An Expression of Christ

Dear Kidstown Friends,

Calcutta, India is a massive city which sits on the banks of the Ganges River in NE India. It’s metro population is said to be over 14 million, making it the third largest city in the country. Population density is extremely high, and infrastructure struggles to keep pace. Poverty and pollution are rampant. It is estimated that 2 million of Calcutta’s inhabitants are homeless, living on the streets, eeking out whatever existence they can. A late-night transfer from airport to hotel will give witness to hundreds of people asleep on the sidewalks of this vast city.

Not only does Calcutta struggle with poverty, pollution, and the homeless, it also is a place of deep spiritual darkness. Reverting to its original name “Kolkata”, Calcutta is a city dedicated to the evil and bloodthirsty Hindu god “Kali” (“Kolkata” is a derivative of “Kali”).

India, as a whole, is largely dedicated to Hinduism, a dark and confusing religion which ascribes deity to millions of gods and believes in endless cycles of birth and rebirth on ones way towards being unified with the ultimate impersonal being…which is likened to a drop of water merging into the ocean. Inherent to Hinduism is the caste system which categorized people from high to low, based upon a belief that some people emanate from the head of god (highest caste), others from the torso, others from the abdomen, others from the feet, and others….well, they don’t emanate from god at all and thus are classified as “out-castes” or “untouchables”. Sadly, vast millions in India fall into the “feet” and “untouchable” castes and there they stay, living a deplorable and humiliated lives, unable and unwilling to break free.

Amidst this mass of humanity, grinding poverty, and deep darkness Jesus showed up. Not just yesterday…He’s been here a long time…but we surely saw evidence of Him yesterday. You see, in the midst of this traffic-jam of evil that the enemy has created here in Calcutta, God is at work. Alongside a busy street, there is a small compound. Enter the compound and a story unfolds, a story of wonder, a story of hope, a story which points to a God whose compassionate nature is revealed in the service and faith of a few dedicated people.

This compound is home to 27 children, most of which are infected with HIV/AIDS. Those which are not have been similarly affected by the social stigma associated with a parent who is, and as such have been rejected by family and community. Want to talk about out-castes? This is probably as low as it gets. Not only are these kids viewed by society in this way, but they also bear the reproach of a dreaded disease, making them true castaways.

Remember Kevin Costner in the movie “The Guardian”? A US Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Costner would risk his life to save others who were adrift in angry seas. Likewise, God has been The Guardian for these kids, reaching out and rescuing them and giving them a new lease on life.

Unlike high-profile social initiatives in the West which often receive government or private sector funding to operate, this little orphanage receives no regular support of any kind. For the last six years they have functioned on faith alone. Someone will come by with $125, and another with $50. Another will come by with fruits and vegetables. Others will volunteer their time and talents. And that’s how God has sustained them these years. The orphanage leader tells the kids, “We have nothing, but we have everything in God.” Wow, what faith.

As I sat there listening to this orphanage leader as he shared a miraculous story of overcoming personal fear, his love for the kids evidenced by a life of sacrifice, it dawned on me in that moment that we were witnessing an expression of Christ. When life doesn’t get any lower, its then that Jesus is often most evident. Its in the darkest night that light shines the brightest! And He was there yesterday, in that room, revealing Himself through this orphanage leader’s exemplary love and service to “the least of these”.

A story to leave you with: the orphanage leader shared how three kids have died over the last few years from AIDS-complications. One boy was nearing the end, his body infected not only with AIDS but also with Tuberculosis. The orphanage leader picked him up and held him in his lap…he was so light, just skin and bones! He held this boy whose body racked with disease, whose life was flickering out, and just wept. Friends, that is a true expression of Christ.