24th May 2017
Last night in a special way, the past and the power of the future visited me in a rather awesome way. For the second time in my life I met Rebecca the daughter of Indian tea pluckers in Sri Lanka. Although we had forgotten each other she greeted me with a smile. Her bronzed complexion and the red shift Indian dress set her apart, but it was her presence that made the real impact.
Last night a dozen friends from the local church gathered in a home to hear about a fledgling overseas mission. The occasion sparked memories. The 1990s seemed a life time away but my wife and myself had hosted a similar evening. It was at that meeting that we first met Rebecca as a visiting 10-year-old from Sri Lanka and part of a programme promoting child sponsorship. Last night the same Indian girl stood before us, not only as a young mature, articulate woman with a family in Colombo but as a courageous Christian leader who had established the “Wings of Hope” mission reaching children in the slums of Colombo.
It was not ‘resurrection’ exactly but last night, like Thomas in the gospels who met with the disciples after Jesus death, I was confronted with the presence of transformation. From childhood to maturity, from poverty to purpose, from nurture to leadership. In the person of Rebecca I was confronted with something special, nothing less than the empowerment of the living Christ.
Many years before, as a small boy trapped in poverty, ,Rebecca’s father had run away from home to Colombo and tried to find some one to care for him. After physical abuse from a number of people he found a lady who took him in. She knew the value of education and taught him about God and how to read and write. Rebecca’s mother, the daughter of a Hindu priest later attended a Christian church, but she would arrive late and leave early because she could neither read or write. Rebecca herself was born on a tea plantation in a hut with a mud floor and walls. She was destined to spend her life, like generations of women before her picking tea in dangerous conditions, earning less than $5 a day, earning nothing at all, if the set quota of leaves was not reached. No one in her parent’s family had ever finished primary school.
Unlike the revelation that came to Thomas in one single dramatic event, last night, amid multiple stories of poverty and a world dominated by Hinduism I was exposed to the reality of compassion, hardship, courage, faithfulness and humble service. As a child, Rebecca met Christ through the actions and nurture of local Christians, and overseas sponsors. She was nurtured and encouraged by people and initiatives that led to education, health and nutrition.
It was not one single formula or programme at work, it was the saturation of Christian love, sacrifice, the hope of a living Christ, and his indwelling presence that made the difference. It was a transformation that not only touched Rebecca, but her entire family. Today her father is a Christian pastor, her mother and brother are Christian leaders. Through “Wings of Hope” Rebecca Alexander herself and her husband, now bring Christian wholeness and hope to many other families and disadvantaged children. It was a powerful, evening sponsored by Mukti Mission Australia.
In an Australian context where Christian nurture and values are increasingly regarded not only as draconian, even dangerous and repressive, it was arresting to be confronted with the evidence of profound human transformation. This was more than humanitarian self improvement or social enlightenment. Here I encountered a holistic life-presence and motivation that was centred on Christ, a dynamic life-source beyond our own resources.
For more information visit http://www.mukti.org.au
Rev E.A. (Ted) Curnow. 15 May 2017
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