We are back in the States, and have regretfully parted ways. Lasting friendships have been made and new chapters in our lives have been written.  Our bodies will eventually adjust to the jet lag, but our spirits have been unalterably changed.  It will certainly take some time to process all we have experienced and how these experiences have changed us.

 

Our last few days in India were almost all on the move, and taking the time to organize thoughts and put them into writing was impossible.  As I mentioned already, one of the purposes of my emails was to memorialize in real time (or close to it) what the immediate impressions of our trip may of been.  For this reason, what will follow will complete the memories of our trip activities.

 

FINAL DAYS

 

I previously described the wonderful events at Tarangada Learning Center and our night spent there.  I want to emphasize that this place, though new, was in the middle of absolutely nowhere.  It is a beautiful site, with mountains all around.  We slept well and on Saturday morning, went up on the roof and had devotions and breakfast as the sun rose over India.  We then left to visit three churches in various stages of growth.  Two of these churches were donated by our friends, Charles and Saundra, from Savannah, GA.  They had given these churches to honor their parents, and were delighted to finally see them.  Charles and Saundra are remarkable people of faith, and their commitment to use their resources for others is a manifestation of true Christian spirit.  Prayers were given at each location, and conversations with pastors and people encouraged us all.  As with other churches in the Sora area, these are in small villages, and are the most substantial buildings there.  The people are proud of them, and with what we had learned during this trip, we were encouraged that things in these villages had the great potential to get better.

 

To put these particular churches in context, it needs to be remembered that both ICM and Vishwa Vani (the India ministry partner through whom ICM places churches) require that when a congregation receives a church, they must promise to start 5 new "daughter" churches in a certain amount of time (I have forgotten if it is one year or two). This requirement is usually fully complied with, and ICM has fairly reliable statistics that the nearly 4,000 churches it has helped build in the last 25 years have resulted in almost 20,000 Christian congregations of at least 100 members each in 61 countries.  The amazing thing is that these numbers keep growing beyond any of our expectations.  No church has said that this requirement is "too much" to accomplish.

 

The three churches we saw on Saturday were a "mother" church, a "daughter" church, and a "daughter becoming a mother" church.  Daughter churches eventually grow up, and as they do, they by their own definition become "mothers" to new congregations.  This concept of church growth, with accountability through the Vishwa Vani ministry, is working magnificently in India,

ICM sees new generations of Christians taking the lead in churches build 15-20 years ago, and I think this is the ultimate proof "in the pudding".

 

After leaving the Sora area, we began the long trip back to Visakapatnum, our home base, to retire for the evening.  We arose early on Sunday, and flew to Delhi for the last day of our trip.  We visited The Good Samaritan School for slum children, where they have a Sunday Service for children in the area, and participated in the last part of service.  These children were bright, excited, and most anxious to speak with us and shake our hands.  They knew English much better than any other children we had met, and we marvelled at how their lives were being changed by this remarkable school.  This school was started about 20 years ago by a young woman India teacher to provide education to children who lived in the slums of Delhi.  The growth story is amazing, and now they have, through worldwide donations, a 4 story modern building for grades 6-12. There are 1500 students here.  The school was so successful, the Government tore down the slums around it and put up modern apartments and condos.  The school for grades 1-5 is still in the slum area, and has about 500 students.  ICM has helped with the building of the upper school, and no visit to Delhi is complete without a visit there.

 

The most telling tribute to this school is that many government and business leaders of Delhi want to send their children there, because they know the graduates of the school can successfully go to college or trade school just about anywhere.  The school had adopted a policy of allowing no more than 15% tuition paying students, the rest of the children being required to come from the slums.

 

After visiting the school, we toured a bit around Delhi, and met at a local hotel for brief rest, as most of us were flying out at 11:30 pm Sunday night (India time).  We said goodbye to our friends, Jim and Kaylinn, from Austin TX, who were staying in Delhi another night to be with friends there.  The rest of us went  to the airport and gave our last hugs and thanks to Burt Reed (ICM Asia consultant) and Augustine (our Vishwa Vani minister and guide).  We also said goodbye to Susan, of Richmond, VA, who was staying in Delhi a few extra days to be with friends.  We were down to six: Charles and Saundra, Nancy (a pediatrician from Albuquerque, NM), my Cousin Matt and his wife, Adrienne, of Washington DC, and me.  We began the long trip home, and eventually split up in Newark airport, individually heading back to our American homes, tired, but spiritually and emotionally overflowing. 

 

FIRST REFLECTIONS

 

There are so many memories of this trip that continually flood my thoughts.  The trip to Newark was over 14 hours, with 6 more to follow,  and I only read a little of the books and magazines I had with me.  I couldn't concentrate on reading because of the recollections I was having, and on several occasions I found myself wiping away tears I didn't know I had shed.  The cultural, economic and religious contrasts of our two countries cannot be more overwhelming, and I was continually reminded of how good things are in the US. 

 

The purpose of this trip was to be an ICM presence at churches in India, participate in dedication events, and to try to gain an "on the ground" view of church growth in India.  These objectives were accomplished.  What was not expected was how much these visits meant to us personally.  We met people who will become a positive part of the fabric of our own lives, and shared events that most Americans will never be a part of, or will even understand. 

 

I have become convinced that the true message of the Christ event was not so much to create a doctrine, but to bring "life, and to bring it abundantly". These churches bring that message.  The pastors preach and teach, certainly.  But they also do all they can to assist with the needs of their congregation, both collectively and individually. The building of churches usually results in other services being provided to the towns, which benefit all citizens.  But if people need food, shelter, medical care or any other assistance, these churches become an oasis in a desperate world.  One cannot help but feel positive about all of these efforts.

 

My reflections will certainly continue, and I will try to jot them down somehow as they come to me.  But for now, I have to say that this trip was a meaningful part of my life, and will be part of me forever.  Thanks to ICM for letting me go, to my new friends who travelled with me, to the Indian Christians who made us feel so welcome, and to God for the blessings that flowed.

 

In closing, please remember these churches in your prayers.  Especially the Refugee Church. I do, and will.  The haunting of it will be with me the rest of my life.

 

Long live India.  Long live us all.

The events of this day are so remarkable, I am finding not only the words hard to come by, but also the experiences hard to describe. Our ICM group of 10 was simply blown away by what we saw and experienced.  I guess the best way I can put it is that we witnessed what can happen when one Christian takes it upon himself to help an entire people.

 

We left Visakhapatnam (look it up on Googlemap) around 1:30 today for a trip we were told would be the first ICM work in a particular area. By the way, Visakhapatnam, or Vizag, is a smaller city than where we have been previously (Mumbai, Delhi and Surat), and appears more successful.  The abject poverty is not quite as noticable. There are many, many family businesses here, as well as nice hotels, as the city is on the Indian Ocean, and has beaches for tourists. 

 

Our travels took us to Lake Dhadipudi, where we embarked on another mode of transportation---motor boat. We crossed the lake to meet with villagers and leaders of a village named D.K. Pardhi.  They had donated 5 acres and wanted to use it for a church, school, clinic and learning center. ICM has agreed to help with these projects in some significant way.

 

Little did we know how special this day was going to be.

 

The background we were given by our Indian hosts is that when the lake was dammed about 50 years ago, a group of 37 villages (about 9,000 people) would be cut off from signicant contact with the outside world.  The lake is a reservoir for several cities in India and is about the size of Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.  The difference in the two lakes is that there is NO development on this lake, and it is pretty much still in a natural state.  There are no marinas, hotels, condos, or even villages along the lake shore.  The lake sits in a bowl, surrounded by mountains, with significant areas of flat land where these villages are located, unnoticed from the water.  There is no road over the mountains to these villages and the people, to reach the outside, had to either walk long distances over simple wooded trails, or take a boat across the lake to a road that eventually leads to civilization.  These villagers, however, did not go out that much, as their lifestyle of self-sufficiency generally sustained them.  They have crops and animals, and survived by simple fishing.

 

Other locals knew the people were there, but just let them be.

 

One day, about 7 years ago, a local pastor in this area was so curious about these people, that he took a hike over the mountain into these villages to see what was going on.  He discovered these people, and initially began to perceive their medical needs. In particular, he found a young boy who had an eye problem caused by lack of fluid in his eyeball.  At some point in the past, the child's father had even taken him out of the village to the city for help.  The doctor who examined him said there was nothing he could do, the child would just be blind in that eye.

 

The father asked the pastor to pray for his son, although none of the villages had any Christian presence.  The father stated he was willing to try anything to save his son's sight.   The pastor prayed for the child, and then took him to his own doctor, who just happened to be the one the boy had visited in the past.  The doctor pulled the boy's chart, and was emphatic in his diagnosis that the boy's eye was permanently damaged.  After much pleading, the Doctor finally took another look at the child's eye and found that some fluid had located in the eye and that with an operation, they might be able to restore his sight.  This happened, and the boy's sight in that eye returned.

 

Was the restoration of sight in this child due to supernatural power, or did medical professionals find a way to restore sight?  Even the pastor holds reservations about the answer to this question. However, the father of this child knows that "my son was blind, but now he sees", and he was convinced a miracle occured.

 

He is right.  A miracle did occur.  A carng pastor decided to visit a village and offer "the hand of Christ" to a forgotten people.

 

The pastor became consumed with helping this village, and discovered that the people had been "forgotten" by the Indian government.  No one knew they were there, officially.  He reported their existence to the authorities, and just last year electricity was brought to the village (In a crude fashion).  The government is now constructing a road to these villages (not done yet) which will connect these peoples to medical and education opportunities they have never had.

 

This pastor didn't stop with the social ministry he had started.  The father of the ill boy invited him to preach, and eventually significant numbers of villagers were converted to Christianity.  They now have the assistance of an Indian denomination (Vishwa Vani) to sustain them far into the future.  Congregations are popping up in other "cutoff" viillages, and Vishwas Vani is supplying pastors. (Incidentally, Vishwa Vani is ICM's partner in this part of India, and our guides are associated with them. They are remarkable in nurturing congregations all over India)

 

As we took the boat across the lake to the village, we were struck with how remote the area is.  Until the new road is completed, there will no way to get supplies or equipment to them except by boat, and there are no boats of that size available on this lake. We were also impressed that the people had alreadly crudely laid out their plans for buildings on a five acre parcel with a most beautiful view of the lake and mountains.

 

But what struck us in our hearts was the enthusiasm of the villagers for what the future was bringing to them.  They were isolated, destined for obscurity, with no hope of a better existence.  Now they have electricity, and are definitely going to receive a church and school.  (We found out that the school system has also forgotten these people.)  They want to include a clinic and learning center as well.  Our Vishwa Vani friends joined us in telling them that we would do all we could do, but that these things take time.  They joyfully accept this reality, but continue to dream.

 

Upon arrival, we met under a tent at the new site, and were greeted with loving smiles, and warm songs.  The pastor then intoduced us to the boy who had the cured eye.  It didn't take much for us all to realize the significance of the moment.  Another young man gave a testimony of his having been convicted of killing his father (probably manslaughter, rather than murder). He stated that he was visited in jail by a pastor who led him to a conversion to Christianity from Hinduism.  He was released from prison after serving less than 1 year.  The healings,  life changing stories, and changes to their community have convinced these folk that God is working in their midst, and they will see it no other way.

 

We stayed way longer than we should have, as we needed to get back to the other side of the lake before dark. After the service, we joined them in a ground breaking ceremony, and all 10 of us from ICM took a turn at the task.  It was great fun.

 

The villagers were not ready for us to leave, They wanted us to see where they lived and worked.  So, we went into the village and toured thatch roof huts, cattle and goat pens, and dodged all sorts of animal droppings everywhere.  The young girls took a liking to the 5 women in our group, and insisted on holding their hands as we walked. We were told that the first while people these folks had seen were Burt Reed, of ICM, and a missions pastor, Dave Gibson.  The women on our team were the first white women to visit this area. 

 

 The boys took delight in having theirr pictures taken with Matt and me, as we were easily the tallest men there.  Handshakes, smiles and laughter resulted. The hour grew late.

 

We finally left, and on a boat ride across a full-moonlit lake, we began to process what we had just seen and experienced.  We were moved beyond tears.  Our group has decided to raise the funds necessary for this village to have its church and school.  Vishwa Vani has agreed to assist with the hospital and learning center.  It is the least we can do for these simple folk who have nothing of value to this world, but much to give us in showing a love for their faith, and a Christian commitment to improve the lives of those who live around them.

 

 

We will be processing this day for quite some time.

 

Later...