Street Children

Every Sunday morning the Missionaries of Charity Brothers at Nabo Jibon open their doors to the street children. These children are not orphans by the way. They live in the slum with their parents close to Nabo Jibon. The Brothers let them play on the playground, and provide water and shampoo so they can take a much needed shower. I was told Sunday is probably the only time they get the opportunity to take a shower for the whole week, no wonder they have lice. After some much needed showers, we help the brothers serve hot meals to the children before they return to their families.

The first thing we do when we arrive there is play with the children. Some are very friendly and will run to me for a hug or just to say hello. And some will literally jump on me even though they are way too big to be held. Then we help the children shower and make sure everyone gets the opportunity. The whole process can get very messy and it also involves everyone getting soaked from chest to toes. They especially enjoy “swimming” in the big concrete tub used to hold water and sliding across the floor after they get soaped up. 

The children get so excited when they see free gifts and food, and they will fight over it until someone has it. I learned my lesson the first time I tried to give a snack to a little girl. I had children essentially hanging on me and pulling on my arm determined to be the first one to grab the snack out of my hand. I was quite surprised by their determination and their strength because most of them were half my size. I guess their aggressive response to food or anything free is pretty understandable. When you live in the streets the strongest ones are usually the winners. How I wish they could grow up without worrying about food.

 

  

 

I have only been there two times and it has been so amazing interacting with the kids. Some of them are very sociable and love the attention we give them, and some stick with their older siblings and hang out by themselves. I usually look for the younger children sitting by themselves and try to befriend them or comfort the ones that seem unhappy. And I also keep an eye out for any fighting among the younger children and the older children. When there is a fight I really wish I could speak Bengali, so I could tell them about treating each other with respect and love. It breaks my heart to see them treating each other like that. I just pray they will know and accept Jesus as their savior one day. And that He loves them more than they can ever imagine.

 

One last thing, the Sisters gave me a pamphlet describing all the times the Virgin Mary appeared to people of all race and religion, and the special messages she gave to them and the miracles she performed. I had no idea there were so many and it was so amazing to read about Her love for us all and Her unending mercy, so I thought I would share one each time I post a blog.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

The opening of the New World brought with it both fortune-seekers and religous preachers desiring to convert the native populations to the Christian faith. One of the converts was a poor Aztec indian named Juan Diego. On one of his trips to the chapel, Juan was walking through the Tepayac hill country in central Mexico. Near Tepayac Hill he encountered a beautiful woman surrounded by a ball of light as bright as the sun. Speaking in his native tongue, the beautiful lady identified herself:

"My dear little son, I love you. I desire you to know who I am. I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and maintains its existence. He created all things. He is in all places. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. I desire a church in this place where your people may experience my compassion. All those who sincerely ask my help in their work and in their sorrows will know my Mother's Heart in this place. Here I will see their tears; I will console them and they will be at peace. So run now to Tenochtitlan and tell the Bishop all that you have seen and heard."

Juan, age 57, and who had never been to Tenochtitlan, nonetheless immediately responded to Mary's request. He went to the palace of the Bishop-elect Fray Juan de Zumarraga and requested to meet immediately with the bishop. The bishop-elect told Juan that he would consider the request of the Lady and told him he could visit him again if he so desired. Juan was disappointed by the bishop's response and felt himself unworthy to persuade someone as important as a bishop. He returned to the hill where he had first met Mary and found her there waiting for him. Imploring her to send someone else, she responded:

"My little son, there are many I could send. But you are the one I have chosen."

 She then told him to return the next day to the bishop and repeat the request. On Sunday, Juan met with the bishop who, on re-hearing his story, asked him to ask the Lady to provide a sign as a proof of who she was. Juan dutifully returned to the hill and told Mary, who was again waiting for him there, of the bishop's request. Mary responded:

"My little son, am I not your Mother? Do not fear. The Bishop shall have his sign. Come back to this place tomorrow. Only peace, my little son."

Unfortunately, Juan was not able to return to the hill the next day. His uncle had become mortally ill and Juan stayed with him to care for him. After two days, with his uncle near death, Juan left his side to find a priest. Juan had to pass Tepayac Hill to get to the priest. As he was passing, he found Mary waiting for him. She spoke:

"Do not be distressed, my littlest son. Am I not here with you who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Your uncle will not die at this time. There is no reason for you to engage a priest, for his health is restored at this moment. He is quite well. Go to the top of the hill and cut the flowers that are growing there. Bring them then to me."

While it was freezing on the hillside, Juan obeyed Mary's instructions and went to the top of the hill where he found a full bloom of Castilian roses. Removing his tilma, a poncho-like cape made of cactus fiber, he cut the roses and carried them back to Mary. She rearranged the roses and told him:

"My little son, this is the sign I am sending to the Bishop. Tell him that with this sign I request his greatest efforts to complete the church I desire in this place. Show these flowers to no one else but the Bishop. You are my trusted ambassador. This time the Bishop will believe all you tell him."

At the palace, Juan once again came before the bishop and several of his advisors. He told the bishop his story and opened the tilma letting the flowers fall out. But it wasn't the beautiful roses that caused the bishop and his advisors to fall to their knees; for there, on the tilma, was a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary precisely as Juan had described her. The next day, after showing the Tilma at the Cathedral, Juan took the bishop to the spot where he first met Mary. He then returned to his village where he met his uncle who was completely cured. His uncle told him he had met a young woman, surrounded by a soft light, who told him that she had just sent his nephew to Tenochtitlan with a picture of herself. She told his uncle:

"Call me and call my image Santa Maria de Guadalupe".

It's believed that the word Guadalupe was actually a Spanish mis-translation of the local Aztec dialect. The word that Mary probably used was Coatlallope which means "one who treads on snakes"! Within six years of this apparition, six million Aztecs had converted to Catholicism. The tilma shows Mary as the God-bearer - she is pregnant with her Divine Son. Since the time the tilma was first impressed with a picture of the Mother of God, it has been subject to a variety of environmental hazards including smoke from fires and candles, water from floods and torrential downpours and, in 1921, a bomb which was planted by anti-clerical forces on an altar under it. There was also a cast-iron cross next to the tilma and when the bomb exploded, the cross was twisted out of shape, the marble altar rail was heavily damaged and the tilma was...untouched! Indeed, no one was injured in the Church despite the damage that occurred to a large part of the altar structure.

 

In 1977, the tilma was examined using infrared photography and digital enhancement techniques. Unlike any painting, the tilma shows no sketching or any sign of outline drawn to permit an artist to produce a painting. Further, the very method used to create the image is still unknown. The image is inexplicable in its longevity and method of production. It can be seen today in a large cathedral built to house up to ten thousand worshipers. It is, by far, the most popular religious pilgrimage site in the Western Hemisphere.

Titagarh

Last Thursday, I visited the leprosy center (Titagarh) run by the Missionaries of Charity Brothers with my fellow volunteers. The center is home to people with leprosy and they actually have their own little enclosed self-sustaining community next to some railroad tracts. This is where people with leprosy can live without being judged by society and it’s also where they receive free treatments. The center houses families and there are also wards for temporary patients.

 

Every person there has leprosy and they contribute to their small community by weaving, sewing, gardening, taking care of the animals, making prosthetics and shoes suitable for people with decreased sensation. They also raise their own pigs, goats, chickens and ducks. And they have a fish farm, vegetable garden and a beautiful orchard! The workers are paid of course, but they don’t really need the money because everything is provided by the Missionaries of Charity. Some of them do send their wages to their families living outside the community. This is also where the saris the Sisters wear are made and they also make all the linens and clothes used by the patients at the homes run by the Missionaries of Charity. The center does not make any profit, but they do distribute any excess produce to the other homes run by the Sisters and Brothers. This place is like a paradise compared to most homes in Kolkata. It's so clean and the yard is filled with beautiful trees and not littered with garbage everywhere. 

Their orchard

Fish farm

Here are some facts about leprosy. 

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic disease cause by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. The disease primarily affects the peripheral nerves, the skin, the upper respiratory tract and also the eyes. Leprosy is not highly infectious because most of the human population is not susceptible to the bacteria. It is transmitted through droplets from the mouth and nose during close and recurrent contacts with untreated people. It takes about three to five years for the disease to manifest itself after initial contact. Leprosy can be treated with standard antibiotic drugs and is very effective if treated as soon as possible. People become noninfectious when they take the prescribed medications, so there is no need to be isolated from their family and community after they are treated.

Most of the patients I encountered there were either missing a part of their hand, feet or their whole limbs. The missing body parts are not the direct result of the disease. The problem is caused by the loss of sensation. I bet most people would love to not feel any pain, but God knew what He was doing when He created us. Our sensory nerves warn us if our body is injured and that we should avoid hurting it again until our body heals itself. So logically, if our warning system is impaired we have no way of keeping our body safe from harm. People with sensory loss just have to avoid standing or sitting in one position for long periods. Check their feet often and always wear protective shoes and make sure there are no objects inside the shoes. And always wear mittens when cooking so they don’t burn their hands. The people living there could have prevented the loss of their limbs, but several factors contributed to the cause. First, they were in denial, so they concealed it as long as they could because they feared being ostracized by their families and communities. The second reason was because they didn’t know where to get treatments or they were unable to pay for the medicine. And lastly, they didn’t feel any pain when they injured themselves, so they thought nothing of it and didn’t treat their wounds. So the untreated wounds became infectious and that led to the loss of their fingers, toes and limbs.

Despite their circumstances they all radiate happiness there and they seem at peace. God is so good and this center truly shows He cares about equal treatment of His people no matter their situation or religion. Titagrah is really amazing and the Brothers genuinely testify to God’s love for all people regardless of their circumstances. I highly recommend visiting Titagarh if you are ever in Kolkata. 

On our way to work.

This is how they pack a train here. People literally hanging out of the train!

A message from Mother Teresa.