So long as we love, we serve;
So long as we are loved by others,
I would almost say that we are indispensable;
And no one is useless while they have a friend.
– Robert Louis Stevenson

Justice. It’s a word denoting the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, and equity. History is littered with attempts to define it philosophically, pragmatically, existentially and scientifically. Every page of world history tells a story of justice or injustice, intertwined with the story of civilization.

But that’s so macrocosmic! Such a large scale. To truly define justice we have to get closer. How do I define justice? Justice, for me, is not a concept to play with. For me it is the real desire for equality in the realm of society.

Society? That’s still too large. While justice remains a global ideal, it happens one person at a time, in places like Little Flower Mercy Ministry in India. Started in 1988 by Mathew Manuel and Molly Manuel, Little Flower is a place devoid of the jargon of justice one often sees today. Instead, it is a place where 200 examples of God’s definition of justice reside.

At Little Flower, the orphaned, the mentally impaired, the old and extreme poor are given the basic amenities of life and the opportunity to share in the joy of life as purposed by God. Rejected by their society built on the law, these people find themselves for the first time with an equal opportunity to exploit their God-given potential. Children have hope for the future, mentally impaired have a community who understands them, older people have a place to be comforted and cared for.

While I was there, questions kept popping up in my mind. Society is littered with people with no hope and justice – Am I not the vehicle of God to reach out to them? By not doing so, am I identifying myself with the society rather than with the purpose of God?

Such acts of kindness start with a man who dares to love people as God has loved him. Robert M. Pirsig was right when he said, “The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands.”

Little Flower Mercy Ministry relies on donations to help them help others. If you are interested in helping, please contact Hope Ink for more information.

Prince Varghese is a photographer from Kerala, India, which is often called “God’s Own Country.” Prince became interested in photography watching his father take pictures with his old Yashica Electro 35. Prince seeks to understand different people groups – their values, lifestyle, environment and struggles – and frame their story without any words.

The idea was to head to a small village in southeast El Salvador, but before we left, we made a visit to the first orphanage. The sight of the vans pulling into the compound brought the kids running our way. The plan was simple. Get out, spend some time with the kids and leave in a short while. Impossible. Most of these kids were abandoned by their parents. Just having someone stop by to see them was a treat.

The children at the orphanages in El Salvador were excited to see the 'gringo' visitors.

During our entire visit at the orphanage, she and Kenny were attached at the hip, his smile as bright as hers. All these children wanted to be held, thrown in the air and swung around. And we did just that. As we left, each person in our crew was speechless. A few tears were shed and a spot in each of our hearts was put aside for these kids. Spending a couple hours with the kids clearly had more of an impact on us than them.

Down the road a ways, we ran into some rain and traffic. At one point we were at a standstill and noticed a mid-sized car at the crossroad that was stuck. His front wheel had fallen into an enormous pothole. The car was unable to move. Other people walked by and cars passed him as he sat helpless in the rain. Almost instantly, Mike looked at us in the back of the van and said, “We need to go and help that guy; let’s lift up his car and get him out of that hole.”

Half laughing, six of us ran over, lifted his car out of the hole, making this guy’s day with one simple act. As traffic started moving, I stopped long enough to exchange names and say “Dios te bendiga!” (God bless you.) Kindness rubs off of the guys from Surfers on Mission and becomes contagious.

We spent the rest of the week in a small fishing village on the southeast coast. Each day we surfed early in the morning and late in the afternoon and spent the rest of the time with the local people. Salvador Castellanos, our friend and contact, had arranged to drive his Toyota truck to distribute food in a needy area. Walking door to door, we split up into groups of three and four with one translator. The response from each family was smiles and gratefulness. Some said a simple “gracias” and others wanted us to come in and talk or pray with them.

The team surfed in the morning and afternoon, and spent the rest of the day meeting the locals.

Tin for a roof, trees and scrap wood for walls and natural dirt floors, these people were content owning very little. Life was simple and there were no distractions like iPods or Wii games. When we were down to our last food bag, we called from the fence to a small makeshift house. A middle-aged man made his way to us with a look of confusion; three gringos (white guys) and a frizzy-haired Filipino.

You could see the gears turning in his head, “What could these guys possibly want?” I explained we were making our way through the village blessing people with large bags of food. He shook my hand and did his best to hold back tears. He explained his family “was on their last meal and didn’t know where the next meal would come from.” His next comment showed me how important that whole day was — “Now I know how much God loves me and cares for me.”

The next day we drove an hour or so to another orphanage. At first the kids were reserved, and understandably so, as 10 gringos more than twice their size walked into their building for the first time. After a couple hours of singing, dancing and playing with them, we asked the woman in charge, “What would be a way we could really bless you and the kids tonight?”

The adults loved the pinata as much as the kids, but the little boy who climbed the tree to get the pinata got the laughs.

As we drove back to our base camp that night, all I could think about was how much I take things for granted. How many times I’ve had fried chicken. How many times I’ve spent money carelessly. How many times in the future I’ll stop and think about the things I want versus the things I need.

The big party was set for Friday night. We had posted and handed out flyers all over the small village. With permission from the mayor, we took over the soccer field in the middle of town. We had a raffle for the kids and adults, soccer games, piñatas, and topped off the night with an animated movie about Jesus.

Nearly everyone in the village turned out, or so it seemed. The hardest task of the night was holding the adults back during the piñatas; they all wanted some candy too. Everyone crowded around the boy swinging the stick at the piñata, waiting in anticipation for candy to fly everywhere. It was then we noticed a small boy had secretly climbed the tree from which the piñata hung. The boy in the tree pulled the piñata up and began reaching in to grab hand full after hand full of candy. Ingenuity at its best. Everyone had a laugh.

The highlight of the night came after the movie as we were packing everything up. A man approached with his eyes full of tears. He fought to spill out a few words and explained he wanted Jesus to be number one in his life. A bunch of us gathered around him as he prayed a prayer of repentance.

These are only a taste of the stories and experiences from a trip that was ‘all that and then some’. Not because we surfed great waves on the trip, but more because what we were able to give.

Adventure photographer, “Looman”, looks for the perspective that others wouldn’t and stops time with the shutter of a camera. He’s traveled to over 30 countries and his work has been published in various web/published material. His goal? Showing others the world the way he sees it; from a different perspective.

With a little love and care, even the darkest corners of the world can become spectacles of hope.

Svey Pak, Cambodia, was one of those dark corners, where sex trafficking was rampant and the government did nothing to help. Foreign men would buy children on the streets and rape them. The police were in on the deal, and when a brothel was shut down by an NGO, it would be up-and-running within the week. Pimps would bribe their way out of jail. Foreign pedophiles used Cambodian corruption to stay an arm’s length from away from trouble.

What lies hidden is revealed in the light of God. Jesus is redeeming Svay Pak, which has becoming a beacon of hope to a dark world.

In 2005, International Justice Mission (IJM) raided the largest child brothel in Svay Pak, and this time, business stopped for good. A ministry called AIM 4 Asia moved into building that formerly housed the brothel, calling the place Rahab’s House. The AIM staff began to love and serve the people of Svey Pak, even those who did not welcome them, and their passion has changed the entire district.

Pastor Chantha, his wife Bohnthan and ministry partners Ratanak, and Clayton began offering free weekly health clinics, English classes, and children’s programs, as well as providing free gym access. The locals became curious. Men and women who months earlier were selling their children to pimps and dealing drugs now come to Rahab’s House to know the God of love.

The word transformation became much more meaningful during my stay in Cambodia. The work of AIM and Rahab’s House is surely not just about stopping bad behavior, or rescuing children from a brothel. This is only the beginning. When people in Svey Pak meet Jesus, they are turning 180 degrees not just 90. One girl I met was rescued from this ex-brothel, and now ministers from the same building, reaching out to other children who are abused and at-risk.

God is taking the broken, healing them, then using them to heal others. The abused now comfort the abused.

Transformation is not just for Svey Pak, but for the world. Regardless of where we are, our calling is the same, to love those around us. As we love we will see transformation in our own communities.