Laurie Taylor:

Let me tell you about a friend of mine. Babita lives in North India between a large city, Dehradun and a village tucked away in the Himalayan mountains, Bhogpur. By the time Babita was three, she was alone. Taken in by a community of loving people (a Leprosy community), she was provided for and eventually sent to a boarding school – The Bhogpur Children’s Home – where Children from Leprosy communities could be educated and set apart from the stigma of their parents’ diagnosis. Fast forward 50 years – I count Babita as one of my closest friends and most deserving of my admiration. She married, Caleb, and they have two boys Abhinav and Anubhav. The Children’s Home has changed dramatically but Babita and Caleb have never wavered in their commitment to give back to this community. Both, having known a world where there was no one to call mom or dad, have truly become mom and dad to anyone in need. After raising their boys in the heart of Dehradun city, just a few weeks ago, duty called them back to the village where Caleb manages the Home staff and grounds and Babita runs the school, Home Academy (Incidentally, the same school they and my husband Dinesh attended which brought them from poverty into a world of education and advancement.) Despite Babita and Caleb’s advanced education and degrees, they have chosen a path that most benefits others and provides quite minimally in the way of material things. They own very little and earn, even less – yet are some of the most content and satisfied people I’ve ever known.

Why do I share this with you? Well, some may know that their two sons are studying here in the states and are under my sponsorship. The elder, Abhinav, is graduating this week from East Tennessee State University and preparing to start a nurse residency program in Chattanooga in cardiothoracic surgery. The younger, Anubhav is finishing his first year at Moody Bible Institute in Washington state. This boy, since I’ve known him at age six, has never considered any other career path, save becoming a pilot. If anyone doubted, it was not him, or his parents. When Anubhav obtained admission into pilot school, no one saw finances as a reason not go. He is heavily dependent on financial aid and after completing his first of the five-year program, all but $4,000 is paid. Each year brings new expenses – next up, a specialized toolbox intended to last him a lifetime of plane maintenance with a price tag of about $5,500. Anubhav would like nothing more than to work and earn but immigration policy prohibits him from doing so. Given this need and limitation, Anubhav and I decided to throw a party. We would like to offer you some good old fashioned Indian Hospitality – and if any of you feels inspired to lend a hand (or a couple of bucks) toward Anubhav’s college tuition and expenses – we’d be grateful.