The obvious fact is that India is very diverse in economic level. I have made the mistake in the past of portraying just the extreme poverty of the country. There is extreme poverty. The poverty screams out on the streets. It manifests itself in so many vivid ways. But…India also has extreme wealth and everything in between. We believe that wherever we live we are to love and serve the poor. Here, we just have the luxury, convenience, or challenge (however you want to see it) of being faced with poverty more directly. We don’t have to search for opportunities to meet the needs of the poor. The opportunities come knocking at our door (literally). They come begging at our air conditioned car window. They sit on our couches. They play on our playground. They are our friends. They are our co-workers. They are our neighbors. So the question for us is not how can we get involved in a community of those less privileged then ourselves and serve. This is done.
The question that we are faced with everyday is how do we discern how to help? How do we give when the need is so wide spread, so chronic, and so personal? I wish the answer to this was an easy answer. Just give the amount asked for, the amount needed for the school fees, the building project, the hospital bill and be finished! Their needs are met. The case is closed, but does a large sum of money from a rich foreigner to meet an immediate need solve the problem or make it worse, make it even more perpetual. How do we discern what the true depth of the problem is? We are still new here. We are learning the culture. We will never be Indian. We will never fully understand. How can we meet immediate needs of those hurting, poor and less fortunate while helping to aid in lasting change. This is something that we discuss and ponder on a daily basis.
The question that we are faced with everyday is how do we discern how to help? How do we give when the need is so wide spread, so chronic, and so personal? I wish the answer to this was an easy answer. Just give the amount asked for, the amount needed for the school fees, the building project, the hospital bill and be finished! Their needs are met. The case is closed, but does a large sum of money from a rich foreigner to meet an immediate need solve the problem or make it worse, make it even more perpetual. How do we discern what the true depth of the problem is? We are still new here. We are learning the culture. We will never be Indian. We will never fully understand. How can we meet immediate needs of those hurting, poor and less fortunate while helping to aid in lasting change. This is something that we discuss and ponder on a daily basis.
