S2-Day 2: God in the Rehabilitation Centre

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” (Matthew 2:13) 

Pastor Mathi, good friend Rajan and I often spend time on the beach which is located in the southern part of Delft Island. Whenever we go, we really feel comfortable and relaxed as we breathe the fresh sea air, dipping our legs in the cool water and doing some fishing, usually getting good fish, tiny grabs. 

But that day we didn’t find any fish to cook. We decided to have a talk for a little while and to do some fishing. Delft island where we ministered was in between Rameswaram (India) and Jaffna (Sri Lanka). I was missing my friends and family in India, and I expressed my feeling to the others. And finally we decided to have a talk facing the Indian side of the sea. 

In the dark night we suddenly saw a huge light source had risen up over on the opposite side. We were astonished, and curious to know the source of the light. Rajan said it was coming from the Bamban Bridge in Rameswaram. I said, “no way, how come that’s possible?” 

I searched the destination of the light source, and I was convinced that the light from the Bamban Bridge. I asked Rajan how he knew this before we searched on the Google Map. He said he was in India as a refugee in the Banban rehabilitation centre. At the peak of the civil war in Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Tamils migrated to other parts of the world seeking asylum. Rich people could flee to western countries, but poor families like Rajan’s had to flee from Sri Lanka to India in tiny boats without having any safety measures, secretly travelling in the dark nights on the rough sea with their children, elders, and pregnant women. Likewise, Rajan and his sister’s family had migrated to the southern part of India to seek asylum. Rajan came back to his island to look after his elderly brother and one of his sisters. 

But his younger sister’s daughter and husband were still living in a rehabilitation centre located in Pudhukottai district. ‘Rehabilitation’ was to ensure new life to asylum-seekers who were in the process of integrating with the society. But here, they lived a horrendous life in the so-called rehabilitation centers. This became a place of sorrow, agony, sadness, lifelessness, and hopelessness. Do you know why? 

It is a matter of wellbeing: they had taken a risky journey to save their lives and have a bright future. They have been living as refugees since 1990. They lost their identity, their peace, their right to life. They were confined to live in dirty surroundings in small tin huts. Do you think they can have a good, happy and peaceful life in the rehabilitation centers? With no legal status, the youth were ‘nobodies.’ few civil rights movements have been raising this issue in the parliament from 2000 onwards. But still they are considered as aliens in India. 

As Jesus migrated from Egypt as a child, here are many amongst us. What is our responsibility towards them? Do we forever remain ‘us’ and ‘them’? We have the responsibility to meet them, talk to them, advocate for them and also love them as we love ourselves. Can we do it together? 

Prayer 

God of life, we pray for our brothers and sisters who are living in the rehabilitation centers and refugee camps. Thank you for stimulating us to think about their pathetic journey to find a peaceful life. They have been intimidated by the evil forces which prevail in our society, and long for a healthy and peaceful life .Liberating God, we ask your mighty guidance and presence to lead us to advocate for their freedom from this bondage. Sustaining God, we humbly ask you to pour your Holy Spirit on them to breathe comfort. We ask these things in the name of Christ Jesus who fled as a refugee to Egypt. Amen 

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Author: W. Jebasingh Samuvel 

About the Author: W. Jebasingh Samuvel is a passionate Christian artist, an independent film maker and an ordained minister of Jaffna Diocese, Church of South India in Sri Lanka. He migrated to Sri Lanka in 2017 and currently serves as a presbyter in CSI Church, Colombo.

S2-Day1: God in Quarantine Centres

The phenomenon of comprehending God in quarantine centers is a whole new experience in the context of covid-19, perhaps a provocation to most of us who are rarely familiar to the notion of quarantine centres. While quarantine centres are set up to prevent transmission of the virus in the larger community, it is discomfiting for the quarantined inmates who are isolated, separated, restricted in movements and activities for being Covid-19 suspects. 

One side of the story is the cry, anger, anxiety and frustration of those in quarantine centres over unhygienic facilities, uncooked or stale food, shortage of water, and the unpreparedness of the government both at the centre and the states. 

The other side of the story is the toil and sacrifice of the frontline workers in quarantine centres, their unexpressed fear, rejection and stigma from the rest of the society. In this given context, quarantine centres have become the most uninviting place. Indeed, an infected place to dispose and contain the virus, a dirty place to avoid any contact. 

The National Centre for Disease Control in its guidelines for Covid-19 provides the risk assessment of institutional quarantine centres. According to this assessment, people both at the managing control room and performing tasks are put at risk apart from the quarantined inmates. Besides, the greater risk is for those workers (medical, cooking and delivering food, sanitary and security teams) who directly deal with the inmates and their inhabited areas which are already contaminated and infected. Therefore, the irony is SOPs strictly maintained for the safety and well being of the inmates are simultaneously endangering the lives of many for the nature of the tasks they are involved in. 

In such a predicament, the command given by Jesus “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” in Matthew 22:39 is a reforming foundational praxis. This command changed the entire situation in Jesus' renewal activity. To perpetuate this command few of us (a community of 40 people) decided to extend help by running a quarantine centre. In our experience, working with anxiety and fear of being infected was difficult; however what was more difficult was choosing to love, embrace and serve some complete strangers for whom we were all risking our lives. In little time, we realized ‘loving one's neighbor’ means utmost commitment in serving, being proactive in helping and impulsive in caring. 

Like many others, our quarantine centre was sealed as a dirty place; a dirty place where hand gloves and masks became the indicator of care giving, protective gears became the embodiment of prayers, courage and humility, cooking and delivering food became the essence of kindness and sharing, the so claimed filthy works such as sanitation, garbage disposal and fumigation became the acts of nobility and benevolence. It was in this ‘dirty quarantine centre’ we experienced God in entirety and the purest devotion of love. 

Prayer: 

God of love, help us to contrive our experiences in the chronicle of your love. Secure in us the fervency to love and care that lives may be touched amidst chaos and perplexities, and beyond our reach. Amen. 

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Author: Zavi-i Nisa 

About the Author: Zavi-i Nisa is an Angami Naga from Kohima, Nagaland. She completed her Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Theology in Biblical Studies (New Testament) from Eastern Theological College and United Theological College respectively. Currently, she is serving as the Assistant professor of New Testament studies at Oriental Theological Seminary under the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) Dimapur, Nagaland. Her captivities include reading, music and cooking.