Monday was quite a day with the ICM team.  We arose at 5 am in order to catch the train at Delhi station for Agra, site of the Taj Mahal. It was on the train that we were able to ask one of our guides to check his cell phone internet about the Super Bowl, which ended on Monday Morning, India time, at around 9:30 am.  No one on the train cared about it except us and a group of 5 people we met who were from Rhode Island (they were with Project Hope, I think).  There is absolutely no mention of the game on any Indian TV or in any Indian newspaper.  We get to see daily English language newspapers every day and scour them for US news, but very little is reported.  The CNN channel is local to India, so we can't even follow things there.  The internet provides us info, but we are going so hard every day, that we can only go on line at night, when all we want to do is sleep.  Most of us were pulling for the Giants.

 

The Delhi train station is a trip.  There is no way our group could have made any sense of the place without our guides.  There is no rhyme or reason to the many tracks and walkovers, and people were everywhere. We were constantly accosted by beggars, and it was all we could do to keep our group together. Most people at the station are taking commuting trains, and they appear to be of the lower classes.  The train to Agra, again similar to Amtrak, had all kinds of people on it, including tourists and businessmen.

 

Incidentally, the sports news here is all about a major cricket tournament going on in Australia.  India lost to the Australians, which has the sporting community tied up in knots.  We are trying to figure this game out, but to no avail. Cricket shall remain a mystery.

 

We visited the Taj Mahal, which is absolutely amazing.  Although I visited it two years ago, the majesty of the site is still awe inspiring.  The white marble has been cleaned (a process that the Indians have learned to make a year-round chore), and it shines like a jewel. It commemorates the tomb of a Muslim king and his wife, and attracts all sorts of people from all over the world.  It is a remarkable place, of which the Indians are extremely proud.  The only down side of visiting the Taj is that the road to it is lined with run down shacks posing as stores, and one is constantly accosted by children trying to sell souvenirs.  We were told that last year over 4 million visitors came here. One of the highlights of the trip was that we were able to ride to the gate of the Taj by camel cart...quite an experience.  This visit resulted in hundreds of pictures.

 

Agra is an historical capital of India, and has a very large Muslim population.  Of course,, there are large numbers of Hindus here as well.  Both groups bring much tension to bear upon the Christian community, and our guides have told of stories of oppression.  Although India has a constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion, the country is so big that the government  cannot protect everyone all the time and Christians often have to pay a price.  They are solid in their faith, however, and we all marvel at their fortitude.  It is quite a blessing to hear their stories and hear how they have ultimately been blessed.

 

The contrast  of the poor in Delhi, the majesty of the Taj Mahal, and the difficulty of Agra Christians was further focused when we then visited a church/orphanage not far from the Taj, which is supported by ICM.  The pastor gave his home and adjoining lot of land to the church, and it now serves as home to 12 orphans.  The church is on one side of the building and the children live on the other.  These are children who have no parents living, and they are precious.  This church will be responsible for their education and training for their lifetimes.  We were so impressed by the committment of the orphanage leaders and their dedication to raise these young people, our emotions took over.  Most of us were wiping our eyes when we left.

 

Incidentally, our tour guide for the day was a Hindu young man, who went with us to the church.  He was absolutely amazed at what was going on, and stated that he had no idea Christians were doing this.  He was  visably impressed.  The testimony of this church will stand well in Agra.  We are praying over it...even now. If there are angels in heaven, we called upon them to protect that place and guard those precious children, who are living in a country where so much is stacked against them.

 

The contrast continued when we were treated to lunch at a 5 star hotel by our hosts.  Although the lunch was simple, it was delicious.  We were stunned at the luxury of this hotel in the midst of so much poverty.

 

We arrived back in Delhi around 10:30 pm and immediatly went to bed.  It is now Tuesay, and wakeup was at 3:45 am in order to catch a 6 am flight to Visackapatnam, where we will be the next 5 days. We are resting a bit before going out this afternoon.

 

Our spirits are still high, although we have slowed down a bit.  Our Indian friends want to show us so much, and they have so much to be proud of.  We are astounded at their enthusiasm, and marvel at their sacrifices.  ICM calls these trips "vision trips", and we are certianly expreriencing all of what that term means.  We have seen what can happen when committed Christians leave dogma and bickering aside, and simply love and assist each other.  These churches are making a difference in the lives of so many people in India, who may have been headed for a difficult existence. Good things can happen here.  I have witnessed it.

 

Blessings abound here...and I am hoping they will for you as well.

-Aubrey Rosser