A.T.L. this is a phase that we use often on the Race. It stands for Ask The Lord. I flew from Africa to Kolkata (Calcutta) India. My team had no contact person this month. No person to greet us at the airport, help us get around, explain the culture, or to support in ministry. We were on our own. This is ATL. We were to ask the Lord where and what we were to do this month. Not exactly the easiest thing when you are going through cultural shock in a foreign land where everything is a new experience.
We ended up finding a Hostel on Sudder Street, a street known for attracting foreign backpackers and also known, as I later found out, for underground ring of panhandlers. For those of you who have watched the recent movie, Slumdog Millionaire that takes place in India, will understand what I mean. Children and babies from the slum are taken into the city and are used for begging where the money is collected and given to a ringleader. As I found out even buying milk from a store to give to a hungry baby will be sold back to the store for a reduced price to get money.
It is a difficult thing when the best thing to do becomes doing nothing to work against the ring of panhandlers.
