Poverty - Can We Make A Difference?

Poverty, especially extreme poverty, is something that most of us don't deal with on a regular basis. We live our lives mostly oblivious to the immense suffering which goes on all over the world. Occasionally, when we do see starving children, refugees and other victims or war and disease on TV, we think: 'That's Terrible!', but then we just go right on about our business. I know, I do it myself.

Since coming to India 4 years ago however, Dana and I have been forced to deal with it again and again. Most often for me it's been the beggars. People who are dirty, smelly, and ragged; often times with open wounds or stumps for arms or legs. To many, far to many, are children.

It's difficult to deal with. Sometimes (if I'm honest) they can be really annoying: they won't take no for an answer.

There are two choices:
(a) Harden your heart and turn your back - (Any money you give won't help - they'll be here again tomorow)
The sterio types are there - drunk, lazy, whatever - telling you it's their fault and that you couldn't help them if you tried.
You hear stories about how women buy babies, or parents maim their children so they earn more money on the street. You also hear stories about how some beggars live in mansions or how some are misers, hiding huge amounts of money in their matresses or anywhere they can.)

(b) The other choice is to give a little - usually just two or three coins (the equivelant of 4-6 cents is the recomended amount) or maybe some fruit or something. This is enough to send them away and continue on about your life.

The problem is that both these choices suck!!!!

I've always felt bad in turning my back, even knowing that to give a few coins (which is what the're after) wouldn't help. These people are Human Beings and they deserve to be treated as such. Would Jesus turn his back? No. But neither would He give a few coins simply to get them to leave as quickly as possible.

Lately, I've learned that the answer is not in trying to help everyone. That is impossible. But in respecting everyone, as Human Beings who are loved by God.

Sure, giving some money won't help them escape their life of poverty, but it certainly can't hurt to give something in Love (this is how they earn their bread), look them in the eyes, and say a prayer for them.

The most important thing may be to have Love in our hearts. Love can open us to see Jesus in them.


p.s. "And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' " - Gospel of Matthew 25:40

Pictures of India

Awesome view
Sunrise

Philip Yancey Interview

Check out this interview with Philip Yancey

(from Sojourners)

Philip Yancey discusses America, Gandhi, sex, death

The Immigration Debate - A Perspective

We found a very interesting perspective on the immigration debate.

"Let's face an obvious fact: People tend to want the laws they like to be strictly enforced, and the laws they don't like to be loosely enforced. Conservatives can complain about "amnesty" being offered to illegal immigrants, but we led the charge for a kinder and gentler IRS which had the power to forgive penalties for back taxes..."

To read more, go to:

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/opinion/14903122.htm


School of Hindu Studies
Sunday Night

Some Interesting Statistics

A BBC poll found that in spite of being "3 times richer", 36% of people interviewed said they were 'very happy', down from 52% in 1957, .
Research suggests that after an average income of "£10,000 ($18,000) a year, extra money does not make a country any happier."

72% of people said that they would not take "a legally available drug that made them happy if there were no side-effects." 26% said they would.


In an unrelated poll, the Washington Post found that 46% of Americans "have a negative view of Islam".
1/4th of Americans also "admitted to harboring prejudice toward Muslims"















Hindu
Renunciants

Some thoughts on faith...

If it's true that what we really believe in is what we live for, and that our lives will really show what we believe, then Faith becomes more about a Way Of Life, than a set of beliefs or any particular theology.

Recently Dana and I watched the movie The Da Vinci Code. For the past months we've heard so much about it - how the christians in India called for the movie to be banned and all. My reaction to that was like, 'It's FICTION! What part of the word fiction don't you understand?!'

But having now seen the film, I can see how many 'Churchians' would feel threatened by this movie. It questions assumptions - and people don't like their foundations to be shaken - it causes fear. Many people, not having studied church history and having no real desire to, either blindly defend their assumptions, or may be shaken in their faith. Neither of these reactions are right.

So many people, I feel, hold on to Christianity or 'Churchianity' because it offers safety and security - they hold on to the surety of it all - that there are answers to the tough questions of life and death. Making the unknown, known.

But Jesus was never about comfort. He challenged His disciples, and He shook up the tidy rules and theology the religious leaders had created.

The fact is that any 'Faith' we hold onto is no true Faith until we make it our own, until it becomes real for us.
We must struggle with doubts, and search for Truth. We must reject ignorance and untruth - no matter how comfortable they might be. Until we do, we live in illusion.

Believing all the right things will not save us - Theology can never save us. But Jesus can. He doesn't ask us to be comfortable - He never offered that to His followers. He asked them to Follow Him.

Faith is therefore something to be experienced - a way of life. And as such requires all of us - mind, heart, and life.













"There are many people who arrive at conclusions in life much the same way school boys do; they cheat their teachers by copying the answer book without having worked the problems themselves."
- Soren Kierkegaard

"Truth is not something you can appropriate easily and quickly. You certainly cannot sleep or dream yourself into the truth. No, you must be tried, do battle, and suffer if you are to aquire truth for yourself. ...With respect to aquiring truth to live by, every generation and every individual must essentially begin from the beginning."
-Soren Kierkegaard

"the preacher's temptation, among others, is to deal with those problems only to which there is, however complex and hard to arrive at, a solution."
- from 'Telling the Truth...' by Frederick Buechner

Simone Weil said something to this effect: 'If ever I have to choose between God and Truth. I always choose Truth. And when I do, I find myself running into the arms of Jesus.'

On Love and Life

I've been challenged lately to apply to my life what I've learned of truth and love - especially love. Jesus' words:

"Love your neighbor as yourself" and "Love your Enemy"

are easy to believe in with our heads, but infinitely harder to really practise. But these words demand to be applied to our lives.

Whatever it is that we really believe in, that is what we will live for,
How we live our lives will truly show what we believe.

As Kierkegaard said: "We must not support high and important things while ignoring the practical, daily stuff of life."

"Dare to act on the good that lies burried within your heart." -K.

In Pictures: Our India

Ladakh, Kashmir - the Indian Himalaya
Uttarkashi - view of the Ganges river from the roof of a friends house

A Temple in Varanasi durring Deep Depawali - the Festival of Lights
A pattern on one of our sheets
View of the Ghats from Chet Singh Palace, Varanasi


















Gatekeeper for the Chet Singh Palace, - The oldest building on the Varanasi Ghats
Sunrise at the Taj Mahal

If the Streets in Heaven will be Paved with Gold...

If the streets in heaven will be paved with gold, does that show how rich everyone will be, or does it show that gold will be worthless enough to be used as pavement?


"There is enough for man's need but not for man's greed"
- Mahaatma Gandhi

Quotes for Today

"Everything has been figured out, except how to live."

-Jean Paul Sartre

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
-Mahaatma Gandhi

Back in Romania

Romanian Coutryside
At an Orthodox Monastery
Ninetheenth Centry Palace at Sinaia, Romania




I think most of you know now that we're now Safely back in Romania. We've been here a couple of weeks now.
Although our ordeal in Delhi was a hard time for us (having our passports, tickets, and money stolen - and then the 12 days the Indian Bureaucracy took to process our request for exit visas) we made it through alright. With prayer, the normally unhelpful people at the Foreigners Registration Office gave Dana the visa the last day we could leave on our reissued tickets, even though we didn't have all the paperwork from Varanasi.
Now we are here back in Romania for a summer break. It's been nice to be back in Bucharest to visit with family, and for me (Joel) to start learning Romanian (though stressful at times too). We've also been able to begin working on some necessary paperwork for both of us. Not much else is going on here for the moment though.
In July we're looking forward to Joel's parents, grandmother, and brother all flying in to spend a week and a half with us. :-)
We'll keep you all updated and post more pictures as we can.

Joel and Dana

India!

Joel with a Snake Charmer at the Royal Palace in Jaipur

Crowded Ghats during a festival in Varanasi
Joel and Dana with the kids from Panchkot Ghat.
Varanasi, India. Our Home.

New Blog

Hi All,

Just wanted to start off our very first blog by posting a couple of our pictures.
Hope you enjoy them.

Joel