Dear Friends,
I first met Tuna in 1995 but it wasn't until last year that I started to get to know him.
People who live and work in the area where Tuna spends most of his time have filled in some of the mysterious gaps about Tuna's past. They say that Tuna was a very talented and successful art student until something terrible happened to his brother. Whatever that crisis was, it was so traumatic that Tuna broke under the burden of it and went to the streets. He has never been the same since and seems very unlikely that he will ever be the same again. His life is destroyed.
Tuna is 26 years old, but he could pass for 46. With his “bundle”-consisting of the blanket he sleeps with, a change of clothes, some drawing paper, and a few odds and ends- he barely weighs 97 pounds. He spends his days sitting outside the gates of the government art college in Calcutta and spends his nights sleeping on the street by the New Market bazaar.
Tuna is very different from most of my friends. He is always very dirty. His hair is never combed. He sometimes smells like urine. Most of his teeth have fallen out or are badly decayed. He is a very sad person. He has some very obvious mental and psychological problems and very possibly is demon possessed. He doesn't speak very well and when he does speak it's usually extremely difficult to understand.He's often sick, probably has tuberculosis and a severe case of intestinal worms. Tuna is a Shiva-devotee (in Hinduism Shiva is referred to as the Destroyer).
But despite all these differences, Tuna is my friend.
Usually when in Calcutta, I work in Mother Teresa's House for the Dying, but this summer I really felt like I needed to give most of my time to Tuna.
I really enjoyed being with him. He's very agreeable and very peaceful.
As the summer progressed Tuna began to feel more and more comfortable with me. Tuna is not shy, and the more time we spent together the more he began asking me for the things he needed. Every day he would ask for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an occasional tea between meals. He also asked me for some clean clothes, a haircut, drawing paper, and some basic and necessary toiletries. I was happy to help Tuna with these things and wished I could have helped him more.
Over many meals I sat with Tuna and tried to get him to talk about himself. After several days it seemed he began to recall things from his “old life”. He said that he had 3 brothers and sisters. He said that his last name was Pal (a typical Bengali name). He seemed to want to remember, but there was something that wouldn't let him remember. Every time we would sit down he would say his prayers to Shiva and make a small offering to the god by setting part of his meal aside as his gift. It was sadly ironic to see this man whose life is destroyed worshipping the “destroyer”.
It was a great summer spending time with Tuna and getting to know him. By the end of the summer I felt like we were both changed men.
Shortly before I left Calcutta, Tuna and I were sharing lunch together when he began to go through his customary ritual offering to Shiva. I interrupted him and said, “pray to Jesus Tuna”, he replied, “I only pray to Jesus now”.
Tuna taught me a lot. He longs for community. He gets very lonely. His identity and dignity is important to him and feels slighted when people treat him like a crazy, homeless person. He is very sensitive. He is generous. He is very honest.
As I have reflected on my time with Tuna, the Lord has shown me very clearly that the authenticity and quality of my Christian virtue is qualified in my relationships with the poor. For so long my mentality has been one of ministering to the poor as objects and recipients of compassion and charity. But this summer Tuna reminded me of my need to include the poor in my life through intimate relationships- not to see the poor as those I “minister to”, but those that I identify myself with. He reminded me to open myself up to be ministered to by the poor.
In my efforts and prayers to help “liberate” Tuna from his physical, emotional, and spiritual poverty, I found myself being “liberated” by his presence in my life. I thank God for using Tuna as a vessel to usher in a new level of brokeness and understanding.
Yet, Tuna still suffers. Please remember him in your prayers. Even now as you read this he is probably hungry and lonely. He is probably suffering from the torment of the demons that are destroying him. He is probably sleeping on the streets or picking through the trash looking for something to eat. He is probably part of God's “liberating” work that needs to be done in your life. Please pray for Tuna.
A servant among the least,
Chris Heuertz