A great man in India named Joy passed away yesterday.
I met him on a summer mission trip almost 10 years ago. He and his wife (Grace, "a love match" in a society of arranged marriages, he proclaimed) run a non-profit to spread Christ's love to some of the most vulnerable in India's complex society. They care for trafficked children in a home, they take in children abused to the point of being disabled and find expert care for them, and they minister to the poor women in the sex industry there and those with HIV. These are some needy people, people. And Joy loved them.
I spent one of the most eye-opening, game-changing days of my life with Joy. We wound through the maze-like red-light district in his town, through alley after alley too narrow for a car. We had coca-cola in the stall of one of the women indentured there. I fought tears and talked to several young children wandering in and out. Then we went back to his home for lunch. There were about 8 of us at the table, and Grace dished out food from a big pot at the end of the table for at least a dozen more. Who are all these poople? I asked. They live here. Or come here to eat. Joy replied. His home was open to whoever needed a place or a meal.
In his last letter to me, just days before his death, Joy rejoiced about a young man from a Hindu background who just asked Christ into his heart. He praises God and asks for prayer that he will remain firm.
I'm quite sad that he died. But I'm so inspired about how he lived. I pray that I can live and finish as beautifully as he did.
I have been thinking about joyful homecomings for adoptive families, how thrilled they are to have their children home with them. I get all teary thinking about the joyful homecoming Joy is having in heaven. Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, praising God and what God did through Joy! Welcomed into God's very arms, and being told, "WELL DONE, my child."
Because of the people he devoted his life to, and the responsibilites he took on, Joy could have been counted as one of the least, here. HERE. But NOW, in his forever home, Joy is GREAT, indeed.
Please pray for Grace and the many children under his care. I'm not sure what will happen with them. His website is http://soupindia.com.
I met him on a summer mission trip almost 10 years ago. He and his wife (Grace, "a love match" in a society of arranged marriages, he proclaimed) run a non-profit to spread Christ's love to some of the most vulnerable in India's complex society. They care for trafficked children in a home, they take in children abused to the point of being disabled and find expert care for them, and they minister to the poor women in the sex industry there and those with HIV. These are some needy people, people. And Joy loved them.
I spent one of the most eye-opening, game-changing days of my life with Joy. We wound through the maze-like red-light district in his town, through alley after alley too narrow for a car. We had coca-cola in the stall of one of the women indentured there. I fought tears and talked to several young children wandering in and out. Then we went back to his home for lunch. There were about 8 of us at the table, and Grace dished out food from a big pot at the end of the table for at least a dozen more. Who are all these poople? I asked. They live here. Or come here to eat. Joy replied. His home was open to whoever needed a place or a meal.
In his last letter to me, just days before his death, Joy rejoiced about a young man from a Hindu background who just asked Christ into his heart. He praises God and asks for prayer that he will remain firm.
I'm quite sad that he died. But I'm so inspired about how he lived. I pray that I can live and finish as beautifully as he did.
I have been thinking about joyful homecomings for adoptive families, how thrilled they are to have their children home with them. I get all teary thinking about the joyful homecoming Joy is having in heaven. Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, praising God and what God did through Joy! Welcomed into God's very arms, and being told, "WELL DONE, my child."
Because of the people he devoted his life to, and the responsibilites he took on, Joy could have been counted as one of the least, here. HERE. But NOW, in his forever home, Joy is GREAT, indeed.
Please pray for Grace and the many children under his care. I'm not sure what will happen with them. His website is http://soupindia.com.
Oh, wow friend. What a lovely and sad story. And a beautiful thought of his homecoming! Thanks for sharing.
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