Hope Builders International - Partnering with Native Christians in Lands of Poverty and Persecution

from Dickinson's India travelogue, 16 August 2008:

The Children

Friends and Family,

I've been living in Dehra Dun and Rishikesh working with Agape ministries (Vikrant). A lot of things are moving forward for the children's sake.

Seeing the children – give me your heart for them O God.
I'm a gift giver; I desire fruit from diligence
that I might lavish with love like yours.
There is surly abundance awaiting upon the path purposed and pursued.

Hungry eyes look longingly – lasting impressions pull deeply
Within myself I feel an answer rising,
rousing my heart, resonating to the core.
More and more I feel the flame feeding.
Consuming fire devour everything that is not of your eternal spark.

Refine that I may delve deeply, drawing in, pouring out,
Reckoning what course will cause results that register
- revealing, awaking - opening eyes to see excellence.
Beauty born of blight, better for the burden from wince it came.
What a privilege my participation, part of transformation.

Public schools here are highly limited and cost money. Vikrant's father started Agape missions which has opened two schools assisting over 800 kids, 590 of whom are on full scholarship... otherwise it's a near certainly they'd receive no education at all. The 210 who can afford fees and do pay something still would not have an adequate option but for Agape's efforts.

Teaching, playing, singing, and dancing with the kids has been beyond encouraging and a blast. Helping Vikrant research and draft more active curriculum models that children can engage with has also had an air of legitimacy. Many of the children come from landless labor families. In these homes school is conceptualized as nearly a reward, one that ought to come second to wood gathering, tending animals, caring for siblings and a gamut of other chores. For these reasons children have the odds stacked against them. It is our hope that implementing more learning games and teaching activities will help keep kids coming to school even though lots of students have to walk miles from deep within the forest.

Tomorrow we venture beyond the outer ranges into the Himalayan interior... the next chapter calls. Currently, just past the outer Shiwalik range, I prepare to move past the prelude into places where life style is truly geared toward basic necessities.

Love Always,
-Jonathan

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