 |
|
Eddie Aldape, left, has worked with the Banjara people in India for the past five years. CBF Communications photo
|
ATLANTA – Eddie and Macarena Aldape remember vividly their first encounter with Nythia, a survivor of the tsunami. She was malnourished, weakened by tuberculosis and troubled with a skin disorder – scabies. Once, as she sat with Macarena, the little girl cried and scratched until she was covered in blood.
Local villagers counseled Nythia’s parents to accept her fate, advice in line with prevailing social mores and the Hindu faith. But the Aldapes befriended Nythia and her family, and with the family’s blessing, located a skin specialist. They took Nythia and her mother to the city of Pune, where she was admitted to the hospital. Over time, Nythia improved and returned to her village. When the people saw her, Eddie said, "No one could believe their eyes."
The Aldapes, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions field personnel, work in India with tsunami survivors, Banjara Gypsies and other marginalized peoples. The Aldapes’ ministry in India, along with the ministries of CBF field personnel around the world, is directly supported by the monetary contributions to the CBF Offering for Global Missions.
The Aldapes reach out to children like Nythia and her family members, who all recently became Christians. Nythia has been diagnosed with Job’s syndrome and she now lives close to her parents in a home for girls, where she can get needed medical attention.
"[Nythia’s] hair is starting to grow," Eddie said. "She is well on her way to recovery. Nythia and her family are living testimonies of what God can do, and how he transforms lives."
The Aldapes – and those they partner with – have found ways to bring the Banjaras and other marginalized peoples back into society. The Banjaras, who fall low on the caste system in Indian society, number between 20 to 23 million in India but are often forgotten among country’s growing population of 1.1 billion.
"We have spoken to Christian and non-Christian groups who say, ‘We don’t have any Banjara here,’" said Eddie. "Then we ask them to pick any evening and stand by any city thoroughfare. When we meet again, the first thing those people say to me is, ‘There areso manyBanjarain our city!’ The Banjara gypsies have fallen through the cracks."
The Aldapes work to meet physical needs through their connections with several medical clinics, which are usually held on a bi-monthly basis and focus on a specific medical specialty.
"The Banjara are outcasts around here, so when we go and meet some of their needs they are very appreciative," Eddie said. "At the same time, they are very confused because they are not used to having someone take care of their needs. We offer hope, and they begin to feel they are valuable to God. What’s made the difference is the gospel. They are able to see that they do matter."
To give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions, which supports CBF Global Missions field personnel and their ministries around the world, go to www.thefellowship.info/involved/give/. The national goal for 2006-2007 is $6.32 million.
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.