Spreading compassion in India

Marcia Kilgallen rides a pink surfboard and her day always starts with a cup of coffee. She doesn’t like bugs or tight spaces and she’s prone to motion sickness when she travels.

The Cal State Los Angeles student, who is most at ease when in control, is pursuing a career in teaching. At 33, she thought she had it pretty well figured out.

That’s until she found herself in a remote, seaside village in southeastern India. Kilgallen was among 60 doctors, nurses and other volunteers who traveled thousands of miles over several days to bring medical clinics to areas ravaged by the Dec. 26 tsunami. The team left the United States on Jan. 22, returning 10 days later.

Kilgallen got the missionary bug in early January when someone from her church began soliciting volunteers to help with the effort, sponsored by Project Compassion, based in Rancho Bernardo, Calif.. Launched 13 years ago with medical trips into Mexico, Project Compassion has now provided assistance in nearly three dozen countries. The come at the invitation of missionaries and frequently serve in remote areas where there is no health care.

In addition to the gift of time, each of the volunteers had to raise a minimum of $2,800 to pay their expenses.

Cindi Bradbury, who co-founded Project Compassion, said they were able to quickly respond to the disaster because of contacts they made there last summer. Working with an organization called International Evangelical Relief, the team set up medical clinics in two neighboring villages. Bradbury said the team was able to assist nearly 4,000 people during their most recent trip.

Their work focused on the untouchables or Dalits, a poor class of Christians who are neglected by the government. Bradbury said India has so little regard for the untouchables that their dead were not included in the official death toll from the tsunami.

“Their access to medical attention is very limited,” she said. “They are in an undesirable caste group.”

Although this was the largest emergency relief team to travel with Project Compassion, Bradbury said another 80 volunteers couldn’t be accommodated because they couldn’t find enough airline seats.

Simple decision
For Kilgallen, the choice to go was easy.

“I am single, I don’t have children,” she said. “I don’t have the normal things that would keep me from going. I decided to apply and see what happens. Within days I was on the trip.”

She was accompanied on the trip by a friend who is an OB/GYN.

Thanks to her colleagues at the legal publication where she works, Kilgallen was able to raise the money in less than a week.

“My work was excellent,” she said. “Many in my department supported me financially.”

Even though things came together smoothly, including getting visas, Kilgallen admits she was nervous about the prospect of going so far to minister. Her boldest mission effort previously was helping with orphanages in Baja.

Since her medical training was limited, Kilgallen assisted in the triage area, taking such vitals as temperature, height and weight.

Most of what they dealt with was basic illnesses, including skin fungus, although many were dealing with chronic neck and back pain caused from trying to hold on to loved ones during the tsunami or dealing with the additional work of gathering food in the wake of the devastation.

Planning to become a high school teacher, Kilgallen said it was the young children who stole her heart. Always planning to have a lot of children of her, the still-single Los Angeles student said the mercy trip showed her that motherhood may take on a different role in her life.

“Maybe I’m not having my own children,” she said. “Maybe I’m supposed to be the mother of a lot.”

Mother Theresa?
Kilgallen’s work with the children made an impression with another doctor who worked along side her.

“I met Mother Theresa,” he said upon his return.

She laughed at the compliment.

“I liked the people, I like the way they worked,” she said. “There was no question that God is working through these people because everything worked so well.”

In addition to the long hours traveling together, they started each day with prayers and devotionals. She likened it to a little church.

“I love my church, but I feel like I lost my church,” she said.

It was a trip tinged with sorrow.

“I cried a lot when we pulled away from the orphanage,” she said.

In one particular moving moment, an elderly woman was watching TV. Kilgallen described her as sad and making sounds as if she was going to cry.

“She knelt down and kissed my sneakers,” a stunned Kilgallen said.

Within weeks of returning to the United States, Kilgallen was back in Mexico on a weekend trip, trying to keep a grasp on that mission mentality.

“I hope the lack of materialism will last longer than a couple of weeks,” she said. “I know as an American that can quickly disappear.”

Future work planned
In the meantime, she’s contemplating using her summers to go back to do some more relief work.

“I want to know what happened to the children we treated,” she said.

While she spent days ministering to others, Kilgallen said she also learned a tremendous amount about herself.

“Anytime you do something outside of your comfort zone or that is going to make you uncomfortable, then it will change your life,” she said.

She admits that traveling without her own itinerary, without knowledge of the language or culture, having to rely on others for food, shelter and basic directions was a little unnerving.

“It was a situation that I couldn’t control anything,” she said.

That’s when she discovered God as Jehovah Jirah—her provider.

“I was very surprised that God can do such a good job of taking care of me,” she said. “I didn’t have enough faith.”

Supplying boats
Bradbury said the ministry is assessing the need for another trip and, in the interim, has raised enough money to purchase 60 fishing boats and nets to help the Christians get back to work so they can become self-sustaining once again.

“That is their livelihood,” Bradbury said. “They have no way of making a living without it (fishing).”

Monetary donations are still being sought for additional boats. For more information, call (858) 485-9694.

Published by Keener Communications Group, March 2005

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