A Home of Hope

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Poverty

By Dr. Siga Arles ⋅ July 2, 2006 ⋅

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During the years 1995 to 1998, T Raja was working as driver for the Mission that I directed from Bangalore. He was almost illiterate. But a quick learner. Steadily he learnt to read, to take photos and to make albums and promotional charts, to care for electrical equipment, to arrange meetings, to assist the medical team by disbursing medicines, injecting, tending to cleaning and dressing wounds. And he became involved in a very holistic way. As he drove me around the city, his eyes always spotted the destitute on the streets of Bangalore. Everywhere you find them lying in the footpath, on the mud and sand, in the shade of a tree or under a bridge. Unwashed for months, ill clothed, sick looking with shabby knotted hair, infected wounds with worms, swollen and in cases shivering with fever… they were helpless and harassed…! T Raja was moved with compassion for these destitute.

He told me “Sir, we must do something for these street people. Let us take them, wash them, heal them and shelter them”. I said, “Raja, we have more than we can handle already. We cannot take these on our hands now”. We were working with the quarry people and the dislocated slum people by providing them with adult literacy, health care, tailoring classes, schools for children and pastoral care for families under the Karnataka Evangelistic Association.

T Raja was drawn to the street people. He left KEA. With few friends he started the NEW ARK MISSION. One by one he began to take the destitute street people—men and women, old and young… and began to nurse them to health. He often had to amputate the leg or hand and try to stop the decay in their body. Some were too far damaged that they died within days or weeks. T Raja was willing to pick all kinds of street people. Even the police department began to bring such destitutes from all over the city of Bangalore to the Home of Hope for T Raja to take care. They trusted him and his work.

The stories of the people are amusing as well as heart rending. One of the men had 17 trousers one on top of the other. Another was a famous film director once upon a time. A rich man with his own house in Bangalore, left his family who were constantly quarrelling and took to streets. Raja repaired his damaged body and reconciled him to his children. One inmate is now a healthy woman who was picked from the street with her hand all swollen, infected and with worms. She wore numerous metal bangles in her younger years which had become too small for her growing hand. The metal was immersed into the flesh and became infected to the point that her flesh was eaten away by insects and bone was visible. Such cases have been brought to normal health.

What makes this ministry possible is the holy boldness of its leader. Raja himself carries the maimed bodies -even HIV infected people and nurses them to health at the Home of Hope.

Support started pouring in. Christian NGOs as well as non-Christian organizations, governmental authorities and individuals began to contribute. Times were plenty when there was no food to give but someone drops in with cooked food to serve! I was reminded of George Mueller’s home.

What started in 1998 as a small beginning is now a noted ministry. There are around 150 inmates of all ages and backgrounds cared for at this Home of Hope. Campus Crusade has provided a space for this home. The news media has covered the story on television and news magazines. The Governor of Karnataka and many organizations have already honoured T Raja—and he is now referred as Mother Teresa of Karnataka. News brochures and video clippings are available to show the work and to challenge people to reach out to people in need.

Home of Hope is tackling the problem of street people. Poverty has hit here at its worst. Homelessness, illness, loneliness, hunger, apathy, hopelessness, destitution - these are the tale of these people. Though families are there and the government has programmes for such, yet in a large human mass such as India, there are tremendous needs to reach out to such persons. T Raja is a bold and innovative model in mission to the poor.

As a Professor of Missiology, I teach and train post graduate students of mission theology and praxis. I often tell them that T Raja was my best student in mission! We need many more like him to bring gospel and ministry to actual people in actual situation to make a difference. I recommend this Home of Hope as a model in mission and cover prayer for its ongoing ministry to the poor and destitute. n