A Sight of Great Contrast

I had not watched the movie Slumdog Millionaire prior to our trip to India.

We watched it sometime in the spring last year after we returned.
I couldn't believe how accurate the movie portrayed life in India's slums.
While we didn't visit the slums (some other tours have been in the slums as GFA has a very active ministry in the slums), the pictures from the plane were taken as we were sitting on a very nice airplane ready to leave south India and fly north. (Up close pics of the slums are from other people.) The contrast of wealth was hard to take in.
I don't feel like these photos give you the reality much, but the slums surround the runways. Raw sewage, no electricity (or little and spotty), no jobs, little food, dangerous.... And they have little hope for escaping their place in life.
I still don't know as much about the slums as I would like. I continue to learn and grow each week as we serve on staff, both in my knowledge of the world's realities and in my knowledge of the Lord and the work He is enabling us to be a part of. It's quite overwhelming at times--the need and the privilege.
If you haven't watched Slumdog Millionaire, I highly recommend it. And, whether or not you have seen the movie, I encourage you to take some time today (or soon) to visit the GFA website and read up on the slums, Dalits, and our ministry there. More than just being in the know--I encourage you to pray and ask God if He's calling you to link your life with those who live in such poverty and hopelessness.

*If you would like to find a wide variety of articles on the slum ministry and plight of the Dalits, use the search box on the upper right-hand corner of the GFA website. My good friend J keeps those articles catalogued. And, I for one am grateful. I learn a lot by reading through the articles found there.