rest of my family before my mom’s surgery. Then, as she made her way to the recovery room, my sister had her computer ready so that I could join with them in celebrating the completion of her surgery. Both my sisters and an aunt were with my mom and dad, offering their support and encouragement. Little did they know how blessed I was to see how God elevated them all above momentary affliction because I shared in their laughter and joy in that hospital room.

The last two weeks my life has for the most part revolved around phone calls and video chat, as I try to keep a close eye on my mom’s recovery. As a result, there have been a number of late nights and early mornings because the time difference is 12.5 hours! Couple sleep deprivation with a little anxiety and I feel as if I’ve been living in a something of a haze. However, in the midst of all these trials, I’ve come to realize how much our lives are truly like a vapor that is here today and gone tomorrow. God allows us only so much time on this earth.

Thankfully, I’ve been blessed by the myriad of friends who have expressed their care and concern for my family and me. People all over the world are praying for my mom and our family. It is humbling to think that our friends love us enough to intercede and pray on our behalf. However, it’s been even more comforting to experience God’s providential love that is shown by the way He draws near to us in our need.

The creator of the universe holds us in the palm of His hand, reminding us that He cares for even the little hairs on our heads (few as they may be in my case!). As I read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 today in the midst of trying circumstances my faith was renewed:

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Other passages like Isaiah 43, Psalm 34, and 2 Corinthians 1 provide comfort and assurance of God’s plans and purposes. Of course, there are many other passages as well and not surprisingly, a great number of songs too. I know that “Jesus never fails,” even as I find myself “leaning, leaning… leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” and being reminded that God is “our shelter from a stormy blast and our eternal home.” While my physical separation from my parent’s stings right now, it does not hold a candle to the spiritual unity we share in Christ. For now, we await the results of the pathology test and look forward to being reunited… Until then all I can say is…

Jesus! I am resting, resting

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.