On Wednesday, April 23, it was off to Kodaikanal in the Western Ghats [1]. My host, David Samuel, Executive Director of TAFTEE [2] (The Association For Theological Education by Extension) managed to twist his back (it's amazing: turn 50, move wrong, and the whole world comes to a screeching halt! I speak from personal experience...), and elected to return to Bangalore rather than endure the four hour drive into the hills. Good choice- it was a long trip, but at least the roads were bad...
[img_assist|nid=311804|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=150]I traveled with a driver who spoke almost no English. We were a good match, because I speak even less Tamil. Think blazing heat as we drove across the plains, the car's air conditioner working overtime. As we drove into the hills, the driver turned the AC off, opened his window, and made me understand that the roads were so steep that the car would overheat if he kept it on. The roads were narrow, winding, with drop-offs of hundreds of feet (in some places, the tops of trees "protected" you- i.e. if you went off the road, you would have to crash through the trees before getting to the cliffs). My driver was remarkably skillful in passing the buses and trucks laboring up the hills as we went around blind curves and then would dash back into our lane to avoid oncoming traffic. I have learned that these folks know what they are doing, and only twice on the hill roads did I feel compelled to grab the back of the front seat and consign us both to God. The driver simply rolled his eyes at the frightened westerner; he knew exactly how much time he had and where he was.
Kodaikanal [3] is stunningly beautiful: the hills have a very stark and rugged character, they are richly forested (trees a hundred feet tall!), and at this time of year, wild flowers everywhere. It is called a Hill Station, and it is where the British would come to escape the heat of the summer (from April-June) when it was impossibly hot, humid and mosquitoes everywhere in the plains. There is a famous international school here, for children of western diplomats, missionaries and business people. And, Indians from all over the country now come to enjoy the beauty and the relief from the heat.
[img_assist|nid=311802|title=Kodaikanal Group|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=325|height=244]The seminar went very well. We had a group of 50-60 Church of South India pastors in attendance. They were delighted to be together: they're scattered over a wide geographical area, and rarely see each other. They found the evenings downright cold. I saw parkas when the sun went down. I was OK (barely) in long sleeves. From Wednesday night (we were supposed to start at 2pm Wednesday, and finally got going by 5- have I mentioned needing flexibility???) through Saturday noon, we prayed together, sang together - they sang wonderful Tamil hymns, I clapped the rhythm- and worked together. We had great conversation about the Purpose Driven Church, and of course, I got to share a lot about Bethlehem, and you!
[img_assist|nid=311803|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=150|height=200]We all took Thursday afternoon off to see the sights, packing us all into two buses, and stopping to see some breathtaking vistas of the hills- sheer cliffs with drops of hundreds of feet. There were several places where you could see over the hills down to the plains, miles and miles beyond. And of course, there were monkeys, who obligingly posed for pictures. It was a great afternoon, and we able to share great fellowship and friendship.
On Friday afternoon, the bishop arrived, and greeted us- this seminar was something he had been very excited about, and he had arranged for the place and encouraged the pastors to [img_assist|nid=311805|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=151|height=113]attend. We closed on Saturday with prayer after the final sessions, and then dispersed- the pastors to their homes and congregations, and we (Velvet John, his wife Jayitha, Moses and Prasad, the TAFTEE people who were the event coordinators and I) to Madurai for the trip back to Bangalore. It rained off and on for our trip out of the hills, so we made the trip faster (it was downhill, after all, on wet roads, Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy...)
This morning, I worshipped in a Methodist Congregation in Bangalore- a thriving place, with much going on. In some ways, it reminded me of Bethlehem: an urban church, drawing throughout metro Bangalore. We sang western hymns, sang with a praise band, and heard a long sermon. It made me miss you all the more.
Tomorrow, we begin the next seminar at the United Theological College (UTC). I am told there will be a good number of pastors who serve in the slums, who have had little formal education. It will be a real privilege to work with them. I'll share more with you tomorrow! Blessings and peace to you all, Chris