Rat Curry

Raj asked one of the little girls in the village what she had for dinner last night and she said, “Rat curry.” This village is known for its rat and snake catching skills. Before the government made snake catching illegal it was this village’s sole occupation. Several of us watched these children catch this rat with their bare hands. On a different day in the village several children thought it would be funny to throw a couple of rats in the car with us. I have never seen people exit a car so fast.
It is hard to describe in words what we are experiencing here in India. You have to engage all your senses to fully appreciate the extreme poverty of these people. What has shocked me more, though, is the way these people respond to their conditions. From the moment we set foot in this village we have been showered with love. There are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe how wonderful these people are. They have so little, yet they are so happy. This has to be what joy looks like in its purest form. There is no doubt God is present here.
I have experienced poverty as a tourist. I’ve left my air conditioned hotel room to see the shanties of Mexico and Bangkok, but I’ve never lived among the poor. Here, in our tents, we have the privilege of participating in community with these people on a daily basis. We work beside them. We attend their church. We sing and dance with them. We try to pour into them and they love us with an indescribable love. These people have turned this heart into puddy. I am forever changed.
Michael Darden