A Missionary Enterprise, Home for the Homeless
By Madan, 2nd Aug 2011 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutFamilyReligion
The Christian missionaries are a much reviled lot, yet some of them have done good service for the poor in India.
Looking after the Homeless
The Christian missionaries are much reviled by other religious groups in India. They are charged with trying to spread Christianity by any means,fair or foul. This charge has never been substantiated by anyone with any degree of proof. But all the same people keep talking about it all the time.
The missionaries however are doing a lot of good that cannot be denied. Thus tucked away among the paddy and rice fields is a small Ashram at Vangani village at New Panvel. Panvel is a small township about an hour and half drive from Mumbai on the Mumbai Goa highway.
The Ashram is the brainchild of the Social and Evangelical Association of Love,popularly refereed to as SEAL. The driving force behind this enterprise is Pastor KM Philip. It is to the credit of this Pastor that he thought and executed plans for this Ashram or home. The Ashram serves a definite purpose and is home for people who are destitute and have no place or home to stay. it is a worthy ideal and worth appreciating.
The capacity of this home is 70, but it's popularity can be gauged from the fact that more than 160 destitute persons reside here. The Ashram authorities never say no to anyone who has no home to stay. That perhaps is the reason for the home overflowing with all these destitute persons.
The Ashram is doing a yeoman's job in helping poor and destitute people. Recently a mute and mentally unstable man was found loitering at the Vashi railway station. The people from the Ashram on hearing about this man proceeded to the railway station and brought him to the old home. After few months of stay at the Ashram, SEAL have confirmed that the man is now a different person. In fact the Ashram has given a fresh lease of life to this man.
SEAL is doing excellent service for the people of this area. Pastor Biju Samuel who works at the ashram has confirmed that most of the rescued persons are suicidal cases and some are just lost souls, who have wandered from their homes and as they are very old do not know where to go. The inmates who run the Ashram look after such persons till they are united with their families, who sometimes have presumed that they are not alive.
One thing is clear that for the critics of the Christian missionaries,to sustain their criticism have to come up with similar programs. unfortunately this is not happening. Hence such criticism is not valid. We must salute these men who have made looking after the destitute a profession.
Comments
2nd Aug 2011 (#)
Good article Madan. Thank you.
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16th Sep 2011 (#)
Many people have made India as poor though India is rich in many things. The economy of India, when measured in USD exchange-rate terms, is the twelfth largest in the world, It is the third largest in terms of purchasing power parity. India is the second fastest growing major economy in the world, with a GDP growth rate of 9.4% for the fiscal year 2006–2007.
No it is like any country, it has its rich developing cities and its poor suburbs just like many cities around the world.small areas that r poor, but all countries have that. the media .some corrupted greedy preachers and missionaries simply shows those areas, and make it seem like a poor country.
4 Indians in the list of Top 10 richest people in the World by Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/03/05/r…
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16th Sep 2011 (#)
Thank you Shaila for your comment
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