" Let us be ready, first of all, to listen to the street--children. They will then be ready to listen to us. There is a great gap between them and us. To bridge this gap we must be one among them, one with them. It is impossible to express the deep joy we feel, when we share with them, the meal they prepare by collecting the remains of food found in garbage bins."  - These are the words of the thirty-year-old brother Joy Daniel who has dedicated the best years of his bachelor life for serving street children. We can here read about the heroic efforts Joy Daniel makes to give the destitute children a full life, with nothing but faith and love as his capital.

In that vast city the astounding face of anarchy was visible everywhere. When Joy saw alcoholism, drug addiction and worldly lusts eating up the moral fabric of life like a cancer, his heart ached. Those who fell victims to these evils were young, innocent children. One day he came across the sad scene of a child being tortured by a gang of drug addicts. Could he not do something for these helpless children? The problem made him restive. When a sense of purpose took hold of him, he bade farewell to Mumbai. By the time a draft plan of his future activities was already formed in his mind.

When Joy, the son of Daniel and Leelamma, from Veloopadam in Trichur Distrct, returned to his home town, what he first did was to share his insight with those who already had a God experience. With them he began to visit hospitals and to nurse the sick. As he was serving as a volunteer in Trichur Medical College, he came across a poor, homeless, old man whose legs had been amputated. I must take care of this man, thought Joy. The first thing he did was to take that man to Divine Retreat Centre, Muringoor. The mission of serving others, which he took upon himself on that occasion, is continued even today.
 
 

As Joy began praying more intensely, the plan of action he had formulated became clearer. One thing was certain. Jesus was asking something of him. At this time he came into contact with Fr Geoge Kuttickal who was running the Divyahridaya Ashram in Channaipara, for the ‘Birds of the Air’ (beggars and destitutes on the streets). Joy stayed with him for three years giving his unstinted services. At this time he came across a young boy from the streets. He was at the crossroads of life. In December 1995 Joy approached Bishop Kundukulam, now of happy memory, and shared with him this dream of his. He consulted the Bishop about the possibilites of rehabilitation of street children and the need for their evangelisation. As a result of that encounter, Joy collected about 200 children and arranged for a retreat for them at Chennaipara. Bishop Kundukulam himself was present on the first day. He gave his blessings and promised to do his utmost for this great work. Joy assisted Fr Kuttickal in giving classes to these boys. An inner impulse told Joy that he must spend more time in payer.
 
 

The prayer-fellowship known as Street-Ashram that Joy established on the sand dunes of river Nila in Ottapalam, was noteworthy for its novelties. The second prayer fellowship was organised under the Shornur railway overbridge. This brought about another shower of graces on Joy’s life. When he began to gather the street boys at Olavakkod station for prayer in a room in the nearby slum, Joy’s dreams were being fulfilled, one by one. He says, the name by which they came to be known - ‘Friends of the Birds of the Air’-was highly significant, giving depth and meaning to the association of the two groups. As soon as ashrams are established, Joy’s effort is to make the inmates self-sufficient. Works like cooking, and nursing of little children are gradually taken care of by the older ones in the group. Joy is always there to give spiritual leadership and direction. He tries to keep them united, taking interest even in small matters that concern them and is all in all - father, brother and friend. With a heart overflowing with affection, he tries to give them what they had lost, or had never had in life - human love.

When 10 acres of land were available on lease near Vadakkancheri, Joy and his companions decided to cultivate the ground. The produce resulting from their labour was shared with other ashrams and the poor neighbours. "All that is mine is yours also. When I sell it to my brother, the relationship is broken. When crops and compound produce are given free, a heavenly joy is experienced," says Joy. The days were filled with prayer and labour. But when the rains came difficulties arose. At this critical moment, Fr John Kollanveer, from the diocese of Trichur, magnanimously gifted a small house and compound to serve as the ashram. The ashram known as Carmela Matha Bhavan is now situated on this spot. This is only a temporary arrangement. Joy and his companions are waiting on God with full trust for a permanent abode to run the ashram in a healthy and easy-of-access environment. This was Joy’s reaction when his attention was drawn to the limitations of the present conditions.
 
 

The first thing Joy does is to bring the street children, who are actively engaged in prayer and fellowship, to Divine for a retreat. And then they are taken to Chennaipara Ashram. By the time they become acclimatized to the family atmosphere and fellowship pervading the ashram. The ashram, Prathyasha Bhavan, run by the couple, Avarachan and Chinnamma, in Malayidam Turuth, has also become a refuge for some homeless children. Joy, who has known what it is to eat the food of street boys and to live with them, draws our attention to the absolute necessity of street-evangelisation.

" Let us be ready, first of all, to listen to the street--children. They will then be ready to listen to us. There is a great gap between them and us. To bridge this gap we must be one among them, one with them. It is impossible to express the deep joy we feel, when we share with them, the meal they prepare by collecting the remains of food found in garbage bins." Joy was opening the treaure-box of his experiences!
 
 

Nearly 20 street children, the majority from Tamil Nadu! The characteristics of the ashram are varied. If you happen to drop in there at lunch time, you will see Dayasagar, the oldest among them, reading to the younger children the life of a saint and clearing their numerous doubts. The dynamic Francis, with his friends, takes the leadership to see to the cooking and cattle-rearing. In the meanwhile, playing on swings, games and other pastimes go on in due course. In structure and reality, " Children’s Pavilion " is an apt title for this house. An incomparable divine atmosphere is created here, with the house reverberating with prayer, praises of God and devotional music and songs. Every one of these children is being prepared and trained for street-evangelisation. Kumar and Amos, young as they are, have become good preachers. Joy says the testimonies they share at the services at Chennaipara Ashram are extremely touching to listen to.

In the lives of these children, the most acute aspect of poverty experienced, is more on the plane of lack of love and character-training than in the matter of food and clothing. Joy reminds us that each one of us has a duty to give to them what they have never had.
 
 

Says Joy, " In our prayer, we include the entire universe and all its needs. We surrender to God every field of work. Above all, our target is to get everyone to sit at the right hand of Jesus at his second coming. This is our foremost prayer. Secondly, we pray to be filled with the grace to love Jesus with all our strength, with all our mind and all our heart and soul in the midst of financial difficulties and dependence on others. To obtain this grace we pray with great intensity. When the neighbours drop in to join in our prayer, and unite their anxieties, failures and trials of life with those of the ‘Birds of the Air’, what they experience is an inexpressible spiritual joy."

When we pointed out that boys from Tamil Nadu were in the majority, Joy responded: "When I was in Malayattoor for two years, immersed in prayer, one night saw a person approaching me. When he began talking to me in Tamil, I experienced a strange spiritual exhiliration. I realised he was St Thoms. We have, each one of us, to continue the mission of St Thoms, who was martyred at Mylapore. Take the Good News to the Tamils. That is why I take more interest in them." Joy paused for a moment.

This 30-year-old unmarried man has only the story of his youth to tell—the years he set aside for Jesus alone, to be a sacrificial victim for his sake. The inmates say that God’s love flows into the ashram through the firm hope that his providence will supply their day-to-day needs and through the sincere and whole-hearted co-operation of God’s children. It is this faith, hope and love that form the bulwark of the ashram’s subsistance and the secret of Joy’s success in life.