from india

Hello friends…

I hope the summer has been treating you well. The weather is so beautiful here in India. It is monsoon season, which means it is a lovely seventy degrees, sometimes a little cooler… definitely not what I expected. Besides enjoying the weather and the food, I have been helping out at an orphanage in Bangalore and will spend the last week in July visiting another very famous orphanage near the southern tip of India. Somewhere in between, on my way to the south, I think I am going to go on a safari. I am pretty excited about the detour. I have also had plenty of time to think here… and after a mere three weeks in India I have come to three unrelated conclusions. If you have the time to read a lengthy post, I would like to share them with you.

One of the few conclusions that I have made is about my friends at home, the few great people I have had the privilege of living my life with these last few years—they are of the rarest kind. I have often boasted of the quality of people that God has placed in my life, though I secretly wondered whether this was exaggerated because of my lack of experience. I am happy to say, after traveling to the opposite side of the planet, I have a new confidence on this matter and intend to boast even more in God’s provision. My brothers and sisters in Christ are truly something special and I am humbled that God would allow me to have such a fellowship. I miss them very much.

Perhaps my second conclusion is a bit bold for only a few weeks, but it seems safe to say it: I will not be the same after this visit to India. I have been staying at an orphanage in Bangalore that is filled to capacity with about twenty children. It is a very humble space, about the size of a typical two-story house in America… but lacking many of the luxuries. However, I can say with confidence, that the children here have a wealth unmatched in the prosperous homes of America. They possess true freedom through discipline, daily prayer, regular labor, and most importantly, loving fellowship. The name of the orphanage—Love in Action—describes this place as precisely as words are able. The family that started this ministry, and who has welcomed me into their home (which is the orphanage itself), is truly the most loving group of people I have met. Please allow me to take a moment to introduce them:

Enoch, the patriarch I suppose, is an elderly but vibrant man who is full of wisdom and humility, someone I already deeply respect. His wife, who I call Auntie, is a frail old woman in her frame, but her strength as a mother and wife over the years is astonishing. And finally, their daughter, Nancy, displays such tenderness to both her extensive collection of animals as well as to all twenty children—she is the essence of motherhood.

There are many ways God is using this orphanage in my life, but I will share just one of the experiences here that will likely change me forever. Shortly after I arrived, I had the privilege of seeing the children celebrate Father’s Day. I felt a little awkward honestly… Father’s Day in an orphanage… I did not know what to expect. After breakfast, the children announced that they would be hosting an event that evening and would like for us to attend… upstairs. Of course we went, arriving upstairs at the specified time. The children put together an elaborate performance of song and traditional dance, praising their Heavenly Father. At the end, the children also honored Enoch for providing for them and protecting them. I cried the entire time. I kept remembering all the verses I have read about justice—many of which are related to orphans—and felt as though all my recent clumsy efforts to grasp a Biblical vision for social justice were radically challenged by the simplicity and humility of love in action.

Another less personal conclusion I have made is that Americans have a lot to learn from India, particularly about democracy and social justice. In a sense, there are more social injustices—at least more obvious ones—in India than there are in America. However, there is a strong voice for the poor and the oppressed which is a great victory for both democracy and justice. In the words of an Indian economist, Amartya Sen, “Silence is a powerful enemy of social justice.” Democracy is tangible here, whereas, in America, it is like a faint memory that we now look on with skepticism. Just one example: I have seen street-side demonstrations from the Communist Party, the Hindu Fundamentalists, and the dozen political parties in between. People join together to make their variety of concerns heard and are not limited by the narrowness of our two-party system.

Indian politics have also raised many questions I am eager to explore. For instance, secularism here has a totally different connotation. It is, in fact, promoted by all the Christians that I have met. This is partly due to a different understanding of the concept. For the Indian, secularism more or less means religious freedom, as opposed to the Western sense of the absence of religion in the public sphere. In other words, Indian secularism emphasizes religious ‘neutrality’ while Western secularism emphasizes religious ‘prohibition’. Could this kind of secularism be better for America? More importantly, is this secularism, with great irony, advancing the Kingdom of God in India? I am still asking these questions.

I look forward to returning and sharing our summer experiences with one another. I miss everyone so much.

Sincerely…