It has been quite a while since I’ve posted and some of you
would think “Well, the trip is over. No
wonder.” But I really can’t say that the
trip is over. I think that this trip will
be with me until the day I die. I can
honestly say that there hasn’t been one day in the month since my return that I
haven’t thought of India , it’s people, their suffering, and their beauty. I would add that there are some days when I
believe not an hour goes by without my mind drifting to India
Perhaps the toughest thing to wrap my head around has been
the suffering that I witnessed. On the
suggestion of one of my team mates, Doc, I picked up a great book called The
City Of Joy. The book follows a monk
whose order’s call is to live among the poor.
He takes up residence in the poorest slum in India’s poorest city,
Calcutta. It’s a great read and if you
want some true insight into the mindset and culture of India, I highly
recommend it. I won’t spoil it for you
too much, but the main character (or perhaps I should say the character’s
creator) has the most amazing way of seeing the beauty of Christ through the
poorest of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians that he encounters. He sees Christ through their suffering and it’s
a bit hard for me to explain so I won’t try.
What I will tell you is that today I received further word
about Munna and his family. Munna is the
young man I wrote about who’s leg was so severely swollen that we worried he
would lose it. We arranged for him to be
taken to a hospital and we were able to arrange payment for the first portion
of his treatment. Initially we had
assumed (and hoped) that it was an infection from a broken bone. We’ve recently received word that the
swelling is actually a fast growing cancerous tumor. Munna will start chemotherapy and treatment
soon, but the chances are he will most likely lose his leg after all. This is a terrible blow to a family living in
a largely agrarian remote area where mobility is key to a productive life.
 |
| Charles Gulla (standing) and Munna at the Baptist Hospital in Tezpur. |
Towards the tail end of the email with this news, the
following was reported by Charles Golla, our partner in India. Keep in mind that English is Charles second
language so some of the wording may be stilted to our ears.
Munna's parents have
asked Uttam to do water baptism. They believe that God has visited their house
and from nowhere Munna is getting help for his treatment. Munna's father was
testifying that it is useless to serve his gods and goddesses and they were of no
help and from now on I want to follow JESUS. Uttam has been going continuously
doing bible studies at their house. Munna's sister-in-law has put her trust in
JESUS.
The immediate thought that came to my mind was the first few
verses of John, the third chapter: As he
(Jesus) passed by he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him “Rabbi, who has
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of
God might be displayed in him.”
I hate the fact that Munna will have to go through difficult
treatment and, more than likely, lose his leg.
But after reading Charles’ email I’m not sure whether the tears in my
eyes are because of Munna’s pain, seeing the beauty of the scriptures coming
alive, or a combination of both.
As a final note, the cost of Munna’s treatment will be in
the neighborhood of $2,000 US dollars.
If you are interested in helping support this cause, please contact me
for information on how to donate. Your donation
will be handled by e3 Ministries and will be tax deductible.
