Note: This is part II of my Bangalore post, which talks about the mission part of it :) If you're also looking for the sights and sounds of Bangalore, see part I just below.
Enough talking about the sights and sounds of Bangalore. And here is the 2nd part of my Bangalore experience... I'll update it from time to time with new photographs because I didn't take many pictures. My old cam was really on the verge of dying out.
Our team of 17 met with a lady called Sister Josna, the local representative managing a few schools, slum schools and orphanages. And frankly, I was impressed by her. She's one of the most assertive women I've ever met. The gender differences in India are very evident and obvious, and I guess to have someone like her in a position of power was a rarity. I felt quite intimidated to some extent by her, she had these 'don't you dare mess with me' vibes emanating from her well almost all the time. But this woman was obviously at her core, a compassionate lady of God. By setting up all these schools and homes out of a desire to plain help the kids and spread the Gospel, she must have had a sensitive heart, and the business side of her was only a means to an end. I sometimes just feel that its people like her who really make things happen. Not the government, not the mission teams who come and go, but she, who is the only constant for the children. And that constant figure, who is always there for the children - I think that is so important for them. More on that later though... I have so much to say about my stance on mission trips.
In our time there, we visited 3 main areas. Thomas Memorial School, Thomas Memorial Home, and a school in the slum areas. With her guidance and requests, our job there was to purchase various things the schools and homes needed. We bought science lab equipment for the school, encyclopedias, stationery, school bags and rations. And really, all these things we take for granted? The Indian children rushed up to them and looked at them like they were gold. There was this boy, who rushed up to an encyclopedia, opened it, and started poring over it and didn't want to let go of it.
Thomas Memorial School's Assembly
Students checking out the Science Lab equipment. Quite amazing, some of these things we don't even bat an eye at - like the retort stand. But the students were so excited over them!
Yellow Schoolbus! Jocelyn waving goodbye to the kids
Over the 6 days, we spent some time interacting with the children, teaching them song and dance and playing games with them, and basically trying to bring some joy into the homes and schools. But frankly, I thought they had it in them already. They were so ready to laugh and smile and giggle; there's none of that coldness that some kids these days display and to be honest, I think they brought me more joy than I did for them. I think I speak for the entire team when I say that we were all touched by their sincere, pure heart. When they sang they sang with unbridled enthusiasm. When they prayed they prayed with their eyes squeezed tight shut and their hands clasped together tightly in an expression of great reverence for our Father. When they smiled their eyes showed this palpable joy that was so contagious. And when I saw them worshiping the same God that I worship, I was floored. I think I had never felt the presence of our Lord so strongly, ever before.
Notice the little girl in the front row, middle?
She was nodding off whilst in prayer! hahaha :) So cute. At one point she kinda fell backwards in her drowsy state
The boys
I brought my guitar along and I have never ever been so happy playing the guitar before. I play the guitar to sing along with it and I used to perform in concerts in JC but I never, ever experienced the joy of using the guitar to teach rhymes and simple songs. Nothing else has ever brought me more joy when playing the guitar. And when they sang 'Here I am to Worship'? (they're taught by the school and homes some simple worship songs). I don't know, I think it was the simple faith and worshipful heart that touched me and rattled me, because I take it for granted all of the time.
They are so beautiful. The big eyes, the long lashes...
Rays of light coming through thick clouds
This was one of the slum schools we visited; they did a little welcome song and dance for us, so beautiful
And out of all the places we visited, it was - expectedly - the slums which were in the worst conditions. When I walked in, I took a photograph of a hut. But then I walked in further, and I could not take any more photographs after that first one. The conditions were horrible. Aluminium roofs, with floors made of nothing but soil. And the children, some babies had bloated tummies, some were running around without pants, some had all these sores on their limbs, and almost all had fleas or flies buzzing around them. I just... don't know how to describe this. It's really one thing to hear about and see pictures of slum areas. But to actually walk through one? And experience it yourself? It's sobering, it's spine chilling. You just start to wonder, what the heck are the authorities doing? And there was this immense sense of anger against the corrupt government. Standing tall next to the slum area was a residential project, initiated by the government to move the slum people into better conditions. But because of rife corruption, the project went unfinished, and the building stands, unfinished, distressed, towering over the slum areas, as if it were mocking the slum residents. And then the slum residents - at one point - started using the building to hang their laundry. Talk about irony. We prayed for the land - and then slum residents came up to us to request for prayers. A woman, carrying her child, came up to me. She didn't know any English, but she simply pointed to the big sore on her daughter's leg, and she asked me to pray for her. And I did not know how to pray, but at that point of time, you don't hold back. You just pray, and you let the words flow. There is no time to hold back, there is no time to doubt your own faith. You just pray, and you intercede for them with God, and you want to so badly because the sheer poverty of the people is so shocking. We played with the children. There was no need for a common language. At first I thought language would be a barrier; I squatted down with a few children squatting in front of a mass of little stones. And they stared at me and I stared back at first not knowing really what to do or say, because they didn't understand me. But then I watched as a girl started playing with the stones... and then I started to play five stones with them. I counted in English as I played, and then I got them to teach me how to count in Kannada (their language). And they were so enthusiastic and happy to teach me, and to imitate playing five-stones. That snapshot? It'll never be forgotten, ever. I can't solve the problem of their systemic poverty, but I sincerely hope that one visit to them lets them know that there are still people out there who remember them.
And the visit to the slums, it just highlighted all the more how real the caste system still is in India. Things are slowly changing, yes. But not nearly fast enough to eliminate the problem of alienation and marginalization of these 'untouchables'. Corrupt politicians who only have interest in their own rise to power don't give a crap about these people; and the good ones are leaving - just the other day there was a newspaper article about a honest official who was leaving because he was unable to hire 'honest officials'.
And all that being said I'm going to say, I think I went on this mission trip with idealist notions tempered with a few reality checks. I knew the "difference" I was going to make was minimal - and from this experience, it seems like Sister Josna was most happy with the donations we made. It really showed how much financial support or in-kind donations made a difference. I guess it's the sustenance of all these stuff that is more important to the children in the long term. Teaching them song and dance and playing games is all well and good and may have brought joy to them for that moment, but once we leave, it doesn't really live on for long. I'm not saying we should just donate financially or in-kind though, interacting with the children, and sharing some love and joy is important, but in the long term, it is the donations - and perhaps a transfer of important skills to them - that will help them in future. And also, being physically there to make sure that the funds and in-kind donations are actually going to the children? That gives us peace of mind, I guess.
There are also some people who argue that mission trips do more harm than good, because the one-off visits do not have a long-term follow up. And people who visit once and bring so much joy but leave so quickly will cause the children to feel abandoned and betrayed. There is some logic to that, because I kind of experienced the children coming up to me and asking "When are you coming back?" and telling me point blank, "Don't forget me." Every time they asked or told me that, it was so heartbreaking. I had no answer for them, and I did not want to give empty promises. But I have reached a conclusion, I think. After struggling with that myself for awhile. As I said, I understand why some people say they think trips like that do more harm than good. But honestly, this one trip - it is merely a beginning of a journey. Granted, there are some team members who will go just that once and forget about the trip - like it never happened. But what about those who remember? Those who remember, and remember what to pray for for the country, and who spread awareness about these places? The bottom line is, it's hard to evaluate whether it does more harm than good, if you never even experienced it for yourself in the first place.
Gosh, its a mega-long post isn't it? I didn't even blog that long during my exchange. Its just that there's so much I want to say about this trip. Its been amazing and its opened my eyes to so many things, re-affirmed some of the opinions I've had about mission trips, and most of all, I've never poured out so much love before and received so much of it back in return to these children. I've also never encountered my God so strongly ever before.
They say Jesus dwells among the poor. I think I just learnt the reality of that statement during my stay in Bangalore.
Labels: bangalore, mission, musings, travel
3 comments
3 Comments:
It's really touching how this trip has been so spiritful, love-filled and God-filled for you :) It brings about certain emotions in me as well, it's hard to explain. See you on friday love!
eh you know what you actually inspire me to help in this soup kitchen project to feed the needy in singapore! shall we go join tgt!
zhu --> thanks! it means a lot to me that you have been touched by the post. one of my purposes in writing such a grandmother long story was to raise awareness and spread the word about Bangalore and mission trips in general. :) Glad it has inspired you.
tell me more about this project on Fri. See you baobei!
Post a Comment
