It is the amount of time left before I-- and the other 7 people who comprise the ServeGlobal India team this year-- lift off from Denver (hopefully on time and without any complications), on the first of several legs our our airborne journey that will, before too long, find us in southern India among the people of the Dalit caste-- the "untouchables."
Those of you who have already been committed to partnering with me and the rest of the team in this journey-- whether that be with your words of encouragement, your inquiries about the trip and how the planning process has been going, your prayers, and/or your financial contributions-- thank you. You can read on if you want, but mostly this post-- which might be the last I get a chance to make before we head across to the globe-- is an invitation for those who haven't taken the time to stop and notice yet.
So the rest of you: listen up! I am making this trip not only to hopefully be able to make some sort of positive impact by serving the communities and agencies we'll be visiting over in India, and not only to learn more about the plight of an entire people-group who have been oppressed for centuries; but to bring that experience and those stories back to share with all of you. And that doesn't start when I get back from the trip. That starts now. So, what does any of this have to do with you? Read on...
- Learn more. Find out more about the Dalit people and the extreme poverty, exploitation, trafficking and discrimination that they face every day. There are about as many Dalit people as there are people in the entire United States. It's time to bring their story to the forefront of our conciousness. Find out more from the Dalit Freedom Network, or learn about the work of those on the ground in India by checking out OM India's website. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn's powerful book Half the Sky also includes tales of the exploitation of young Dalit girls who are trafficked throughout India for the sex trade. (You can also learn a bit about the other global relationships that Pathways Uptown is building at our ServeGlobal page.)
- Get involved. What does that mean? That depends on you. It might mean passing along your copy of Half the Sky to a friend to read. It might mean listing the DFN's website to your web page, facebook profile, or e-mail signature. Maybe it's sporting an anti-slavery t-shirt from the DFN store. Or perhaps it's sponsoring an Indian child through Compassion, helping to equip them with the education and support they need to have more options for their life, and showing them that they have value.
- Pray. Pray for the Dalit people throughout India; pray for the agencies and individuals who are there, 365 days a year, doing the hard and sometimes slow work on the ground to help empower these communities; pray for the group going to India this month (for safety, good health, team unity, and that we will be able to both show God's love to the people we encounter through our practical service, and also be humble enough to allow them to touch our lives and to learn from them).
- Contribute. I (and the other team members about to embark on this trip) are giving much of our own time and money in order to cross the global and connect on a personal level with people who might not have crossed our minds much before. We'll be gone for two weeks-- in the next two weeks, what could you give up? * 1 fancy Starbucks drink per week: $10
* 2 movies at the theater: $20
* Dinner for two at a restaurant: $35
* Local concert and drinks: $50
* What else could you give up in order to contribute? More importantly, what would be meaningful for you to give up,
knowing that the money would be going to facilitate love and
service to those who have so little?
* Scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page, for easy
instructions on how to contribue to this trip financially
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