One of the things that really stood out to me during my time in India was our interaction with kids there. I mentioned it in one of the picture comments on Facebook, but I'd like to tell you more about who these kids are and why we were spending time with them.
*Disclaimer: This blog post is sad but true, it contains some slightly graphic descriptions of persecution in India. Just wanted you to be prepared.
There's a region of India called Orissa, which is near the eastern coast of the country. I don't know much about this part of the country (I don't know much about any parts of India, let's be honest). But this section of India is mostly Hindu, though they did have a small concentration of Christians.
From what I learned, there were 2 main Hindu priests that worked in this area. One of them was the head guy and the other was jealous, so the lower priest murdered the other one in hopes of being elevated to head priest. He needed a scapegoat, and since tensions were already high between Hindus and Christians, he blamed the Christians for murdering the Hindu priest. This sent the entire region into a chaotic frenzy. People started persecuting Christians everywhere. They set fire to villages and churches, chased Christians from their homes, and murdered and raped the ones that didn't get away fast enough.
I have no idea how many people were killed or how many families were displaced, but I know it was in the hundreds, maybe even the thousands. Many of the survivors fled into the jungles where they stayed alive by drinking out of puddles and eating whatever food they could find. Many of the survivors living in these awful conditions, unfortunately, were small children. These children had been through more than I could ever imagine. These children (many of whom I met) had seen their parents murdered, their houses burned. One little boy saw his mother raped. One little girl saw her parents cut into pieces in front of her. These kids were traumatized, terrified, and often incredibly ill from their poor living conditions in the jungles. It was horrendous.
These kids were brought to the attention of the ministry we visited in India. Their main focus had always been church planting and evangelizing, never orphanages, but they realized they couldn't let these kids continue to suffer. After an overwhelming amount of work to get the right paperwork and permits, they started a home and a school for these persecuted children. It started with about 20 but now there are around 50 kids that live together, go to school together, and play together.
I've never met such an incredible group of children before. They blew me away from the moment I met them. They're not only sweet and smart, they're incredibly well-behaved and fun. They're like a giant family; it's an amazing sight to see. These kids, who just a few years ago were living in poverty, many as orphans, are now healthy, happy, smiling little people who love the Lord with their whole hearts.
Just like O, these kids humbled me beyond belief. We spent some time with them on Monday afternoon and got to know them and play with them. One of the things that was so humbling was how much these kids loved us. I didn't speak their language, I didn't know their games, I didn't do anything for them but play and hug them and smile, but they still showed me so much love. They were still so excited to see us. They were so happy we were there. It was incredible to know that our time and attention meant that much to them.
The next day was my birthday and we had planned to go over and spend more time with the kids. We showed up in the afternoon to a fully decorated classroom, complete with balloons, streamers, and a Happy Birthday Kelsey Didi sign (Didi means big sister). The kids gave us (there were 2 others whose birthdays were that week) flowers, made us cards and a cake, and sang Happy Birthday to us. They all were so excited to hug me and tell me Happy Birthday for the rest of the day. It was the sweetest thing I've ever experienced.
As I stood there in front of these kids I thought about what they'd gone through, what they'd seen. Their short lives have been full of more heartache and terrors than I've even dreamed of in my 27 years. By the world's standards, they have no reason to be happy, no reason to feel joy. I was once again overwhelmed with the thought of "Who am I to deserve this?" I'm no one. I came here to help strategize a new church planting movement in India, I came here to serve where I could, to show love to these kids. But instead, I'm being served, I'm being loved, I'm being shown what the love of Christ really looks like. I'm getting to see how the hope of the Lord can truly change a person's heart, can help a child overcome any sort of trauma or hardship they've endured. It would be so easy to be angry at the Lord, to be angry at others, because of what they've gone through. It would be easy to shut down, to feel like a victim and to lash out. But they don't. Their love for the Lord is apparent in everything they do, from the way they worship Him to the way they play together. They are incredibly strong, incredibly loving, and incredibly joyful in Christ.
So once again, I was overwhelmed with humility. I'm no one. I've done nothing special in my life. I don't deserve anything I have. But these kids, just like O, just like so many others in India, helped me to better understand Christ's love for me. I don't deserve it, I didn't earn it. I should be serving and loving these kids, I should be going out of my way to serve O, but instead they served and loved me. I should be serving the Lord, loving Him, but instead He loves me, He gives me amazing gifts I don't deserve. I'm no one, but He loves me more than I can fathom anyway. It's such an incredible thing, to see the love of Christ through other people. I'm so thankful I was able to experience it in so many ways in India.
These kids showed me that it's never hopeless, no future is ever bleak. I know these kids still deal with a lot and I'm sure most of them will have to deal with what they've seen and experienced for the rest of their lives, but you'd never know it by spending a day with them. They showed me that your circumstances have no bearing on your love for Christ. Being a Christ follower doesn't mean things will go easily for you. Oftentimes, especially in places like this, it means things will be harder for you. A lot harder. That fact, that idea that Christ loves us no matter what our circumstances are, they get that. They know it. They've lived it. And they've come out on the other end more full than any of us. They're so full of joy, so full of hope and love for the Lord, love for each other, and love for strange Americans that they barely know. These kids get it. And I'm so thankful I was able to learn that from them.
