We made it to Mumbai in one piece, via an overnight flight through Dubai. An Oasis worker kindly drove us to our base for the week, the YMCA. His driving was excellent, especially when compared to the taxi rides we had later in the day. Driving in Mumbai requires lots of honking, no lights (especially after dark) and optional observance of traffic lights and any other suggestion to stop. As a passenger, its best to keep one's eyes shut.
I dislike cities because I feel threatened by them, and I was unsure how I'd cope with Mumbai's crowds. There were fewer beggars than I expected, though seeing the one child tapping on our taxi window was saddening enough. He was about eight-year's old and was showing us his right leg, which was just a stump below the knee.
A local church, with links to Oasis, had invited to us to speak. We were very humbled by the warm, loving welcome we received. I was particularly struck by one of the congregation, Jabbal, who was converted to Christianity from Islam when he was 25. He now pastors his own church further north, with a strong emphasis on meeting and discipling Muslims and Hindus. Dave talked about forgiveness, which Tim illustrated using some touch paper. Graham and I then joined them in praying for those wanting help with forgiving others.
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| Pastor Jabbal and his wife |
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| Tim lighting up Mumbai |
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| Hindi and English versions of passage on forgiveness |
1 comment:
" though seeing the one child tapping on our taxi window was saddening enough. He was about eight-year's old and was showing us his right leg, which was just a stump below the knee"
Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that these beggars in most metros are very organized. The kids are purposefully fed less, or their legs are broken, or eyes are taken out (in an extreme case) so that they can get more money when they beg, due to people sympathizing with them. The money made from begging then goes to their respective "leaders", who are able bodied, of course! There is a very interesting movie on this, called "Traffic Signal" in Hindi.
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