TESTIMONIES FROM THE SLUMS OF INDIA / Ps Paul Silvanus

Children growing up in slums experience a childhood that often defies the imagination of a normal childhood that we would expect. The children are the ones who suffer the most, and the experiences they go through often leave deep emotional scars. Very early in life they become aware of what life is like living in the slums and they learn how to survive day by day. It’s a tough fight for survival and a dangerous place for these children.

The slums lack proper sanitation, safe drinking water, and good personal hygiene habits. There is not much space and homes are cramped together made with makeshift materials such as cardboard, plastic sheets and zinc; inside these homes up till five or even more family members can be found living together. Their surrounding areas are in very poor condition with piles of rubbish in every corner contributing to air that smells foul.  It’s dusty, overcrowded, unhealthy where the children live, and there are no public spaces dedicated to their recreational use. But that does not mean that these children have no childhood, only a different kind of childhood, the kind that we hope our children and grandchildren never have to face. Their playgrounds are the dirty alleys and paths weaving in and out of the slums. They take on multiple roles in everyday life and share responsibilities with adults in domestic and public spaces in the community.

While walking through the slums, I looked at the children playing in the dirt, an easy target for human traffickers and drug traffickers. These children who are despised, depressed and suppressed in the society touched my heart deeply. I felt the Lord wanting me to take care of His children. Hence the day care centres were established in June 2012. It was a challenge because the slum dwellers and even the children trusted no one. With hard work and dedication and after experiencing the tangible love of Christ through our workers, the children began to come. We offered them a safe place to come after school and helped them with their school work. They were also taught moral issues and good personal hygiene habits. In addition, to the children the most important item of the day was a hot meal before they went home; for many this could very well be their only meal for the day.

We constantly sought the Lord and He guided us through every challenge we faced, every setback; He was there with us touching the hearts of the children, filling them with joy and love. Disciplining them was hard but we never gave up, and here I must give a shout of gratitude to the volunteers and teachers who sacrificed their time from Monday to Friday to come and teach the children and cook for them. I believe that God chose the right men and women for the job and they were obedient to their calling. The love they showed the children was what melted the hearts of the parents as they experienced the tangible love of God through our volunteers and co-workers. There are so many testimonies that I would like to share with you but it would mean pages and pages, so I am going to share just a few with you.

 Day care centre testimonies.

 V. SANDHYA, a Hindu girl is currently studying in the 6th standard and she has been coming to the centre for the last 5 years. Her family was homeless and they slept under trees or any shelter they could find or sometimes even in the alleys and public places. Her father was a snake catcher in the area and when he was able to catch snakes, he earned INR100. Often, he was not able to catch anything and the family suffered.

Sandhya who heard about Jesus at the day care centre learned about the power of prayer and she would often cry out to God, “Jesus give us a home of our own,” a short prayer from the heart. God heard her cry and in January 2019, they got a small house with a room and a kitchen from the government welfare department. She shared with her mother and father about her prayer and how God answered it;  both her parents accepted Christ and started believing in Jesus. They have been coming to church regularly and have been baptized as well. A whole family saved and Heaven rejoices.

 Sisters Rithvika and Nevetha have been attending the centre for the last 3 years, Rithvika studying in standard 6 & Nevetha in standard 3. They are from a staunch Hindu family and her father is a rickshaw puller who spends all he earns on alcohol and is passed out every night in a drunken stupor. The family depend on their mother’s income as a domestic helper but things are tough.

At the centre the children heard about Jesus and that He is almighty and all powerful, and they went home to share this with their mother insisting Jesus could help them. Their mother was skeptical at first but the children began to pray, and as they were taught the importance of fasting, they began to fast too and the pastor got the church members in the slum to fast and pray with them.

They prayed for their father to stop drinking. After 3 months, the children noticed that their father was coming home early on weekdays and was sober. The children were so excited and increased their prayer for their father. Eventually, even on the weekends he remained at home with his family and he seemed happy to spend time with them. He was deeply stirred in his heart when he heard that his children had prayed for him to this Christian God called Jesus.Today he and his family are born again and attend church regularly. He no longer drinks and is completely delivered from alcohol; the family is peaceful and their father,a changed man.

Daisy suffered terribly at the hands of her abusive alcoholic husband. She and her 2 boys, Sharan Raj and Swathi, often went to bed hungry. The boys would tremble and run out of the house when the father returned home and beat up his wife. The two boys attended the day care centre and the pastor noticed how they were always fearful. The pastor and the volunteers spent time getting the boys to trust them showering them with care and love. Slowly the boys opened up as to what was happening at home. The pastor began to visit the children at home and talk to their father just to discuss the children’s progress at the centre. In the meantime, he began to pray for this family and as time went on, the father began to ask more questions about God and the pastor shared the Gospel with him and began to pray with him. Praise God for the pastor’s perseverance; the father gave up alcohol, asked his wife to forgive him and the whole family is now in the Kingdom of God. 

These are just a few of the many stories that have emerged from the slums. We thank the donors of Asian Outreach Malaysia for their partnership with us to bring God’s hope and love to these poor suffering families. Our desire is to provide slum centres for all the children in the slums, but due to lack of space and funds, we cannot take them all in. Many parents come to see us daily begging us to help their children. I pray that the Lord will touch hearts to reach out and partner with us to enable us to enlarge our centres so we can give more kids a future and a hope.

Proverbs 31:8-9

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”