Joy Among The Impoverished

     Sorry readers for the long break between blogs we have been quite busy since we arrived and our internet has also been spotty.

     I wanted to share about one of our scheduled trips to a Good Shepherd school in the slums called, “IDPL.”  Right next door to the school was a pharmaceutical company appropriately named IDPL. When it shut down all of the workers were fired and without jobs,  so this community of people grew destitute.  Without work, parents could not provide tuition for their children. Public Schools do not exist in India, education is not free nor is it paid for by the government.  Many of the people had to go and look for work in other areas in order to support their families, therefore it is a very transient community. Good Shepherd came into the community and provided a school for the children. There are two “buildings” and in the main structure, there are four classes (one in each section of every corner)  from primary through junior high.   This school is literally no more than four cement walls and a tin roof (which they just received after their other roof blew off in a storm). The room size is approximately 20’x15’ and attached to this main structure is a small room that is technically Jothi’s (pronounced “Joh-ty”) office.  She is the head teacher of the school and has been teaching there for the last 18 years.  Right now her office is being used to cook food for the children, so it is very smoky and it billows into the classroom as well.
     The students are so well behaved and very focused on the work that their teachers had given them.  After telling us about the school, Jothi had some of the students come over and recite memory verses for us. All of them said the verses clearly and precisely. We asked if the classes would sing us a song and they did with such exuberance. These students learn about God through song and scripture. They then take this knowledge and love for the Lord home to their parents. The school not only helps these students get an education so they can hopefully build a better life for themselves,  but it also has a great impact on their eternity.
     Just a few steps away the school there was a second (very small and narrow, maybe 15’x7’) classroom for the pre-schoolers.  In this small structure they can have up to 50 students.  There wasn't any light or even enough seats for all of the children.  We only got to pop our heads in to say, “Hi” because there was not much room for all four of us to stand.
     One of the things that really struck me on this tour of the school was just how happy these students were even though they are living in such poverty. They have such a respect for their teachers as well as their education. You can see the love of Christ just shining in their eyes. God calls us to have faith like a child and now when I read this verse, I will be thinking of these students.

Thank you for reading,
Risa