Classes at Kodaikanal International School started last week.We are glad to have returned and to be getting back into the many activities and responsibilities in this special place.Every Wednesday the school comes together for a short assembly that highlights our Christian faith.I have been asked to speak this week, and thought I'd share with you what I will be saying to the students:

One of the things I am passionate about is Health.Some of you already know that, if we've had the chance to be together in Health class.I really want this to be a healthy community; healthy in all aspects of our lives – our physical health, our emotional and mental health, the health of our relationships, and our spiritual health as well.In the 7th grade health class we've drawn a diagram in our notebooks which shows how each of these areas intersect as a part of who we are.This morning I feel quite privileged to have this chance to share with you some of my thoughts on the health and welfare of children and young people.

In the Bible we have a record of many times when Jesus cared enough about the people to use his power to restore their health.In the last three years of his life he was very busy healing people.He was also busy teaching and directing and correcting.Jesus was so busy with these important things that his disciples, his companions and students, felt he shouldn't be bothered with trivial things, like children.One day the disciples tried to shoo away some children.Instead Jesus scolded them and said, "Don't push these children away.Don't ever get between them and me.These children are at the very center of life in God's kingdom." (Mark 10:14, The Message)

In our world today, an organization that is busy with healing and teaching, directing and correcting is the United Nations.Within the many, very important functions of the UN, they have deliberately established an agency whose sole function is caring about children and young people – that agency is UNICEF.Each year UNICEF publishes a State of the World's Children report to help the rest of us understand the problems.The 2006 edition of the State of the World's Children is titled Excluded and Invisible.In this document UNICEF identifies the 10 most dangerous places for children.As you can imagine, the countries that top the list are ones where there is conflict, war and violence – the top five are Sudan, Uganda, Congo, Iraq and Somalia.But there is also another kind of violence, for the 6th most dangerous place in the world, 6th out of 195, is India!Are you surprised?I was, and so was the writer of an editorial in last week's local newspaper which prompted me to try to learn more about it.As I read the UNICEF website I learned that India is the 6th most dangerous place for children due to the violence of poverty, the violence of malnutrition and the violence of child labor.The fact is that half of all child laborers live in south Asia.There are over 100 million child workers in India, many of them are serving in bonded or forced labor situations, many of them trafficked for exploitive work.

Here at Kodaikanal International School we are very busy – we are busy with teaching and studying, busy with keeping ourselves fit and competing in sports, busy with enriching our lives with music and art.But I think Jesus shows us that in the midst of our busy, important work we must take time out to care for those who are in the shadows – the excluded and the invisible.We must take time to understand the problems and take time to consider solutions.As I looked at my own responsibility to respond to these children in danger, my first thought was that perhaps as a nurse, the best thing would be for me to work full time in reaching out to hurting children.But as I continued to think and pray, another answer came to me, and that answer has to do with each one of you.Because that answer was Samantha Abraham; and the answer was Kum Seok and Johnny Marak; the answer was Namzay and Joel and Mi-Sol and Amy and Aaron and Jonathan and Rinzova and Hana and every single one of you.The answer was that if I could have a part in this school's mission to open your minds and your hearts to serving others and making this world a better, safer place, then this is where I belong.

Next week our school will observe CARE Week – a week when we will set aside some time to think about what it means to CARE for others and CARE for our world.My prayer is that each of us will find a way to CARE for the excluded and invisible; the excluded and the invisible in our community, in India and throughout the world.My prayer is that every child would have the opportunity, like we do here at KIS, to live in an environment that is healthy and safe.

Let's pray together:

Lord Jesus, you do not exclude the young and the weak from your love and care.No one is invisible to you.Lord, there are times when we get so caught up in the day to day frustrations and challenges and distractions of our lives and forget that we indeed are very privileged.Forgive us.Open our eyes to see needs around us.Inspire us in how we can make a difference.Give us the courage to act on behalf of others, we pray.Amen.