If you have never been immersed in a culture where you are in the
religious minority, ideally a significant minority, I would challenge you to do
so. I can only compare being surrounded by Hindu worship, festivals, idols,
temples, etc. to Dorothy being dropped in Oz. My first few days I had to remind myself I was not dreaming. Now that I have
woken up, I have found that the spiritual warfare is starkly different than
what I am accustomed to. The more I learn of Hinduism the more I wonder how
these beautiful, hospitable people could have strayed so far from God. How
could they be so deceived? This week Pastor said that West Bengal (where
Kolkata is located) is “the throne of Satan� and talked a great deal about the
prevalence of witchcraft … (Not) ironically, my Grandaddy gave me his copy of
C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters� to bring on this journey, and as I read it
my awareness Satan’s schemes has been heightened. (If you have not read this
book I would highly recommend it, as it is incredibly well written and eye-opening.)
Every day I pray against the power of Satan in the Home. Every day I pray that
the Lord would hide His Word in the boys’ hearts, so that they would not stray
from Him when they grow up and leave the Home. Every day I pray that they would
not be susceptible to society’s peer pressure or Satan’s lies. Every day I pray
that God would raise them up to be faithful husbands and fathers of provision
and leadership.
The boys can’t see how bright their little lights are when they
are surrounded by lots of other little bright lights. As much as it pains me to
say it, the boys will have to be commissioned into the darkness one day… the
combination of their heartbreaking pasts and their sweet spirits cause a fear
of the future to rise within me. West Bengal is only half of one percent Christian, and I have the strong desire to
protect these sweet boys, there are even a few I would take home with me if I
could. But the boys must stay where their lights shine brightest. Why would I
want to bring them to my country after my ever-wise teammate Raelyn pointed out
that “Hindus have so much respect for their gods and (American) Christians have
so much disrespect for the one true God�? I have to fight the fear of the boys’
futures by first trusting that the Lord will take care of them, and second by
loving and preparing them the best I can for the world they face outside. I
cannot protect these boys, nor is it my job, despite how much I love them. That
responsibility is God’s.
Because there are those who haven’t heard,
Olivia “Doll Auntie”
