India: First Impressions—the Value of a Human Life

By Jim Franks

David Baker and I are currently traveling in India. We began this trip on Sunday, Jan. 5, and will return to the U.S. on Jan. 23. During that time period we will visit most of the members in this region (India and Sri Lanka). We will have an opportunity to enjoy a meal with them and conduct a Bible study or Sabbath service in their homes. These opportunities are rare in this huge country where our membership is so small.

Officially, this is my second trip to India. In 2007 David Baker and I traveled to India to visit with a Church of God group living in the foothills of the Himalayas in the far northeastern corner of the country, near the Burmese border. At their request, we spent about a week visiting with them before returning home to the U.S. We found this group to be very friendly, but clearly there were some major differences between our beliefs and practices and theirs. We parted as friends.

This current trip is really my first opportunity to visit with the members of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, living in India. During our first week of traversing India from west to east and north to south, I have thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the members—visiting some in their homes and meeting others at our hotel.

Everywhere we have gone we have been met with great excitement. The attitude of these scattered members and their inspiring stories of conversion have made the trip more than worthwhile. As I write this on Jan. 12, we have 10 more days to go and more than half of the members yet to visit before returning to the U.S.

First impressions

My first impression of India is the overwhelming number of people. Everywhere you go you see waves of people moving on the sidewalks and the streets. Lanes marked on the streets are of little help since there are four or five rows of traffic moving in each direction for every two marked lanes. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, buses and automobiles compete with one another for space on the streets and the sidewalks in all the major cities we’ve visited.

India is the second most populous country in the world, with 1.2 billion people. With its current rate of growth, it is predicted that within a few years India will surpass China to claim the No. 1 position. The four largest cities are New Delhi, Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Bangalore and Hyderabad. Before returning home from this trip, we will visit all of these cities except for Bangalore. In addition, we will spend time in the cities of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Chennai, Moradabad and Agra. If you check these locations on a map, you will understand the vastness of the country and the extent of our visit.

Of the 1.2 billion people living in India, 33 percent live below the official world poverty level. That equals 400 million people—more than the entire population of the U.S. Many of these live in the streets and struggle daily to have food and shelter.

On this trip we have seen whole families living on the side of the road with no shelter. They have all their belongings in a couple of bags. It breaks your heart to see how poor so many people are in a country so rich in assets. In addition, there are thousands upon thousands of people walking the streets at all hours of the day and night. When you have so many people, it is easy to see how one individual human life can be lost. It seems that his or her story will never be told. After all, with more than 1 billion people, what value does one life have?

Precious lives

Although she was not born in India, a Catholic nun known as Mother Teresa saw much suffering on the streets of old Calcutta during her lifetime. She wrote about that experience: “Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.”

We know that in God’s plan every human being has value as a potential child of God. That understanding should never be taken for granted.

The world uses John 3:16 as a syrupy, religious-sounding platitude, concluding that God expects nothing of us because He loves us. Visiting in India makes John 3:16 come to life. To know that God values and loves every human being and that He has a plan that includes each and every one is comforting, especially when you see the overwhelming problems that exist in the world today and know that you personally cannot resolve them.

Their stories

Our understanding of God’s plan, as laid out in the festivals, shows us that only a few will be called during this lifetime. Those few who have been called out of the 1.2 billion inhabitants of India are special people, chosen by God to understand a truth that 99.9 percent do not grasp. I plan to write their stories over the next few weeks to share with all of you.

Be on the lookout for them—both in video on In Accord and in article form here on the members’ website. I believe some of these stories will move you to tears. And I hope that everyone who reads these stories will be inspired to work harder, pray more often and yield to God more completely while preparing for His coming Kingdom. Time is short, and the world is suffering!

Until next week, from New Delhi, India,

Jim Franks