Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Seminar ended yesterday afternoon. It is truly a joy to work with brother and sister pastors and share about preaching. I was asked about putting the seminar into the Indian context - a great question. But I think (and I said) the contextualization had to come from them. The more I learn about the wonderful Indian culture, the more I realize how little I know. It would be presumptuous and arrogant for me to make the connections, even as I make every effort to be sensitive. Still, it must have been helpful. My host, Ajith, invited me back to work with his entire network of church planters and missionaries: 400 or so across India. We shall see...

Then it was off for a long drive to Tuticorin. I am now with TAFTEE's South Tamil Nadu leader. The ride was, shall we say, interesting. I've traveled a lot in India, and one of my biggest fears is traveling through rural areas at night - traffic weaving in and out, dodging pedestrians, slower vehicles, and roads that much resemble ours, but with MUCH larger potholes - sometimes whole sections of asphalt washed away to the roadbed. We left at 5:00, stopped in Nagercoil to meet  Jayachandrakumar's family (my new host), had dinner at a small restaurant and headed on. Finally, we reached Tuticorin- around 11:30 pm. Look at the map - it's not all that far, but... All I wanted was to go to bed (after the adrenalin rush from the trip subsided), but the hotel had dinner waiting and it would have been rude to refuse, so...

One of the things I hope to do here is visit a school for the deaf that LPGM partners with. I'll let you know if I get there.

Seminar starts soon; time to prepare. You all sleep well! Blessings and peace!