Bright Hope India
MISSIONS
Bright Hope English School, India
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty those who are oppressed… (Luke 4:18)
Priti at 12 and now at 23
She never knew her father. Priti was raised by her mother and grandmother. At 12 years of age her mother hired her out to earn money so her brother could go to school. She worked at the plywood factory from sun up until sundown. She earned 120 Indian rupees per day (~$2). It is fairly typical for minority tribal children to be hired out by their parents. In their culture they are among the lowest caste, along with the Dalit. There are constant reminders of their “less-than” status in this part of India.
When the founder of Bright Hope School, Premila Ramtel, invited her to the school to get an education, it took some negotiating with her mom, but she was finally able to come. Though illiterate when she started school, in just a few years she caught up to the academics of her peers. She proved to be an excellent student who hoped to be a teacher one day. She is a fervent believer – the fruit of her life at the school. She had poise and charm and leadership qualities – and a future. She is one of the students whose lives took a completely different course because of the efforts of the people at Bright Hope English School.
Five girls, including Priti, were the first of their clans to ever complete high school. Their humility, dignity and kindness speak to their true royal identity as children of God. 130+ girls, from preschool to 8th grade, attend this school. Another 20 live at the school and attend high school, college and university. Priti has graduated with a degree in education and now leads the boarding house and teaches the girls at the school. These are children who were destined for a life of servitude. But the trajectory of their lives has changed. The presence of God could not be more palpable than it is in their transformed lives.
The school is in the shadow of the Himalayas, which descend onto the fertile plains at the base of the mountains. Though the foothills are fairly close, they are usually impossible to see because of the dusty haze in the air. Only after the monsoons have ended, leaving the sky clearer, can you see them. The Himalayas loom over these plains, but after a few weeks, the mountains will again fade into the haze. They will disappear from sight, but no one is unaware of their presence, because the rivers that flow from them dominate life here.
This school is a little outpost of the Kingdom. Like the Himalayas that are powerfully present whether you can see them or not, God’s presence is unmistakable. And like the rivers that water these plains, there is an outflow of the Spirit that is touching this little community and the families of the girls who are attending. It is an entirely indigenous school run by Christians who want to share the Gospel in tangible ways. Their prayer is that people here will find new excitement in being part of a family that is eternal; one with a Father who longs for them to come home.
We first came here over thirteen years ago at the request of the founder and principal of the school. This school is devoted to providing an education to “the least of the least.” Education is the one way that a girl can begin to change the course of her life. Bright Hope is committed to seeing change in the culture through education of girls. Please keep the children and staff of this school in your prayers.