Tom Cropper’s Blog

Last August I was studying my Bible and came upon a passage that changed my life. It was in Matthew, Chapter 22. Starting at verse 36 it goes something like this:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all our heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

Now I had heard this many times before but that day, that peculiar day in August of last year, these words struck home with such incredible force. It was as if a bullet had ripped my heart open and I cried as I confessed to my Maker, my Boss and my Savior “I do NOT love You with ALL of my heart and ALL of my soul and ALL of my mind. “ I knew in my heart of hearts that I didn’t and I asked Him, simply and honestly what should I do – so that I could. He told me, “Go to Coimbatore, my girls there will teach you how to love.”

Now you know the reason why I came to the Michael Job Centre for Orphan Girls, Coimbatore, India, the place for the daughters of Christian martyrs. I came so that they could teach me. Will you let me share one of the love lessons they have taught me? Remember, these are girls who have struggled under horrific persecution, many watching their mothers and fathers being killed because THEY loved Jesus more than life itself. OK Here goes.

Last January, when I returned to the Centre for a second love-training semester, it was a very different place. The persecution in the Indian State of Orissa had intensified greatly. Many thousands of Christians had run into the jungle to keep from being killed by radical Hindus. Thousands had been moved into protective refugee camps patrolled by the military from the Central Government as they tried (often unsuccessfully) to keep the Christians safe. Because of this persecution, over 140 new girls had come to the orphanage. This had put an awful strain on the resources here and the staff was struggling to keep it all together.

There were so many problems. First of all there was a huge language barrier. These new Orissa orphans only spoke their local language – Oriya. So they could not communicate with the staff or other girls who spoke either English or Hindi or one of their own native Indian languages. Second, most of them had never seen a toilet, or slept in a real bed, or sat down at a table and used a plate for eating. The struggle was on to help as many as we could; as quickly as we could. Most of them were very malnourished and more than a few were suffering from a multitude of medical problems like malaria. So I got to watch as the staff and older girls lovingly demonstrated to the new frightened Christian refugees, how to adapt to this very foreign world.

This is when I was introduced to Naina. She was a young girl of 16, I believe she was the daughter of a persecuted pastor. She happened to speak both Oriya and English, so she became my interpreter, as I tried to help the new girls learn the ropes of the Centre. When I preached on Sunday at Chapel she translated into Oriya for the new ones. I tend to think that her sermons were probably better than mine but I hoped that there was some similarity in the content. 😉

But Naina was also very memorable for me because of her coat. You see in January in Coimbatore the nights and mornings can be cold. Well at least cold to these girls. When we walk to the Chapel at 05:20am (so we can start worshiping at 05:30) the temperature can get down into the low 60’s. Like the octogenarians in South Florida who get out mukluks when it drops below 80, for these thin girls, 64 degrees was like freezing. But Naina had a coat. It was a bright burnt orange color with fake fur around the wrists and collar. It was about 2 sizes too small (I’m not sure if she could button it) and was in my opinion one of the ugliest coats I’ve ever seen. But it was warm. It kept her warm when many, many others were cold. To me, that’s all that mattered – it kept her warm. So I watched with enjoyment, Naina staying warm in her ugly orange coat when we went to Chapel.

One morning during the announcements portion of the Chapel service, Uncle Shajan (one of the Staff at the Centre) was VERY angry. It seems Nora, one of the new Orissa girls, had left her room unlocked and all of her clothes had been stolen. This included 5 new, highly prized dresses she had just received because she was a recent arrival. He was so angry and rightfully so. He said first it was wrong to steal but then it was also just stupid, because whoever stole the dresses couldn’t wear them. They’d be found out right away. What a waste. It was a hard lesson for Nora who seemed as sad a little girl as I’d ever seen.

The next morning was especially cold. I remember shivering as I walked from the Arts and Science College building to the Chapel. I walk past the hostel where the orphans live so I always get to stroll with them at least part of the way, as we go together for worship. Most of the girls were all bundled up in thin blankets or double and triple layer sweaters. Then I saw Naina. She was cold! She wasn’t wearing her coat. Puzzled I asked her, “Hey, where’s your coat?” She gave me a shrug and a smile as an answer. That’s all I could get out of her, as she too shivered her way on to the Chapel.

Then I saw the ugly orange coat. Nora walked past me wearing it. The girl that had no clothes yesterday was warm this morning because of the willing, silent sacrifice of Naina. I quickly turned and walked a little away from the girls then. I didn’t want them to see this stupid old man’s tears as I thanked God for bringing me here, to learn this Orange Coat Love lesson. This love is-an-action-verb lesson.

From the Love student at the Michael Job Centre for Orphan Girls, the home for daughters of martyred Christians, near Sulur’s Boat Lake, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Neighbor Tom

I took my family to see ‘Behold the Lamb’ yesterday at the Sight and Sound Theater in Lancaster, PA. It was a great play by the way. I highly recommend it. A nice gentleman from New England was sitting next to me. We got to talking (not a hard thing for me) and our conversation came around to what I had been doing at the Michael Job Center for Orphan Girls during the last couple of months. I’ve been thinking about that – what I’ve REALLY been doing there and what the real needs are at the orphanage. I gave him my pat answers; that I’m helping to set up the digital library for the girls and the start-up of an IT park where the orphans can work (if they desire that kind of computer work) after graduating from school.

But neither of my answers seemed to really convey what I’ve been doing there. I think what the real need is, and what I’ve tried my best to do – is to play the part of a Christian Dad to the orphaned girls. The Lord miraculously provides for them in so many ways. The stories of how they got good water to the facility, electricity and even a decent road next to the center are all miracles in and of themselves. As I watched the girls eat three meals a day (more than the vast majority of Indians) of the best food available and eat all they wanted – I marveled at how God blesses His girls there. So many of their physical and educational needs are being met that I realized the most important gift I had given was to provide them with spiritual and emotional support.

I think what they need most of all are good, solid, mature Christian men who love them unconditionally. Love them with the kind of agape love that lets them know – for sure – that even after the terrible tragedies most of them have endured such as the murder of their families – that Good Men, Loving Men, Men you can depend on– do exist in this world for them. The emotional hunger I saw every day in their eyes showed me that this was one of their most pressing needs. Satan destroyed all that was familiar to them. They need to learn how to trust again. I saw their need to believe that it is possible to go on, to play again, to laugh again, to grow past the horrible hurts of the past and thrive in this new environment. I saw that if I could do anything that would matter the most it would simply be to love them with the unconditional love of a Christian Dad. A love that is consistent, truthful, forgiving and always encouraging them to be their best. At the end of every sermon, at the finish of every 5:45am chapel service message, at the conclusion of each Sunday Night Worship program, I always said (and they know that I meant it…)

“Oh… One Last Thing…. (and with the sign language motions that I had taught them and that the girls demonstrated back to me as I did them; I said, and they said and we signed to each other)
I. . .LOVE. . . YOU!!!”

I think that Last Thing is what they remembered the most from whatever sermon I had just preached. Maybe it should always be that way – when it’s all said and done – what you remember – what you’ll always remember, is the Love.

On the spiritual side, I started everyone on the 40 Days of Purpose program that Rick Warren put together. It changed my life and I thought it might help these girls who also hunger to know why they are still in this world. Remember, these girls are the survivors. Not some game show survivors who scheme and connive to win a million. These girls are the ones who were not murdered. Their families were not spared but they were. They ran faster and farther, hid better, out smarted and out witted those who were literally out to kill them. These girls are smart. They are quick. But many of them are also left with a tremendous sense of loss – they carry within themselves a horribly depressing fissure of despair where everything they know has been swallowed up by the hate of their would-be killers. One of their most pressing needs is to know they really can go on because God has a real plan for them. That it is important for them to find their place in His purpose for their lives and accomplish it.

So they all call me Uncle Tom. They don’t know anything about the reference to Uncle Tom’s Cabin so it’s just Uncle Tom in their minds. A few call me Dad – because for them I’ve taken on that role. And that’s hard. Because a Dad should be there for you – all the time – and I already have that job with my own two wonderful children in the United States. If I’m with the girls in India, I’m missing the family I left behind in the US. I’m typing this now from the lobby of the Bird-In-Hand Inn in Lancaster, PA at 3:55am. I’m having a great time with my US family as we reconnect during this mini-vacation but I miss my 500 nieces and just as importantly I know they miss me. I’m here. I’m not there and if you are going to correctly do your ‘Christian Dad Job’ – well you just have to be there. So maybe calling me Uncle is a more appropriate title right now.

So what do I do at the Michael Job Centre for Orphan Girls? I’m their Uncle. It’s a really good position with lots of benefits. There are more openings if you know anyone who’s interested . . . 😉