WHEN GOD BRINGS LIFE OUT OF ASHES

When God brings Life Out of Ashes

By Becky Douglas · February 19, 2020

When our daughter, Amber, was diagnosed by the head psychiatrist at the mental hospital as being severely bipolar, we didn’t really know what that meant, exactly. So, the doctor tried to explain bipolar disorder to us. She ended by saying that while for most people it is possible to control bipolar disorder medically, in Amber’s case, her brain was producing not just insufficient dopamine, but zero dopamine. She shook her head and said, “I’ve never heard of a brain that produces absolutely NO dopamine.” Then she said solemnly, “You need to prepare yourself for the fact that your daughter probably won’t make it.”

When she said that, I could feel the hair rising on the back of my neck, as chills went down my spine. I sat bolt upright and said as calmly as I could, “Amber will make it! She has a devoted and loving family. We will support the healing process with whatever it takes. But you need to understand that Amber will make it.” The doctor shook her head, closed the file, and said unconvincingly, “Well, let’s give it our best shot.”

For nearly eight years, we did exactly that. We prayed daily as a family for Amber’s healing. Personally, I think I prayed a hundred times a day. Our family fasted together over and over for Amber. My husband and I fasted every week. We had her name constantly in multiple temples. I attended the temple weekly to plead with God for her healing.

But things went from bad to worse. In spite of teams of psychiatrists, psychologists, and life coaches, she went through dozens of suicide attempts and spent months in and out of mental hospitals. Her medical bills were staggering, running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. We worried that we were burning through all our carefully saved college funds for our other eight children. But they were behind us 100%. They assured us they were willing to sacrifice whatever it took for our beloved Amber to be healed.

Each suicide attempt seemed to hit me deeper. Each time I struggled a little more and a little longer to regain my hope—anything to hold onto. I felt that half of my battle was just battling the personal despair that sank a little deeper with each episode. I pled and pled and pled with God. I offered Him to give any sacrifice that would help. I covenanted with Him that I would do anything, I just needed to know what to do. I’ve never felt more helpless.

Sadly, we lost this battle. Amber took her own life at age 26. I couldn’t believe how overwhelming the loss was. I felt that in many ways, my own life was over. It was such a crushing loss that I feared it would overpower me.  I struggled to push through the sense of failure, the incriminating thoughts of What kind of mother are you, if your daughter was so miserable that she killed herself?

I’m assuming that most of my readers know how Amber’s death eventually propelled me to found Rising Star Outreach, to work with the people in India affected by the dreaded disease, leprosy.

In India, shortly after we opened our first little preschool for children from the leprosy colonies, India was hit by the vicious tsunami of 2004. In my article last month (What Surviving a Tsunami Taught Me about God’s Awareness of His Children) I recounted how the tsunami literally came up to the door of our little school, before pulling back. We didn’t lose a single life.  But all around us was devastating death and destruction. Given our location at nearly the epicenter of the destruction, which spread 100 miles up and down the Eastern coast of India, we were in a unique position to help. Immediately we began to do all in our power to help comfort the survivors. 

We spent time helping people dig in the sand agonizingly looking for missing children, or spouses. We hugged and cried with so many who had lost family members. We gathered at a mass grave, bodies thrown on top of each other, and tried to provide someone to lean on as people wept and bid goodbye to their loved ones, in this bleak circumstance.

We replaced fishing nets and fleets of lost fishing boats for many of the fishing villages that had lost their only means of support. We gave out more than a thousand micro-loans to the fishing villages to help them get back on their feet. We provided medical care, hope, and a shoulder to cry on. 

It was an indescribably emotionally draining experience. We were working 19-22-hour days, getting almost no sleep. There was just too much to do. Cholera was a threat and didn’t wait for one to catch up on sleep. It seemed we went from one gut-wrenching situation, straight into the next. I don’t remember ever being so emotionally drained and physically spent.

Late one night as our Children’s Home leader, Gopi, dropped me off at our volunteer apartment, I looked over at him to thank him for selflessly working another 22-hour day. He looked like he was at the breaking point. Worried, I counseled him to get some sleep and not come for me until at least six AM the next day.

Tears began to fall down his cheeks. He said, “Becky, I’m drowning. I’m afraid I’ve lost my belief in God.” I looked at him incredulously. Gopi was one of the most faith filled people I had ever met. “Talk to me . . .”, I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

The words spilled out. “What kind of a God would do this? A quarter of a million people killed, families ripped apart, women looking desperately in the sand for their children.” His voice was tinged with bitterness. “And why do these disasters always hit the poor? Why the poor fishermen? Why the helpless children?”

I clearly didn’t have any answers. I was struggling with the same thoughts. I silently sent a prayer heavenward, Help me to be able to answer Gopi. (and myself!).

I suddenly felt a beautiful sense of peace wash over me. I knew the answer immediately. I said, Gopi, the hardest thing I ever did in my life was bury my beloved Amber. I felt abandoned by God. Where was He during all those years that we had prayed so earnestly for her healing? 

Gopi knew all about my daughter’s story, because it was what had brought the two of us together. I continued, But Gopi, if I had not buried my beautiful daughter, where would you be today? Gopi looked up and stared at me. Gopi had been raised in an orphanage for gypsy children. He had had no opportunity for education. He had no one to support him or to direct him. Without Rising Star Outreach, one could only guess what would have happened to Gopi.

He didn’t answer me. I continued, And Gopi, what about all the leprosy colonies we work with– all the former beggars who now have jobs, all the people who now have clean water and toilets, all the people who formerly walked the streets with open, gaping wounds—people who now have medical care?  Where would all these people be if I hadn’t buried my daughter?

At this point Gopi was staring at me, speechlessly. So, I continued, And Gopi, where would all the children in our children’s home be? Would they all be back begging on the streets of Chennai?

By now Gopi’s head was in his hands and he was weeping. I knew that he loved these little children more than he even loved himself.

I tried to say this as gently as I could, but I was also weeping by now. Gopi, I can’t even begin to try to explain how God could have allowed this terrible tsunami. I can’t explain why He didn’t heal my daughter. But I know this, that God is so good, that He can bring beauty out of our greatest suffering. Look at all the thousands of people whose lives are better now because my own daughter suffered so much. Look at how much hope and joy have come as a result of her suffering. Who knows what may come of this terrible tragedy here in India?

Gopi never answered me that night. But I could tell that the Spirit had touched him as it had touched me.  The next morning, he came at 6:00 AM and we went back out to do what little we could to help in the face of such overwhelming need.

Years later, Gopi asked me if I remembered that conversation?  Of course, I answered. He said, “I couldn’t imagine any good coming out of the tsunami, but now I can now finally see that good did, indeed come. For just a few months it brought people in India, across the caste systems, together, as higher caste people rushed to try to help those stricken by the tsunami. 

Many of the fishing villages that were demolished by the tsunami wave were rebuilt by Indian companies and many multi-national charities. The new homes were much nicer. They had electricity and bathrooms. Schools were built for the children of the fishing villages.

Through the micro-loans we and other charities had given out, the economic status of the people has been raised significantly. “

I will admit that not every tragedy has a happy ending. I still miss my daughter terribly. But I have a burning belief that God can indeed consecrate our sufferings to our eternal welfare. He can bring healing through unexpected means.

In my own case, when I travel to India, I often feel Amber’s presence. As I see what has gone forth as a result of her suffering, I almost wonder if she agreed in the pre-existence to sacrifice for these people. The girls’ dorm at Rising Star was named by the Marriot foundation (who funded it), The Amber Douglas Home for Girls. Her picture stands at the entrance. 

Every time I see her picture there, I get chills. I think of all the hundreds and hundreds of girls who, over time, will live in this building, attend the Peery schools at Rising Star, and go on to have families of their own. How vastly different their lives will be because they lived in this dorm! How different the lives of their children will be because their mothers lived in this dorm! And how good God is, that He can bring life from ashes.

The Apostle Paul said that in this life “we see through a glass, darkly.” We don’t really get the whole picture. We only see this mortal existence. We don’t get to see the eternities. But I believe that one day we will see everything and finally understand. Elder Neal A. Maxwell, once commented on how we all know people who seem to have been hit by life, over and over again. He said that while we all hope to hear the words, “well-done thou good and faithful servant”, as we encounter the Savior in the next life—Elder Maxwell liked to think that for some people, who have had to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, they will likely hear the words, “especially well donethou good and faithful servant!”

Let’s all love each other, support each other, and hang on until we get that eternal perspective!

"The Lord's Economy": How the Lord Honors Those Who Honor Him

“The Lord’s Economy”: How the Lord Honors Those Who Honor Him

By Becky Douglas · March 24, 2020

I have a wonderful friend, Brian Andre, who likes to talk about the Lord’s Economy.  He claims that the Lord’s economy is very different from the world’s economy.  In the Lord’s economy nine is more than ten, six is more than seven and the more you give to others, the more you have yourself.  I know it sounds a little crazy, but there’s probably not a member in the Church who has not experienced the phenomena of paying tithing and realizing that they are able to do more with the 90% they have left than they would have done with the full amount. I’m not an economist, but it seems that everyone has a “Tithing Miracle Story”.

The same goes with Sabbath Day observance. Those who dedicate one day in seven to the Lord have a similar experience as those paying tithing. It seems that God pours out blessings on those who honor Him on the Sabbath.

I have seen this principal at work in such simple things as putting a house on the market. I know this is probably going to sound extreme to some, but I grew up in a family where the Sabbath was strictly observed.  When they put their house on the market my parents would not allow their home to be shown on the Sabbath. They also would not accept any offers for their home on the Sabbath.

So, when it came time for my husband and I to sell our home I automatically assumed we would have the same game plan. The real estate agent listing our home was aghast. “You will never sell your home if you won’t allow it to be shown on Sunday”, she insisted.  “In real estate, Sunday is the biggest day for new home buyers to check out homes. It’s also the day when most offers are made and accepted.  “Besides that,” she said, “this is a very down market. You’ll be lucky to sell your house at all.” 

I assured her that it would work out, although I must admit that inwardly I was beginning to panic. But we stuck to our plan. No open houses on Sundays, no Sunday showings, and no Sunday offers. We sold our home on the last day of her contract and got our asking price. She was flabbergasted, telling us that it was the only home that she had sold in the past six months that had received its asking price!

This same miracle was repeated three years later when we had to sell our home in Washington DC a few months after the bottom had dropped out of the home sales market. This time our agent was less understanding and constantly called us with an “emergency buyer” who only had one day to see houses and was interested in our home. But we stuck to our plan. She nearly dropped us as a client, but I promised her that the Lord would not let us down. She frowned, gathered up her papers with an exaggerated humph! and said, “Well, we’ll see, won’t we? I suspect that you’ll come around.”

A week later, the house two doors down sold for $100,000 less than they had bought it for. Aaaah!! I fretted and fretted. But then, out of nowhere, we got an offer on our house. We sold it for our asking price after only a couple of months on the market, for substantially more than we had paid for it and we were on our way to Atlanta. As we signed the papers, our agent said with a grin, “You’ve made a believer out of me!”

In my work in India I have seen over and over again how inexplicably those who donate the most seem to prosper the most.  Most people think it’s the other way around, but an interesting study was done by Harvard College, whose researchers “collected data on 30,000 American families from 41 communities coast to coast in a comprehensive look at people’s service behavior and charitable giving.”  

We normally think of donating to charitable causes after we have made sufficient money.  But this is what the researchers found: “Say you have two identical families—same religion, same race, same number of kids, same town, same level of education—everything’s the same, except that one family gives $100 more to charity than the second family. Then the giving family will earn on average $375 more in income than the non-giving family—and that’s statistically attributable to the gift.” (Arthur C. Brooks, Why Giving Matters, speech at BYU Feb 24, 2009.)

The only way to really explain such a phenomena is to chalk it up to my friend’s idea of the “Lord’s Economy”.

Eighteen months ago our Development Director at Rising Star Outreach, Shalay, had been presenting the results of all her research into how to create a successful first gala.  She had read a ton and had talked to a number of non-profits in Utah, seeking advice. You see, Rising Star Outreach had never had a gala. We had an annual golf tournament, we had special events, but we had never had a gala.

But Shalay was excited. After her research she felt that we could definitely stage a successful first-time gala. Her sources told her that in terms of expectations, in Utah if you could clear $100,000 on a first-time gala, that would be fantastic. In typical fashion Shalay announced, “So, I figured we should set our goal at clearing $150,000!” It sounded like a daunting, if not impossible, goal.

Next the conversation had turned to whether or not to serve alcohol at the gala. The other charities she had contacted had told her that we should definitely plan on serving alcohol for several reasons: 1) Utah was now less than 50% Mormon. 2) almost all other charities offered it, 3) people had come to expect it at galas, and 4) when people had two or three drinks they became much more generous, thus making the auctions more productive.

Everyone else seemed to be in agreement with Shalay. I was the only holdout. All the reasons made sense. However, I felt very uncomfortable with the decision. I expressed my doubts. I don’t think anyone was convinced. But then I reminded everyone that Rising Star has only come as far as it has because of tremendous blessings from God. We’ve all witnessed undeniable miracles. How did we dare offend the God who had so abundantly blessed us by choosing to ignore His teachings from the Word of Wisdom?

I told the committee that if I had learned anything in the last 18 years it was that the Lord honored those who honored Him.  I didn’t really care if we lost money by holding to the Lord’s standard.  What I really didn’t want to lose was the Lord’s blessings.  It didn’t take much to convince the committee. The decision swung in the other direction. We came to an agreement that we preferred to perhaps make a little less, and honor God a little more.

Over the next 18 months as we prepared for the gala, whenever the subject of alcohol at the gala came up, we explained our feelings to those who were questioning. We really didn’t get much pushback—I think the major census was that we simply weren’t very “business-smart.”

Fast forward to the night of the gala, two weeks ago. What happened that night is nearly inexplicable. We made an unprecedented $2,000,000!  Even the professional auctioneer we’d brought in from California was astounded. He exclaimed to me as he departed the stage, “That was epic!!! Never seen anything like it!”   It was indeed.

Money only matters for what it can do. $1,000,000 was donated by an anonymous donor to be used strictly for leprosy vaccinations. This will enable us to vaccinate more than 100,000 people. Unbelievable! In an interesting aside, he later told us that he had not planned on donating that night, but during the event was moved by the Spirit to make this donation. I wonder if a such a thing would have happened if alcohol had been flowing freely? Perhaps.  

Please don’t read this and think, Oh dear, we are breaking the Sabbath if we show our home on Sundays. I love that the Lord has not been specific with most of his commandments, commanding every little detail. Instead, He leaves it to us to work by the Spirit. We all find ourselves at different stages of Sabbath observance, service, honesty, gossip, modesty, generosity and many other principles as we grow in our efforts to draw close to the Lord. I believe the Lord welcomes every effort to obey His laws in whatever stage we find ourselves. I know that personally there are times I do better than others. His love remains constant throughout. 

We live in a time when there seems to be a spirit of compromise in the air when it comes to keeping commandments. On the opposite extreme, sometimes we want to fill in where we feel the Lord “left a blank.” How silly!  The Lord doesn’t leave blanks. He knows that each of our lives are different and that each of us have unique circumstances. Therefore, He simply teaches us principles and leaves it to us to interpret those principles. I believe that the great God who taught us to seek for the Spirit will let each of us know what we need personally to draw closer to Him.  

As we strive to become more like Him, the beautiful thing is that as we struggle, oftentimes making mistakes, we can count on the Lord to honor those who honor Him. 

An Astonishing Miracle from the Previous Worldwide Corona Fast

An Astonishing Miracle from the Previous Worldwide Corona Fast

By Becky Douglas · April 9, 2020

I sat staring at my TV screen in disbelief. The news announcer had just reported that the Government of India had announced a complete lockdown of the entire country, for three weeks to stave off the Corona Pandemic, giving only four hours warning.  “Impossible,” I thought.  “There’s no way that the people could prepare with only four hours warning.” 

You see, many of the poor in India only buy food for one day at a time. Not having refrigerators, but plagued by rats, other rodents and insects, particularly out in the country areas, they have no way to store food, therefore they only buy what they will eat that day.

The announcer continued to describe the panic that enveloped India at this announcement. The police were to enforce the lockdown with whatever measures necessary and were already seen mercilessly beating people on the streets—even doctors and nurses trying to get to the hospitals, and trucks trying to deliver food, even though they supposedly were to have been excluded from the lockdown.

The images on the screen depicted a total panic.

Naturally, since I work with the leprosy-affected, I immediately sensed the danger that this order would present to them.  Those that had small micro-businesses would have them shut down. Those who still begged would not be able to get out to go begging. How would they get food? Even if they could find a way to leave their houses—how would they pay for the food? Past experience had taught me that those affected by leprosy would likely be the last to be helped in any emergency.

I quickly started channel surfing trying to find any more information. Over the next few days I tried every avenue to find out what was happening. The closest reporting I could find involved the more than 100 million migrant workers. With the state borders sealed they were unable to return home, even though some tried to walk hundreds of miles to return to their homes. Suddenly finding themselves homeless, dozens had already died of starvation. My panic was growing.

Of course, those affected by leprosy were among those most vulnerable.  With the hard-fisted techniques of the police, none dared venture out into the streets. Within days, severe hunger and starvation stalked the colonies. The different colony leaders began to call Padma Venkatraman, the head of Rising Star Outreach in India, begging her to come to their aid, as they feared starvation far more than they feared the Coronavirus.

We convened a conference call with leaders from both Rising Star in India and the U.S. organization. We clearly needed to do something—and do it quickly. But what? How could we possibly help? For one thing, no one was allowed on the streets. We had dismissed the schools, sent the teachers and staff home, and even our leaders had returned to their homes in New Delhi.

Padma contacted the Commissioner for Differently Abled Persons and was able to procure a decal for our van, which theoretically would allow us to deliver food stuffs. But where to buy the food? Everything was shut down. How could we get the money in? How could the food be delivered?

On this emergency call, plans were made to purchase and deliver food packets to 1,000 leprosy-affected patients and their families. Each packet would contain 10 kilos of rice, 4 kilos of beans, salt and a bar of soap. It should last a family for two weeks. A system was designed whereby we could call local stores, place our order, and then have the colony leader show up to collect the colony food packets. Pictures and videos were to be taken to ensure that the food actually arrived at the intended homes. There was a lot of risk in this plan, but we felt we had no other alternatives. 

We would start a pilot run with 2 colonies to see if we could get this to work. If it worked, we would try to roll it out to the roughly 50 colonies we worked with in the state of Tamilnadu.

But when I asked, “what about the colonies in Bihar?” there was silence on the call. In the state of Tamilnadu we had an organization set up with 115 fulltime employees we could rely on. But in Bihar, we had only an Area Director who was in charge of the new school there. But even our one Area Leader was in New Delhi with his own family in lockdown.

We had not yet set up a full organization in Bihar because we were waiting for a license to begin the new campus. Once we received the license, we would then set up a full organization, as we transferred the school from its current status as a part of Little Flower, to become a permanent part of Rising Star Outreach.  But in the meantime, we had no organization to rally and to mobilize.

No one on the call had any answers about how to help the colonies in Bihar.  Up till now, we had only worked with the new school in Bihar, not with the colonies themselves. No one on the call had any idea where to even begin, even though we all knew that the situation in Bihar was probably much, much worse than the situation in Tamilnadu, due to the crushing poverty of Bihar.

We finally decided to start with what we had planned in Tamilnadu and pray for guidance in regard to Bihar, hoping we could eventually find a solution, although knowing deep inside that every day we waited, would put hundreds of lives at risk. We all left the call feeling a little hopeless to help the people in Bihar.  Over 190 children from those colonies attended our new school at Little Flower. I asked myself how in the world we could abandon those families—but honestly didn’t know where to even begin to set up an organization that could deliver food.  It was a horrible, helpless feeling.

The next day was the Worldwide fast proclaimed by The Church of Jesus Christ, to plead for help from heaven to stop the pandemic.  All the world was invited to participate. I prayed for a miracle for our colonies in Bihar.

In my family we started our fast on Saturday at 1:00 after lunch, and so we broke our fast on Sunday lunch at 1:00.  After everyone had left to go home, I made my way into my office and pulled up my inbox to see if there was any news of our first day’s efforts to provide food to the leprosy colonies in Tamilnadu.

At 2:59 an email had come in from a man named Khalid Sharfuddin. TWO HOURS AFTER WE ENDED OUR FAST! 

I had met Khalid about three years ago. He had applied for a job with us in India. He had been serving as the Northern head of the Sasakawa Foundation in India—the largest organization in the world working with leprosy. He had felt for some time that the key to eliminating the stigma of leprosy had to be through education of the younger generation. Since Sasakawa was not involved in educating the young children from the leprosy colonies, Khalid had asked if he could come work with us.

At the time there was no position available for him.  So instead of coming to work for us, he ended up taking a position at the United Nations. Before long, he became the head of UNICEF in India. But his heart remained with the leprosy-affected whom he had served for ten years with the Sasakawa Foundation. He contacted us again about a year later and said that even though he was now earning a lot of money and had a position with a lot of responsibility, he ached to return to working with the people he had come to love. He wondered if we had any position at all that he could fit into, even though it would mean a tremendous loss of salary.  But, once again, we did not have an opening as we had just installed a new national team.

I had not heard from him since that last contact.  But now, just two hours after our family finished our fast, he contacted me to see if he could help in any way to feed the people in the colonies in Bihar! He said that with his contacts with the government and with the United Nations, he should be able to help us get the food in that was needed. I was ecstatic!

Khalid was able to cut through a lot of red tape. Within one day he had delivered food to six colonies! He not only had the advantage of his U.N. connections, but also of knowing all the colony leaders in Bihar because he had worked with them for ten years. They were able to guide him to resources. 

He was able to share the information with us.  We have now been able to join in the effort. Now we have gotten food into nearly all the ten colonies that send children to our school in Bihar. With his help we will continue to reach out to include as many colonies as possible. It’s interesting, because I never would have thought to contact Khalid, but God clearly knew that he was the very one who could help!

This week we have gotten food to more than 1,000 families. By the end of next week, we hope to have reached more than 3,000 families in both Tamilnadu and Bihar. A door was opened for us through the fast. Maybe it was the first miracle of the worldwide fast! I’m sure it is only one of many miracles that resulted from that fast.

It is interesting to me that with the entire Church throughout the world praying for assistance, that God would remember the very people that many in the world had forgotten. To Him, no one is forgotten. Every life has equal value. To Him, each life is precious.

A Beautiful, Unexpected Silver Lining From Covid-19

A Beautiful, Unexpected Silver Lining from Covid-19

By Becky Douglas · May 13, 2020

To learn more about the efforts of Rising Star Outreach, including how you can help, CLICK HERE. 

Two Short Uplifting Stories of the Beauty of the Human Spirit During this Pandemic

Like many schools around the world during this Corona Pandemic, the Schools at Rising Star Outreach were dismissed nearly two months ago.  Since that time, we have been teaching our students on-line, like other schools. The biggest difference is that typically, in most places, people have access to smart phones. That is not necessarily the case in the leprosy colonies of India!

In order to find a way to reach the children in the leprosy colonies our leaders did a survey of each colony to ascertain how many smart phones existed in each colony. While many of the people have cellphones, 99% of them are just that—cell phones—not smart phones. As such, they cannot connect to any on-line training. 

Fortunately, we have found at least one smart phone in almost every colony, with some of the most affluent colonies even having two or three.  Working with the colony leaders we got commitments from the smartphone owners that for three hours a day, the phones would be dedicated to our on-line learning courses.

This may seem like a small sacrifice to some people, but to others, who like to stay constantly connected, this was a huge ask. But to my knowledge, we were not turned down by a single smartphone owner.

So, now in the states of Tamilnadu, Bihar and Maharashtra children gather to be instructed by their Rising Star Outreach teachers. This is where this story gets fun—proving that this Corona cloud has a silver lining!

Although, due to space limitations, we are only able to accommodate a small proportion of students from each colony at the Rising Star Outreach schools, once the cellphone is set up in the community hall, there is no limit to how many children can participate. We’ve been thrilled to learn that most of the students in the colonies are “tuning in”, regardless of whether they attend our schools or not.  That is a great blessing!

One of the causes for concern in India during the current lockdown is that while the children in private schools have access to on-line learning, the millions and millions of children from poor villages and the slums, have been left behind.

At Rising Star, we are very aware of how unique our school is, in that it has a large, beautiful, computer lab. Most of the village schools around us have no computer at all. That makes it truly impossible for any on-line learning to occur during the Covid-19 shutdown, thus making the gulf between the well-to-do and the poor even more pronounced. But through our on-line school we are bridging that gap in the leprosy colonies!

If I ended the story here, our on-line school being conducted by Rising Star Outreach would still be a happy ending. But, in this case, we had quite a surprise develop at some of our colonies. We were surprised to learn that many of the children’s parents were quietly slipping in the back and paying careful attention to the teachers on the small cellphone screen at the front of the room.

Many of the parents in the leprosy colonies have lived many of years of their lives by begging. They never had the luxury of attending school, since many of them were taken, even as infants, out on the streets to beg. Their lives have improved over the last 15 years as Rising Star Outreach has enacted a far-reaching micro-finance program so that these people could obtain small loans to start small businesses.  While a few of the colonists still beg, many more now make their living through their own small businesses. They are proud to have become productive citizens of India!

While greatly improved, their lives are still hampered by the fact that they cannot read or write, or even do the simplest of math problems. But there is, it seems, an inherent thirst for knowledge that exists within each of us. Not content to have their children read street signs and billboards to them, these people want to be able to read for themselves. They are attentive students at our online teaching programs!

Trying to reach every child with an opportunity to attend school has been a massive goal for us. To be honest, we never even considered the fact that the parents, also, hungered for knowledge to be able to read and write. But the Corona virus has now provided these people with a unique opportunity to learn—one that they would not have had access to before the lockdown in India. This is a wonderful surprise silver lining to the suffering that has been occasioned by the Corona pandemic.

The mental picture of a small cellphone screen held high in front of a large crowd of sitting students, both from our own schools and from many others, with their older brothers and sisters sitting in to help tutor them, should they have any questions, is a happy scene. But when it is expanded, and we see the many parents excitedly watching, and practicing writing with their sticks in the dirt (since they lack paper), the scene becomes one that should bring a smile to everyone!

A Humbling Story of Giving

At Rising Star Outreach, we have been frantically trying to get food and medical supplies out to people in colonies scattered throughout both the states of Tamilnadu and Bihar in India. It has been very gratifying to see some of our students who heard we were assembling relief packets, come and pitch in to help create these packets for delivery. Some of our staff have also come to help.

Working together we were able to get 1,750 packets out to families spread across the two states. These packets of food were pretty simple; containing mostly rice, beans, oil, salt and spices, and wound-care necessities.  Yet they were received with such joy and thanksgiving that you might have thought we’d just delivered thousands of dollars! They were basically the simple necessities needed to sustain life during the complete shutdown of the Indian society due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some of the reactions from those receiving these life-giving packets ranged from, “This is the happiest day of my life, because we had given up hope of being able to stave off starvation,” to “This is the greatest gift I’ve ever received, because it is the gift of life and hope”.  And finally, “We thought we’d been forgotten. Thank you, thank you for not forgetting us!”

Now here’s where the story takes an amazing turn.  The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, asked every organization, village and city to donate to the Prime Minister’s Fund for Covid-19 Relief. The idea was that if everyone in India did their part the country would be able to address the tremendous needs that were being caused by the Pandemic.

One of the leprosy colonies that we delivered food & medical packets to is the Venkatapuram Colony in Tamilnadu. They had been at the verge of starvation when we delivered the packets to them. One might expect that the Prime Minister’s plea would fall on deaf ears in such a place.

But the sense of gratitude that was felt by the colony came through. Together they raised an incredible 6,600 rupees (about $88) for the Prime Minister’s Fund. They had been fed, now they felt empowered and duty-bound to help others!  They were willing to sacrifice to ensure that others would also be fed. Instead of them being the needy ones, they had become empowered to be the ones to help lift others! That one act of service on the part of Rising Star Outreach had lifted them. With the gratitude they felt, they now reached out to help others.  What a beautiful response!!

One of the things that has always impressed me during my service at Rising Star Outreach is the innate goodness of mankind.  Most people care about others.  Most people desire justice, fairness, and simply seek for the opportunity to provide for their families and live with dignity. Once their needs are met, more often than not, they in turn try to lift others.

Studies show that surprisingly the poor donate a much higher percentage of their income to help others in need.  In comparison, the wealthy donate a much lower percentage of their income to those in need. In trying to explain these phenomena some have put forth the idea, that since the poor know hunger and deprivation, they have a greater emotional response when they see others experiencing it and are willing to make greater sacrifices to help out.

This little Venkatapuram Leprosy Colony is a beautiful example of this principle. They have taught me that each of us has the power to lift another, regardless of our circumstances. Every one of us has the power to make this a better world. By working together, we can make sure that all are lifted and that no one is left behind!

The Hardest Part Seems to be Not Knowing How Long this Trial May Last

The Hardest Part Seems to be Not Knowing How Long this Trial May Last

By Becky Douglas · May 18, 2020

To learn how you can help with the efforts of Rising Star Outreach, CLICK HERE. 

I have learned in life that everyone has to go through difficult trials. No one gets a pass to escape! It seems that during the most difficult of trials, sometimes the hardest thing to endure is not knowing—not knowing how long the trial will last; not knowing how it might end.

Those are the times that we have to dig deep within ourselves for conviction, for faith, and for strength.

I am reminded of a time early in our history that Rising Star Outreach was thrust into just such a situation.  In order to bring foreign money into India you need to have an FCRA (Foreign Contributions Regulation Act) license. Issued by the government of India, these are not easily obtained. There is a requirement that you must wait a minimum of three years after organizing your charity, before you can even apply for this license. This means that you have to rely strictly on local funding for three years.

This is particularly difficult for a charity dedicated to serving families affected by leprosy. Leprosy carries a dreadful stigma in India, with many people even believing that it is a curse of God, given because a person is deserving of suffering as retribution for mistakes they may have made. To try to find sufficient funding in this atmosphere of stigma is nearly impossible.

Fortunately, there is the ability to get a permission from the government to bring in foreign funding during this 3-year wait period ONE TIME, for a specific purpose.  At Rising Star Outreach, we were very fortunate to be able to obtain one of these one-time permissions to bring in some funds.  We used these funds to buy some land and build a school, which doubled as a dormitory for the students at night. We had just enough money left over to provide for food for the children until the three-year waiting time was over.

Costs rose faster than expected and it became quite difficult to provide for the students and teachers as we neared the end of required three-year waiting time. We had made application for our FCRA license well before this period ended, fully expecting to receive the license.

However, our resources were being pushed to the limit as the awaited time approached. Rations for the students and staff were cut. In several instances we were fortunately provided some food by local residents. We felt like we were limping to the finish line. Then the unthinkable happened.

The deadline came and passed without hearing any word from the government. Each day became a trial of faith, just to get enough food to feed the students at the school along with the teachers and housemothers. Finally, we ran completely out of money and food.

Our director in India wrote to me to say that we needed to send the children home, or they would starve.  But the catch was, if we did not have a functioning school, we could not receive our FCRA license.

This was one of the most desperate circumstances in my life, as I sat staring at my computer after receiving that letter, not knowing exactly how to reply. I had prayed relentlessly during these past few months for our FCRA license to come through, but weeks and weeks were going by with no response from the government.

As I sat in a stupor, without a clue as to the best path forward, the light began to fade from the room.  I had been sitting there for more than an hour, and evening was now approaching.  I knew that our director would be anxiously awaiting my response.

So many little lives hung in the balance of my decision! So many years of work to create a chance for these kids and to give them and their families a hope for a better future. I felt a 500-pound weight weighing down on my chest.

Slowly, I finally began to type. “Do not send the children home. Dig up worms if necessary, but don’t send the children home.”  I stared at those words for what seemed like forever. My room was now almost completely dark.  With a lump in my throat, I finally pushed send.

The next morning, I booked the first flight I could get to India.  I packed my bags with packaged food, knowing that it wouldn’t even be enough for one day, as we had more than 150 students. But I felt driven to go and be with these children and leaders I loved so much.

When I arrived in India at 6:00 in the morning, after traveling a day and a half, I dropped into my bed to try to get at least a couple hours of sleep before heading out to our little school. I slept longer than expected, and at 8:00 AM I received a call telling me that I needed to get to the school immediately.

I quickly showered, dressed and ran out without breakfast. My car was waiting. During the two-hour drive to our campus, my heart was heavy, and I kept trying to focus on what I could possibly say to the children and their teachers. But the truth was, I didn’t have any idea what I could say.

When I arrived at the campus, I noticed that everyone was gathered in front of the school/dorm. The children seemed excited There was a banner on the wall. Due to the architecture of the school I could only make out the first three letters, “C-O-N. . . “As I ascended the steps to the main landing the children all started jumping up and down, clapping and laughing. Two children pulled at each of my hands to make me hurry my steps until I could see the entire sign.  It read, “Congratulations on the FCRA!”.

I looked speechlessly at our director, who now was also smiling and clapping. “We got it?” I asked breathlessly.  “Yes!  Yes!  Yes!!” everyone shouted. Tears were stinging my eyes.  “But how . . .?” One of our older kids stepped forward and said, “Becky auntie, in India we have a great tradition of fasting taught to us by Mahatma Gandhi.  We students decided to have a fast and ask God to give us the license. We got a call this morning from the government to inform us that the license had been granted and our formal license will soon arrive.”  At this point, I was also laughing with the students through my tears.

Not every trial ends up with a happy ending, but just finding the strength to endure however long the trial may last, is what I seek.  On days when it seems my current trial seems to be lasting forever, I can remind myself of the time we waited seemingly forever to get news that we had received an FCRA license. Every day during that time, we feared for the well-being of our students that we loved so dearly. The wait was agonizing. Not knowing the outcome was even more agonizing.

I have no idea how long the Covid-19 trial may last, but I’m guessing that most of us have an experience we can look back on that may help us muster the strength to go on through this trial. One thing I do know for sure, is that if God is even aware of little leprosy-affected children in a remote village in India who needed a license to continue their schooling, He is most certainly aware of each of us as we struggle, not only to endure, but to even find blessing in this journey.  May you find strength in those memories and may peace and health be with each of you!

How a Simple Styrofoam Cooler Changed a Family and a Village

LINE UPON LINE

How A Simple Styrofoam Cooler Changed a Family and a Village

By Becky Douglas · June 9, 2020

To see how you can help with the efforts of Rising Star Outreach, CLICK HERE. 

On a recent phone call with our Chairman in India, Padma Venkataraman, she mentioned that she had a surprise photo for me. She told me I probably wouldn’t believe she had taken it this week. 

She sent the following photo, and she was right—I could hardly believe it.

Sixteen years ago, a terrible tsunami hit the Indian Ocean killing nearly 250,000 people across several countries. Rising Star Outreach jumped in immediately with tsunami relief. We replaced destroyed fishing boats and fishing nets for kuppams, (fishing villages,) which were the hardest hit segment of the society in India. With new boats and the replaced nets, the kuppams were able to return to their normal fishing business. In one kuppam alone, we replaced 87 fishing boats!

However, the fishing beds had changed as a result of the tsunami. Now the fishermen were being required to go further and further out to sea to find fish. This was particularly difficult for them because they had no coolers to keep the fish in, and in the hot Southern Indian sun, the fish would begin to spoil before they could reach the shore.

We worked directly with ten different kuppams along the Eastern coast of India. Because of the problem of the shifting fishing beds, we suggested that they begin small micro-businesses to create a diversity of income. We created Women’s Self-help Groups in every village to administer these micro-loans. We made more than two thousand micro-loans to these groups.  Many businesses were started, and as they began to flourish, this really helped the people.

However, after more than a year of doing this tsunami relief, we felt a need to return our entire focus to our main mission, which was to help lift the leprosy-affected. At that point, we had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars which we had raised for tsunami relief. Left in our tsunami fund was a little over $10,000. 

When money is raised for a specific purpose, it has to be spent for that purpose. Therefore, in order to close out our tsunami account we needed to find a way to use that last $10,000. One very large fishing village with more than a thousand families, asked Padma if there was any way we could provide them with coolers. They said, this would allow the fishermen to go further out into the sea to find the fish, and it would also make it possible for them to sell the fish further inland where they could get higher prices for their catch.

This seemed to be the perfect answer. We purchased 1,600 styrofoam coolers for about $6.50 each, which completely cleaned out our tsunami fund. Padma arranged a time for us to deliver the coolers to the Kuppam. On that day, we were greeted nearly a thousand people from the kuppam in their community center. 

They had a beautiful program they had arranged for us including dances, dramas, singing and lots of awards. Every Women’s Self -help Group in the kuppam had bought us the traditional Indian honorarium—a silk scarf. We were draped in multiple large leis of flowers reaching to our knees and multiple silk scarves, as there were more than a dozen Women’s Self-help Groups and each group took time to come and honor us in thanks for providing these coolers. The ceremony lasted for more than three hours!

Afterwards, we were hugged by what seemed like hundreds of the women in the kuppam as they tried to thank us for this gift.  We were hugged and hugged for nearly another 45 minutes! It was pretty crazy—all this, for coolers worth $6.50! This level of gratitude for such simple gifts was almost surreal.

Fast forward sixteen years. Padma was in the fish market last week and saw this cooler with our logo on it. She asked the woman selling the fish where she had obtained the cooler. The woman’s face immediately lit into a smile and she told Padma that Padma herself had delivered it to her village sixteen years ago. It was still being used! It was still blessing the lives of that family!!!

Seeing this picture literally brought tears to my eyes. It brought back a mental picture of that village that had suffered so terribly during the tsunami, losing many of its fathers and sons to the deadly tsunami. Even children had been carried away by the destructive wave. Their village had been leveled, nearly every home completely destroyed. In the ensuing despair, and in the midst of complete, devastating destruction they had almost given up, but were encouraged by our coming. We brought hope and a means to support themselves. 

I remembered the long sweltering ceremony with the multiple flowers and silk scarves given in gratitude. I remembered the sweet hugs and tears of the women who thanked us so profusely for these simple gifts. And I was astounded that this little, cheap styrofoam cooler was still blessing that family.

Sometimes we get a small prompting to do something nice for someone, but we talk ourselves out of it thinking, “Oh, it’s such a small thing, it won’t make any difference.” We deceptively tell ourselves that something has to be big and grandiose or it’s not worth it.  Mother Teresa used to say, “We can do no great thing, we can only do small things with great love.” She was so wise to realize that it is the love that gives an action its power, not its size.

I remember one day on my first trip to India, one of the girls I was with, ate only half of her sandwich.  She opened the car window and asked a woman walking by the car if she wanted the sandwich.  I was horrified and terribly embarrassed.  But to my astonishment, the woman gratefully received the half-eaten sandwich with a big smile.

A few months later, early one morning I found myself waiting for the Rapid Transit train in San Francisco.  There was a young teenager sitting on the bench who looked like she may have spent the night on that bench. Her hair was rumpled and she seemed a little glassy-eyed.  I was munching on an Egg McMuffin we had picked up in the previous block.  Remembering the example of my friend in India, I walked up to the girl and asked her if she would like the rest of my Egg McMuffin.

I was seriously hoping she wouldn’t be offended, but I didn’t have a whole McMuffin on me to offer her.  She looked at the half-eaten Egg McMuffin in my hand. Staring at me, her hand slowly moved up to take the McMuffin sandwich.  She stuffed it in her mouth, then looked up at me, a little embarrassed and smiled, uttering a soft “thank you!”  And this scene occurred, not in India, but in the United States of America!

We are in a time of great need in America today. Many millions of people have lost their jobs. We can all reach out to at least one other person to help.  We don’t have to make great or grandiose gestures. Sometimes an extra five dollars can make the difference between a family eating or a family going hungry.

To me, this picture from a fish market in Chennai, India of a beat-up old cooler is like a little message from God that great things are often the result of only small and simple things. I don’t believe I’ve ever spent $6.50 that has been more satisfying!

The Best Thing We Can Give Might Not Be a Present

Padma and I finally arrived at a dusty leprosy colony after hours of travel. As soon as the colony members saw and recognized her, an excited cry went up, Padma is here! Padma is here! The whole colony came running to greet Padma. Everyone seemed to be talking at once. It was cacophony!

Then from the back of the crowd a man yelled out, “Padma, I have a gift for you.” The crowd immediately silenced and parted. I saw a deformed, leprosy-affected man standing there with his hands behind his back and a big grin on his face. Padma looked very surprised. He came towards her, smiling from ear to ear, but tears were running down his face.

When he got to Padma he pulled out from behind his back a rough three-legged stool and handed it to her. At this point Padma, herself, was a little weepy. The members of the leprosy colony started cheering and clapping. I was clueless!! What was going on? The whole colony was very excited to tell Padma that this man had taken out a micro-loan from the Women’s Self-help Group and had become a good carpenter—in fact—a man from another village had come that very day and ordered a bed from him. Imagine—a non-leprosy-affected person asking a person with leprosy to make them a bed! It was an unbelievable turn of events for members of a leprosy colony.

To understand what a big deal this was, you have to know how I came to be in that colony that day with Padma. . .

Not knowing where to begin when we first went to India to help those affected by leprosy, we thought a good place to start would be to take rice and beans to the colonies. The leprosy-affected beggars we saw in the streets were clearly malnourished, many to the point of seeming to be at death’s door. So, it just seemed to make sense to take them food.

They were thrilled to get the rice and beans each time we visited the colonies but it didn’t take us long to figure out that if we fed them today, we had to come back and feed them tomorrow. This put a definite pitiful cap on how much good we would be able to do with our limited funds.

We inherently felt that they needed to be able to support themselves. But how do you go about making that happen? There were so many seemingly insurmountable challenges! First of all, for them to make anything that could be marketed seemed even to be a stretch. Most of them had feet that were affected by the disease and were missing toes, or part of their foot, or even an entire foot was gone. Walking for many of them was impossible or terribly painful at best. How could they travel to get needed supplies to make something to sell?

Most of their hands were also terribly affected by the disease. Many had one or two fingers, or no fingers at all. Some didn’t even have palms. How does someone like that make something?

But what if they could somehow find a way to actually make something or cook something that could be marketed? These people were considered cursed of God, even touching them was thought to be defiling. Would anyone buy something that they had touched? It seemed highly doubtful.

Every time we tried to put forth an idea of starting ways for them to create their own money we were met with dejected responses. They told us they couldn’t do anything, and even if they could, it would be wasted effort because no one would buy it. We seemed to be at a dead end with no solutions in sight. Having no other answers, I prayed for guidance.

Then a remarkable thing happened. One day our two volunteers in India were making our customary delivery of rice and beans to a colony when they noticed a regular woman meeting with some of the ladies from the colony. The colony women seemed fascinated by what she was saying. Our volunteers joined the group and were surprised to discover that she was talking about making small loans so that they could create their own businesses. Amazingly, the patients were actually listening and were interested. One of our volunteers, Rohan, looked at his friend and said, “We need to get this lady in touch with Becky!”

They got the woman’s name and phone number. Her name was Padma Venkataraman. They called her that evening and set up a time to meet with her. When they got together they were stunned to learn that she had been working for years with various leprosy colonies to help them become self-sufficient. She had hundreds of small businesses functioning. Now the Rising Star volunteers were really excited! They gave Padma my name and asked her to call me.

I will never forget that call! I was sitting in my bedroom in Norcross, Georgia when I received a call from India. The person introduced herself as Padma, said she worked with the leprosy-affected and suggested we might want to partner. I was immediately hesitant. As Americans doing charity work in India we were often approached by people wanting to “partner” with us—basically wanting to get their hands on American charitable dollars, so I had learned to be extremely careful.

Padma working with women's self-help group

I had no idea at that point that I was talking to the daughter of the former President of India, Pres. Ramaswamy Venkataraman! I also learned later that Padma had been the permanent Women’s Representative to the U.N. from India for twenty years and had for several of those years been the President of the Council on Women’s Affairs—basically the top woman in the world on Women’s issues! She had years and years of hands-on experience in creating change.

When I sent up my simple prayers for guidance I had no idea that God would send someone like Padma! It was a great reminder of the scriptures that tell us we only need to ask!

Long story short, Padma ended up becoming our partner, and now serves as the Chairman of our Board of Directors in India. Partnering with her has been an incredible gift of God to Rising Star Outreach!

On my next trip to India I could hardly wait to accompany her and see how she was working. She had been doing micro-lending in ten colonies in Tamilnadu. I went with her to meet the people in those colonies and to learn about her program. It was a fascinating education!

That’s how I happened to be with Padma that day. I was going to meet the people that she had already been working with to see how her program worked. Late that afternoon, after we finished our work in that colony and were in the car riding back home again I asked Padma what the “three-legged stool event” was all about. She said, “Oh Becky, when I first came to this colony five years ago, I gathered everyone together to explain my ideas about how they could become self-sufficient. They all gathered and were sitting in the dirt waiting to listen, but then that man (the one with the stool) had interrupted me to ask, ‘Did you bring us any rice?’ I explained that instead of bringing rice, I had brought an idea to share with them that would make them capable of buying their own rice. He scoffed and said, ‘If you didn’t bring rice, what gifts did you bring us?’ I explained that I had only brought them an idea. He instantly stood up and said through clenched teeth ‘If you didn’t bring us any gifts, I’m not interested.’” He began to walk away.

As he started to walk away, Padma called out to him, “Wait! If you’ll just listen, I’ll teach you some principles so that one day YOU could give ME a gift. He spat in the dirt and kept walking. The entire colony walked away with him. Padma was left with only five women.

But she wasn’t to be deterred. She taught them to pool their begging money so that they could make loans to each other. They called the group the “Women’s Self-Help Group.” One by one these five women started little businesses and soon became the wealthiest people in the colony. Instead of earning $15/month as beggars on the street, they were earning up to $100/month with their little businesses.

One by one the other colony members came to join their group and start businesses. The colony began to prosper. Padma told me that this man was the last to join. But there, today, he had met her with the words, “Padma, I have a gift for you!” Her words had become literally true! The pride and joy on his face told it all!

Cattle business from micro-loan

When we reach out to help others, we often erroneously think that we need to give them something. The truth is that the best gift is to give them the capacity to reach out and lift themselves, and then be able to be the one lifting others. This is what truly lifts a person.

We all need to rethink our approach to charity work a little. If Padma had brought this man rice, he would have eaten it and it would be gone. But giving him an opportunity to make something of himself not only gave him a lifetime ability to provide his own rice but was also a catalyst in sparking their community’s outreach to people outside their colony. It was a step to erasing the stigma that dogged all of their lives.

Not only is this man's family lifted, but he's able to hire people from the colony, as well

Now in any situation where I’m reaching out to help anyone—instead of thinking, “What should I give them,” I try to think, “How can I empower this person to solve their own problem?” It makes all the difference in the world in what I choose to do and how effective my help can be. It’s a vehicle for people to find true healing. It works in nearly every situation: Visiting Teaching, working with the homeless, helping out a neighbor, even helping my own kids when they struggle. It takes some re-adjusting of our thinking, but the change it creates is well worth the effort!

The pride that comes from being a productive member of society beats a handout all to pieces!