India 2008 Planning Trip - Days 2 through 7

One learns quickly that while India may be a technology world leader, there is not ready access to the Internet in many parts of India, especially in rural areas like Shamshabad. Not only are there fewer computers available, but the monsoon season with its generous rains disrupts Internet service in places like MBCBC. Del and I did not have easy access to the Internet after we left Delhi so I have been able to post fewer posts than I had hoped to do. We are now back at Hillsboro, home of Tabor College, adjusting to the 10 1/2 hour difference between the two places.

The trip was inspiring and successful. We attended chapel at MBCBC on Thursday where Del gave a wonderful devotional on Jonah. In addition, we were given the traditional welcome with garlands.

Del and I sat in on classes where we heard lectures on worship and Hinduism.

In the afternoon we had a planning meeting with MBCBC leaders. The model for the trip in January 2008 we came to settle on includes one week at MBCBC and one week in Jadcherla or Mahabubnagar, two cities about an hour south of Shamshabad.

During the first week, Tabor students will sit in on classes at MBCBC in the morning and then go to villages to visit churches in the afternoon with MBCBC students. They will stay in the dormitories with MBCBC students.

During the second week, students will work with one of several churches in either Jadcherla or Mahabubnagar. They will work with the pastors during the week and stay with church members.

The church at Jadcherla is an impressive church with 500 members and a building under construction that will be one of the most beautiful churches one can imagine.

The church in Mahabubnagar is a growing church with about 2000 people who attend.

More about the rest of the trip in another posting. For now, I will close with this impression: anyone who goes on the trip in January will have a life-changing experience. One cannot help but be moved by the work of the church, the vibrancy of faith among the Mennonite Brethren Christians, the intriguing culture, and the warm friendships that will develop.

Lawrence

India 2008 Planning Trip - Day 1

Our flight from Wichita, via Chicago, was uneventful. It is amazing to board a plane at 7:00 pm in Chicago and end up in Delhi 14 hours later with no stops. Del and I were fortunate to be given an exit row, which means no seats in front of you for 6 feet on a Boeing 777. As a result, the night travel was better for sleeping than is often the case.

We left in the evening and arrived in the evening of the next day. The 14 hour flight was 25 hours on the clock due to the time zone changes and the rotation of the earth. With only carry on luggage, we moved through customs with no delays and made it to the Duerkson's house in two hours. This was quite an accomplishment considering the amount of traffic on the roads during daytime hours, every type of vehicle imaginable inlcuding motorcycles, auto rickshaws, trucks, cows, bicycles, human pulled carts, and yes even cars.

Traffic was good since it was evening, but it still felt like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Disney visitors will know about that ride). We had one interesting observation about the rules of the road. Our taxi driver became quite impatient with another taxi that would not move one foot to the left so he could squeeze by on the right. The rule seems to be that traffic on all two lane highways must make room for ar least three cars wide. Three lane highways must allow for four or five vehicles driving side by side.

In anger, the our taxi driver honked and honked to no avail. He finally passed the other taxi, cut in front of it, slowed down, and would not let the other taxi pass. The driver behind us tried to pass but our taxi driver swwerved back and forth blocking him. After keeping the taxi at bay for a mile or so, weaving from lane to lane, our taxi driver finally sped away as if to say, next time move over to make room for another vehicle, even if there is no lane.

We spend the evening chatting with Darren and Shanna discussing the work of the Delhi MBMSI church planting team. Tomorrow we are to meet with a short-term TREK group from Canada and will learn more fully of the work of MBMSI in India. We will then go to Old Delhi and talk with Darren about Tabor's vision to place students and lifelong learners in India. At 8:00 pm, we fly to Hyderabad and drive to Shamshabad where we will spend the night at the Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College. MBCBC will be the base for our student trip in January 2008.

Lawrence

Return Trip To India Scheduled

The Carson Center for Mission, Service, and Global Education is sponsoring a trip to India in January, 2008. This three week trip will include opportunities to visit inspiring cultural sites in India including the Taj Mahal.

The primary purpose, however, is to give students an opportunity to see the Mennonite Brethren Indian church at work. Using the Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College in Shamshabad as a base, students will be involved in short internship opportunities working alongside Indian pastors and church related service workers. The experience can be taken for 3 hours of credit.

Dr. Lawrence Ressler and Dr. Del Gray will travel to India from July 30 to August 6 to prepare for the January 2008 trip. For more information about the January trip, email Dr. Del Gray at Delg@tabor.edu.

Thoughts About India

I'm surrounded by this crazy beauty and hordes of people with eyes that are penetrating and hungry. As the Director of At Your Service community development organization said, "people are suffering...they need many salvations". I'm wordless, or unfortunately, it seems I'm rather wordy about my wordlessness. I'd just like to cry, but an occasional tear comes at specific sites and then the rest of them sit low on my chest, digesting, but there nonetheless.

We visited Chintachintakunta last Friday. And you will have to imagine the village oxen, huts, dirt paths, thatched shops. The MB church there - one of 890 MB churches in India - seated us in plastic chairs facing about a hundred Mennonites seated on the floor. Men on the right side of the altar, women on the left. One of the MB guides accompanying us looked to the side, and in English halfway apologized, "these are simple people, you see..." After placing garlands of Jasmine and Marigolds around our necks and distributing a boiled egg to each of us, they sang in Telegu. And people kept coming and the church kept filling and the little boy by my feet kept digging the heel of his hand into the drum.

After the singing and preaching and praying and well-wishing, we were off, running away in a Jeep to visit 4 more churches in surrounding villages. After the MB Bible College grad ceremony the following Sunday afternoon, four students met with the Mennonite leaders of their village - Chintachintakunta. The village leaders were ceremoniously placing a shawl/garment/robe (think Elijah - Elisha) around each graduate and blessing them to go back to the village and lead the church. In spite of everything - poverty, factions, power-struggles, confusion - there are 4 men with shawls around their shoulders who grew up in remote, remote villages who are now trained and committed to preaching and teaching for a long time. In Telegu. In the Chintachintakunta.

Remember the words of Mother Theresa:"Until you can hear Jesus in the silence of your own heart you will not be able to hear him saying ' I thirst' in the hearts of the poor. Never give up this daily intimate contact with Jesus as the real living person - not just the idea. How can we last even one day without hearing Jesus say ' I love you' ? Impossible. Our soul needs that as much as the body needs to breathe the air. If not, prayer is dead - meditation only thinking. Jesus wants you each ot hear him speaking in the silence of your heart. The more we receive in silent prayer the more we can give in our active life. Silence gives us a new outlook on everything. We need silence to be able to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say but what God says to us. Jesus is waiting for us in the silence."

Your friends are close to you. Keep them that way. Your friends are close to you. Keep them that way.

Susan Kroeker

Village Churches

Friday, March 16, we were privileged to visit four Mennonite Brethren village churches surrounding Shamshabad, as well as the MB Junior College.

Each group welcomed us by placing garlands around our necks. Sitting on white plastic chairs, wearing beautiful garlands, we faced the congregation. Men sat on the floor to the left, women sat on the right and children were in front of them.

When we were asked to speak, it was hard to know what to say. Materially, we have so much while they have so little. Spiritually, they have so much. Words shared by Dr. Lawrence Ressler have been going through my mind since that evening.

He reminded the congregation of what we already know – that although we live in opposite sides of the world, we have a God who can see all of us, all of the time and loves each person equally and that together, we are one body of Christ.

We saw a beautiful body of Christ as we looked into these people’s faces, saw their sparkling eyes and heard their exuberant singing.

Elaine

First Impressions of MBCBC

It was an exciting, almost reverent, moment for me when we entered the campus of the Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College, at Shamshabad, India. It was the setting for many missionary stories I’d heard during my childhood.


On our first day at MBCBC, we attended a chapel service for the student body. After lively singing, the principal introduced our team from Tabor College and mentioned NN Hieberts as the first Mennonite Brethren missionaries to the area. He also noted the work of John and Viola Wiebe in the surrounding areas.


I felt humbled to be able to walk in places where people from my home congregation, the Carson Mennonite Brethren Church in Delft, MN, had gone to share the Gospel of Jesus with people in India many years ago. We were seeing the fruits of their years of service to Christ and His Kingdom!

Elaine Kroeker

Graduation

We were privileged to be at the graduation ceremony which included the first graduating class of students with the bachelor of divinity degree.

Fifty students graduated.

Following are photos from the graduation.

MBCBC

MBCBC stands for Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College. The word Centenary was added in 1989 in celebration of the century of work by the Mennonite Brethren in the area.

The Bible College was begun in 1920. It offers a number of religion degrees including bachelor of theology and a bachelor of divinity. It gets its accreditation through an association with Serampore College, founded by Williama Carey in 1818.

The campus is on 34 acres of land and has 40 some buildings. Pictures of some of the buildings on the campus include: the library and chapel, the administration building, a classroom, a church on campus, and the guest house.

Some of the students and faculty are also shown including Rev. Dr. Prof. Joy Joseph the principal, RH Peters the academic dean, C.S. Joel the registrar with his family, students and singing.

Shamshabad

To the south of Hyderabad 30 miles is the town of Shamshabad. I was expecting small but it is a sprawling what I would call city. Hillsboro is what they call a village. There are several important things to know about Shamshabad. This is where the Mennonite Brethren Bible College is located on 34 acres. It has been here since 1920. The offer a variety of theology degrees and certificates including a bachelor of theology and a bachelor of divinity. There are 10 faculty. There are about 40 buildings including student quarters and a guest house where we are staying. The green building is the guest house.

What we have come to understand is the MBCBC is a vital institution to the life of the church in India, a church that is growing rapidly. Most of the church leaders have graduated from MBCBC. Yesterday was graduation for 50 some students. Around 1000 people attended from as far away as 200 miles.

The second important thing to know about Shamshabad is that an international airport is being built just a few miles away. 200 5 star hotels are reportedly being planned. Costs are sky-rocketing. Shamshabad is soon to be one of the most important travel destinations linking the technology centers to the rest of the world. It ishard to imagine a better institution with which Tabor can partner than MBCBC. This is not to suggest working together across two cultures is easy. It will not be. But if our goal is to transform lives, this is an opportunity that we must take seriously.

It will take some time to be able to sort through all experiences and to be able to communicate what all this means and how Tabor can be a partner with MBCBC. Several impressions are unmistakeable. The first is that the church is alive and well. It is amazing to learn how the growth is taking place. The second is that this location is a prime location in a country that is becoming more influential in the the world economy.

Hyderabad

Hyderabad is a modern and large city that is one of the large technology centers, home to such industries as Microsoft and Dell. Construction is booming. We will visit Hyderabad today and I will report on it in a later posting.

For now, it is time to drive to Hyderabad to visit Tech Center and see the pearls that Hyderabad is famous for. As we go, we will once again see an amazing assortment of vehicles, people, and animals sharing the road. One principle that seems to be understood is that you must share the road with all. Bigger tends to get priority although the life of all things is to be spared. The common means of communication is the horn.

One fact that is obvious is that the city is growing faster than the infrastructure. The amount of traffic is amazing and tiring. Fortunately, we have a driver who is skilled at the arti of driving.

The Western influence in Hyderbad is obvious. Billboards and restaurants are the most obvious indicators. The growth is visible everywhere with construction of high rise buildings everywhere.

There are several MB churches in Hyderabad. We went to one, the only English speaking church, on Sunday. As is common, many churches meet in rented space. The church we attended was in a school. There were about 60 in attendance. I was asked to preach and did so. Genesis 6:8 was the text, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.




Lawrence

Calcutta

One thing you learn quickly is that just because India is a powerhouse in the world when it comes to technology does not mean it is easy to find a time or a place to connect to the internet. It is hard to believe that a week has passed by since I last wrote from Delhi.

We flew to Calcutta on a 737 the way flying is supported to be...great service including a meal. It is hard to know how to describe the experience we had in Calcutta. At first, one is simply overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, and the smells. But when we left a few days later, it felt like a friend.

The focus of the trip was MCC and the Mennonite Brethren church in Calcutta, a work that has been going on for 40 years. Inspiring is one way to describe what we experienced. The Global Families program is so impressive. Over 1700 students are being given support for school at the price of $240 a year. Life seems so unfair when you are in the middle of a truly poor place. For $240 a year, a child can receive an education...$20/month.

Then there are the 22 development programs around the country that MCC helps with, agriculture, tsumani relief, HIV/Aids, women's programs. All of the staff we met were Indian and deeply committed to the work.

Maybe the most touching experience was the visit to Mother Teresa's Mother House. As I looked at her memorial (she died in 1997), I was overcome with emotion. The power of her work was mightier than that of the forts we have visited.

But do not be misled. We visited some beautiful parts of the city with high rise buildings, beautiful parks, entertainment like dancing water timed to music with colored lights. I may try to add some pictures in my next posting. I think I might be able to figure it out.

We spend a half day as well with the Hastings Mennonite Brethren church. Moving in a word. They have a school, an afternoon child development program with Compassion International, a correspondence Bible college with over 10,000 active persons. Again, all Indian staff. A great thing has happened...foreign missionaries have largely been replaced by Indian staff. They are passionate about sharing Christ and meeting the needs of those around them.

That is the surface of our time in Calcutta. Our time had come to fly to south central India, landing in the airport at Hyderabad. Like Delhi and Calcutta, Hyderabad is a major city, not as large as the 40 million in Delhi or over 10 million in Calcutta, but big, really big...and hot. Summer has begun.

Here are a few photos from Calcutta.

Lawrence