Looking into May and AAPI Month
As May begins, our church community begins the celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This is a time to recognize and honor the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to U.S. history, culture, and society. The month also serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by these communities and provides a way for us to learn about and understand the gifts of these cultures.
We will begin on May 4th by celebrating the culture of Thailand with a special Thai food pop-up and a demonstration of Thai dance with the students of Wat Padhammchart. On May 11th, we will celebrate Mother’s Day and the cultures of Japan and Korea. On May 18, we will celebrate the culture of India with a performance by an Indian sitar player and some Indian food after worship. Finally, on May 25th, we will celebrate the culture of the Philippines with a guest performance by the Taiko drummers of Centenary UMC and special food during fellowship.
Also, on May 18th, I will be doing a presentation about my work in India with a non-profit organization I founded called Friends of Padhar Schools. The presentation will begin around noon in Boyer Chapel and will feature photos and videos from my many trips.
I first went to India in 2008, traveling with a mission group to a small village in Madhya Pradesh called Padhar. After the trip, moved by the Spirit to help, I began a modest scholarship program that raised $1000 to support 10 students at the Padhar Mission Higher Secondary School. Each year thereafter, we raised more and more and it became a dream to establish an American non-profit organization, to support the schools of the village. In 2015, those informal efforts became formalized and we formed our Board of Directors, developed our programs, gained our 501(c)3 tax exemption and we became Friends of Padhar Schools.
Since 2015, Friends of Padhar Schools has provided a foundation for rural schools operating at a subsistence level. We’ve provided funding for desks and benches to ensure classrooms are suitable for students, scholarships for girls and young women to attend classes, computers to fill a computer lab, equipment to fill a chemistry lab and a school bus to provide transportation for children who live in distant villages.
In our ten-year history we have provided over $175,000 in total funding, distributed to eight schools in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In August, I will make my annual trip to connect with our contacts, review the projects we’ve supported and gather information on how we can help for the next school year.
This work in India fuels my faith. Our organization is intentionally non-religious and does not require adherence to any religious belief. But for me, this work is central to the expression of what I profess. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable about sheep and goats - those who follow his teachings and those who do not. The goats are not those who are actively preventing his work, but those who don’t do what is uncomfortable. Those who do not feed those who are hungry, those who do not welcome the stranger into their midst; those who do visit the sick and imprisoned.
I do not do this work out of pity or guilt. I do not do it because of some threat of Hell. I do not do it to be the ‘white savior.’ I do it because my faith propels me. If I CAN help, shouldn’t I?
The more time I spend in the mission field, the more I am convinced “the church” is not about singing familiar songs, “good preaching” and choosing parament colors. It is about motivating people to step outside their comfort zones and do the work of Jesus:
Heal those who are hurting in body, mind and spirit,
Reconcile warring parties - within our minds, within our families, between our cultures and countries,
Listen to the cries of those unheard,
Forgive ourselves and others, so that we can move forward together.
Feed those who are hungry for food, opportunity, and education.
Give what we can, to allow others to have enough.
And break the systems that keep some wealthy and leave the rest to fend for themselves.
May it be so for you, now and always.
Pastor Krista