Emmanuel: God with us

This post will be short, but my message is of great importance. We may at times ask ourselves the question: What is Christianity? Or where is Christianity? Or where is the God we confess in and pray to? But this I tell you. God has not abandoned the people of Calcutta. He is here. Though it may be hard for you at home to comprehend, He is truly present here. He lives here among the poorest of the poor. He has moved the hearts of people to come to Calcutta, to be carrier of His Love. He has risen believes from all over the world to go out in the name of Jesus to serve the unloved, unwanted and the uncared for.

As I share with you the stories of the brokenness and suffering I witness here, it’s my hope they create in you a heart that cries out to God. In Matthew 9:36, God’s Word tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds he had compassion on them. As you meet the suffering people of India through me, I pray for God to move in your heart and to fill you with the compassion of Jesus. It’s difficult to be a voice for these people, but I hope my witness will call you to pray for these people and to look at them with compassion. God may not look like what we expect, but He is truly present. When we make God present to each other, He steps out of Scripture and becomes Emmanuel. He becomes God with us. When we are present, available, to one another, God becomes present too.

Getting closer to people helps us to see and hear them more clearly. The last six weeks I have seen and heard things, I would normally not see or hear, because I was close and not far. I have seen the faces of the poorest of the poor, I have touched their broken and fragile bodies, I have held their hands, I have heard their cries, and I watched them die. They are no longer the people I have read about, they are now people I have walked among. I don’t think I will ever be the same again.

I know some of you would like to read about my volunteering experience, and I promise to write a blog about it, when I have allowed all to sink in. I am off to the Philippines tonight. I hope I will be returning to Calcutta to serve the poorest of the poor again, hopefully in near future. In the meantime, I will look for Jesus in His distressing disguise in my own community.

Regardless of how, who or what have led you to my blog, I want to thank you for stopping by. I hope and pray that what I have written so far has encouraged, convinced, inspired or challenged you in some way to go beyond yourself – to do more than you have ever done for God and His purposes.

I dedicate this post to everyone, who makes Jesus present to me. Thanks for your time, love, support and encouragement. Thank you for being available. Thank you for your witness. I love you all dearly.

Wherever you are in life, be all there. Find Jesus where you are and serve Him.

Love one another!

With love, Mette

Pierce my heart to spread your word

A few days ago I was exposed to one of life’s cruelest realities. Trade in human beings, modern slavery, is occurring right under our noses. We walked through the streets of Sonagachi, one of the largest red light districts in South Asia. The brokenness of this place and this world truly hit me, as we walked the narrow, winding streets polluted with sin and despair. This place of human weakness and darkness was a devastating realization. I think, in that moment, I caught a glimpse, of how God must feel, when He sees His children driven by their flesh.

It’s all too common among the girls and women here that they have been sold or betrayed by close family members, including parents. Poverty and false promises of honest employment have led these innocent souls to a world they never imagined existed. We cannot begin to imagine the mixture of fear, despair, disappointment and anger these victims may feel, as they realize that they have been caught in a trafficker’s net. Their only option in life is to continue to suffer abuse at the hands of those who enter through the door or to escape through the door of death.

Regardless of the reason why this area’s girls and women are here, they deserve better. They deserve a way out. They deserve an option. They deserve freedom. Their right is affirmed in Galatians 5:1: “it was for freedom that Christ set us free”.

Now one question remains, who will go? Who will tell them about Jesus? Who will tell them about freedom in Christ?  Who will bring the Truth to these vulnerable and broken souls? This question continues to pierce every inch of my heart. All I recall, as I write, are the faces of the young girls who are forced to submit to it. The faces of these innocent souls, lined up, all dressed up in pretty dresses and with red color on their lips. I ask you all to pray for victims of human trafficking. Pray for people who are sold, used and humiliated against their own will. Pray also for the conversion of the ones behind the crime.

Human trafficking is a hidden crime and it often goes undetected by authorities. I believe a lack of public awareness, together with a lack of understanding the victims, present major barriers to combating the crime. I urge you all to stay informed about human trafficking and support organizations that help the women break the chains (like Freeset here in Calcutta).

Living Hope, with a heavy heart I come to you. Comfort all who are held in slavery. Heal the wounds of these souls. Look upon them with compassion and bless them with a renewed sense of trust in relationships of love. Only You God can take away their hurt and put them back together. Reveal to them Your Love, Mercy and Goodness. Make your purpose for each one of them clear, so that they may find Hope in You. Grace them with the power of the Holy Spirit so that they may recognize and accept their Savior. Thank You Father, that because of Jesus freedom is possible.

Most Holy Virgin, Mother of Compassion, comfort those in chains and intercede for their souls, that by your powerful intercession they may find freedom in Your Son.

Amen

Small things with great love

Tonight, while we are snuggled up in our comfortable beds in our comfortable homes in some of the wealthiest nations on earth, an estimated 100 million homeless will be curling up in boxes, in doorways and under bridges. Tomorrow when they awaken, they’ll begin another day of survival of the fittest.

We have been travelling India for a month now, and we have witnessed a variety of ways in which tourist and locals deal with poverty.  The most common response when faced with the beggars is ignoring their existence, focusing eyes elsewhere.

The beggars here in Calcutta are very persistent. The children will follow you for blocks. If you ignore them, they take your hand. If you put your arms around them, they will reach for your purse. It’s difficult to tell who is a professional beggar, and who really is in need. You may at times help those, who lacks nothing and refuse those who lacks everything. The faces and voices of those you send away will hunt you for days and leave you with a feeling of guilt and helplessness. It's easier to make these people annoyances rather than human beings. It's easier to see them as the poor, as unfortunate. It’s easier to ignore them and make them invisible or a faceless statistic, but it does solve anything. All you can do is pray. I pray because I don’t know what else do. I pray because He hears me, and He sees them. He knows their needs and only He can direct me.

There are many reasons why giving money is not the best response to an outstretched hand. During the last weeks I have discovered that the greatest gift you can give is your time. Everyone needs recognition. Everyone needs to feel appreciated and loved – and everyone is worthy. Here in Calcutta I continue to receive from the poorest of the poor, and today I was given a beautiful chance to give back. Together with ten other volunteers I went to Nabo Jibon, a home run by Missionaries of Charity Brothers, to bathe and feed the street children of Calcutta. Children, who yearn for love and who are oh-so-ready to respond to your affection and caring. The children today have touched me deeply, and I pray that they have someone in their lives, who celebrates the fact that they exist and that they grow. To see the smile on their faces, as they were all covered in soap from top to toe, reminds me to be more thankful. To hear their laughter as they got tossed into the air by the male volunteers, reminds me to laugh more. To see them close their eyes when being hugged creates in me a desire to give more. Last Monday I was sent to the hospital and this week has been tough. Apparently I don’t have super hero power.

To look a beggar in the eyes and smile and acknowledging their existence is a small thing.  Putting your hand into an outstretched hand and holding it tight for a moment is a small thing. Bathing someone is also a small thing. Serving someone food is a small thing too – but Mother Teresa said that “if you cannot do great things, you can do small things with great love”.

I urge you all to not only pray with your hearts, but to pray with action—to volunteer, work, serve, and build in accordance with God’s Kingdom. God should be glorified through our work for a better world. Pray for the health and safety of all homeless people. Ask God to lead them to people, who will care for them. Pray also for the caregivers, organizations etc., who offer assistance and work for a change. I urge to all to do small things with great love.

Love, Mette