Found in a trash can as a newborn, this Christian girl has life-saving surgery 14 years later
Varshini's remarkable story of God's grace.
Varshini is a 14-year-old Christian girl in rural India. She was just days old when someone dropped her into a trash can — tiny, frail and unwanted.
Her birth mother likely abandoned her out of fear: Varshini was undersized and unhealthy.
But God had other plans.
A Christian woman named Lakshmi found her, took her in, and named her Varshini, meaning “life-giving rain.”
Despite her small size — today the teenager is just 24 inches tall and 27 pounds — Varshini has grown into a joyful, vibrant girl.
“She loves Jesus very much and sings for Jesus,” her pastor, KP, told me over the phone. “She teaches Sunday School to 3- to 6-year-olds. She teaches them Bible stories and teaches them how to sing.”
But last week, Varshini had another brush with death.
After two days of intense abdominal pain, a local doctor diagnosed her with appendicitis. The appendix had to come out — immediately.
At 11:30 p.m., Pastor KP jumped into his “Gospel Chariot” — a van provided by our ministry, The India Pastors Project (TIPP), so KP can spread the gospel throughout the region where he lives — and rushed Varshini 27 miles to a hospital in the city of Gujuwaka.
Then came the next crisis: how to pay for the surgery.
In India, especially in rural areas, few people have medical insurance — and hospitals demand payment before any treatment begins.
“They don’t care who you are,” Pastor KP said. “You have to pay up front. Every doctor in India believes people won’t pay their bills later.”
The daily struggles of India’s Christians
When I first heard about Varshini’s situation, Pastor KP was preparing to return home and look for a way to cover the cost of her surgery. For many in India, that means turning to high-interest lenders — one of the few options available to the poor for urgent needs like medical care or K-12 school fees.
While costs in India may seem low by American standards, they remain out of reach for millions of Indian families living on the edge of poverty.
TIPP paid for Varshini’s surgery ($1,070) and she is now recovering. She expects to be home by the end of the week.
As co-founders of TIPP, Chuck Myers and I have heard countless stories of Christians facing hardship in India. Varshini’s suffering is sadly not uncommon — but her survival is nothing short of extraordinary.
Christians make up just 3% of India’s 1.4 billion people. In many places, they are treated like members of the lowest caste — marginalized, ignored and often mistreated.
I recently wrote about Pastor Bunty being forced out of his church building in India — along with the 28 orphans he cares for — simply because he is Christian.
Varshini’s mother, Lakshmi, is 48 years old. Her husband left her many years ago when she couldn’t get pregnant, and now she works at a low-paying dishwashing job at a local restaurant.
But Lakshmi isn’t childless. When villagers found Varshini in the trash can 14 years ago, Lakshmi asked the elders of her village if she could adopt her — and they agreed.
Together, Lakshmi and Varshini’s lives tell a remarkable story: that even in a place where Christians are few, where poverty is deep, and where prejudice persists, the love of Christ can rescue, restore and raise up.
Varshini was thrown away — but not forgotten.
Not by Lakshmi.
Not by Pastor KP.
And certainly not by God.
Help us cover the cost of Varshini’s surgery
Sometimes a situation arises where we have to act first and trust that God will provide through his people later.
Varshini’s emergency surgery was one of those cases.
Donors support The India Pastors Project (TIPP) because they believe in our mission: equipping pastors in India to understand the Bible more deeply so they can confidently share the gospel in their communities.
That investment has borne incredible fruit — tens of thousands of new believers have been baptized by pastors who have attended our conferences over Zoom. And those pastors have seen their churches double and triple in size.
What donors don’t expect is for their gifts to cover emergency medical costs, no matter how urgent or worthy the situation.
But when Varshini needed life-saving surgery and there was no time to raise funds, we stepped in. The total cost came to $1,390 — $1,070 for the surgery and $320 for transportation, Lakshmi’s expenses, and money transfer fees.
Would you consider helping us recover that cost? Your gift will allow us to replenish the fund we use to train pastors — and, if we receive more than we need, any excess will go directly toward other needs Pastor KP is facing:
Hosting a Vacation Bible School for 350 children next month ($1,900)
Providing meals for 35 people living with HIV who have been cast out by their communities ($1,075 per month)
A note: donations may not be tax deductible at this time. We’re still awaiting IRS approval of our 501(c)(3) status, which we expect in the coming months, but we can’t guarantee it yet.
If you’d like to help, please email me at estych@gmail.com, and I’ll provide details for giving via check or Venmo.
Thank you for being part of Varshini’s story — and for standing with India’s pastors.