Mukti bringing hope to girls and women in India

March 23, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Five years ago, when I was last in India, the girl in this picture was dressed in rags and begging for money on the side of the road. I wonder what has become of her since she begged our group for a few coins.

Mukti is a Christian mission which was founded in 1889 in India and is taking action to bring hope, and a positive future, to girls and women in India. Mukti’s aim is to change lives through a range of initiatives that demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ in a practical way to the mainly Hindu and Muslim nation.

In India, many girls live on the streets, abandoned by families who consider them a burden. With the support of people from around the world, Mukti is helping give these girls new opportunities and hope for the future through child sponsorship. As well as food, shelter, clothing and medical care, Mukti provides education, love and spiritual guidance to help girls develop into positive, valuable members of their communities.

Lorraine and Anil Francis are senior leaders in Mukti and both have a passion to serve the lowest and least in society. They have worked with Mukti for over 21 years. They recently joined me in the studio at 98.5 Sonshine FM to talk about their work.

You can hear our discussion by clicking the play button of the audio player below.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/SUN220310_1425.mp3]

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Putting Shantaram on the Shelf

December 6, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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shantaram.jpgThere is something enormously satisfying about placing a book on a bookshelf. A book you’ve read. A book you’ve enjoyed.

When you remove the bookmark for the final time, close the book, and find a place for it amongst other books you’ve read, there’s a sense of accomplishment.

There’s also a sense of sadness that the story in which you’ve immersed yourself has come to an end. What happens now? Where did the characters go? What did they do after that? That’s especially the case when the book is based on fact. If the book is pure fiction then there isn’t necessarily a life after the book. The characters have lived within that story and now the story has ended. If the book is based on real people then there are unresolved issues. What now?

I finished reading Shantaram today. While it’s a fictional novel, the characters and situations are based on real people and circumstances. Most of the book is based in India, which is what drew me to the story originally. It’s a raw book and at 932 pages it’s a long book.

I don’t make nearly enough time for reading so I’ve been working my way through this epic for a long time. It’s a great story but not for the feint hearted. If you want to let your mind wander into a strange and exotic world, consider grabbing a copy of the book, and get ready for an amazing ride.



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Give it away

November 13, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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aussie_money.jpgWhat are you prepared to give away? I guess that depends on what you truly value – not what you say you value – but what you really do value.

An Australian academic has just made a pledge to give away half of his lifetime earnings. Dr Toby Ord reckons that his days as a student weren’t too bad so he’s going to continue living like a student so that his money can help make the world a better place.

Dr Toby Ord, a 30-year-old ethics researcher with the Future of Humanity Institute, has agreed to give up 10 per cent of his annual salary, plus any yearly earnings above £20,000 (AUD $35,631).

Dr Ord says if he lives like a student, he should be able to give away around £1 million (AUD $1.78 million).

“My student years were not extravagant, but were immensely enjoyable, with the chief enjoyments such as reading beautiful books and spending time with my wife and friends costing almost nothing,” Dr Ord said. – News.com.au

That’s a tough act to follow but it really does raise the question for each of us of what we are seeking in life. Are we seeking better relationships and simple pleasures or do we still run after material goods? We might say that money doesn’t buy happiness but do our lives back that up?

I love the fact that Dr Ord has picked up on the fact that the things that give him the most pleasure and give life greater meaning are not things that money can buy. I do wonder why so many of us keep chasing things that we know will never make us happy when the opportunity to enhance our lives and the lives of those we love are already within our grasp.

I need to be honest and say that I couldn’t give away half my yearly earnings. I’m not on an academic’s wage. In fact, my wage looks very much closer to the amount that Dr Ord has agreed to restrict himself to using each year. Out of that money our family supports a number of worthwhile causes yet I have to keep asking myself, should I be doing more? Our standard of living is still extremely extravagant compared to those I’ve seen in places like India, Haiti and Dominican Republic.

The good news is Dr Ord doesn’t expect us all to cut our earnings in half. He’s launching a site called Giving What We Can, encouraging us all to examine what we can be doing to alleviate the suffering of others in our world.

One of the great things about giving money away is the freedom that it gives. It says that my money doesn’t control me – I control my money.

If you do decide that you need to use the resources you’ve been given to create a better life for others there are many organisations doing great work around the world. Let me encourage you to check out Compassion. I’ve seen their work first hand and I seen the proof that the money donors give makes a world of difference. You can visit Compassion Australia or the Compassion International site.

So what do you really value? Think about what truly matters to you, examine the way you’re living, and see if the two match. It’s a challenge we all need to face.



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Compassion Bloggers in India

April 25, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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Hope in CalcuttaOK … I admit it … I’m jealous.

A bunch of bloggers is getting to combine two things that I’m passionate about – India and Compassion.

From tomorrow until the 2nd of May a group of five bloggers will leave their comfortable lives behind to witness firsthand the ministry of Compassion International to the poor of East India. I imagine that the trip will be similar to the one that I took just over a year ago to Haiti and Dominican Republic where we saw how Compassion is making a difference in the lives of those who live in desperate poverty.

I was travelling with Compassion Australia, part of the worldwide Compassion family. What I saw absolutely convinced me that not only can we make a difference, but that Compassion is an organisation that can use our money wisely to see the greatest benefit delivered to each child in their projects. Working alongside the local churches in the areas they serve, Compassion can absolutely guarantee that they won’t use a one size fits all solution. The partnership with the local church ensures that Compassion is dealing with specific local issues and tackling problems in the best possible way for the local people of any area.

As well as loving the work that Compassion does, I have a real love of India.

I’ve been to India twice, once in 2003 and once in 2005. Both times I was there to serve the local Bible Society through Bike for Bibles. I’d jump on a plane tomorrow if I was given the opportunity to visit India again. It’s a country that assaults all of your senses from the moment you step off the plane. It’s full of colour, smells, tastes and incredible experiences. It’s also a place where many are living desperate lives. My visit to one of the slums near Delhi will stay with me forever. I’ll never forget the pride on the face of the man who was showing us around as he pointed out his home to us. It was just metres away from a wide open sewer. The stench was disgusting. He was so pleased that we could see his home.

If you want to follow the Compassion Bloggers over the coming days either click the banner in this post or click here. One of the bloggers I read regularly is Anne Jackson of Flower Dust. She’s one of the bloggers on the tour and you can follow her account of the trip by clicking here.

You may never have the opportunity or the desire to visit a developing country but I beg you to follow these bloggers and try to put yourself in their shoes in the coming days. Let your heart break with the things that break their hearts and let your heart rise as they discover the hope that Compassion is offering in desperate situations.



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Limca

February 4, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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Limca_logo.jpgThere it was … taunting me … tempting me. An ice cold bottle of Limca was in our fridge. I had no idea how it got there but I knew exactly where it was going.

Limca is a lemon lime drink from India. I drank plenty of it both in 2003 and 2005 when I visited India and I’ve always wished that it was available here in Australia.

A while after getting home today I opened the fridge to see the object of my desire staring back at me. There it was, 300 ml of pure taste sensation. I could only guess that Pauline had found it somewhere in her travels.

Once Pauline arrived home I quizzed her on how she found Limca here in Perth. Apparently there’s an Indian food shop not far from the new school the kids are attending. That means it’s not far from where we’ll eventually move when we sell our house and buy another.

The bottle cost $2.50 but it was worth every cent. I gave Pauline, Emily and James a small taste before downing the rest of the bottle.

I don’t think I can afford to drink Limca every day but you can be sure that I’ll be visiting that shop somewhat regularly when we finally move house.



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