Faith in Action and Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. I am waiting at the Chengunar train station for the Kerala Express south bound to Trivandrum. I will meet the American contingent on the train where we will begin to share stories and treats from our respective villages and towns. I have a small vanilla breadcake and a bag of mysterious cylindric snacks to share. I will surprise them later with a pack of Twizzlers.

I am feeling very Thankful. My community is strong and supportive both here in India and at home in the U.S. But foremost on my mind this Thanksgiving is the image of Ashley's mother, who I met yesterday, fighting back tears while talking to the Lower Primary school teachers. Her husband left her and married another woman. He is not providing alimony to help support their three daughters. Ashley and her family live in a Dalit colony (slum) neighboring the hostel where I live. In January, Ashley will miss out on the school trip to Vigaland, a water park, because her mother cannot afford to pay. The family has larger worries than a trip to Vigaland missed. Food, safe shelter, medical payments for her mother who is a heart patient and impending dowry costs for three daughters are some of her concerns.

I am afraid for Ashley's future. She smiles and dances each time I see her but in her 10-year-old eyes I see maturity that frightens me. Resilent eyes that watch the “real world” like an enormous weight on her mother’s shoulders, a fist clenching her mother’s heart.

This Thanksgiving I will give thanks for what I have, but I will be thinking of what I can do. Faith without action seems meaningless to me. God doesn’t demand only our love, he demands action. There are many Aswathi’s in the United States too, forgotten people.

To my friends, to my family and to my home church, Luther Memorial: I challenge you to consider deeply what you can do to make positive change in your town. Here are some ideas:

-Support local farms by regularly shopping at farmer’s markets
-Commit to a type of volunteer work each week
-Limit your waste and recyle
-Don’t shy away from politics, confront realities
-Recognize an unmet need within your community and begin discussing logistical solutions
-Read a newspaper from outside the United States for a wider perspective (The Hindu is linked on my blog)
-Work with young adults; be a mentor, support and encourage their passions, most importantly LISTEN to them

Please add more to my list in the comments area below!