Fight Club Ministry (Part 2 of 3 India Train Station Stories)

by Tim Swanson

I stared out the bus window at hundreds of motorized rickshaws zipped along the crowded streets of Bangalore, India. From what I had been told, we were on our way to share the gospel with a bunch of homeless kids at the train station. I was not looking forward to it. What kind of a conversation was I going to have with a little homeless Indian boy? What could we possibly have in common? To make matters worse, we had  arrived a day earlier at the train station after a 24 hour train ride in 3rd class (which makes coach look like high society). So the thought of going to hang out at the train station was about the most unappealing thing I could think of.

We arrived at the Bangalore train station just before sunset. James, our guide and translator led us through the thick crowds of people to the large terminal building. He took us through the main doors into the lobby (which was just another area with a herd of people moving through). He instructed us to wait while he tracked down some of the boys. Then he disappeared into the crowds. He was gone long enough to leave us wondering if we would never see him again. The sun quickly set and disappeared, along with the crowds of people. The boys carried luggage during the day to earn enough money to eat and get high in the evening. So James had timed our visit to begin just after the busy part of the day. As we arrived and the crowds left, the boys were just getting off work.

James reappeared with few of the boys. My team was initially excited as we discovered how easy it was to introduce ourselves to each other. All we had to do was pat our chest with one hand and say our names. The boys smiled when we did this, and responded by doing the same. Our initial excitement didn't last long before frustration set in. Without any common tongue between us and the boys, it was really hard to do anything beyond introduce ourselves. James moved around trying to translate what he could. But by before long there were enough boys that he couldn't possibly translate for everyone. I was still wallowing in my pessimism. In an attempt to connect with the boys, a couple members of my team started trying to teach them to play Pat-a-cake. We tried to minister to the boys, but it was awkward at best. A few of my team members had mild success with pat-a-cake, but some of the others (including myself) were not making any progress. It was a lot like a really bad first date.

This is the train station where the boys live and work.
The bit of parking lot in the photo is where we ended up
wrestling around with each other. 

Before long, the boys were beginning to lose interest. As we struggled to connect with them, they were beginning to wander away. To be honest, I was starting to lose interest myself. Feeling a little defeated, I began looking around the lobby as if I would spot something that would save me from the awkward failure. As my eyes wandered over the various fixtures of the train station, I spotted a couple of the young boys who had taken to some horse play. Their rough housing struck a chord with me. So I walked over to them. They stopped playing and faced me as I approached them. With one hand I reached out and poked one of the boys in the chest. Confused by this, the boys stood there with blank stares. They weren't sure what to make of me. So I made another attempt to communicate my intentions. with an open hand I patted one of the boys on the chest and said, “India”. Then I patted myself on the chest and followed up with, “Pakistan”. The boy’s eyes grew wide and a grin appeared on their faces. He stepped forward and pushed me back. His friend came and joined him. Before too long, our rough housing caught the attention of a police officer. He told James that our new game was not welcome in the lobby. So together with my team and a growing group of boys, we headed out to the parking lot. When I turned to the boys I had instigated, they had multiplied from two to four. The boys gathered around. Then one or two at a time came running, trying to tackle me to the ground. Being homeless and addicted to drugs, the boys were all pretty skinny. As they ran up and jumped on me, I easily batted them off. And I didn't worry as more boys came out of the train station and joined the circle around me. By the end of the night, there were more than a dozen boys in the circle. 'Connecting' didn't seem to be a problem anymore. And when we were finished playing, James had the boys undivided attention to share the Gospel.

James still shares Jesus with the guys at the train station.
Here is a current picture of them, ten years after my team
first visited them. James is in the front row, wearing a blue
collared long sleeve shirt.

After that night, we returned to the train station once a week. And the ministry to the homeless boys became the thing I looked forward to the most. I was dreading it initially. When we first got to the train station, my dread was affirmed as we struggled to communicate with the boys. Then I tried a new way of reaching out that worked really well for me. Some of my team members continued with Pat-a-cake, which was good because not every boy wanted to join the fight club ministry that we had started.

Leadership Principle

The other night something clicked for me as I was reading The Leadership Challenge. In the book, the authors identify 5 characteristics that leaders exhibit when they are at their best. One of those characteristics is 'challenge the process'. The authors say, "Challenge is the crucible for greatness... Leaders venture out; they don't sit idly by and wait for fate to smile on them". A good leader naturally seeks out better ways of doing things. There are some people who would even argue that the ability to instigate change is an essential ingredient in the definition of what a leader is. And many things can provoke that striving for change. For me, my own social discomfort forced me to find a better way to connect with the train station boys. What it for you? In what areas of your life are you feeling uncomfortable or stagnant? Which habits or systems can you let go of? What's just not working for you anymore? Moving away from just one or two obsolete habits could be the catalyst you didn’t know you really needed. It could be the very thing that helps you achieve those goals that seem to he just out of reach. So have a look at that this week. What is one area where you can challenge your process and potentially jump start your productivity?