When I applied for the race I expected to see the face of desperation. I thought I knew what desperation looked like then I took a trip to a hospital in India and found out where desperation really lives. I want to share with you what I wrote down after the visit was over and I had taken the time to process all of the things I had seen, felt and experienced.
Today we visited a hospital and once again India totally overwhelmed my senses…
We went into several different rooms to pray including a room full of mother’s holding sick infants. Then we entered a room where a man had large metal pins stuck out of his leg in 6 different places where the bone had broken. Pastor explained the mans situation to us in greater detail saying that 6 months had passed and they were praying he would recieve medical treatment to remove the pins soon. Neglect in government hospitals is common and this man was a prime example of it. The skin had healed to the pins months before which means the wounds were not properly cleaned or taken care of. When the man does eventually have the pins removed that will be an added and painful complication. Not to mention the atrophy he will suffer in his legs and back from not being able to walk or exercise for 6 months.
The rest of that day was full of more examples of this kind of desperation as we met with two different women who had recently lost children, a man with a broken leg and witnessed an auto bringing two people into emergency with severe head injuries. The pain and suffering just never seemed to stop and we found ourselves very uncomfortable with the quality of care they were receiving. Medical treatment just isn’t available here like it is at home. Something as common as a broken bone can be a traumatic and life altering event here.
I have never seen desperation in such a close, personal way before. The people we seen that day were not physically able to help themselves. They were at the mercy of a system that didn’t really seem care whether they lived or died. It was scary and heartbreaking. All we could do was pray with them and at first prayer didn’t feel like an adequate response to their desperation.
But after reflection this is what I decided:
…The truth is God was present in those places before we ever showed up. His angels were guarding the people there and His hand was moving among them. Sometimes it’s just hard to recognize that He’s there because of the noise and desperation of the chaos. Peace just seems to pale in comparision. But that does not mean he isn’t there it just means that we have to have the perspective of the Kingdom to see ALL that is going on.
In all of those places there is a great potential for love that is supernatural and prayers with healing power. There is no formula for the perfect prayer, no correct way to show love it just happens in the clumsy, simple moments when we see a need and reach out to offer love and relief. It’s not anything fancy that we can do or be, it’s just us, offering love like Jesus offers it to us wherever we see desperation make its home.
I feel like I need to also tell you that desperation here in India has two faces. There is the trauma of neglect and a lack of available medical care but there is also a desperate cry rising from the hearts of the people here for the one living God. The way the people pray, worship and soak up every word of the Bible is a demonstration of a desperation for more of God. More love, more truth, more power, MORE OF GOD. That is the heart’s cry of the people here. They are desperate for more of Him.
The Pastor we have been working with prays for healing and sees people healed on a regular basis. It’s natural and common for his church members to call him and ask that he pray that God would heal them over the phone and God does. Our God is that big and that in control. The chaos of sickness just isn’t powerful enough to quench his power, glory and majesty. The people here believe that and it makes them desperate for more of God.
When I set out on the race I expected to see the desperation that sickness causes but for some reason I didn’t anticipate that there would be such a strong desperation for more of God. God has been altering my mindset this past month as he teaches me how to see from a Kingdom perspective and I’m excited to see where it takes me in the months to come.
