June 26th, 2010 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Our bed and breakfast was fantastic. Breakfast was an omelette, toast, chai tea, and mango juice. We could definitely get used to having mango juice all the time in the US! Saturday morning we met up with a Pastor in Chennai that we had met via email. He came by to tell us more about his church and invited us to go with some others on their village ministry that day and we readily accepted. He hired an auto-rickshaw to take us to his home until it was time for the village ministry to start. We met his family and they gave us tea. His daughter kept us entertained because she brought out her Connect 4 game and had us take turns playing against her. It was nice to visit an Indian home. It was comfortable to feel that we already had some common ground as Christians and they were very kind to take care of us and begin teaching us about Indian culture.
The village ministry was a unique experience! We boarded the church bus at the pastor’s home and drove to the church, where others had gathered. They got on the bus with a big pot of food, drums, and a megaphone. On the way to some of the villages surrounding Chennai, the church sang songs and talked. They shared snacks also – cucumber sliced long with orange (very hot) spices, and green mango. Visiting the villages was a moving experience. The poverty was shocking, but people cannot be judged by their outward circumstances. Most were suffering…some had found hope. The church had signs in Tamil and they walked around using a loud speaker to call people out of their homes into the street. There, they preached, sang songs, and danced. We learned to sing God is so Good in Tamil (Jesu Nallavar) and recognized Power in the Blood. The men in the church really enjoyed Andy’s dancing with them and he got lots of compliments. I danced with the children from the villages – they kept trying to touch my hair and my hands. We had villagers coming up to us in small groups asking us to pray for them. It was humbling to see so many people seeking help from God, since more often in America we tend to be too self-sufficient.
For lunch, we gathered with the church and had lemon rice, boiled egg, and dried fish. I find it difficult to eat rice with my hand without getting too messy, but Andy just jumped right in like a pro and got his hands dirty. After lunch we visited another village (I think we visited 3 altogether) and then returned to the Pastor’s home. There, Andy had tea with the pastor and they talked for awhile. I had tea with his daughter, and toured the new church that they are building across the street.
I don’t think we could have planned a better first day in India if we had tried.
