While
visiting the north Indian slums of Patiala one day, to minister to the
impoverished garbage pickers who live there, Mrs. Sulochana Singh saw
something that broke her heart: a small baby girl lying on a cot with
thousands of bees swarming over her nearly lifeless, skeletal body.
That
baby was malnourished to the point of near death, infected by many
oozing bedsores. Sulochana watched as the child struggled to take her
last breaths.
Sulochana
had compassion on the child and wanted to do something for her. At the
same time, she also recognized that it wasn't her business, and worried
about whether to interfere. But at that moment, Sulochana says, "I heard
a soft voice inside me saying, ‘What would you have done if she was
your own baby?’ That voice touched me and I told my husband about the
voice and got his consent to help the child."
Sulochana
and her husband, Pastor Akash Singh, found the baby’s parents and
talked with them to find out why was the baby left out on the cot like
this. They learned that the baby was weak, and the doctors had given up
hope for her, telling the parents that she would die. So the parents,
not knowing what else they could do, had left the baby on the cot to die
and had prepared a grave for her.
But
Sulochana was persistent and asked if she and her husband could try to
treat the baby in a government hospital. The father agreed. He went with
Sulochana and Akash to take the baby to the children’s ward of the
government hospital. There they met with more disappointment. A doctor
told them that because the baby was about to die, they couldn’t admit
her for any treatment.
Sulochana
told the doctor that she and Akash run a charitable organization called
Grace Seva Smitee (Grace Service Committee) and it was through that
organization they had come on behalf of the child. They pled with him to
admit her to the hospital.
The
doctor’s attitude changed. He decided to take a chance on the little
girl. He called his team and started treatment. With some oxygen, she
immediately began to improve.
Then,
the baby suddenly stopped breathing. The staff said she had probably
died. Unwilling to give up, Sulochana and Akash went outside, knelt down
and interceded to the Lord for the baby’s life. Even before they
finished their prayer with “Amen,” someone came out and told them the
baby had begun breathing again. They rushed back into the hospital room
where doctors said they were going to run some tests and that they were
optimistic for the baby’s life.
After
all the tests, the baby was treated there for 25 days. Sulochana and
Akash were at her side day and night, doing everything they could, along
with praying continually for her. During the day, Akash stayed with the
baby, and Sulochana stayed overnight.
"On
the third day of the treatment the baby opened her eyes and looked at
me and smiled,” Sulochana recalled. “I went close to her, and in spite
of having no strength in her hands, she still hugged me very tight and I
told her, ‘Jesus loves you.’ The baby was almost a skeleton, and when
she hugged me I could feel her bones. All her body pus got stuck to my
dress. At that moment I felt that the Lord has given this baby to me. I
praised God for a new life to the baby."
After
the little girl’s recovery, Sulochana talked with her husband and also
with the father about the child’s future. If he was unable to care for
her, would he be willing for Sulochana and Akash to raise her?
"We
had already dug a grave for her in front of our house and had left the
baby on the cot to die,” the father replied. “She was not eating
anything and there was no hope for her. But you came in that time and
the Lord has saved the baby through you. If we take the baby back, she
would not survive. We have already decided to give the baby to you. You
keep her."
Sulochana
and Akash were overjoyed with this blessing. Doctors and the medical
team instructed them how to take good care of the girl.
Slowly, the child’s health improved. She
ate and digested well. Very soon, the girl became very healthy, put on
weight.
Over
the next four years, she started learning words, and began calling the
pastor and his wife “Mom” and “Dad.” She attended church with them where
she learned about God, and singing small songs.
Sulochana says, “We had two sons (Enosh, 18 and Phillip, 17) and now the Lord had blessed us with a daughter."
Now
that baby is four years old. Sulochana and Akash say, "We love the baby
very much. We have named her Angel. We want to see this baby becoming
very educated and do great work for the Lord."
She will be attending school this coming November.
*******
The story you just read is a sneak peek at one of the many stories I am now receiving from our new communications team in India.
Some of you will know that last fall, I sent a Dutch volunteer to India for 3 months, to provide training and help organize a communications team there. It has been a long-time dream; we have been talking about it or working on it off and on for years.
At the same time, our church leader in India was able to find someone to take the role of India communications coordinator -- Rev. Rajiv Yangad.
I first met Pastor Rajiv back in 2013, when I visited to provide two storytelling trainings in the country. Pastor Rajiv specifically wanted us to give one of these trainings to people on his district in Central Maharashtra, because he intuitively recognized its importance.
Pastor Rajiv is passionate about photography, storytelling, video, writing and even creating websites. He has been developing his skills in these areas for years as a personal interest, next to his leadership for our churches in Central Maharashtra.
Since he took responsibility for communication ministry in India, and since Frank, the volunteer from the Netherlands, gave three months of his time to travel around with Pastor Rajiv and carry out four trainings in four different parts of the country, there has been a sudden flood of amazing stories from our churches in India!
I have been thrilled to see the beautiful, powerful and well-developed stories that trainees are writing.
Last week, Pastor Rajiv forwarded to me the first video filmed and edited by someone who was at the training. Pastor Rajiv is also working hard on creating a professional and modern Nazarene website for our church in India. And he is helping to develop a strategy for helping our churches in India communicate more effectively with one another.
Last week, Pastor Rajiv forwarded to me the first video filmed and edited by someone who was at the training. Pastor Rajiv is also working hard on creating a professional and modern Nazarene website for our church in India. And he is helping to develop a strategy for helping our churches in India communicate more effectively with one another.
You can read a couple more of them here:
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