Saturday, March 24, 2007

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.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

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

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Delhi 2 and Agra



Our journey for the first day kept us in Delhi. With the six of us squeezed into a minivan, we made our way through Old Delhi and New Delhi visiting sights, mostly ruins, that go back to the 8th and 9th centuries. We also visited the largest mosque in India. The highpoint of the evening was with members of the MBMSI team with a wonderful meal at the home of Saji and Bendu.

Today, we took a 4 hour drive south to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, truly one of the wonders of the world. It is more beautiful up close than in pictures. We also visited the Red Fort, one of the many forts that are no longer in use, relics of power centers of the past.

We safely made our way through a mass of humanity walking, riding, honking along the busy road, jockeying for space with camels, horses, oxen, carts, and autorichshaws slipping, darting, weaving among the busses, motorcycles, and us. And then there are the steady stream of people walking including the most beautiful sarees.

The cafe is closing.

Lawrence

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Delhi



We arrived at Delhi from Chicago in an amazingly short time....14 hours. The non-stop flight was full. After a disorienting change of time that may takes days to sort out, we deplaned, walked through customs, and walked out onto the streets at 10:00 pm.

The most confusing time when entering another city, not to speak of a different culture, is the first hour. The money we changed makes no sense, the language, even though English in this case, is hard to understand, and then there are the crowds and horns. Our taxi driver showed up like we planned via the internet. What we did not expect were the dozens of men eager to help the six of us load our luggage, all of whom would expect a tip - the amount of which we were not sure of. We waved most of them away, got our luggage into the van, paid a couple of them, and closed the door, safe we thought.

Maybe it's that I have been in Hillsboro too long, or maybe it is that Delhi is one wildly congested city even at 10:00 pm, but it was worse than any traffic jam I have seen in Hillsboro....ever...even when the football game is over. Cars, trucks, autorickshaws, motorcycles weaved in and out with no turn signals, finding just enough space to squeeze into. Ooops, right in front of us, a tiny car attempted to slide into a spot and the bit truck hit the side of it, tearing off the rear light. No one stopped.

We made it to our YMCA without further incident, only to find two of our four rooms had been taken by someone else since we had not confirmed 48 hours before. A solution to this problem was found after some discussion, four women in one small room, two men in the other. And so our first day came to a close, our bodies thinking it was 1:30 in the afternoon but the clock said 1:00 am. By 9:00 am, which would be 9:00 pm CST, we were to be ready for a day exploring Delhi.

It is obvious that those here in Delhi know what was going on. It was also obvious that we do not. And that is why we came, to make the unfamiliar a little bit familiar, to make what which seems strange a bit familiar. We will see if it works..after the gift of sleep is administered to our bodies.

Lawrence

Monday, March 5, 2007

The Destinations


The Carson Center India Iniative exploratory trip will begin on March 8 from Chicago with the first stop in Delhi where we will be introducted to the work of the Mennonite Brethren Mission and Service International (MBMSI) in that region. (Google Earth was kind enough to add the YMCA where we will be staying.)

After a day visit to Agra
to visit the Taj Mahal, the team will go to Calcutta to see the work of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).

Most of the time will be spend in the central southern part of India with Shamshabad the focal point. This is the town in which the Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College (MBCBC) is located. Hyderabad is a major
city nearby. We will also visit Jadcherla and other smaller towns where the Mennonite Brethren church has important work going on.

The team will then fly to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) to see the work of the India Mennonite Brethren church there. After a return to Delhi, the team will head back to Chicago and then to our respective home towns.
March 22 is the anticipated date of return.

If you are not familiar with Google Earth, you might want to look at the website. If you look carefully enough, you might just see us. The technology is not quite that personal yet but you will be amazed at how closely you can get to where we will be.

Lawrence

Friday, March 2, 2007

The Experience Begins


While the trip does not begin for 6 days, the experience has begun already. Around the house are books that are being read with a new level of interest. By my bed is a book by my great uncle, J.A. Ressler, the first Mennonite Church missionary, entitled Stories From India published in 1916. On the end table is an unpublished book by Paul Wiebe that tell the history of the church in India. Ready to be taken along with me is Planet India a thoughtful gift from a friend. The cover of Planet India begins to stretch my mind. I begin to see facts that show how ignorant I am: the fastest growing democracy, the youngest population on the planet, a middle class as big as the population of the entire US, an innovator of the technology that is driving the next phase of the global economy. Is my mind ready?

Last evening, Esther Wiebe, who was born and lived in India for many years, invited us to her house for a meal. Her sister, Ruth Friesen, who also was born and lived there, joined us for a wonderful time of stories and cultural sensitivity lessons. They served foods that we can expect to eat. Is my stomach ready? I was familiar with the rice, peanuts, raisins, and bananas. Chutney and dahl I have had on occasion in restaurants. The curry made the food hotter than we normally have and we were warned that what we were served is mild compared to what we can expect. Don't touch your lips to keep the spices from being so hot we were told.

By the plate was a fork and spoon that we were encouraged not to use. In the villages, we can expect to eat with our fingers. And so we did, rice, dahl, chutney. Eating pizza and chicken with your fingers is one thing. There is an art form to eating with fingers that I clearly have not mastered. It was difficult to get the thumb to move the food from the fingers to the mouth with the skill that Esther and Ruth demonstrated. Keep the food within the two joints of the fingers we were told. It is clear that it will be fun for the nationals to watch us eat. the good news is that at the end of the meal, we were full, actually stuffed.

As we began to leave, we went through the difficult process of trying to learn to say a few words in Telagu; poyee vastham, manchadi, bagundi. I am not sure we ever to the sounds right. Just because you can hear a sound does not mean you can repeat it. We wrote down what the words mean since our middle aged brains will have to work overtime to use them in the right places: we'll go and come, good, it's good; poyee vastham, manchadi, bagundi; we'll go and come, good, it's good.

For me, this is not the first time in India. Several years ago, I went farther south for a week to Nagercoil. This time we will be in new places with new customs. I am ready to begin the trip. Poyee vastham, manchadi, bagundi; we'll go and come, good, it's good...or am I ready?


Lawrence