Sir and co- director (Mommy!) of the children at Asha House was working
with Ravinder and I to chop vegetables. I was so blessed to just sit
and listen to Simini. She has so many other administrative things to
worry about to keep the home running, and still took time to help
prepare lunch since Asha House recently lost their main cook, Moni who
returned home to take care of her sick mother elsewhere in India. I am
continually amazed by the grace, faith and compassion of Victor Sir and
Simini. Not only in their care of the children but simply their trust
in God, proclaiming His goodness in all and through all circumstances.
Asha House is in deep financial need as you know from the previous blog post. But every Sunday the collection at the Asha worship service is given to others
in need; other pastors and other ministries. Just like the widow who
gives her two copper coins and “put in more than all the others…out
of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:3-4).
while we worked and the only way to explain the weight of it all is to
share what I heard:
house has a wisdom and sadness in her eyes of a young heart that has
seen much more than I can comprehend. Simini told me that her father is
an alcoholic and sent her to work in a home that was not safe for her.
She hated it there, was treated very badly and her safety endangered;
she needed to get out but her father did not want to sacrifice the
money he was making from her work. She was brought to Asha House where
she works and her pay goes to help support her family now. She is
called “Munni-didi” (didi, is the affectionate Hindi term for “sister”)
by the other children and has opened up so much to us- I love seeing
her smile- it lights up her eyes and she gives the sweetest hugs. She
works incredibly hard and does not go to school but sometimes sits in
when we teach.
Simini also told me to pray for them as they are anticipating the
return of Brij, a boy now 16, who grew up at Asha House. He is a true
orphan and was living with his grandparents but they cannot provide for
him, especially since he has a mental illness that is incredibly costly
to treat. Simini said that they are preparing to bring him back to Asha
House but she is worried about how they will pay for his living there,
let alone medical treatment and the other children’s safety. “But he is
family and this is his home,” she said to me. And as she spoke with
such love and compassion for this boy who, when he arrives, will
complicate their living immensely but that was not even a concern. The
impossibility and helplessness of their situation was impressed upon me
with its weight and in the middle of telling me this story, one of our
teammates Rebecca brought little Bagwan,
his eyes full of tears over to Simini. She stopped talking to me and
chopping the vegetables as Rebecca explained he was crying during
class completely inconsolable. Simini asked him what happened and
focused all her attention on Bagwan. She spoke to him in Hindi so I
don’t know what all was said but she seemed to tell him it was all
right, that he was a brave little boy and then squinted her eyes at him
and puckered her lips sending him little kisses. He smiled and she sent
him on his way back to class and the sweetness of the moment was
overwhelming. Her compassion is endless. She loves tirelessly; the room
in her heart is beyond any capacity I can fathom. She has so many
issues weighing on her and her husband: where the money will come from,
how they will care for Brij, the house itself, the approaching winter,
the list goes on and on, but she focused so fully on Bagwan and his
need at that moment and gave all her love to him. She then told me how
brave he is, that he arrived 6 months ago and never once cried for his
mother, when all the children do cry when they first arrive. She had
such revereance and respect for this Bagwan and his heart, taking him
seriously and his pain seriously and treating him like the precious
image-bearer of the Creator that he is. I was reminded simply that God
is love, that “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself
through love.” (Galatians 5:6) that without it we are only clanging
cymbals. I have again and again come to the end of myself and my
strength. My love is weak, tried and worn out and it is only deep
abiding reliance on Him that love looks like what I saw in Simini today.
“Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by
itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you beat fruit unless
you remain in me. Apart from me you can do nothing. As the Father has
loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” John 15:4-5, 9
