MEET LUCKY
I don’t know who decides what defines a great childhood, but some of the most joyful people I’ve met in my travels, live and breathe hospitality, and all they have are a few pieces of plastic for furniture. My 18 year old Compassion child, Karen, had one plastic green chair accompanied by one plastic green table, when I visited her at the age of 11. Her bedroom wall was a trash bag, and pictures of me covered her living room wall. She had what looked like a dryer sheet on top of cardboard for a bed until we redecorated her room in orange and I was able to send her a new bed for she and her sister, pots and pans for her mother who loved to cook and didn’t have a kitchen, and a dining room table with enough chairs to seat the whole family. In 15 years, I’ve sponsored 15 kids, but I was only lucky enough to visit the home of one.
Lucky probably doesn’t have a slew of baby dolls, or a playground in her backyard. Her home is most likely open air and made from different parts of plants and tarps, like her neighbors. But I bet the inside is incredibly organized, and there’s a scent in the air beckoning you to come in and dine. She is an Untouchable, but I can’t keep my hands off of her. When she runs a fever, I’m not sure how she knows it in this heat. Her roads are littered with trash and manure from all the animals that have free reign. Her water comes from a shared well and the government changes it from time to time , which can cause kids like Lucky to get sick. Her hair is beautiful, but we often see nits on the children, and have to comb for lice and use tea tree oil at night. My team hasn’t been through that yet. Insects and rodents come and go as they please in her village, and shoes are hard to come by. But always and forever Lucky is her name.
You won’t see her name in the Bible. I know because I looked. Perhaps it’s because lucky means to have good luck or to happen by chance. I don’t know, but I think her name is perfect and I adore her. She didn’t happen by chance, and God has a plan for Little Miss Thang 🙂 She lives in India and her parents knowingly and purposefully chose the name Lucky for this precious gem. I say knowingly, because if you were looking in on her surroundings or living her circumstances, you might struggle to see her as lucky. God knows her name and takes great delight in her. For all I know she might be like other kids we have met who live with their grandparents so their parents can travel for a year’s time to work far away. She’s in the second standard, a little piece of home I found in here in India, as teaching second grade has always been mine. Sometimes missionaries can only stay in a place for a short while, and it makes building relationships hard. I am so appreciative of the people who pour into these kids and make sacrifices for them. I wish I could visit Lucky every day. Jesus in His ministry, moved from place to place and kept His eyes on His Father. In fact, doing the will of His Father WAS HIS FOOD. So when we leave each day, we leave knowing that God is still at work, and we don’t have to see the harvest to continue planting.
Until now I haven’t written about God’s ministry here in Ongole, because this is a journey and the first part of the World Race journey is about how you operate as a unit, then embracing and at times fighting the elements. My body makes me look like I carry disease, but it’s really just because I get eaten alive at night. That’s an element I’ve come to know well. Our team has been blessed with few ailments, and I have experienced none. I came up with the name Team Undivided having no idea the lengths we would have to go to fight for it daily. Taking in the sights, trying to learn the language, and loving a people you do not know, to a greater depth than humanly possible outside of Christ…that all follows community and the elements. I live, love, and give from the overflow of His love in my life. This often appears ridiculous but hilariously and without apology I press on. I am not supposed to make sense to the world. God didn’t have to make sense to me, for Him to win this relentless pursuit when I was just 18. My first blog was about thoughts that keep me up at night, and the second about looking through one window, embracing the culture, and sitting at its feet as an eager student. I try to update my blogs as God moves.
So I want to take you on a journey, and along the way you’ll get to meet Lucky and fall in love with her too. Each day we get dressed double covering chests and bottoms, then adding a scarf, and we climb aboard our 7 seater tuk tuk, or wonder bench as it is a wonder how there is always room for one more. 🙂 I’m blessed to sit, as Haiti didn’t always offer that luxury when I was serving as a medical missionary. I love the adventures that await us and the fact that no day looks the same out the window or in ministry. We step out of our vehicle into mud or sand most days, but have to be careful because mud also resembles a little somethin somethin else. The children spot us and shout with joy calling out, “Akka Akka!” I am their sister and it is an honor. I hate that white seems to be such a rare sight to some, but I know time will change this as many return to India and linger a bit, or take up residence in more than just the hearts of the people. They high five us, and giggle at, “Down low, too slow!” They LOVE hand games, and can be entertained by them for hours.
We usually arrive early so, at times we go to the beach, but other times we just play with the few kids around. I stand in awe at the simplicity of the little things that provide so much laughter. The other day I was just hanging out with little boys who wanted me to capture lizards on my camera, and practice English with them. Every child seems to know, “What is your name? How are you? I am fine!” They played with a stick and tire and I asked to play too. I tried in Haiti and it’s not as easy as it looks.
On this day we decided to do home visits first, and headed down the path between houses. We would visit 35 homes in all. Starting out we would watch where we stepped as remnants of furry loves were found everywhere. Upon hearing honks we would step to the side to let motorcycles and tuk tucks get by. Both pet and stray dogs would follow us, but we aren’t allowed to touch them, no matter how sad their eyes appear. Women and children always smile at us, even when their faces appear somber or they are hard at work and we aren’t sure they wish to be bothered. A smile doesn’t bother. I love praying for the elderly as they stop us on the road. They have so much to say and I have so much to learn, if only there wasn’t a language barrier. When I pray for them, I have to trust God will heal them in His time, because I want to see it right then and there. I want her to have eyes to see, a smile full of teeth, and a mind that is functioning properly, so we can share a cup of coffee or chapati and curry in her home, as she shares her life stories with me. We stop by the homes of the children who attend the center and pray for the families. We cover our heads with our scarves, as is proper for this culture, and begin to pray out loud. We pray for the children and their studies, their health, protection, and spiritual maturity in Christ. For men and women it is often prayer for eyes, teeth, broken bones, fits, pregnancy, marriage, homes, jobs, and God did use us to release one woman from a demon who had kept her bound for 9 years.
I never want to enter into a day with the attitude that this is just another village, a new group of kids, or just another family in need of prayer. I’m huge on honoring people, and so as we approach a home I remind myself that these are real people crying out for prayer, and they don’t know where they fall in line, meaning whether they were the first or the 35th home we are visiting in one day. I love that they are hungry and not satisfied. When you are satisfied, you can become proud, and forget God.
I can’t tell you which home I was coming from, only that her laughter demanded my attention. We were best buds from that moment on. Lucky didn’t want to leave my side. So I decided to take her with me, and she laid hands on her neighbors in the village to pray with me. Yes a second grade kid can pray with more intensity than some adults I know. In the picture above, she only opened her eyes at the sound of my camera clicking. We headed back and I had to let go of Lucky so I could go upstairs and tutor the children at the center. She returned for our program and boy did she shine. We begin with Over and Under, using water balloons I brought from home. She grasped the game quickly and giggled through it all. Then we teach the kids “How Great is Our God.’ and I add Signed English because kids LOVE hand motions. I just smiled hearing Lucky sing to her God and sat in awe as she added the hand motions I taught her. We have also started to ask the kids to teach us a song or dance in Telugu. When we were deciding what to teach the kids, I suggested, Jesus is the light of the world, and one of the girls came up with the fun idea to make it into a skit with our head lamps, so we perform it every day. My favorite part of the night is when we get into small groups and the children pray over each other. Lucky bowed her head to pray over her sister, and melted my heart. I always ask our translator to have the kids tell me what they prayed and it never fails that I am blown away. They pray informed prayers, because they truly know each other. They affirm, encourage, and challenge without knowing they are doing it. Lucky was no exception.
Before praying over the children and heading to dinner, I scooped Lucky up in my arms and just snuggled her making silly faces capturing more of that contagious laughter. Lucky carries a hopeful name that exudes joy. She might not have the toys that define your idea of a happy childhood, or possess all the luxuries that can make life cushy temporarily, but she IS lucky. She attends school, hears about Jesus, and lives in a place of incredible community and hospitality.
I look at her and remind myself, that although the practice of infanticide was banned years back it remains unenforced in many parts of India. Lucky is more than lucky to be wanted, and cherished by her family, instead of neglected, thrown away or worse. I can’t stomach describing the ways these precious girls die as the methods used date all the way back to the 18th Century. The birth of a girl can come with a sense of disappointment or anxiety, while boys bring great delight. Parents are faced with a heart-wrenching decision in some parts of India. Reason being, that girls have always had money, namely dowry attached to their gender. Gendercide occurs in the millions here in India even though it is illegal. Baby girls are aborted or murdered in some areas of India where this is still practiced. While many homes are filled with overwhelming love towards children, parents can at times mistreat their daughters or neglect them altogether. I’ve read that they are breast fed for a shorter period and when they get sick they might keep them waiting if they have less interest in their survival. They can be malnourished and other states that have less girls sometimes abduct them and begin trafficking them. Keep in mind that not all female children are mistreated like this, but the issue deserves attention, because children are a gift.
I pray that Lucky knows whose she is and grows up to know who she is. Who says she’s Lucky? He does! My challenge to you is that you let God redefine as you unlearn what you know. We all have a picture of what a happy childhood should look like, but mine has changed with every country I travel to. The people change it, my sponsored sons and daughters change it, but ultimately the ways God shows me how they radiate His love, pray for me, and give of their best. I pray that Lucky has godly examples for a mom and a dad, as I didn’t get the chance to meet them. A fan follow just kind of happens as we pray and Lucky joined in. I pray that she has teachers who pour into her more than what’s on paper, but what they know to be right and what they carry in their hearts. I pray that she gets to marry for love, and he adores her as his bride. I pray that she stands out as a light in her village from an early age because He wins His relentless pursuit of her and she seeks His face daily. I pray that she reminds other women of their worth, and glorifies Him with her hands, lips, and life breathing in grace and breathing out praise all the days ordained for this little princess called Lucky.
