Goa Pictures

This was my home away from home while in Goa. I was in Room 1 on the upper left hand corner of this guest house. It was a nice place to stay while in Goa.

There are many things that take place at the beach. Great little restaurants are found on the beach. The total structure is put up and then taken down each year for the tourist season. During the monsoon all is put away.

Fishing is also a vital part of life for people here. You have to get here pretty early in the morning to see them bring their boats back in after their night time fishing.

My hosts while in Goa.

Opportunities in Goa

My posts have gotten out of order, but I am in Goa and experiencing a great time with the people here. I have already spoken about Sunday. I also spent Monday and Tuesday in Goa and then will start my homeward journey on Wednesday.

Goa is an interesting place. It almost seems to be a culture based on the tourist industry. People live here and work here for six months of the year and then go back to their places of origin across India and across the world for the other six months. As I am here it is getting toward the end of the tourist season. The hot months will soon begin and then the monsoon will follow.

I have spent my time with the people who are working here in Goa from North America. It has been good to spend time with people individually and in groups around shared meals. It has also been a delight to be in several homes to share meals. Each setting gives opportunity to listen and to talk about things that are particularly on the mind of the people working here.

This morning (Tuesday) I am leading a session with the team. Dan has asked me to work with the group as they think about their individual gifting and the task before them. I pray it will be a good time of interaction and will continue to encourage each team member in the calling to ministry that God has given them in this place.

Blessings to each of you who have been reading my posts. Thank-you for your prayers! The Lord has answered and is at work in all that is happening through these days.

Catching Up with Pictures

The temple to Jagannath is a temple open only to Hindus. This is where the devote Hindus believe they may die and be translated immediately to Nirvana.

It was remarkable to be here and see the many people going through many ritualistic forms to give their worship to their god.

There were ritualistic washings and sprinkling your head with water that seemed to come from the temple, or at least was at the point where many would enter.

There also were clay pots that were used to receive rice that had been offered to the gods of this temple. It put me in mind of Paul and his discussion about eating meat that had been offered to idols.

We went on to the temple at Konark. This was a monument to the sun god. It was made in the year 1200 and during the three seasons of the Indian year the sun shines straight through passage ways on the opposite side of this view and into the central chamber. The ruins you see before you were at one time the base of a structure that was taller than the one you see here.

In the midst of this land the Name of Jesus is also recognized and people gather to worship the one and only God of our Universe. Thank God for his mighty work in our world and pray that more and more people will come to know the truth and the light found in Jesus Christ. The people in this picture are some of those who gather to worship at the "All Nations Centre" in Goa.

One Last Cultural Trip

Friday we had opportunity to make one further trip to experience the reality of Hinduism in the context of some major temples. We had been careful not to do much photography around other temple sites in order not to raise to many questions. Today, however, we would head to two areas that were "tourist" places and would not raise much question about our being involved with videography.

We started by stopping at the SPICE Hostel for High School boys in Cuttack. It was good to see this and get a feel for this further ministry of SPICE. The boys here all have finished up their work in one of the other hostels. Those schools only take them through the elementary grades. Through this hostel they now have opportunity to continue on into high school.

Then we headed south to Puri. This part of Orissa is known for it's many temples. We passed a Buddhist center as well as many Hindu Temples. We also were touched by the presence of Muslim mosques as we heard the calls to prayer being called out across loud speaker systems.

Puri is a major center for Hindu worship. It is believed that if you die here, at the major temple, you will go straight to heaven, avoiding the multiple stages of reincarnation. We went to the roof of a nearby building and were able to observe so much of the religious life of those who were coming to this temple. Only Hindus are allowed to enter.

People were entering the temple to worship. Others were just stopping on the street, removing their shoes and praying, and then putting them back on and continuing on their way. The scene displayed the phenomenal devotion of people to a religious system that I believe is false. Yet they give themselves totally to this worship.

We pushed on to Konark and another temple. This one was built in 1200 and took some twelve years to build. This is not an active worship site as the earlier temple, and yet it is a place where many people come to see and experience what has been part of Indian culture for these many years.

It is into this culture and great need that we come to bring the message of Jesus and his offer of salvation, not by what we do, but by receiving his saving work for us by faith. The grace of Jesus is sufficient for every situation and need.

Seeker's Conferences and more

I am sitting in an Internet Cafe in Goa. This is the first I have used public Internet access during this trip. Yesterday I had written this post and thought I had saved it, but my connection was not good through my wireless access modem. So I am writi8ng again following my first post from Goa.

We finished up with our trip to West Bengal and went as far south as Balesore. There we stayed overnight at a hotel we have used before (my third visit). It is nice to go to a place where people remember you and you remember them. Following a good nights rest we then continued south to Cuttack. It was good to be back after our several day excursion.

That afternoon the guys did some final video work in the Good News Office. It is great to see how they work with the radio ministry here and follow-up with the seekers. It was impressive to see their record keeping system so that they can track each person who writes for information and the response that has been given.

It is because of this work that they are then able to schedule regional Seekers Conferences to follow-up with people who desire more about a walk with Jesus. The Church in Orissa does this follow-up work and soon they are planting another congregation in the regions where the Gospel is being proclaimed through radio. Pray for this joint ministry of Gospel Tide Radio and the Orissa Brethren in Christ Church.

Along side of the Seeker's Conferences that grow out of the radio work are Seeker's Conferences that are a result of the direct outreach work of the Church. We were told that there may be up to fifty seeker's conferences throughout the year as they follow-up these two areas of ministry. We were part of three of them just in this time that we were here. In the Church Outreach work Brethren in Christ World Missions is pleased to partner with the Orissa BIC.

Thursday evening we made our final excursion downtown. It is quite something to experience the evening markets. For those of us from NA it is likely closest to a county fair with multiple booths set up where you can find almost anything. These are out on the street or along side of walls. In addition you have all of the regular stores. There is a lot of activity.

Sunday in Goa

We left Orissa and made our way Back to Mumbai. There our team split up with Don and Emerson going on to Zimbabwe and Ken heading for Goa. We made our good-byes in Mumbai and each headed for the planes that would take us eventually to our next destination.

I was met at the airport by Dan Deyhle. It is great to see him again and to see the others who are on the team here in Goa. An exciting development has been the creation of a Trust as a legal entity to work within as this ministry develops. It is called the West India Brethren in Christ Conference. Bijoy Roul is the "settler" for the trust and their are five trustees from within the people who are part of the fellowship here in Goa. This work is under the direction of "Everybody Ought To Know" and Dan and Karen are Missionary Associates with Brethren in Christ World Missions. It was great to be back with the team through the evening as we talked and shared a meal together.

Sunday morning we gathered for Sunday School and Church at the "All Nations Centre." There were people I remembered and there were many new faces. I am so grateful for the development of this ministry. Bijoy Roul is making regular contacts here in his role as Regional Administrator for South Asia under BICWM.

I had the privilege to open the word with the adults in attendance. It is a blessing to minister among God's people and to share the good news. We had a lady in church for the first time today. She was excited about what she found and said she will be back again next Sunday. Pray for her as she examines what she is hearing. She is a Hindu who is being called by the Spirit to follow Jesus. What a blessing!

Catching up with some pictures

A few days I was not able to post a picture or two and so the following is a gathering of pictures from the last few days.

During the cultural program it was great to see the abilities of the people of the Cuttack congregation. Here the young girl in white is singing a solo backed up by her father (blue) and another man in the congregation.

A young lady in the congregation studies classical Indian dance. Every time I see her she is better and better in her ability to dance. The beauty of her dance is seen particularly in the words she dances to - it is music that communicates the message of Jesus and his saving grace. The people here are working hard to use cultural forms that are understood by their society to help them communicate the eternal truth of Jesus. It is exciting.

These young ladies are from the SPICE Hostel. They performed some of their traditional tribal dances for us in an impromptu program for visiting guests. We loved their special make-up and so we asked them to pose for us.

People are wonderful the world around.

Blessings.

On to West Bengal

We said our good byes at the SPICE Hostel and started the journey back to the main road and then north to the State of West Bengal. Our time had a little more flexibility and so we stopped to try and capture on video something of the flavor of life in India as we experienced it in our travels.

It then became clear that we were beyond the time that we could make many more stops and so we pushed on east and then north. We came toward a small development and turned off of the main road. It had rained and so the pot holes ahead of us were filled with water. Our driver did an intricate job of negotiating his way down this country road until we reached the turn to go back to the village that was our destination.

Here the road we would turn onto was too narrow for the vehicle to negotiate and so we all got out to walk the last distance into the village. We were told to wait. Soon people were running toward us from the village. They came to greet us and to escort us into the village. It is very humbling to have people one after another bowing before you and touching your feet. I placed a simple touch of blessing on each of them as they bowed before me.

Then four men arrived with a white sari attached to four poles. there guests were to walk under this drape as we entered the village. Drums were being played and there was singing as we walked back to the site of our next series of services.
Those of you who know me would have enjoyed seeing me step off of this little roadway in order to take the accompanying picture. I lost my balance and eventually landed face down in the field below. I was fine, but I assure you our hosts were greatly concerned for my well being.

When we arrived at the meeting site our feet were washed and then coated with mustard oil. they also did the traditional giving of garlands. We felt very welcomed.

Don Shenk and I both had opportunity to speak in their afternoon service. There was also a good amount of singing and dance. The believers here have taken their traditional dances and now dance before the Lord. It is very nice to watch as they celebrate in worship.

Beside the public service they also had scheduled another Seekers' Conference. I have really enjoyed being part of these and seeing the way that they are teaching new believers and helping to establish them in the faith. Each of the seekers meetings that we attended grew out of the radio ministry they are doing. We were told that there are also many of them growing out of the regular work of the church.

This lady gave me a beautiful picture of the new seekers coming to know Jesus in West Bengal.

Praise God!

A good meal enjoyed by all.

Some lentil gravy finishes out the meal.

Young children in India eat a lot of rice.

SPICE Hostel Shots

Feeding 110 children is an undertaking that is handled each day in very good fashion.

North and to a SPICE Hostel

The 19th morning we left Cuttack for points north. It was a 4 and 1/2 hour journey to reach our destination. We arrived at Adapal and the Bethel SPICE hostel.

When we arrived in the area there were police doing various checks on one of the roads. We were met by local people and brought in by a round about way. The concern was that we were coming to observe another Seekers Conference. The Hindu population is very concerned about foreign involvement in conversion. Our hosts just wanted to avoid any type of possible confrontation.

We had a wonderful time at the hostel. There are 110 children living there. Some 28 seekers had gathered for this conference growing out of radio ministry and the follow-up of the local church pastors and leaders. It was a privilege to see people learning and all of the persons who came to this conference stood to claim Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord.

It is so encouraging to see the plan the church here in Orissa has to follow-up with people whether they respond to radio ministry or to the direct evangelistic outreach of the church. They quickly enfold the people into community and help them to understand and grow in their new found faith. In these times of persecution for the church in Orissa, the radio continues to be a wonderful tool to reach people. Once they respond the church is then their to follow-up and work with the people.

Being at the SPICE hostel was very special. The children quickly prepared a program for their guests from North America and those who had come for the Seekers Conference. They did wonderfully.

We watched them as they went through all of the many things that are part of a daily routine in a hostel where each child carries responsibility for some aspect of community life. Older children were caring for younger children. All were involved in helping to clean. Studies were being conducted, and the children attended public school through the day.

The children in the SPICE Hostels are chosen from the rural and most needy BIC children within Orissa (it is also much like this in Bihar and Nepal as well). These children come and live in a hostel where they are cared for and where they are able to attend a good school. Sponsorship for these children is received from individuals who would like tyo do the same in North America. The team with me found this to be a very good expenditure of $170.00 (US or Canadian) to allow a child to come and live in a hostel for a full school year.

When I went to bed I could still hear the children taking care of things as needed. When I awoke the next day they were soon up and busy with all of the things needed to get themselves ready for another day.

A Seekers Conference

One of the reasons Don and Emerson are here is to be able to receive and record the reality of ll that is happening through the ministry of Gospel Tide Ministries in this part of the world.

The day started with a tour of the main office building and opportunity to meet the staff. We then shared a time of devotions with them as they began their day. It was an opportunity for me to practice my Hindi as I translated for Don as he spoke.

We then went to the recording studio where they were in the midst of recording music for the broadcasts. Emerson is recording many things through the medium of video. We trust the hours of recording will be able to go together in to appropriate pieces to communicate this ministry with the church in NA. A bit later he also recorded radio pastors in the midst of their recording work.

One of the exciting aspects of the day was a Radio Listeners' Seeker's Conference. As a part of this ministry they follow-up with people who are expressing an interest to come to know Jesus. These people are brought together in a common setting for instruction and challenge to declare their faith in Jesus. We were present as at least 24 of the 30 persons who came to this conference stood to declare their faith in Jesus. Praise God with us.

We finished the recording day be videoing the testimonies of some seven people. God is mightily at work. Pray for the church in this part of the world. People are coming to know Jesus.

A Cultural Program

It is great to be exposed to the wonderful world of music, acting and dance that is part of the life of people here in Orissa. The church put on a great program for us in the evening. They even invited the three of guest to participate: Don and Ken on vocals and Emerson on drums. People seemed to enjoy our efforts.

It is great to see how the church here has taken the cultural reality of Orissa and have put Christian words to the setting. So whether we were hearing songs or watching dance, the message that was being communicated was the the reality of life in Jesus. There is a great deal of talent in this congregation and they are using it to communicate for Jesus.

Following the service we were invited for a meal to some people's home close to the church center. Their daughter was having her engagement party and we were invited. It was rather late, but all of the guest stayed until we came. After greetings we were taken to eat our meal (they had all eaten). It was only then that the guest felt at liberty to start to leave.

I will try to post a few pictures from these events at another time.

A Three Hour Service

Young children sitting and participating for three hours! It is hard to imagine from our cultures in the west. But this morning that was our experience. We had a great time with the Behtel BIC congregation of God's people here in Cuttack. It was a great privilege to worship and participate with them.

Singing, sharing reports, praying, two messages - each with full translation, announcements about the life of the church, and further opportunity to pray. It was a beautiful time with God's people.
.
There still is a good amount of tension here in Orissa because of the animosity of the radical Hindus to the Christians. We have not experienced anything that would make us think we are in danger, but we are working hard not to call too much attention to the fact that we are here in town. The problem would likely be for our hosts rather than for us.

With these things in mind we were driven inside a little area where a gate could be closed behind us, before we got out of the car. Last time we were here we just got out from the car on the street in front of the worship center as in the picture below.


I noticed as well that a church sign that was on prominent display in November was missing today.


It gave me an opportunity, however, to encourage the people that although the church sign was not there, I was looking at the church. The church was and is still present.

Do pray for our brothers and sisters here in Orissa. They face severe threats for being faithful to our Lord. Even though we do not face the same threats in the west, I also asked them to pray for us that we may be found faithful in the midst of our daily walk as followers of Jesus.

We are home for a few hours. Then we ill head back for another time together with the church this evening. We are then invited to a family home from the congregation for our evening meal.

Some pictures

It is customary to be somber.


Two beautiful brides. I asked them to smile.



Bijoy Roul's mother

A beautiful Reception

We made our way to the State capital and tried to find the location of our wedding reception. Unfortunately the electricity had gone out in a given block or grid and it touched exactly the place where the reception was being held. We drove right past. Cell phones came in very handily as we found our way back and eventually the electricity came on to all our relief.

Two cousins were married earlier in the week and they were holding a single reception together, after each having their own wedding day. A great idea for saving money when you basically have the same invite list. Over 800 people were present. There was a special blessing given by their pastor and then people started to give their greetings to the two couples. This continued for the rest of the evening.

In the next room they had multiple food stations where people were served. There must have been at least eight different dishes, and then desert. People were served and those who wanted to sit down went back into the area where the program began. The rest of us just stood and held our plates, eating and talking. It was a great time.

We were there for a good three hours. More people were still coming. We finally decided it was time to make our way home. We left after 10:00 p.m. being told that things would likely continue until 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. That just didn't seem to fit with our schedule.

I will try to post a picture of the two brides. It has failed once.

We are in Orissa

The wake up call came at 3:30 a.m. as planned. Things went well to get ready and to head for the airport. In big letters it said we were going on King Fisher Airlines. So off we go to terminal two. Unfortunately in small print it said "operated by Deccan Airlines." They happen to be in terminal one. A helpful airlines service person helped us to walk the distance between the two terminals and worked with us until we were checked in for our flight. We received our boarding passes after I had paid an overweight charge. Domestic never seems to want to allow the same weight limits that we are allowed on international flights.

We made our way through security and found a seat. Soon we heard our flight being referenced. It was going to be 35 minutes late because of bad weather at its origin point. A little later another 40 minutes were added to the total. In spite of this the plane arrived and we found our seats. The plane took off right on the rescheduled time.

We were to arrive at 7:35 a.m. In stead we arrived around 8:55 a.m. and then it took us a while to get away from the airport. Our hosts were planning to feed us breakfast. This still happened but around 10:00 a.m. We went to our rooms after breakfast and moved in for the next five days. It is so good to see the people here in Orissa again.

Lunch followed this time to relax. We were back at the table around 1:30 p.m. Fortunately we are now on the Orissa schedule. Our next meal will be after 8:00 p.m.

There is one more activity for today. We are headed to a wedding reception this evening. That should be an interesting experience. We are looking forward to the same.

Tomorrow begins a day filled with activity. I will try to keep you posted.

Mumbai

This has been a great day!

Breakfast on the veranda on the third floor of our hotel (4th floor at home, here it is ground, 1st, 2nd, etc.) We have internet connection through a USB modem that I have for use here in India. It is really slick. So after doing some internet work and eating we headed off to explore the city.

Ragu was standing down at the corner with his taxi. The door man and I talked with him and soon we had made arrangements for him to take us around the city. We headed for The Gateway of India. It was an hour and a half drive for us to get there. But along the way we saw many things that were part of daily life in India. It is remarkable how much of daily life and activity goes on "on the street." It seems to easily let a person with a sense of "sensory over load."

While at the Gateway we also took time to walk through the Tag Mahal Hotel that is along the water front. It is truly a luxory hotel. It was interesting to just see some of how it was built. No one seemed to mind our walking through. We did get to a court yard where we encountered a sign that told us this area was for hotel guest only, so we did not continue.

The we continued on to see Kamala Nehru Park, Malabar Hill. This was a special stop for me because I remember coming to this park when I was nine or ten. It was enjoyable to share parts of Mumbai with others today.

We then made our way back into the part of Mumbai where we are staying. There we went to a nice restaurant at the suggestion of our driver, Raju. He did very well with his recommendation.

After lunch, which started at 3:00 p.m. we took care of getting my mobile phone operational and walked around a little in that part of the market. We had a good cup of tea and then made our way back to our hotel in auto rickshaws. It wasn't a long ride, but at least it gave the experience.

Our wake-up call tomorrow comes at 3:30 a.m. We leave at 4:00 a.m. for the airport and our 5:35 a.m. flight for Orissa and our projected 7:35 a.m. arrival there.

Contrasts

We left PA and it was in the 20's with snow on the ground and ice on the branches. We arived in Mumbai at 11:20 p.m. and it was over 80 degrees warm.

The first leg of the trip from Washington Dulles to Vienna was crowded. It seemed that we could barely move and get comfortable. The second leg of the trip I had three seats to myself and actually stretched out and slept for a while.

Our wives all took us to the airport in a nice van with all of us and all of our luggage nicely inside. We were taken to our hotel in a small taxi with three of our suitcases on the roof rack, two in the trunk, and the three carry-on pieces all inside the taxi with us.

Going to the airport in VA seemed to be an easy thing to do. Several of us knew the way. Getting to our hotel was another matter. Our taxi first asked two other people at the airport and then we asked two people along the way before we arrived at the Hotel Satellite. It took us a while to get here but we are doing fine.

We are fine. Thanks for remembering us while we travel.

On the Road Again

I am on the road again to India. This time I am traveling with two men who are particularly interested in the impact of radio ministry within Orissa and other parts of South Asia. We will be observing the many ways the outreach ministry of the church ties together the tool of radio broadcasts and the work of church workers for follow-up.

We leave Feb 13 and arrive in India on the 14th. The 15th will be in Mumbai and then we head on to Orissa. Follow our schedule and be in prayer for us while we travel.

Feb 16^th 2008 ( Sat) Arr. – Bhubaneswar - 7.30 am: Cuttack – 9.00 am

Feb 17^th 2008 (Sun) Sunday Service – 10.00 am – 12.30 pm

Evening: Radio Seekers Arrive- Cultural Program

Feb 18^th 2008 (Mon) Seekers Meeting – 9.00 am – 1.00pm

Radio Seekers leave at – 2.00 pm.

3.00 pm – 6.00pm Good News Hour Office & Studio

Feb 19^th 2008 (Tue) Lv. Cuttack to Adapal ( 7.00 am )

Seekers Meeting Adapal (4.00 pm – 8.00pm)

Feb 20^th 2008 (Wed) Visit Sijua ( West Bengal) Program at Sijua

Overnight stay at Balasore, Radio Seekers Meeting

4.00 pm to 8.00pm)

Feb 21^st 2008 ( Thu) Lv. Balasore to Cuttack: Arr. Cuttack 1.00 pm

Overnight stay – Cuttack 3.00 pm – 6.00 Good News Hour Office, interview

Feb 22^nd 2008 ( Fri ) Visit Puri and Konark: Return to Cuttack 7.00 pm

Overnight stay Cuttack

Feb 23^rd 2008 (Sat) Lv. Cuttack – Bhubaneswar to Mumbai by Flight.-10:25 am

My friends, Emerson Peckman and Don Shenk will then leave for South Africa and head on to Zimbabwe. They will be in that area through March 3rd and then travel back to the States on March 4th.

I will be staying on in India for a few more days. I will head to Goa to visit with our team of people working and serving there. It is exciting to see followers of Jesus coming together in many places across the great nation of India. I will be with our friends in Goa through the 27th, and then head back to Mumbai and the journey home to the States on the 28th.

Blessings to each of you who take time to read these posts.