This is Why -Destiny Redefined

Nobody likes to believe that they have a specific destiny beyond their control, wherein nothing they do truly has an impact on who or what they will become and how their life will play out.

But there are places in this world wherein the forces of evil and the results of mankind’s sin have a powerful, detrimental impact that predefines lives in a way that could be easily equated with an unavoidable destiny.

One such place is India. Doubly so if you happen to be born female. Matha was.

Matha was abandoned by both of her parents when she was only 5 days old. Her father was already gone before she was born, having abandoned her mother when he learned she was pregnant. He had been having an affair; left and never returned. Still hasn’t.

Her mother, facing the prospect of rearing a child on her own, simply chose not to do so and left her tiny, infant girl with her sister and her mother. She ran off with another man. She has never returned either.

Now such a story would be sad in any country. But in places like India, it is far different than here and other developed nations due to the complete lack of social services, and therein, assistance of any kind for the raising of someone else’s child. If you don’t have the resources to care for a child, all you can do is share what you already have. For Matha’s Aunt Pooranam, those resources weren’t much, as you can see.

For years, her aunt and grandmother struggled to care for Matha who struggled with asthma inherited from her mother. Her mother had nearly died several times for lack of treatment due to lack of money to pay for treatments. And it seemed to be the destiny for Matha as well. She was sick often and seemed to catch every cold and flu that came around. She was suffering from malnutrition and not attending school.

You see, her aunt and grandmother were, and are, both agricultural laborers. They earn less than enough to care for themselves, let alone young Matha. As young women, they both suffered the abuse that uneducated women must endure in India. They are considered a liability and an unnecessary cost without skills that contribute to the family wealth.

Without an education, their husbands are chosen for them. Their husbands are paid to take on the “burden” of their existence. It’s obscene. It’s cruel; and yet it is indeed the “destiny” of a young, uneducated female in India. Oftentimes they are physically abused by their “husbands.” Beaten. Used as indentured servants. Punished daily simply for being the “burden.” Many are punished by having acid thrown on them, burning and scarring them for life. Making them “undesirable’ for any other man. An evil brand of sorts. Destiny.

But this will not be the life that Matha leads. This will not be her “destiny.” Because you have changed that destiny. It’s been redefined.

That’s because Matha is part of our new program in India that provides for fatherless children within the home of a caregiver or relative. In this program, our goal is to not only lift the child out of the endless cycle of poverty they suffer in, but also to allow them to be with a family member who loves them but struggles to provide the care every child needs and deserves. We lift up the family so they can stay home with the child instead of suffering through hard labor for nearly nothing in return.

The assistance includes all of the elements of our programs within our children’s homes, but keeps a family together. They attend school. They have a licensed tutor/social worker to assist them with their education and emotional needs. They are given God’s Word and attend worship services. They are provided with assistance to make their lives more self-sustainable. Like the goats we bought them.

Already her life has changed dramatically. According to our Director of this program, P.T. Rajan, her health has improved dramatically. Her teachers are thrilled with her progress at school; and he has no doubts her grades will allow her to attend college. She will have a career. She will choose her own husband.

He tells us: “She is proud of the love and care from her sponsors across the ocean.” That “both her and her aunt’s hearts are melting because it has made them understand how God’s love is manifested in the actions of Christians who have never seen them or met them.” Their words. Their feelings.

And as for her destiny... that is no longer something that will be determined by the status quo for a young girl in her situation. Because we have removed her from that situation and the heartless parameters of the cultural prison that she was trapped in.

Already she has begun to dream of the destiny that she will mold and shape with her own hands and hard work. She dreams that one day she will graduate from college. She dreams that when she does, she will find a career “helping the poor and the disabled.”

Her words. Her hopes. Her dreams. Her destiny... redefined.