el fine

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s hard to believe, but three weeks ago I was halfway across the world eating generous portions of rice and curry, while soaking in the many sounds of a bustling city. Today, I’m less than a mile away from a corn field. Thank you for supporting me in my urban plunge to India. The experience has been eye-opening, and a challenge to the life I live here in the states. God has spoken to me in many different ways, and I hope that the past 6 weeks will stick with me for the rest of my life.

6 weeks was enough time for me to “get comfortable” with the city of Kolkata. Kolkata itself is a city of contrasts, for example, gender interactions. Holding hands in public between genders is a huge taboo, akin to passionately kissing. Yet, within a sex, holding hands, putting an arm around the other, or my favorite, one person holding the lone finger of another’s much like a child would hold onto the finger of his mom or dad, is perfectly acceptable. Honestly, if a foreigner didn’t know better, he/she might thing that a very large number of Indians are homosexuals.

The contrasts run deeper as well. On arguably the richest, most well to do commercial street, fancy high end restaurants share sidewalk space with beggars and the homeless. No matter which part of the city one is in, an all too common sight is people sleeping on the side of the road. The poverty can be aggressive as well, children have clung to my legs, or held my hand as I walk by, asking for a couple rupees. By the numbers, it becomes even more evident that Kolkata is a city of contrasts. Of the 12 million people living there, around a third live in poverty (defined as living on 1-2 dollars a day), and over 400 different slums exist.

The problem of poverty reminded me the classic story of David and Goliath. Poverty is a problem so massive, so huge, so complex, it is easy to be paralyzed by fear. I admire the many David’s in the world who take a stand and ask “Who dares to defy the armies of the living God?” and then ready their slingshots to take battle. God spoke to me strongly in seeing poverty, but spoke strongest in how different people responded.

Several of my teammates worked at a company called Freeset. This company was borne several years ago when a pastor from New Zealand, Kerry Hilton, unwittingly settled in the heart of the red light district of Kolkata. He saw a need to free women caught in the sex industry business, and with no business training, but only a willing heart and a lot of faith, created Freeset, a company that creates bags and T-Shirts and employs women from the sex industry in order to give them new lives. Since its inception in 2001, Freeset has freed over 180 women. www.freesetglobal.com

From Pastor Hilton’s example, I’m reminded that all Jesus demands is a simple yes. In Luke 9:57-62 various people declare allegiance to Jesus, but add their own if’s to the statement. I’ll follow you if I get to do X Y and Z, not that X Y and Z are necessarily bad things, but Jesus asks for us to say simply say yes without any ifs and buts, or regards to our own personal consequences. I realized often times I make demands to Jesus when I say I’ll follow him. For example, Jesus, I will be a small group leader only if I continue to get good grades and have plenty of friends. Or Jesus, I will serve the poor as a doctor, only if I am financially secure as well. My heart and commitment often waiver. It’s refreshing to see people with the faith to take dramatic risks for Jesus.

At my placement I worked in an informal education center in the slum Boro Ghati. I taught English and mathematics to a classroom of about 30 kids, ranging from ages 5-12. In terms of making a dent in poverty, there probably was little overall long-term impact plus the language barrier made it near impossible to share the gospel. I began to understand that the greatest gift I could give was encouragement to the full-time teacher, and lovieand accept the kids for who they were. I also realized that any effective fight against poverty, a fight that would attack it at its roots and not just the symptoms, would require long-term commitment on the level of years at a time.

The slum itself is one of the more established slums, the homes are still quite small (a whole family might live in a house the size of my room), but are at least made out of concrete. Some of the poorer slums in India only have mud or bamboo walls. Boro Ghati itself lies in a fairly urban area of the city. Right next to the entrance is a world class neuroscience hospital that employs over a hundred doctors, another reminder of the contrast between rich and poor. It was also a reminder of my own social and economic status.

One of the hardest struggles on the trip was trying to understand how God is good in all of this. Wrapped up in that debate, is as God’s people, how do our choices affect the poor? How do our decisions perpetuate this cycle of poverty? Why does God let us do evil, even if it’s only through inaction? Over half the world lives in poverty. I began to question God’s sovereignty and our own free will. To be honest, I have very few answers, and seriously doubt that with a finite mind I’ll be able to truly understand the infinite. However, there are several things that I do know, and hold onto.

I know that I have a choice, and I can choose to live a life of justice (James 2). I have an all wise and powerful God who gives good gifts (Luke 11). Nothing can separate me from God (Romans 8). So I can live boldly, courageously, and without fear (II Timothy 1:7). I may not understand every intricacy or detail, as long as I’m not paralyzed, I can continue living. While I do come from a position of relative wealth and prosperity, I also realize that spiritually, I am as poor as everyone else. My need for Jesus is as strong as anyone’s need for Jesus.

Coming back to the states, the most challenging thing is figuring out what God wants me to do at home and at college. This fall I will be entering the most intense year of my biomedical engineering major, and taking on added responsibilities as the small group coordinator for my fellowship. I’ve been struggling to find ways to incorporate social justice and a love for the poor despite a busy schedule. Pray that I would rely solely on God in all my endeavors and look to him for wisdom in my life. Also, coming from a culture and lifestyle where there was so little, pray that I would look at American culture and my own life, with critical but compassionate eyes. That I wouldn’t hate the blessings we have been given, but strive to be a better steward. I’d like to close with 1 Corinthians 2:9

No eye has seen, no ear has heard what the Lord has prepared for those who love him.

I believe this to be true for my life, I believe this to be true for the city of Kolkata, for the nearly three billion people who live in poverty today and the Christians who love and care for them. Thank you for all the ways you’ve supported me on this trip and continue to.

In eager expectation of all God is going to do,



L. Wern Ong

Greetings from Kolkata!

Feel free to forward and share this e-mail (and any others). I've been in the city now for about a week and thankfully feel quite at home. Kolkata is a city of contrasts. On the road you see taxis that seem to be leftovers from the fifties, while brand new honda's and toyotas zip around. New architecture is mixed with the old, and there has been an incorporation of Western culture and dress with the original culture of Kolkata. Kolkata lies in the state of West Bengal, which also happens to be the only communist (democratically elected) state in all of India. Walking down the streets, one sees red flags with the ubiquitous hammer and sickle, but besides that, nothing feels any different living in a communist state. In fact, West Bengal, under the communist government, probably has the most religious tolerance of any Indian state. Take that Stalin and Mao.

However, probably the most drastic contrast is one of the rich and the poor. 18 million people live in the city of Kolkata and one third of those people are in poverty. The first 3 days in the city our team played a scavenger hunt of sorts around the city to orient ourselves, and no matter where we went, we could always see someone living on the streets or children begging. For me, the realitis of poverty become most real at night, when a simple foray for food (indians eat around 9 at night) requires navigating through people sleeping on the sidewalk.

I am working in two different slums, engaging with children at a local school started by several Indian Christians called to serving the poor in the slums. Besides teaching the children songs and English and playing with them, we have also been engaged in prayer walking through the slums.

There is much more to say, but I know how annoying a long e-mail can be, so here are some prayer requests for me and the team.

1. Gender issues - cross gender interactions are generally frowned upon in the city. Public displays of affection even between married couples has not happened until very recently (and by that I mean holding hands, God forbid kissing). However, staring, is perfectly normal here, and some of the women have found it hard under the gaze of men, to not say hi. Also, Western culture has objectified white women as being loose, and several of our women have been sexually assaulted in the market and on the train. Please pray for healing and protection from these attacks, and also please pray for the men who yield to temptation.

2. Team unity - disputes have been flaring up recently, as 19 people sharing a 2 bedroom apartment can cause problems. Pray for healthy conflict resolution. Also, there are only 5 guys, and 14 girls. yeah.

3. Healing from sickness - fever, diarrhea, constipation, all are beginning to hit our team. Thankfully I've been fairly healthy so far. Also, protection from mosquitoes, members of our team have been bit over 50 times, and it makes it hard to sleep and be well rested for the next day.

4. The slums of Boro Granti, and Bagmari - these are the two slums I have been primarily placed at, pray that God's kingdom would come, and that people would find peace and joy within God alone. There is a strong opium proble within these slums. One of the native ministry workers here has been prayer walking through these slums every day for the past year and a half (it's about an hour and a half walk through Boro Granti), please join him.

5. Looking at people through the eyes of Jesus - that God would continue to break my heart and show me how to best love the people. It is my prayer that I may be spiritually, physically, emotionally, emptied each day so that God can fill me back up with his love for the people.

6. Communication - I have been learning some Bangla, aka Bengali, but communication has still been tough. Many members of our team have been challenged in learning how to interact with the people. We all want to progress beyond giving a smile. The other day I had a 5 line conversation with someone in the slum and it was one of my small victories of the day. Pray for a sharp mind, a dextrous tongue, and working ears. Pray more for that no matter how we communicate, we do it out of love.

7. Pray that God would show me how to apply all the things I have learned back to the US. As a student, friend, son, leader, engineer, premed, etc. etc. I do not want my trip to Kolkata be left in Kolkata.

Before leaving for Kolkata, all the Asia Global Urban Treks spent a week of orientation in Bangkok. There, we did a bible study on Isaiah 58. I'd challenge you all to read it and think of the following questions.
-What does true fasting look like?
-What were the Israelites missing?
-How have your horizontal relationships (people to people) affected your vertical relationship with God?
-How can we promote justice corporately as a church, and personally within our own lives?

I need to go soon, but a couple more things have been on my mind. Every ministry here works by the power of the gospel. For them, there is no difference between the message of good news, and the social gospel. I have been challenged by the completeness of the gospel preached here in Kolkata. The good news of Jesus is not just in word form, but in drug rehab centers, micro enterprise, schools for children. For them, there is no distinction between the two. It has made me reevaluate and look at how I view the gospel in America.

I have been encouraged by my team, and especially by those working in the city of Kolkata. The stories of the native Indians here are powerful and great, and I hope to share them with you another day. God has been giving me several iconic moments and joy in sharing ministry and fellowship with the people of Kolkata.

God bless, and please continue to be in prayer. I'll give my next update in about 3 weeks. Also, our team has an official blog at the Intervarsity Global Urban Trek website, google it, and then click on Trek 2009.

Shalom.

Let's Go! :D

insomnia

It's 3 days 'till India (I can't sleep) and I think it's a good exercise to retackle the question of "why go on an Urban Trek?"

It started in the Spring of my Freshman year. I began questioning myself. If I wasn't a Christian, would I live my life any differently than I did now? The answer was no. The next logical question then is, "what is the point of being a Christian?" In retrospect, I understood (if only subconsciously), that at this critical juncture of my life, that I would have to develop a deeper understanding of Christianity, and if none could be found, then I'd turn away. To make a long story short (ask me about it someday), I found myself at the conclusion that in order to love effectively, one needs to be loved first. A pitcher can only pour out what has been poured in. Or, how good it is to be poured into by an infinite God.

And it's this infinite love of God that propels us as Christians to take up our crosses, and die to ourselves. This love is what compelled God to come down and take the form of man and live a perfect life to be the ultimate sacrifice for the atonement of our sins. And past all the religious speak, Christianity is just this amazing love story with astonishing consequences. Because love intrinsically is never forced, but a matter of free will, so is the ending of this tale. Given free choice, man either chooses to enter this friendship, relationship, partnership, whatever ship you wanna sail on (all are just poor attempts to define it), with God.

Being a Christian, I've said yes to God, whispered "I do," given him a handshake, use the metaphor best fit for your mind, and I found myself wondering what's next in this relationship? As Christians we sort of go on dates with God, and we find out more about his character, and who he is and what he wants for us. Also, we spend time with him, because it's great to spend time with him, and we grow, and learn, and fall in love with him. But soon, this relationship starts going kinda kooky and God starts telling us things we never wanted to hear. Like "Wern, maybe you shouldn't treat that person so poorly," or "Wern, you treat everyone kinda decently, what if you treated everyone well? I'd like that." or "Wern, what are you doing with 6 weeks of your summer?"

This trip to Kolkata, is just a manifestation of my ongoing relationship with God. It stems from the gospel, and Pastor Falcons (spelling I know), was so right in saying that the gospel is more than just a set of beliefs. The gospel is alive today, and the best proof of that is in what Christians do today, in and out of the Christian bubble. I'm going to India, because God loves the Indian people, and when God sees how people are being subjugated and oppressed he cries and weeps for them. He hears their prayers and tears and offers his shoulder to lean on. The gospel is not something that we believe in and sing about, the gospel is in helping sex workers break the vicious cycle. Teaching business and commercial skills. Providing food and shelter and making sure everyone has proper living conditions. Jesus is concerned about social justice and that's why I'm going on this Urban Trek. To obtain a fuller view of the gospel.

In the midst of this, why he also decides to use us broken vessels as his hands baffles me. Why let people who will screw it up, be the agents of change?

But that's besides the point. I hope to gain in Kolkata, a newer and deeper understanding of God and his heart for the poorest most looked down people on earth. I hope to hear his voice whisper into my heart his desires and plans for my own life. I hope to be refined by his fire and become closer to that mythical "Kingdom of Heaven." I hope to be broken only to be built up stronger.

You see, that's the good news of Jesus Christ. He loves us, but he loves us too much to keep us where we're at. Here's on of my favorite quotes by C.S. Lewis
"If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

How has being in relationship with the God of the universe changed your life? If it hasn't, what kind of God are you following? I'm not saying we all need to become nobel prize scientists, but there should be some change in who we are. At least the question needs to be asked. That question is one of the hardest questions for me to answer, and I try to ask it everyday, the only problem is that I only try to answer it every now and then. I'm too scared to answer it consistently. One of the answers turned into this Urban Trek.

I'm sure God has many more answers for me in Kolkata, and I can't wait to find them, or how they'll find me.

Taste and See that God is Good. Psalm 34

adverse side effects

from the wikipedia page on mefloquine (the malaria medicine we're required to take)

Mefloquine may have severe and permanent adverse side-effects. It is known to cause severe depression, anxiety, paranoia, aggression, nightmares, insomnia, seizures, birth defects, peripheral motor-sensory neuropathy,[2] vestibular (balance) damage and central nervous system problems. For a complete list of adverse physical and psychological effects — including suicidal ideation — see the most recent product information.

Please be in prayer for safety and health. I've come down I think with the flu (had cold chills and a temperature last night), but am doing better now. Also, I took the malaria medicine yesterday, and I think my headache is a side effect of that. That's all. Less then 4 days and counting!

Summer Reading

Three books to recommend to you all.

First, The New Friars by Scott Bessencker. For someone who wants a full understanding of what the Global Urban Trek program is all about, this is the book for you. Encouraging, uplifting, and most importantly, challenging, this book deconstructs the historical, and theological underpinnings of missions to the world's poorest people.

Second, The City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre. The book takes place in the city of Calcutta in the 1980's. It follows the lives of a Catholic priest, a rickshaw puller, a wealthy American doctor as they all try to understand, assimilate, and heal life in the slums. Details are unsparingly included painting a vivid picture of living conditions within the slums. Lapierre wrote the book based on over 200 interviews with people of the city of Calcutta and the work can be considered historical fiction.

Third, a long way gone : memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael Beah. The book is autobiographical chronicling Ishmael's forceful conscription into the Sierra Leone army at the age of 12. It tells his heart wrenching transformation from a school kid who listens to rap music, into a coked up killing machine, and finally his rehabilitation back into a teenager by several UNICEF agencies. It's a fairly light read, but an incredible story all around.

I'd love to hear what you all think about these books.

and my life is average

A recent internet phenomenon is the site www.fmylife.com. It's a perfect example of Web 2.0. Users submit various stories of how their day has gone wrong, and moderators pick and choose the best of them to post on the main website. Experiences range from falling down stairs, misadventures in romance, to the truly bizarre. For example

"Today, while arriving at my best friend's wedding, I accidentally ran over her 2 dogs. FML"

fmylife has numerous spinoffs including mylifeisaverage

"I'm a security guard at a museum, nothing comes alive at night, my life is average."

and the upbeat version of fmylife, givesmehope.com

"During WWII, my friend's grandpa was captured and tortured, but he refused to reveal his mission. The japanese said if he didn't spill, they would kill the other five captured men. He wouldn't budge. He escaped, but he had to live with their blood on his hands. 25 years later, he found out they all lived. Not a single one talked. GMH"

What I wonder, is how would the third world versions of each of these websites sound like? This week I was able to eat every day, GMH. I'm 8 years old, I had to work another 14 hour shift, my life is average. Let's not even go to what a fmylife would sound like. Being a part of the Western world it's so easy to be shielded from the needs and lives of others in the world. Also, inherently, there is nothing wrong with websites like fmylife, mylifeisaverage and givesmehope, and are all just popular forms of entertainment, but what I've been learning is that I need to be more conscious of the world as it is, and find the proper response.