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Ye are my friends, if ye
do whatsoever I command you. Jhn 15:14
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God bless thee and thy family. I started crying on Thursday night and couldn't stop until Saturday morning. I had brought a friend to visit the school in Coal Depot. As thee knows, we have been feeding the children kichuri, a rice, potato, and dal dish. I have not yet acquired the Indian custom of asking people if they have eaten anything, but my friend started asking the children if they had eaten breakfast. That led to the realization that they don't eat any breakfast and that their first meal each school day is the kichuri that we feed them. Then, if they are lucky, they get maybe two pieces of bread at night. Also, it is very cold, and they don't have proper clothing. Yesterday a child was shivering as he stood in line during assembly. Meanwhile, the Christmas observers have been holding warm winter clothing for the last two cold months in a closet to get mildewed and moth-eaten so that they can distribute them this Saturday for our Christmas program. Then we will probably only have another month of cold weather. But that is just an aside. I need to keep focused on the work and not criticize. I just don't know how to bear this burden. Today at the orphanage, I had several boys show up for prayer and our daily walk through the village without blankets or shawls or shoes. And it was very cold. That led to a wonderful drama. I paraded them in front of our General Secretary, Mural Bhai, and showed them off to him. I had already taken off one of my two blankets to give to a boy who was barefoot and wearing short sleeves. The sad part is that we really do have blankets and shoes here at Adyapeath, but in a poverty ridden culture such as India's there is a tendency to hoard things that should be distributed immediately. Meanwhile, I'm just not getting any money from America anymore. This week, I plan to write a check for 6,000 rupees to pay my teachers, and then next month another 6,000. That will exhaust our bank account. What happens then, I don't know. A Christian man is paying for the kichuri, but now he is having trouble coming up with the money. Plus, he wants us to impose his version of Christianity on the children. I am so torn about things. I just can't exploit their poverty to help this man build a church. And what kind of Christians would that produce? Would it help to bring individuals to a real encounter with the Living Lord, or would it teach people to see "Godliness as a means of gain?" But back to the main point. A few weeks ago, a woman died of starvation in the neighbourhood. And now I'm losing some of the children to rag-picking and begging..., and I'm scared to death that a few of my girls, and yes, my boys, will turn to prostitution soon. I used to wonder how God could possibly hear and answer all of our prayers, but with 300 boys in the orphanage and 250 children in both of the schools in Coal Depot, and doing a study of Gandhi's book, My Experiments With Truth, and coaching 10 young men in English, and maintaining so many wonderful friendships, and keeping abreast of the volatile political situation here, and the riots and massacres, well, I'm starting to understand that Infinite Love can expand the mind and heart to an infinite capacity to be aware and to serve. Christ, living in my heart, is linked to every living thing, every atom of this vast universe. As we shut up and listen, we also discover that we too are linked to every living thing and every atom of the universe. Meanwhile, I am reconsidering the issue of Water Baptism. Yes, we Quakers have always had Water Baptism. It is the Baptism of Tears. Love, Wally |
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Wally has undertaken his work in obedience to his leading, and depends on the Lord to provide him the means to carry it out. Your prayers can provide invaluable support. Those interested in giving financial support can send their tax deductible contributions to: Winona Monthly Meeting of Friends c/o Evelyn Sidwell, Treasurer 4462 Whinnery Road Winona, Ohio 44460 |
