Greetings from India: land of masala chai, brightly-coloured
saris, and beautiful countryside!
I arrived this year into the middle of an ongoing
demonstration. Shortly before I arrived, some of the higher castes had defaced
the statutes of a well-revered social reformer. These statues can be found
almost everywhere and the man they honour is well-loved by the lower classes.
The damage to the statues sparked protests across Rajahmundry. Road blocks shut
down traffic for hours, stores were closed, and schools were canceled. The day
after I arrived I was heading out to teach a group of children and women with
Ariann Somero and Jean-Mary. We were almost two hours late and only made
it because our car was small enough to sneak through the stopped traffic on the
sides of the road or between the semi-trucks. Often we had literally less than
an inch between us and the trucks on either side! We didn’t quite make it out
of the traffic though. We eventually were stopped completely about 500 metres
from our turn-off! Thankfully though, we were close enough to walk and
therefore still made it in time to see the kids and the women. It is difficult
to get too angry with them when I think I would essentially agree with their
position. I, too, believe in social justice, a lack of corruption, and freedom!
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Our days with the kids and women have been blessed! Kids are
always fun and I’ve enjoyed singing and playing with them. And telling them
Bible stories too, of course! This is the first year I’ve also spent a significant
part of my time with the women as well. I love studying the Word with them and
seeing their interest and participation. I just wish I could communicate better
and get to know them personally.
No trip to Rajahmundry is complete without a trip to the Mission Hospital and we were there yesterday. Today, we were at
the Mission Clinic, located about 1½ hours from town. It is both inspiring, but
also bittersweet to visit these places. The mission hospital used to help
millions every year with almost any medical problem. Today, because of lack of
funding, the people still come but all too often the doctor can diagnose but
not treat the patients due to lack of funding. There are currently no in-patients,
no surgeries, and only limited amounts of medicines. The full staff is now cut down to only one part-time doctor and one nurse. As we sat and observed
yesterday, the doctor saw about a dozen patients. All were diagnosed, but few
could be treated. Please pray that God would be with these millions of patients
who have nowhere else to go. Please also pray that funding would appear again
to help the hospital and clinic treat these people. For more information on the
mission hospital, check out their website: http://www.missionhospitalindia.org/
Of course for many, it is also still a land of poverty,
corruption, and injustice.
I arrived this year into the middle of an ongoing
demonstration. Shortly before I arrived, some of the higher castes had defaced
the statutes of a well-revered social reformer. These statues can be found
almost everywhere and the man they honour is well-loved by the lower classes.
The damage to the statues sparked protests across Rajahmundry. Road blocks shut
down traffic for hours, stores were closed, and schools were canceled. The day
after I arrived I was heading out to teach a group of children and women with
Ariann Somero and Jean-Mary. We were almost two hours late and only made
it because our car was small enough to sneak through the stopped traffic on the
sides of the road or between the semi-trucks. Often we had literally less than
an inch between us and the trucks on either side! We didn’t quite make it out
of the traffic though. We eventually were stopped completely about 500 metres
from our turn-off! Thankfully though, we were close enough to walk and
therefore still made it in time to see the kids and the women. It is difficult
to get too angry with them when I think I would essentially agree with their
position. I, too, believe in social justice, a lack of corruption, and freedom!.jpg)
Our days with the kids and women have been blessed! Kids are
always fun and I’ve enjoyed singing and playing with them. And telling them
Bible stories too, of course! This is the first year I’ve also spent a significant
part of my time with the women as well. I love studying the Word with them and
seeing their interest and participation. I just wish I could communicate better
and get to know them personally. 
No trip to Rajahmundry is complete without a trip to the Mission Hospital and we were there yesterday. Today, we were at
the Mission Clinic, located about 1½ hours from town. It is both inspiring, but
also bittersweet to visit these places. The mission hospital used to help
millions every year with almost any medical problem. Today, because of lack of
funding, the people still come but all too often the doctor can diagnose but
not treat the patients due to lack of funding. There are currently no in-patients,
no surgeries, and only limited amounts of medicines. The full staff is now cut down to only one part-time doctor and one nurse. As we sat and observed
yesterday, the doctor saw about a dozen patients. All were diagnosed, but few
could be treated. Please pray that God would be with these millions of patients
who have nowhere else to go. Please also pray that funding would appear again
to help the hospital and clinic treat these people. For more information on the
mission hospital, check out their website: http://www.missionhospitalindia.org/
I’m leaving the city for the countryside tomorrow. The time
always seems to pass so quickly! I look forward to visiting the next place, but
I don’t want to leave the people here. I wish I could just clone myself into a
dozen people so that I could stay in each place I visit. There is so much work
to be done in so many areas! Each time it is time to leave I have to wonder:
why are there so few labourers in God’s vineyard?
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