Bethlehem Lutheran Church

I left Srinegar on Monday afternoon. Security is unbelievable- and I am grateful! A full mile before the terminal, we had to leave the car and my bags were x-rayed for the first of three times. Carry-on was searched carefully four times! One last look at the beautiful mountains, and we were back on the plains on the way to Delhi. The flight to Coimbatore was SIX hours late- an 8pm arrival wound up being 2:10am- and the seminar began at 9- OK, Indian time, 10:00 the next morning (but I was there...)

I have been unable to write the last several days. Only today have I had wireless access, and it has been inconsistent...

On Friday at 6:00am, Bishop Samanteroy, one of his colleagues and I left Amritsar to drive to Jammu, in Kashmir. Punjab is the heart of India's breadbasket- most of the wheat grown in India is grown in Punjab, so we passed field after field of harvested grain. We passed many threshers on the highway- huge vehicles that have changed the way harvest is done- no longer is there employment for day laborers, and that is a problem... They make their way to the cities in hopes of finding work.

The conference ended this afternoon. What a great group of people- enthusiastic, with lots of questions- we had some great discussions about context, about Bethlehem and about their churches. Tonight, we shared dinner with the Bishop and his wife Lily, and another pastor of the Amritsar Diocese. Tandori food- where it was invented... Outstanding. And wonderful conversation, too, perhaps there are some partnership possibilities for us here!

Amazing day. First, the seminar went quite well- way more energy and connection from me- a good night's sleep works wonders.

I arrived in Delhi at 8:30 after the long flight. The temperature- after the sun had set was 104 F! Got through customs and to the hotel by 10, and was told by Pastor Shiresh, the man taking me to Amritsar that he would be at the hotel by 3:00 for our 5:10 flight- and he was early! So not much sleep...

I've had an amazing couple of days. Seminar in Mahchlipatnam- from there to the Bishop's house in Vishiyavara. This is a cool guy, who is reshaping how rural ministry is done, has good potential for mentoring other bishops. Hospitality was wonderful- even as they were preparing to depart for their son's wedding in Chennai.

10/12/06

This has been an amazing several days. The bishop's (about whom I spoke yesterday- the Church of South India Diocese of Gohdiva/Kishna diocese, the junction of two rivers that go into the sea) eldest son is getting married in Chennai next Monday. There are five days of pre-marriage celebration for the groom before heading off to the wedding. Friends and relatives gather to anoint him with oil, sandalwood paste, and they sprinkle rice in his hair all followed by a feast- each time. While there are now Christian applications of all of this, it is clear that this is classic Andhra Pradesh celebration. It's been a privilege to be here to be a part of it, even though it is on top of a busy day of teaching. So I have seen some wonderful cultural things I had not come close to anticipating.

Flight over was LONG! I thought we would go over the north pole, but what we did was fly over northern Europe (Norway and Sweden) and then across Russia, the stans- all of them and India. It was like the usual flight but when we got to Amsterdam we didn't stop! 14 hours. I sat next to Tom van Ushen (spelling)(Fire Commissioner of NYFD on 9/11) An amazing conversation about what he did, where God was- very powerful.