The privilege of connecting
By Chris Wolf
When people heard I was going to India, they most often responded, “Why are you going to India?” (with a hint of awe, wonder and what’s-wrong-with-you? in their voices).
I would tell them, “I’m going with Presbyterian Women on a Global Exchange,” then I would try to “briefly” explain what a Global Exchange is—we visit our sisters in another country, then they come to visit us the next year. We try to listen, support and learn from each other.
Too often, we who live in privilege think it us up to us to solve the problems of the rest of the world. We heard and saw something different in India—“India will solve India’s problems.”
That doesn’t mean that we don’t pray for them. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have much to learn from them. It means we need to be partners in discerning what God has called us to do, both in India and in United States.
We listened to our sisters’ stories. We prayed with our sisters. We learned from our sisters. In their stories, we heard many familiar joys and concerns. We felt connected to each other as children of God.
I believe that we have much to learn from our sisters in India.
I was in the group that visited the Diocese of Durgapur. Leaders of the Women’s Fellowship and the bishop greeted us. In their tradition, the bishop did most of the talking. He told us, that when he came to that diocese five years ago, he asked the women’s fellowship what they were doing. They were doing many of the kinds of things Presbyterian Women’s circles do. He challenged them to look around and see what they could do for God.
Across the road from the diocesan offices is a slum. Families from the villages come to town to work as day laborers. Most of the kids weren’t going to school. When they did go to school, they lagged behind other kids their age.
The women’s fellowship started a school. The diocese now provides a free clinic. They have a sewing center where they make uniforms to sell to the schools. They have started programs in other towns. They know that education is the key to India’s future.
The four pillars of their efforts are Empower—Expose—Express—Explore.
They empower the youth by educating them. They expose their youth to creativity through art. They help the youth express themselves through dance and sports. They invite the youth to explore faith through worship and activities and programs.
In the United States, we rely on the government to provide social services. In India, it is the church that strives to ensure that all God’s children can live the life God intends.
The bishop’s question—What are we doing for God?—is the question we should be asking ourselves individually and collectively every day.
What are we doing for God? What are we doing to empower others? What are we doing to expose others? What are we doing to help others express their creativity? What are we doing to help others explore their faith?
Chris traveled to India in October 2011 with Presbyterian Women’s Global Exchange.
Invite the participant from your synod to your next event to share more insights from this life-changing trip.
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