Smiles Hide Sorrow
By Vadim Makoyed
8 Nov 2008
Missionary trip to India in May 2008 was my first mission experience. Since it was the very first time and a country I have never been to, I had no idea what to expect from it all.
When we arrived at the airport of New Delhi I thought to my self "Radical!" Everything was totally incomparably different to our America; culturally and mentally.
I watched a lot of movies from India where I saw joy, energy, and happiness of Hindu people. They were dancing and singing, but when I physically "dived" into their atmosphere I found depression and poverty like a curse upon all the people.
Mostly, it is all because of their beliefs. People have thousands of gods that they are afraid of. Bringing them last bits of food, they starve to death themselves.
Their gods aren't like our God. In India gods are to be afraid of, when we can love our God, be friends with Him, we can trust in His mercy and grace.
And so this atmosphere of fear drives people to do amateur things. Nasty streets are filled with "holly" cows that walk pridefully around. They feed cows, but starve themselves. Fear paralyzed their minds to think progressively and break down the heritage of constant hunger, sickness, and death. Poor people are tired of failing to breakthrough to freedom they've never met.
