These Are My Heroes

The last few days have been eye-opening. I’m writing this from India. I came to visit a ministry operated by a man who attends our church. We are in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and have been staying in one of the poorest sections of the city...a city that is one of the poorest in the world. We are not far from where Mother Teresa became world renown for her work among orphans and invalids. We visited the convent where she lived and the care center where she worked, and greeted and talked with workers and patients in that home.

But the real eye-opening experiences took place in the surrounding neighborhoods. Seeing their meager existence; men, women, and children living and sleeping on the streets, is hard to see. But it’s how hundreds of thousands live in this city. The streets are filled with small cars, motorbikes, bicycle powered and foot powered rickshaws, often 2 lanes wide, but supporting 4 lanes of bumper-to-bumper and fender-to-fender vehicles. The sidewalks are filled with homeless people; adults and children cooking food, lounging, sleeping, and bathing. I greeted and chatted with 3 young children with no parent in sight. All three, the same ages as my grandchildren. The oldest, who was maybe 6, was smoking a cigarette. It’s overwhelming.

But actually, the hardest part is sensing the hopelessness among the people. We see very few smiles in Kolkata, and when we do, it’s the children. But adults seem to be going about their meager lives just trying to survive. And while religion is a big part of their culture, it’s a religion that offers no real hope. Their primary Hindu deity in this city is one that engenders fear.

Then came the highlight of our week. We visited the school John Thomas operates in the heart of one of the poorest sections of Kolkata. And in the afternoon, he conducted a training session for pastors that his ministry supports. There were about 15 of them, almost all young Christians, and most under the age of 25. They are also are poor, and working in poor neighborhoods and villages. But we saw more smiles and experienced more joy among them in our first 10 minutes of being with them, than our entire time in Kolkata. They are just excited to serve the Lord and win people to Jesus, despite the difficult places where they are serving. Some are facing opposition from militant Hindus and Muslims. But they love what they are doing. I told his group of young Christian leaders, “You are my heroes.” And they are.

We get so caught up in our own worlds, lives, and responsibilities, that we forget about the world church. God’s family is much bigger than mine and my church. God wants us to see that and involve ourselves in doing what we can to support them. They are our brothers and sisters.

Please pray now for the laborers around the world who are serving in difficult places and up against difficult circumstances. Pray that God gives them fruit for their labor, and continued joy and blessing in their lives.