Recently I visited Delhi to see my good friend who pastors there. I had a wonderful time there ministering and being ministered to. I also visited some work amongst the slums there.

You expect to be confronted in India. Coming from a privileged white middle class background, you know the poverty and struggle is going to confront. Children begging, mothers in anguish, people living in squalor.

What I did not expect was to be confronted by the wealth.

I visited a mall, which had four sections to it. The fourth and most grandoise section would not have been out of place in Paris, London or New York. Seriously.

I could not afford to buy there. Two Bentleys were parked inside, people were sipping on High Tea with silver platters and the aircon was a welcome relief from the heat outside.

Of course once you step outside again you are confronted by the stench and oppressive heat. But what is more confronting is the slum located no more than 200 metres from the entrance.

I love India, and I love the people, the food and even aspects of the wonderful culture.

But seeing such wealth, in contrast to such poverty, was confronting. And causes me to question what is happening in the wider culture.

To give hope, I saw some amazing work Christians and Churches are doing there. Both the work of the local church I was involved with, and an organisation which I visited. Both organisations doing what they can to help.