Day 4
We got to sleep in today, partly because we were up until 2:30 last night, but also because we don’t need to be at our first stop until 10:30. It was a good opportunity for us to get some much needed rest.
We arrived at the mission hospital to find about 50 people waiting to be examined. People come to the mission hospital because they are very poor and, because they have no money, they will not be seen or treated elsewhere. The mission hospital used to operate on a budget of $25,000 or more per month, performing three surgeries per day and having 70 beds. This was all funded completely by sources in the US, but because of the situation in the US economy, they now cannot afford to do any surgeries at all. The budget has been reduced to $750 per month, which pays for the staff and a few medicines. They still examine about 150 patients per day and treat them with what they have. It is sad for me to see this ministry in the state it is in. When I came here in 2007, the place was full of people and there was even an operation that members of the team were able to sit in on. We can still praise God, however, that they are still able to do the work that they are doing.
Kumar showed us into his office and began taking patients. After he had examined them and diagnosed their problems, he relayed the information to the team and we laid hands on them and prayed for them. Some were easy to diagnose and to treat, while others were more difficult and heart wrenching for us to observe. There was an old man who came in weeping and begging for help. He had lost one of his eyes, which left an empty socket, while his one good eye was grayed over by cataracts. He also was deaf. His problem was severe chest pain that radiated to his abdomen. Kumar diagnosed him with a severe lung infection and an ulcer, but of course, there was more testing to be done . It was hard for us to watch this man suffer so painfully. All of us were on the edge of breaking down in tears for not only this man, but all of the patients we saw. None of these people have access to the kinds of medical care that we have grown to expect. Many people are suffering with different kinds of diseases that would be easily treated with proper medication, but the availability of those medicines is scarce here.
For example, the three most common operations that the mission hospital performs, when funds allow, are hysterectomies (because of the abundance of cervical cancer), thyroid removal, and breast cancer. The reason that cervical cancer is so common here is that there is little personal hygiene. Because funds are so low at the hospital, many people are not able to receive the help they need. If they don’t get the help from the mission hospital, they will die. No one will help them. All of these operations cost about $250 to perform. Imagine, being in a situation where $250 meant either life or death to you. These people have no ability to make that kind of money. They have no hope outside the mission hospital. Please find time today to pray for this ministry. Pray that the Lord would open the windows of heaven and restore the hospital to full operating capacity. Ask yourself, is one life worth $250? My heart breaks for the suffering here.
There were many other patients that we saw and prayed for, and then we took a short tour of the hospital before heading to our next stop.
There is a generous couple from our church who donated the funds necessary for a school/day-care center in one of the villages where Kumar’s team works. They have just completed the foundation and the brick walls, so we went to take some pictures of the place. A poor widow woman was given the land by the Indian government, and she donated the land to Kumar. Now they plan to take about 70 children per day to teach them and instruct them in the word of God.
On the way back, we stopped by the rock quarry. You wouldn’t believe what happens here unless you saw it yourself. They don’t use machinery to mine the rock. Manual labor and elbow grease. Once they load a truck with large chunks of rock, they drop the loads and they are then broken down into gravel by hand. We pulled in and watched in shock as middle aged women worked in the heat of the day, using nothing but a hammer to break the stones. They were in the midst of huge piles of rock, taking one stone at a time and hitting it with the hammer to crack it in two, and break it down into small pieces. They work in pairs to break down one truckload of rock. Two women will work an average of two weeks to break down one load of rock. For this, they will share the payment of $4. Two women, two weeks, four dollars. Our hearts went out to them. How could this tragedy happen? These weren’t young men or even young women, but middle aged women suffering through blistering heat and grueling work for very little payment at all.
As we drove through the city of Rajahmundry, we were continually stuck by the level of absolute dire poverty. The people of India live a hard, rugged life. There are no words that can give an accurate depiction for the mind of the average American to understand. These people will never enjoy most of the simple things we take for granted every single day. Many of them are without running water, electricity, etc. They have only one set of clothing. Many have no shoes. They have no relief from the intense summer heat. Even as I am here in this place, I am convicted by the fact that I am eager to get to the comforts of home. And these people cant even imagine how good we have it. They will never enjoy the comforts or pleasures that we don’t even appreciate.
It’s a day filled with one tearjerker after another. We picked up Jean Mary, Kumar’s wife and headed to the orphanage. There are about 100 children in the Living Hope Orphanage. They welcomed us with garlands and called out “Good afternoon, daddy!” to each of us as we entered. We were each able to speak to them briefly before doing some Bible story skits for them. You wouldn’t believe how good we are at acting! We did a story on the good Samaritan, and talked about loving everyone, even those who despise us. Then we did another skit about Jesus being the Good Shepherd, and how he goes after those sheep who go astray. The children showed their love of our performance with smiles and giggles. Then, they did a series of dances for us and sang worship songs. We also taught them how to play duck duck goose. They split up into 6 circles and caught on rather quickly. It was a smash hit! They even begged us to play with them. It was absolutely wonderful. They also sang Happy Birthday to me and we passed out an Indian pastry.
We had such an incredible time. I don’t know who was more blessed by our time there. It was a bittersweet moment. Their little smiles and cute faces lit up the day for us, but at the same time the reality of their situation also made us weep inside for them. No one in the community will give them any love. They are considered unlucky children by the hindu mindset. They are automatically considered to be the lowest caste. It will be hard for the girls to marry, because they have no father to pay the dowry. It will be hard for the boys to find work, because they are low caste people. These children are in for a hard life. The very best thing we can do for them is to give them the love of Christ and give them and eternal hope. In the meantime, we will pour out our heart to them, love them any way we can, and continue to pray for them. Would you consider praying for these dear children, and for all the orphans across the world who are in need of hope and love?
The children stood on the balcony and tossed flower petals down upon us as we walked out to the vehicle. It was difficult to choke back the tears as we left and they again said their goodbyes by saying, “Bye daddy!” My heart was on the floor. It’s a good thing we are a bunch of macho men on the team. If just one of us showed signs of a teardrop, the waterworks would have come down in full force. Later as we discussed how the experience impacted us, we all confessed to hiding our tears and emotions. All of us left a big piece of our hearts with the children of Living Hope Orphanage.
In the evening, we spoke at a church service close to Rajahmundry. The worship was powerful and intense. There were maybe 100 or so people at the meeting, which was entirely too many to fit into the building, so we had the service outside. The chairs were lined up even out into the street. The people were hungry for the word of God. I had prepared to teach on 2 Cor 4, but as the other guys shared before the main message, the Lord impressed upon my heart to turn to 2 Peter 1, and immediately I knew He wanted me to change the message, so I was obedient to His leading. The meeting went well, the believers were encouraged, and we went home once again humbled by what the Lord has been using us for.
Thank you for continuing to pray for us, for the Indian people, and for our families. We can feel the power of your prayers and we know you are sharing in our joy.
Until next time…
Many blessings to each of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.