Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord… The team made their way through to minister to the children and they found them with all smiles to share their love.
Setting foot on Thanamir, about 428 kilometers away from Dimapur, was just a well-o’-the wisp until our Lord opens the way to visit it in April 2011. With zeal and enthusiasm, twelve youths from the Ao Kashiram Youth Department, Dimapur, had made the maiden holistic mission trip to this hamlet.
If we have to think of enjoying everything that a contemporary world could provide, Thanamir isn’t the right place. We have to endure the arduous journey and should compromise with every poor basic amenity. Nevertheless, Thanamir is the place where we can find unspoiled form of ‘honesty’ and ‘benevolence’. Opportunities are plenty to work with Thanamirians in various aspects of life: from crash courses on hygienic cooking, sanitation to proper maintenance of their kitchen and living rooms. The four female counterparts with us were found busy in providing the crash courses while the remaining eight gentlemen gird up their loins in collecting boulders for making toilets with modern accessories. Examples were set to enjoy healthy and peaceful life with the things available around. However, difficulties are inescapable for the villagers and pro-mission group to acquire necessary kits; what we do is to carry all accoutrements from the nearby towns.
Our sojourn in Thanamir was thankfully a reminder for us to focus more on the people who are in real need of real people. Much more than anything else, they need a good centre of learning to prepare the young generation. We found the one and only government primary school in complete disarray; the little hope they have with this centre of learning is ebbing away with the passage of time. Two missionaries sent by Nagaland Missionary Movement (NMM) to Thanamir, for other purpose, were found working industriously with the children equipping them with the ABC.
Though they still lack modern facilities, they have love much more than we need and they are very helpful and generous. The adorable young and old folks of this village yearn for the day when they will be able to extricate themselves from this primitive sort of living. With them, we glorify our Lord by singing hymns and reading from the Bible. Interestingly, we sang English chorus with youngsters, “yes Lord, yes Lord: yes, yes Lord!” Majestically, they used to sing most of the songs by rote learning.
After witnessing the incomplete living condition with the naked eyes, we may conclude that Thanamir is still behind hundreds of Naga villages. Churches, NGOs and government should INSERT IGNORE Thanamir and the like areas in their mission activities map. While outreach missions have become so important, our home missions have become the most urgent ones. Our own people and neighbours like Thanamir need special attention from across Nagaland. This village is not simply important because of bordering Myanmar or the place from where we can climb the longest mountain of Nagaland: Saramati, but they are our own brothers and sisters in Christ who desperately need the Olive branch. Let’s help them to help us better.
If we have to think of enjoying everything that a contemporary world could provide, Thanamir isn’t the right place. We have to endure the arduous journey and should compromise with every poor basic amenity. Nevertheless, Thanamir is the place where we can find unspoiled form of ‘honesty’ and ‘benevolence’. Opportunities are plenty to work with Thanamirians in various aspects of life: from crash courses on hygienic cooking, sanitation to proper maintenance of their kitchen and living rooms. The four female counterparts with us were found busy in providing the crash courses while the remaining eight gentlemen gird up their loins in collecting boulders for making toilets with modern accessories. Examples were set to enjoy healthy and peaceful life with the things available around. However, difficulties are inescapable for the villagers and pro-mission group to acquire necessary kits; what we do is to carry all accoutrements from the nearby towns.
Our sojourn in Thanamir was thankfully a reminder for us to focus more on the people who are in real need of real people. Much more than anything else, they need a good centre of learning to prepare the young generation. We found the one and only government primary school in complete disarray; the little hope they have with this centre of learning is ebbing away with the passage of time. Two missionaries sent by Nagaland Missionary Movement (NMM) to Thanamir, for other purpose, were found working industriously with the children equipping them with the ABC.
Though they still lack modern facilities, they have love much more than we need and they are very helpful and generous. The adorable young and old folks of this village yearn for the day when they will be able to extricate themselves from this primitive sort of living. With them, we glorify our Lord by singing hymns and reading from the Bible. Interestingly, we sang English chorus with youngsters, “yes Lord, yes Lord: yes, yes Lord!” Majestically, they used to sing most of the songs by rote learning.
After witnessing the incomplete living condition with the naked eyes, we may conclude that Thanamir is still behind hundreds of Naga villages. Churches, NGOs and government should INSERT IGNORE Thanamir and the like areas in their mission activities map. While outreach missions have become so important, our home missions have become the most urgent ones. Our own people and neighbours like Thanamir need special attention from across Nagaland. This village is not simply important because of bordering Myanmar or the place from where we can climb the longest mountain of Nagaland: Saramati, but they are our own brothers and sisters in Christ who desperately need the Olive branch. Let’s help them to help us better.
Lima Jamir
Youth Director, Ao Kashiram Baptist Church
