A Couple of Videos

I had a bit of success in figuring out how to do videos on the blog so here are a couple for your enjoyment.

The following video is a bit of stuff taken from the backseat of an auto-rickshaw ride in Agra. It's more fun if you're in the front seat and I will say that it's bit of a stuffer to get four average to above average sized Westerners in one of these little taxi's.

This video was taken just before a celebratory dinner with our teams in India. We had a great homemade dinner at the family home of the volunteer leader and organizer, Uttam. It was a great time and the energy of the worshipers was amazing to experience. Sorry for the darkness, but it was done by firelight as there isn't any electricity at Uttam's house.

 

 

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Mission Highlights

There are always a few interactions with people that stand out as highlights of the trip. Over the next few days I'll try to relate a few. Some of them aren't mine, but ones related to me by fellow team mates.

First off, I'll try and describe what our typical mission day was like. The Americans and three of our Nationals (Charles, e3's Regional Director for this part of India, Hemante, our head translator, and Uttam, the follow-up coordinator and pastor that New Hope is supporting for a year) would meet at 7:00am for about a half hour of devotions, normally an I Am Second study. Then it was off to breakfast which includes, lightly boiled fresh vegetables, dhal, and, oddly enough, french fries. I think the hotel staff is trying to recreate hashbrowns.

Our teams then split off into three or four vehicles. Eventually, each vehicle will contain two Americans, two translators, and four follow-up workers. Sometimes there is an extra person or two per team, making it as many as 10 people in a vehicle designed for 7. There is no such thing as personal space in India.

Our vehicles spread out to different areas for appointments set by the nationals the previous week or day. We'll get out and share HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention information, the gospel using the Evangicube, and distribute reading glasses. It's much more than that, really. Those are just the written instructions. The best stops are those where we can spend a little time getting to know our hosts and they get to know us. We'll share information about our homes, families, and vocations. It's a cultural exchange and fascinating to both parties involved.

One of the key things one has to keep in mind at all times in India is the caste system. Technically made illegal several decades ago, it is still unofficially in force. In short, it is a cultural system that categorizes people in strict social classes based upon their jobs and heritage. Brahmans, the Hindu spiritual leaders, would be at the top. People that do the dirty work like leather workers, farmers, and people that dispose of the dead, would be at the bottom. In some ways the people we're dealing with, tribal farmers in a remote part of India, are lower than the lowest of castes. Mainline India doesn't really care about them at all.

George Cheek related a story about a man's reaction when George was sharing the story of the woman at the well found in John 4. George had made it clear that Jews didn't talk to Samaritans as they were considered unclean. When George finished the story, one of the men from the village said with enthusiasm "Jesus doesn't care about castes!" It was a revelation to him that Jesus, the son of God and a man who would be of the highest of castes, didn't acknowledge that the Samaritan woman was "lower caste." It opened a whole world to the man that God loves everyone equally.

I witnessed something of the same effect on our last day in the field when we were hosted by the lady pictured with her husband, mother, and ailing father. We had set up at in the courtyard of a house and about 50 people came to hear us. At the end, 32 people, including our host, accepted Christ. As always, we were treated to tea before we left. Now, to fully understand why the following meant so much to me you have to understand that we, as Americans, are considered of the highest caste. A low-caste Indian would never think of approaching us without permission. Well, as we were leaving our hostess noticed that we left a few cookies on the tray next to our now empty tea cups. She kidded with our Indian follow-up workers and picked up cookies and quite literally forced them into their mouths, laughing with them. Then, in a most unexpected turn, she did the same to me.

She got it. It doesn't matter whether I'm a (relatively speaking) rich, white American and that she is a poor, humble farm-wife: We have equal value in the eyes of God and she can approach me as an equal. That she would consider me her equal is the most flattering honor I've ever recieved.

 

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The Odd Observations

(Editor's Note: After a delay of more than an hour at Minneapolis, I finally got home at about 2:00am this morning. I did get into bed and sleep a bit, but after a little more than an hour, I was tossing and turning and awake. It'll take a bit of time to re-set the internal clock to Mountian Time. In the meanwhile, this is a post that I tried to get on using airport wi-fi, but had no luck. Look for some more posts over the next few days that have more pictures and mission details. Now that I have good 'ol U.S.A. internet speed, I can post at will.)

India has some stark contrasts in it's customs. The same country that is famous for it's hip-gyrating Bollywood dance numbers with their very suggestive choreography, frowns upon husbands and wives showing any sign of affection, such as hugging or kissing, in public. Men and boys, however, will stroll down the sidewalk with their arms around each other or holding each others hand. It's OK to show affection to your male friends, but don't kiss your wife. When I said my farewells to my team mates it was difficult to refrain from hugging them.

 

This is the artwork that is hanging in our hotel room. Jay and I are confused as to what an abstract piece of bacon has to do with the classic song from the movie Casa Blanca. There is the chance that we're simply missing that great American food.

David Sedaris writes that if you are trying to make small talk in a foreign country, it is interesting to ask them what their Christmas tradition is and what their rooster says. For what it's worth, among Christians their Christmas traditions are similar to ours, but with no tree. Their rooster says "Cock-o-rock-koo!"

This is the sign that is outside the style salon located at ground level in our hotel. The salon is a new addition and if you look at the sign you will see that they offer "facial bleaching." In India the middle and upper class all want fair skin. In America the middle and upper class go to tanning booths to get darker.

In the evenings I like to get a cup of chai and sit on the street-side table in front of the hotel. It sounds odd, but the rush and din and dirt of the traffic helps me to clear my head and think about the day and, more often than not, what I will write to you. One night a man, perhaps 40, approached me and in very good English said "Hello. I see you out here last evening but did not say "hello." I returned his smile and greeting and we struck up a conversation. We have to be somewhat careful about answers to questions when they ask why we're here, but I answer honestly, just not too honestly. I told him I was here to meet the people of Assam and travel the area. He was surprised that it was my second visit and said "Perhaps you can tell me, sir, why do Americans come here? In America everything is clean and orderly and in India there is so much poverty and dirt and mess." He went on to explain India's, and particularly Assam's condition, blaming it largely on the majority being illiterate.

It was a question that caught me a bit off guard. While it is true that I am here on a mission trip, I love being here. To me, being in India is almost the exact opposite of "suffering for Jesus' sake." If I were a wealthy man, I would visit India several times a year on holiday. In the end I told him that I find India's culture fascinating and it's people (at least on a personal level) very warm and inviting. The truth is that this answer is only part of the whole. The rest is something I have yet to figure out.

 

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The Last Day

Today is our last day in the field and it is bittersweet. Normally we would continue in the field on Friday, but there is a national holiday on Saturday and that is one of the times that rebels like to prove their might (or draw attention away from their lack of might) by disrupting airport and train travel. Basically, we want to not be relying on any major travel on that day so we're heading back to Delhi a day early.

Its the last day that we'll be working with our team. Our team has consisted of Jay and I plus two translators, four field workers that collect information and will be doing the follow-up, and a driver. And yes, all nine of us fit in the vehicle you see our team posed in front of. It's cramped and when you consider the types of roads (or lack thereof) we're traveling on, a kidney-crusher of a ride. But we laugh along the way and have fun. They've all be dedicated and very hard working and a joy to get to know.

I don't really have time to post much more as we have to be on the bus at 6:00am and I have yet to pack. We had a great day in the field and provided medical info and glasses to people that were desperately in need. We also saw 32 people come to Christ.

The night finished with a celebration hosted at Uttam's family home, complete with singing and dancing (that's worship the Assamese way!) and a wonderful home-cooked meal. It was a very special evening and I'll be sure to post more about it when I get home and have time. I simply have to figure out how to post video to this blog in order to do it all justice.

Thank you all for your prayer and financial support. I'm not sure that I'll have time or resources to post more before I hit stateside, but I'll try.

 

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Scheduling

I guess scheduling has more to do with where God needs to be than where you think you're supposed to be. Our first stop was supposed to be our last stop and our last stop was supposed to be our first and by the time we got to our last stop, it was too late. Still, it all worked out and I think we were where God wanted us to be rather than where we thought we should be.

I'm not sure that all makes sense, now that I type it out.

I would say that our first stop was in the middle of the boondocks, but I'm not even sure you can see the boondocks from there. It was a long trip from our hotel and the roads were pretty much non-existant. Thirty-two people were waiting for us, mostly men. They set up benches and chairs in a central location of the village and I presented information on malaria prevention and asked if there were any questions. I then had to act like I was a doctor as the questions ranged from malaria to cancer. I made it clear that I wasn't a doctor, but still tried to offer the regular advice my doctor gives: eat healthy, avoid alcohol, and don't smoke. And then it turned real when someone asked "What about cancer in a child? They've never drank or smoked and they eat healthy." This was as they presented me with a 12 year old that had cancer. It was heartbreaking as I didn't have any answers. All I could do was try to give some comfort and then turn it over to Jay, who, I told them, could give them some answers that might help them cope with cancer.

Jay and his interpreter Markos did a fantastic job. Markos is originally from this area and if Jay gave 10% emotion in parts of the gospel story, Markos interpreted it with 80% emotion. The gathering were enthralled with the story and at the end all of them stood up to accept Christ. Quite a few of them were Catholic, but in name only. They didn't go to church and know nothing from the bible. Their claim to Catholicism is simply that their children go to the Catholic school. We then handed out nearly all of our eyeglasses and then prayed over the young boy with cancer. They asked for someone to come later and share bible stories with them and we arranged for that to happen. The follow up workers will begin bible studies there in the next week and I'm sure a house church will spring from the encounter.

Our second stop was several miles from the first, though not in quite as a remote of an area. There were about 40 people assembled and they were expecting a doctor and medical clinic like we did last year. It was sad to disappoint them, but they were very understanding and cordial. I shared malaria information and then turned it over to Jay and Markos. No one came forward at the end of the presentation, but they did ask for more and said they really appreciated us coming. They treated us to hot, sweet, milky tea and some homemade donuts that looked like onion rings. As honored guests you are always shown to the main room in the house and you sit and have tea........without your hosts present. It seems kind of odd, but that's how it's done.

By this time it was nearly 3:00 and we still had quite a drive to make to get to our rendezvous point. We still had one scheduled appointment for the day. We decided to stop by and make a brief presentation but when we got there, only a very few people were there. It turned out that they were supposed to be our first stop for the day and by this time, most everyone had left. We apologized over and over and they were disappointed but pleasant about it. We promised that they would be our very first stop tomorrow. The hosts then showed us to her father. He has been laying in a bed, mostly paralyzed and nearly unconscious, for almost three months. Honestly, he looked as if he would die any moment. It's very hard to see these good, hardworking people suffer so much because they have no money and no access to healthcare. This old man needed to be in a hospital or somewhere that he could get quality end-of-life care. We prayed over him and again promised to be back first thing in the morning.

Overall it was a good day. Even though we screwed up our appointments, God put us where we needed to be, when we needed to be. I'm looking forward to our first appointment in the morning and hopefully giving this family information that may be of some comfort to them.

 

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A Full Circle Reunion

Last year I wrote about a young man named Munna. You can go back through my posts of last year to find mention of him in several of them. I'll give the brief outline of events here.

At our scheduled clinic for the day we had a fairly light attendance of about 250 people and were closing up early. Then someone told us about a Hindu man, a leader in his village, that said he would like to host us at his house for a clinic for his village. We took the opportunity and found our way to his house. He was a very cordial host and we set up stations all throughout his house and courtyard. He even went so far as to clear out his living room so we could put the eye clinic in a darkened room.

About 300 people went through the clinic that day and over 100 accepted Christ as their savior. As the clinic was winding down, a young man came to us and said there was a boy about two kilometers away that really needed to be seen by a doctor. Doctor Lynn and a few others set out to see the boy. The boys name was Munna and his knee had been operated on previously and was now about the size of a basketball. The next day we arranged to have the boy transported to a hospital. In short, it was discovered that he had bone cancer and the leg had to amputated. A few months later the cancer spread to the boys lungs. Before he died last July, Munna was baptized by the young man who had first brought Munna to our attention.

Flash forward to today and Tom and Charles were at a house doing a bible study with some new believers when a man came to the house on his bicycle. Tom didn't immediately recognize him but Charles did. He was the Hindu man who volunteered his house for our clinic a year ago. Upon seeing Tom he said, in broken English, "You and I are brothers in Christ!" It turns out that after our clinic in his home he and his entire family came to Christ and now his home serves as a church for the village.

To bring this story full circle, the young man that brought Munna to our attention is Uttam, the man that New Hope is financially supporting for a year in his duties as supervisor of the follow-up workers in the area.

All of this serves as a great reminder that it is simply our job to plant the seeds. God will make them grow. I don't know if our Hindu host ever sat through one of our gospel presentations the day of our clinic, but some how at some time he did, and it was most likely the result of his hosting our clinic that day.

It also serves as verification that even the smallest of events and decisions can have eternal consequences. Had we decided not to move the clinic and if Uttam had not decided to seek us out, Uttam would not have come to the attention of e3. He wouldn't have been hired as a coordinator for the volunteers, a job that he is doing extremely well and one that is critical in the long term success of Christianity in this region of Assam.

 

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Mornings

Mornings are a special time for me here. My wife will tell you that I have the habit of waking up several hours before there is a need to actually do so. Sometimes that is a blessing, sometimes that is a curse. Here it is a blessing.

I actually woke up this morning at about 3:00am and immediately started thinking about my presentation of the evangicube and the gospel story and how I could make it more effective for the people we are trying to reach. I looked at the clock and thought "Oh geeze, Bob. Get a little more sleep. Our morning gathering isn't until 7:00." Then I proceeded to roll around in bed, my mind hard at work while my body tried to rest. Finally, at 4:45, I gave up. I crept around the room and tried not to wake Jay as I took my shower and made a cup of coffee. I then headed to the rooftop where I'm typing this.

It's still dark and there is just the slightest of lightening at the horizon from the approaching sun. Still, vendors are busy setting up their stalls and rickshaw drivers are gathering together, waiting for their first fares of the day. Many of them have collected trash from the streets and started small, smokey fires and gather around for the warmth. The traffic is still light and has not yet chased off the curs and they too cling close to the fires, looking for any scrap that the dim light may reveal.

Everyone is sweeping the patch of dirt that defines their space on the side of the road. They toss water from a bucket to try and settle the dust. A quick look at the trees surrounding the streets reveals a thin layer of dust that coats everything within minutes of the traffic beginning to roar down the street. It is definitely the dry season in Assam and I wonder what the city looks like when it is green and not the dull brown of dust.

Right now there is just the faintest of pink glow in the sky to the east. Soon a haze will settle above the city, much the same as it does in cities like Houston or New Orleans. This haze is a mix of moisture in the air and all of the small cooking fires that are busy warming up chai and dhal for the morning meal.

As for me, my mind is still working on the gospel presentation that rattled my sleep just hours ago. I've finished the last cup of bad instant coffee that is in our room and will now switch to hot, sweet tea as I wait what seems like an eternity for this post to load to the web. I'll again use my "hunt-n-peck" method of bible reading this morning to see what it holds for me and then head to morning devotions and breakfast with the rest of the team. Just as men are gathering on the street, waiting for their bus to their work, we'll gather and see what work God has for us today.

 

 

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Untitled

Today was our first official day in the field. We traveled quite a ways out into the country today. At this time I can't give the exact locations of the villages and you may note that I haven't mentioned the city in which we are headquartered out of. This is due to security reasons as the last team came under threat. We're in a much safer area of India, but still, there isn't any use taking chances.

This is very typical of the village areas we visited.

The local churches and believers arranged meetings for us in different areas. We met with groups ranging in size anywhere from 12 to nearly 70 people. Usually, once we started talking, news of our arrival would spread around the village and people would dwindle in as we talked. We presented information about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment and answered questions concerning the virus. We would then share the gospel using the evangicube. My partner Jay Ashcraft and I would take turns on who did which presentation. Jay is a good man and an associate pastor at his church in California. He has been my room mate and we get along well. We both have the bad habit of waking up several hours before we need to and it's been good to get to know him. He has a quick but gentle wit and shares some great insights into scripture and life in general. One of the many things I admire about Jay is his ability to cat-nap just about anywhere. Even on the drive back to town, with ten of us in a vehicle designed for six and bouncing across rice fields and broken roads, Jay snuck a little sleep in. Amazing.

Amazing skill........

Our first stop was at a village leaders house. Nearly 70 people showed up, including his extended family. They are actually Nepalese, but farm a large property in Assam. They were very gracious hosts and even though none of them accepted Christ at this visit, they said they would like to hear more. The local believers and volunteers will set up meetings with them and use the I Am Second bible studies to help them learn more about God. They were very curious about farming in the States and after a long conversation they treated us to tea and a tasty noodle soup dish. Jay and I took our chances with the soup, knowing that there was always the chance of a bug in the broth. We figured it was well cooked and that God would look out for us.

We made three more stops at pre-arranged locations and shared health information and the gospel at each stop. All in all, 14 people we shared with put their trust in Jesus Christ. Any soul saved makes it a good day. On the drive back to town Jay and I talked quite a bit about how it is simply our job to sew the seeds. It's God's job to make them grow. With the partnership that e3 has set in place with the local churches, those seeds have the advantage of care and feeding along the way.

Jay sharing the gospel with a group of 40 Assamese.

And just a short side note: At each stop we were treated like honored guests. Tea is a great custom in Assam, being their state product. Having hot, sweet, and milky tea with cookies in an Assamese home will ruin the drab Lipton's tea from home forever. In addition to having a lot to teach us about tea, the Assamese could teach all Americans a lot about hospitality.

 

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Sunday

Last year we had quite a bit of Sunday free. We went to service in the morning and then had a study in the evening after dinner. The rest of the day was spent recuperating from the long days of travel, exploring the area around the hotel, or just relaxing a bit in preparation for the weeks ministry.

None of that lazing about this year!

Immediately after breakfast our team broke into four groups and headed out to the field to join local churches in their worship service. I requested to go to Uttam's church. Uttam is a pastor that New Hope has sponsored for a year so that he can coordinate all of the workers in this area that are doing follow-up work with the people we led to Christ last year and, hopefully, the people that well be led to Christ this year. Uttam is a very likable man and, even though he has very little English, you can tell that he has the respect of his team and that they love him like a brother.

Uttam (center) is a good man and the leader of the follow up team.

The church is located in the middle of a gathering of loosely spaced houses. We walked about a quarter of a mile from Uttam's house to the church and the route was a mix of dirt road, pathways behind houses, and earth dykes set up in between rice or tea fields. The church itself is a humble but beautiful place and it soon filled up with about 90 men, women, and children. They suffered through my message with ease and each and every one of them came to me after service to say a blessing of "peace" and shake my hand. They were lovely people and it is a great reminder to me that regardless of the fact that I'm a tall, white guy from half a world away, we worship the same God and the same God loves each of us.

After tea at the former pastors house we headed back into town. I've really got to figure out how to post video to this blog as I have footage of all twelve (YES 12!) of us packed into a vehicle about the size of a Ford Escape. Good thing most Indians are small in stature!

We sped back to town, wolfed down some food, and then headed to a four hour session with our translators and follow-up team. We covered many things including how to present the HIV/AIDS and malaria information and how to lead I Am Second studies. Seeing Charles lead this training reminded me of why I have such high regard for Charles. He is contagiously enthusiastic in his love for God and the unsaved. He seems to be able to juggle a million projects successfully and I have never so much as seen him frown, let alone be upset or angry. Truly a man of peace.

A good dinner, and a few words to you, and I'm ready to hit the hay. It's taken another 24 hours for the lack of sleep to catch up with me, but I think it's here in full force tonight. Tomorrow we'll take to the field to start the work we've come here to do.

 

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Finally

I'm going to say that it's a toss up between KLM and Indigo for service. The fun thing about Indigo is the throwback to the 50's-60's. The stewardess.........yes, they're still called that.......are dressed in the traditional outfits with skirts, blazers, a beret. Even their make-up is all pretty much identical and all of them have their hair up in a bun that is just off center enough to clear the headwear. I tried to get a picture of them, but it was too difficult to do so without seeming like a perv, so no luck. It's a kick, really. Regardless, it's just a means to an end. That end is to get us to our final destination.

Three of my team mates did manage to catch a bit of sleep on the Indigo flight

The other means to the end is the famous sonar navigated bus system. You can read my full description of echolocation system here: http://bobjosjor.blogspot.in/2012/02/echolocation.html?m=1

To get the full effect I'm going to have to figure out how to post video. It's also unlikely that I have the bandwidth here to do video posting. The internet doesn't seem to be quite as good this year as last. To give you an idea of the traffic, it took us about four hours to travel 120 miles. Horns blaring, bus swerving, Indian pop music bursting out of the radio. Bliss??!?!

The funny thing about all of this was having the two new guys on the trip with us. You see, with the layovers and lengthy flights and the time of the whole works, we spent almost 48 straight traveling, all without a proper break that would let us get rest. Of course, Tom and I, being a bit ornery, told our new guys "Don't worry about the lack of sleep. The bus is really relaxing and you sleep on the drive."

I'm not sure they found the humor. Oddly enough, although it wasn't the most restful, I was able to catch about 20 minutes of nap on the drive. At this point I'll take all I can get. I just did the math and I've had maybe four or five 30 minute catnaps in the last 56 hours. Once we finally arrived at our final stop, I zonked out for about an hour before showering and getting ready for dinner.

At dinner we met some of our local pastors, including Uttam, the man New Hope has sponsored as the regional coordinator for this area. We had a great meal and sorry, Matt, but everyone on this team is very agreeable to Indian food. We spent some time talking about our schedules for tomorrow when we'll be splitting up and attending services at four area churches. Look for a report tomorrow on that. As for now, it's time for me to think about hitting the sack.........after a bit of bible study. It's pretty common for them to ask visitors to give a message so I better prepare a bit.

 

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Monotony

As you can tell from the pic, the day started out alright enough. I mean, any day that starts with Jesus behind the wheel can't be too bad, right? Unfortunately, and no offense to my traveling companions, but that was the high point. There just isn't much fun to be had in airports or hurtling through space in a metal tube.

Due to the oddities of time changes and traveling in an eastbound direction, there really isn't an ideal time to sleep. For instance, we left Minneapolis for Amsterdam and about the time we're landing in Amsterdam it would be about time to turn in back home. But it's 6:00am in Amsterdam and we have a five hour layover.

The good news is if you ever have to have a five hour layover, I highly recommend the Amsterdam airport. It's a sprawling airport with a lot of shops, eateries, and seating areas. There is even a museum that features Dutch masterpiece paintings spanning about 600 years. And there is a casino if you really want to donate money to the local economy. I didn't partake of the gambling. I own a small business and Obama is President. That's gamble enough for me.

On the second floor of the airport there is a micro-hotel available. It rents in four-hour increments and I have to say, it's pretty tempting. I barely dozed on the plane and it's been a long 21 hours since I was last in bed. Our flight leaves Amsterdam at noon local time and arrives in Delhi at midnight local time. Still, no time for rest as we leave Delhi airport at about 5:00am. Too short of a stop to get a hotel. Delhi to Guwahati is only a two and a half hour flight, but then it's a fairly exciting four hours by bus to our final destination. I have a feeling that the humble hotel at the end of that ride is going to turn out to be one of the most inviting sights my life.

 

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One week........

Well, it's just one week until I head out to India. I think I've got everything ready to go. Bags are packed, meds are in place, all the paperwork is done. Now it's a matter of surviving hour upon hour of boredom in five airports and a bus on the way to our final destination. It's hard telling, but if I have internet access at the airports, I may be able to post an update during the travel.

I did want to take this chance to thank all of you for your financial and prayer support. Please take just a bit of time to download the prayer calendar that I've included here. Print it out and stick it to your fridge. Prayer support is a vital key to any ministry. I'm pretty lousy at ever asking anyone for personal prayer, but in addition to the things listed on the calendar, please pray for my health. I've had a bit of a Crohn's flare-up this last week and while that's always manageable, it's certainly something I don't want to experience on the other side of the world. In addition, my church also has a team that is leaving for a short term mission in Poland on the same day. Please pray for their ministry and travels.

 

In the last week I've also found out that in addition to the evangelism, home bible studies, and HIV and malaria prevention education activities, we will also be distributing water filtration systems. The units we will be distributing are ideally suited to use in the areas we will be in. They work with no electricity and the replacement filters will be made readily available. Many of the diseases that plague the children of this are are water-born so it's a real privelage to be able to help them find relief.

Thank you again for your prayers and financial support. I might not post again before I leave, but make sure and check back often from the 17th on as I'll try to post updates and photos daily.

 

 

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