Glimpses of God through India’s Street Children
By Janice Meyer
"The Lord says, I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the cries of the poor. Now I will rise up and
rescue them as they have longed for me to do." (Psalm 12:5)
As we traveled north of Bombay to the impoverished area of Dhavari, dust-covered cars and small, three-wheeled taxis squeezed through the narrow roads outlined by dilapidated storefronts. The cars never stopped honking their horns. Open sewage oozed into drainage areas beside the dirt and rock sidewalks. People sat washing their dishes inches from open sewage ditches.
Children were everywhere. They appeared to belong to no one except other children. A group of young children huddled around a pushcart beside a canal where trash floated on black water. Garbage seemed to be a part of the landscape, and sadly, orphaned children were also blending into the landscape.
Street kids scurried everywhere as we walked through the train station where they beg and work odd jobs for passengers.
A young adolescent girl cared for her siblings in the same difficult situation as the other orphans, but she distanced herself and the little ones from the harder street kids. Survival is her full time job amidst the mass of humanity in the train station.
The summer heat in India can reach 120 degrees, so the winter temperature in the low 70s is very cold to the children. We met a 10-year-old boy named Israel who survived by begging or sweeping floors. His ragged clothes provided no protection from the cold. His teeth chattered, and his thin legs shook. We bought a sweater for him and two of his friends. He followed us everywhere, calling attention to his warm sweater. You would have thought we had spent $100 when our cost was actually the equivalent of about 20 cents.
Kathy Troccoli, Christian recording artist and a good friend of LIFE, walked with us through the streets near the train station. We were told that 100,000 street kids lived in those few blocks. The sight was overwhelming. Suddenly, Kathy Troccoli’s heart broke. Her tearful outburst became a waling sound that drew the attention of the children. Israel took his new sweater and reached to wipe her tears. The gesture was really more than any of us could handle. The orphaned child that needed our help gently reached out to help Kathy.
The missionary explained to the children that she was crying for them. Israel and the others said, “Thank you,” in English. Those two words rang loudly as Kathy leaned on the fence and wept uncontrollably.
Before we left, we treated Israel and his friends to tea and cookies. After loading into the car, we heard a light tap on the window. It was Israel, offering one of his two cookies to Kathy. With reluctance she took it, and the car became quite.
My heart was swallowed up in that moment. We were escorted into the presence of God by an orphaned boy who owned one sweater and had one cookie.
Several days later we were transporting supplies into the areas of India that were devastated by the tsunami. I was burdened with the urgency of getting immediate relief for the people traumatized by the loss of life and possessions. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about the ongoing tragedy of India’s orphaned children. They have no one screaming a warning, “Tidal Wave,” and yet a cruel wave of neglect is rising and will sweep away the lives of helpless children.
My job is to take pictures of all the needs that we see. Each day in India, I photographed suffering people in desperate situations, but the street children, truly broke my heart. I managed to hold back my tears until I returned to my hotel room where I let it all out. I wept and grieved for the children. Someone has to grieve for them, and someone has to cry out for help.
The prophet Jeremiah travailed for the innocent. In Lamentations 2:19 he called on the people of God to pour out their hearts in the presence of the Lord. “Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your heart like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer. Plead for your children as they faint with hunger in the streets.”
Back home, I still wake up thinking about what I saw. I look at their photos and I cry out on their behalf. I am encouraged that we have things in place to bring a change. God has a plan that the children don’t know about yet. Land has been secured for a LIFE Center and Orphanage that will care for little Israel and eventually thousands like him.
With so many street kids, housing for 150 children is a small beginning but it will bring them hope. In the same way He burdened my heart, He will give the burden to others so that many will have a part in caring for the street kids of India.
This Week
Cry out in prayer for the homeless children living in India’s streets. Pray for their survival and for their precious souls to be saved. Watch Life Today on television this month about India or view the programs online to see the children for yourself. Let God speak to your heart.
Prayer
"Father, I am pouring out my heart to you on behalf of the orphans in India. In the name of Jesus, rescue the street kids, and let them experience your love and saving power. Bring the needed help to build the orphanage so these children can have food and shelter."
Janice Meyer is the senior photographer for LIFE Outreach International.
