Our time in India is coming to an end, so soon. As we prepare ourselves for departure, and the inevitable reverse culture shock that will come to us on our return, we continue to experience the overwhelming here in India.
Last night as we gathered in small groups at the hotel to review and reflect on our amazing 12 days in this country, the heavens opened up in a downpour. We peered out our windows into the late night darkness as the rains began. Suddenly the building shook and the night was shattered by an explosion of light and sound. Lightning was everywhere, all at once!
The sky was aglow with continual multiple flashes that seemed centered over our hotel. The wind gusted as buckets of rain poured. Our thoughts turned to the roof of the newly refurbished Christian Media Centre studio, and the materials to repair it that sit at the Madras train station. As we lifted prayers to God that He would hold His hand of blessing and protection over the studio, we also reflected on the legions of people we have seen here living in palm-thatched shelters or on the streets. Monsoons are a part of life in this country, and so is desperation and hopelessness.
We fell asleep well after midnight with our curtains open while light danced in the sky and rain pounded the window. This morning we find the city was washed with over 4-1/4" of rain in less than 3 hours. At church we see little interior damage from the deluge; our repairs to the roof last week took the water and shed it well. Monday they will retrieve the roofing materials to complete the job permanently.
After church we said our goodbyes to the Nationals and staff who had become our co-workers, friends, and family over the last week and a half. Early afternoon we were treated to lunch by Glen Butler at the Crown Restaurant on the 20th floor of a very impressive hotel. We had views across the city all the way to the sea, and could pick out some of the sites we had visited in our tours. Afterwards we returned to our rooms to pack and rest.
We will be downstairs with our luggage tomorrow (Monday) morning at 2:00; depart for the airport at 2:15; all for our 5:25 am departure. We are anxious to see you all soon!
Ron Jetter flew out of Chennai early this morning to join a conference in San Antonio, TX. Ron, as always, served as an insightful spiritual leader and did an impressive job as our First Aid Guy.
The Team and India thank you for your contribution, Ron.
Please keep him in your prayers as he travels.
Saturday night represented the culmination of our work in India. After a day of touring and some rest, we were ushered to the Christian Media Centre. Everyone was dressed in their best, including our ladies who donned traditional sarees and salwars. We began with prayer in the sanctuary, then proceeded to the studio.
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Pastor Burch led us in a prayer, then Chuck cut the ribbon.
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We came into the studio and were awed. A crew had come in and carpeted and tiled the floors. The entire building had that "new carpet smell." But the best surprise was in the recording room.
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In the center of the room was a traditional Indian brass oil lamp, with a cross on top. It was surrounded by a beautiful design of flower petals on the floor, done in the traditional India fashion.
After prayers and a dedication, Rev. David called forth five to light the lamp. He chose Glen Butler, president of the Lutheran Hour CNH District, Dan Rowe as the pastor who initiated our relationship with India, Chuck Weygandt as the Team Leader, Sue Jetter as "honorary mother" of the team, and Jothi David, as a representative of India. The candle was passed and the lamp was lit. It was very moving.
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After this, we came back into the sanctuary. There were more speeches made, prayers given, and gifts received. It was quite a night. Then we were presented with a special performance by the traditional dance group that performs at many CMC events. They use the classical dance form to relate biblical messages and stories.
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To say the dancing was good would be an understatement. It was like being introduced to the concept of dance all over again. Seven girls danced for us, awing us with their talent. Even their eyes were part of the choreography! The definite star was little Sahara, who I referred to as "30 pounds of adorable," and was as skilled the older dancers she shared the stage with.
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We finished the evening with a delicious Indian dinner prepared for us on site, and tearfully said good-bye to some of our new friends who would not be at church today.
One of the things I didn't expect was the difference in the length of the days. Dawn comes later and evening comes earlier; with twilight shorter. Our time here is growing shorter, as well. This evening we've been invited to the Christian Media Centre for a dedication and celebration of the renovation of the studios. As prayers of thanksgiving are lifted up, we also know that with project completion comes trip completion.
This morning the team stopped by the CMC before our touring, to check on overnight progress. The new ceramic tile was installed in one of the two entry areas; but no carpet was down and no roofing materials or workers were on site. Oh, how I long to see the roof repaired... who am I kidding; I'd just like to see it started!
There is no 5 day 40 hour workweek for laborers here; Saturday is a workday. They call Sunday a "holiday", but not in our sense of a Holy Day. However, last Sunday our Hindu contractor and his men did cut the hole through the masonry wall into the studio. Maybe the roofing fairies will come this Sunday, so we can witness the resolution of the major leak issues.
The staff will be wrapping up the remaining renovation of the interior of the studio building after we leave. Still to be done will be the renovation of the main office building, and cleaning and painting of the exterior. The staff of the Christian Media Centre know they have partners in their ministry; those of us who have come, and those who have sent. They know we will be back, and take strength in that. Want to hear more? Make plans to see Reverend David and his wife Jothi in July while they visit the CNH District. Now is your opportunity to sign on and be a part of the Lutheran Hour Ministries CNH District India Mission Trip 2009!
We just returned to the hotel after spending the day visiting the sites and shrines dedicated to St. Thomas and from having a wonderful Thai lunch. More on St. Thomas in a later post...
First things first, news and notes from the "You-Wouldn't-Believe-It-Unless-You-Saw-It-And-Then-You-May-Still-Not-Believe-It" department....
- I think we saw a hearse on a side street...this was no black mortuary station wagon...just a van that had printed on the side: "Funeral Van" and in the fine print: "For Rent Body Freezer Box"....I couldn't make that up if I wanted to..."For Rent Body Freezer Box"...really...I couldn't make that up!
- We passed a building with a picture of Jesus on it and a sign advertising the business inside: "Marriage Matching Centre"...I guess Jesus is in the mail order bride business? Perhaps if more couples consulted this centre the divorce rate would go down?
- Another business advertised as "Tooth Friendly Dentist"...tooth friendly....rest of the patient not so friendly....
- Truth in advertising laws must be a bit lax: "Breath & Relax Gym"...right! "Gasp & Puke Gym" would be more accurate...
- For those upscale folk who want to clothe their children, there is "Dial-a-Diaper"
- At a bus stop, we learned "This bench provided by Rotary International." And of course, within a few feet was the corresponding response--"This bench provided by Lions Club International"--seriously! No word on whether it was the Sunrise Rotary or Noontime Lions....
- Just in case you want to work on your English you can enroll at "The Immaculate Spoken English" school. Accepting Americans now!
- Then again, for all who think English should be the national language of the USA and for all who think English is the international language of love and commerce, one business revealed the truly international language recognized and comprehended by everyone, regardless of nationality or native tongue: "Am-Skray Visuals"....yes, PIG LATIN transcends all barriers of tongue, dialect, and accent...
- With that last tidbit of information I am going to am-skray and go get ean-clayed up for inner-day... I'm sure those of you in Rio Lindo (to borrow from Rush) will figure it out eventually....
Friday was an action-packed day! We got a earlier than usual start as we tried to complete all the remaining projects. We managed to finish painting several areas (even did an extra wall or two). We got some newly constructed walls prepped for paint. Generally, we got all the projects started to the point where national workers could be hired to finish the work next week.
Following lunch, we spent the afternoon souvenir-hunting (aka=shopping). We started at a "regular" grocery store. Visualize your way down from a 75,000 square foot Vons or Raleys. This was more like a small town Roys, or Josephs--that store named after someone that is a locally owned and operated member of the IGA. Many teas, coffees, and spices were found. It has been a long time since I've gotten that many groceries for only $30!
No adventure of the shopping sort could be allowed to conclude without a visit to another silk store. Located right around the corner from Pothy's (see pictures from last weekend's excursion...), this store was a bit smaller, but had just as many amazingly beautiful sarees and not a few dohties for men.
Girlfriends and wives: BEWARE!!! Many of your men are coming home wearing skirts that can be worn full-length...folded to reveal a little knee (not recommended from what I've seen, but who am I to comment...)...or worn in a baggy style that looks like Bam-Bam's diaper (and if worn that way by an American, you better carry a big club like Bam-Bam did!!)...
The last stop was back at the Ministry Centre for a quick meeting with Walt and Gunya from LHM. They were back in Chennai after celebrating the seminary anniversary in Nagercoil and had a couple hours before catching a flight to China. Since they were in country at the same time as our team, they wanted to extend thanks to us for our efforts and also gather some thoughts and impressions on how to improve the GWW program. We offered up several insights and possibilities for making things better and more smooth, but mostly we extended praise and thanks for the opportunities we had.
Now as Saturday dawns, I believe a trip to some of the shrines and churches associated with Saint Thomas are in order. Then this evening, at the Centre, a special program has been arranged involving a dance group. Hard to believe our time in Chennai is quickly winding down...
Usually, I wake up about 515-530am. For all but one or two days of this trip, it hasn't mattered that I am waking up in India as opposed to Elko. I am just conditioned to getting up by 530 or so.
At home, I am usually well into a pot of coffee by 535am or so. Over here, the hotel restaurant doesn't open until 7am--no java jolt! In that intervening hour and a half, I have been making my way to the hotel's Business Centre to read and do my devotions.
A couple mornings ago, as I was settling into a chair and adjusting the volume of the music on my iPod (no 50 Cent, just Amy Grant), a random thought passed through my head: I wonder what I will GET to do today?
Just as quickly, this thought followed: If I were at home, I would be wondering what would I HAVE to do today?
The contrast between the two thoughts left me thinking for some time. Do I have to come to an exotic, distant foreign land to be excited by the prospects for the day? Are things in my "regular" life so routine that there is no excitement?
As I thought about the contrast between waking up excited in India and to a same old routine in Elko, I thought back to our worship last Sunday. In the middle of the service, we were invited to sing a special song for the congregation. Due to a communication gap, we hadn't planned anything and the majority of us were taken completely by surprise (one or two of us said, "Oh, that is what they were saying yesterday!?!") Anyway, put on the spot, we spontaneously responded to Rebekah's inspired prompting to sing "This Is The Day."
That song and the verse upon which it is based form the perfect framework for each of us to begin every day--whether yet another routine, dull day in Wherever, USA... or an intriguing, exciting day in Chennai, India: This IS the day the Lord has made... I will rejoice and be glad in it!! This IS the day the Lord has made... What do I GET to do today?
This week we have been getting The Hindu, a different newspaper, thrust under our room doors in the mornings. In yesterday's Metro Plus section was an interesting article entitled "Hot from the oven: One day in the life of...a pizzeria." It seems this is an ongoing series of articles in which the reporter takes on different jobs for a day and reports about what it is like. Here are a few excerpts from a day in the life of a worker at a Chennai Pizza Hut (with commentary from yours truly in parenthesis)--
As I walk into the kitchen at Pizza Hut, Nungambakkam, I am handed a blue comfort cap. However, it's not really for comfort; it's a move to maintain hygiene, and ensure that strands of hair don't get into the pizzas. (I wonder if the bathrooms have the signs saying "All employees must wash hands before returning to work." Also, I haven't seen any grade reports in the windows from the Health Inspectors--perhaps instead of an A,B,C system for health and cleanliness, they could institue and flame symbol system for spiciness--1 flame=bland, 2 flames= moderate, 3 flames=foreigners beware, 4 flames=locals beware, 5 flames=Satan only beyond these doors)
Though the 102-seater pizza diner opens to the public only by 11am, the first signs of life begin around eight when the morning shift begins. Behind that kitchen door, to which the public has no access, is the section where plates are cleaned for service. (I wonder what else lurks behind that kitchen door, to which the public has no access...)
The energy level is high even when the morning shift ends at five pm. The evening shift that begins at 4pm goes on till 1am. Part-timers are employed during rush hour between 11am and 3pm and between 7pm and 11pm. Interestingly, most of the crew here started out as part-timers.
At 22 rupees an hour, you may not be able to fund your college education but you may be able to get yourself a career in the hospitality sector. (22 rupees is about 50 cents an hour... for a 9 hour day... about 180 rupees/day... for a 6 day work week... give or take 1000 rupees/week... about $23/week... before Uncle Sam [or his Indian equivalent] takes his cut... how's that for some perspective on wages...)
Mohammed Ali (not the boxer--at least I don't think so), who has been around for three years and is due for a Shift Manager promotion, proudly shows off his badges. "It is a funny place to work," he smiles. The badges indicate all departments he has been trained in. (In the picture in the paper, it almost looks like he is collecting Boy Scout badges or something.) "It's like Hotel California," adds Singara Karthikeyan. "You can check in anytime but you can never leave." (I'm not really sure what to make of that comment... If Pizza Hut is reminiscent of the Eagles "Hotel California," then is the local transit system akin to Ozzy's "Crazy Train"?)
Psst: We just heard that they have brought back their unlimited happy hour pizzas for 99rupees on Tuesdays. Feel like a birthday? (Now that you mention it, today IS my birthday...too bad it is Thursday and not Tuesday!!)
As today (6/19) dawned, we awoke to find four members down with various illnesses. Please pray for swift recoveries from these problems for: Chuck, Josh, Dan, & Brian!!
O Lord, grant speedy healing to Your servants!
Sunday afternoon, CMC employee Sheila accompanied us to downtown Chennai to go shopping. Our first stop was the government store where we perused three floors of sandstone, marble, brass and carved furniture. Many of the carved objects were depictions of Hindu Gods. There were almost as many clerks in the store as there were in our group. The uniformed clerks hovered as we shopped, occasionally taking the articles we had selected and carrying them to the counter. When my shopping was completed I was directed to the "billing counter" where two men wrote on paper tags which they handed to me to take to the "cash counter". The man at this counter took the papers, added the totals on a hand held calculator, took my money and counted back the change. He rubber-stamped each of the papers and handed them back to me and pointed me to the next stop, the "delivery counter". As I stepped up to this final destination. I saw two more employees bagging and stapling each item individually. Then all my bagged purchases were put in one big bag and handed to me. What a process!
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After a very tasty and relaxing Chinese food lunch we headed to Pothy's Department Store in an extremely busy part of town. The store was packed with hoards of people -- men, women and children. The entire first floor was devoted to sarees, the traditional dress of Indian women. These are a one-size-fits-all garment which consists of 5 1/2 meters of cloth; some of the pieces have a complimentary print at the end of the fabric which can be used to make a matching midriff blouse. Stacks and stacks of colorful sarees lined the walls, sorted by type: cotton, washables, fancy and a variety of silks. Dozens of clerks waited on customers pulling sarees from the shelves as requested. A second floor was more elegantly decorated, had mood lighting and was less crowded. I quickly learned that the sarees on this floor were the high-end and expensive silks and cashmeres.
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Next we visited the woman's ready-made floor where we shopped for Sal Wars. The Sal War is the other traditional Indian women's dress. It is a 3-piece coordinated outfit: baggy drawstring pants, tunic top with side slits and a scarf. Shopping here was similar to the American department store - until you were ready to pay. The process here was just as cumbersome as at the government store, but more so because there were crowds at every counter and no organized lines. So you just had to push your way through.
Dressing rooms were limited. Only four rooms with looooong lines for each. Some rooms seemed to be busy for a very long time. Then we learned that entire groups of people that were shopping together were going into the room at once. Hmmm.
The jewelery floor was also an experience. There was one clerk for every four feet of counter space and they LOVED to have us try on their jewelery. One clerk followed Lindsey all around the perimeter of the store, pulling bracelets and necklaces from the shelves for her to try. She felt very pampered!
We seemed to be the only white people in this very crowded store. Several clerks would ask "come from....?" When we answered America, they wanted to know which state. The reaction from the children were most memorable for me. As we were walking up the stairs a little girl about 3 years old came around a corner facing us and stopped as if she had seen a ghost. I'm guessing that she had never seen white skin before. Several children waved at us and then hid behind their parents.
Another observation about the stores that we visited.... behind the counters in both Pothy's and the government store were Hindu shrines. (We pass probably a dozen shrines on the streets between our hotel and the Media Centre on our walk each day.)
I must note that those Team Members that were not so excited about shopping were very good sports. Thanks Guys!!
Upon arriving to Chennai, Dorothy and I thought that a promenade on the treadmill would be a grand idea to beat jetlag. So, we headed to the hotel gym where we encountered Raja. Raja is the man in charge of the gym. Let me give you a visual image to set up the story. A small room covered in mirrors, a few weights, 2 bikes and the 2 dreaded treadmills, an Indian dressed in a Baywatch white and red jumpsuit set, and two tired, grungy American girls. We walk in with all intentions of hopping on the treadmills and strolling our jetlag off. So much for good intentions! The second we stepped on the treadmills, Raja had our entire fitness program planned. He started our speed at 5.0, which is not a speed I am used to, but still a doable speed. A minute later, Raja says, "Now the slow speed is over!" He decides for me, I will be on a cycle of 3 minutes at 6.0 and one minute at 5.0. For Dorothy, he had her walk at 6.0 for one minute and run at 9.0 for 5 minutes. If you have ever traveled on a plane for 21 hours, you know the pain. The pain, I tell you!! During one point, he starts to lecture us on our diet and looks right at me and tells me that I need to stop eating junk food. Towards the end (we were praying for the end), he puts us at super high speeds and leaves the room for towels. I glance at Dorothy and we both started gasping for air, for rest, for rescue. Raja allowed us to finish walking after 30 minutes. Now it was time to stretch. The man actually stood on our feet to make sure we would stretch fully. Which was a shocker, since men do not touch women in this culture. He ends our first day by telling us that he will see us the next day. Yeah, right! Like I would inflict that abuse again. Ha! Not even in America. ... but we did return.
The main, base color of paint we are using in every room is called...
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the main, base color of paint we are applying in every room is called:
SPICE!!!!
After multiple set-backs and advances, I've been assured that we will have our specified roof supplies delivered here Friday afternoon... after the job is scheduled to be completed. The good news has been no rain (so far), although I find it hard to believe that air with this much moisture isn't pouring down rain.
Last Friday I found the needed material on-line, and it is manufactured in Bombay. Not exactly W.W. Henry's from California, but the manufacturer is much, much closer. I ask that the material in the correct quantities (as approved by Raja) be ordered. Monday they get around to it, but by that evening tell me that the manufacturer wants the CMC permit number (resale license?). Since the CMC doesn't have such a number, the manufacturer won't sell to us. Okay... can they contact the manufacturer to inquire to dealers in Chennai? Tuesday they get around to asking about that, but we have to wait on the answer. Tuesday afternoon, I'm told there are no dealers in Chennai. I suggest that since this is a great product that will fill a big need, perhaps the Christian Media Centre become a dealer and sell some to make a little operating income. Ron Jetter is afraid that might violate the Centre's 501c3 tax status. We sure wouldn't want the wrath of the IRS coming down on them, now would we? Meanwhile, I go back to looking for a substitute product.
The city of Chennai has 10-12 million people (I've lost count). The Chennai Yellow Page phone book is an amazingly huge 1" thick book.
Wait, what?
1" thick? Yep, that's it. No listing for "roof coatings". No listing for "coatings" period. About 40 listings for paint dealers, but unknown how many speak English BECAUSE THERE ARE NO DISPLAY ADS. About half that many listings for "roofing", and most are for metal dealers. The yellow page ad salesman job here must be a really bad business to be in. So, back to the internet. Please, God, bring us a solution!
This morning I'm told that the original manufacturer has agreed to ship our order by train. Not sure why that made a difference, but if thats what God wants, well OK! Our Hindu contractor happened to be here when we arrived this morning. I told him I needed to speak with him about the roof, but we were going to be having our chapel service first. I invited him to join us, and he did!
At the end of chapel, the Nationals brought in a box that they said was for me. Inside was a birthday cake, in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Now, I'm not going to read any thing into that. However, I did learn about an Indian birthday tradition. They take a handful of frosting and smear it all over the face of the birthday boy. As a further display of the high esteem they hold for me, they then placed a dunce cap on my head. I was told it was more like the Pope's tall cap, but I know what I saw. Watch out tomorrow, Steve.
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So back to the roof. The contractor will have a crew of four here Saturday morning early to start applying the coating. I'll come over about 7:00 to get them started. They should get the first coat done that day, and the second coat on Monday after we have headed home. In the meantime, he's sending over two of his men tomorrow and Friday to help with painting and cleanup. We still have A LOT of painting and cleanup, with just two more work days scheduled.I'm to go tomorrow with Raja in one of the auto rickshaws of death to order the carpet, which is to be installed Friday overnight (why?). We will also order tile for the entry floor which will be installed Saturday. When we tried to tell Raja that at home ordering material and scheduling installation could take weeks if not months, well, it was like I was talking a foreign language.
Labor here is so very inexpensive, because there is so much available. We are paying about $10 a day for each laborer. One of our assigned tasks was to enlarge a window from the studio control room looking into the sound studio. Not a big problem, but the wall is a 14" thick masonry wall. We had pulled all the acoustic framing and covering off both sides of the wall last Friday, and I spoke to the contractor about having a couple of his guys work on removing a 2 1/2' wide X 3' high section of the wall this week. We came in Monday morning, and it was done. By hand. No power tools, just a chisel and hammer. It was not only done, but the mess was all cleaned up; and they had poured a fresh, smooth coating on all the rough edges. $10 a day. What a country!
Working beside the Nationals, many who are Hindu, gives us an opportunity to share our faith. They see us joyfully working hard; our girls singing, praying together, and our morning and afternoon devotions. Look for a new video of our mission coming to a theater or church near you soon!
Picture this...
Chuck is riding shotgun...Josh and Drew are riding in the way back...Ron and I are in the backseat...we are hurtling through the streets of Chennai...buses, motorbikes, auto-rickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians are a blend of color and noise...when our driver (whose name I can't remember, but I'll call him Bob), Bob, reaches for his CD case to add some ambience to our journey.
I will give 1000 rupees to anyone who can guess what CD Bob put on (that is about $20 or so--a really big bet for a Nevada high-roller like me!)?
Any guesses...on Bob's musical preferences...
Come on...
If you guessed Bob reached for his 50 Cent CD send me your name and address and I will mail you a 1000 rupee note when I get back home.
Listening to the inane ramblings of this angry black man, I now know why his album covers carry the warning--"Parental Advisory Explicit Content"
As Drew said, "I never thought I would be listening to 50 Cent while riding in a vehicle with two pastors in India..." This among many other things most of us never thought we would be doing...
Just as amazing was Bob's musical selection for our ride home...Bob either chose Amy Grant or Twila Paris...I can't remember for sure because I was laughing so hard at the contrast.
This is just another memory being made on this epic journey...thanks Bob for bringing smiles to all our faces!!
One thing I have noticed more than anything while in Chennai have been feet. The first day we were working, it struck me that a couple of the women working with us were barefoot--and not because they took their shoes off. They were barefoot because they wore no shoes. Since that day, my tennis shoes have been permanently stained red and layered thick with the gunk and glue we encountered while tearing out the carpet and tile floor. My shoes are stained and gunk-covered. Their feet were bare and were walking through the same stuff.
First off, it struck me how amazing and durable and tough their feet are. Walking barefoot through one day, let alone a lifetime, is truly a feat. I think how soft and pampered my feet are from always being protected in clean socks and whatever pair of shoes I choose to wear at that moment.
A second observation that struck me was how beautiful their feet were. My pampered feet have three ugly nails filled with fungus. Their bare feet have toes pointing properly with no obvious problems. I would have expected cuts or toes all splayed out at wrong angles from old breaks incurred while stubbing them or tripping over things. Yet none of that was evident.
Finally, it really hit me how amazing Jesus actions were when He washed His disciples feet during the Last Supper. The nastiness of walking through the day barefoot or sandal-footed takes on a new level of meaning when you see the streets and ground over here. Jesus' love also takes on a nev level of meaning when you realize He cleaned His disciples' feet with joy and love.
I've been absent from the blog for a couple of days. I was a little 'under the weather' and spent the entire day Monday in the hotel room. So I'm well qualified to report on what our rooms are like and what can be viewed on Indian TV.
Our accommodations are "4 or 5 Star". This hotel caters to western visitors. The room size is a bit smaller than found in a nice U.S. hotel and furnishings are similar; built in closet, large mirror, small fridge, desk, three telephones, nightstands, television, bathroom in each room with shower, toilet, sink, floor drain and hairdryer. We even have in-room coffee pots! The floors throughout the building are marble - there is a lot of that here. Hallways and rooms have decorative patterns of beautiful brown, ivory, green and black marble.
A breakfast buffet is included with our room and it offers a variety of both western foods and indian foods, as well as the wonderful Indian Coffee that Steve wrote about in an earlier blog entry.
Indian television in the hotel includes a variety of options. A little more than half of the stations broadcast in Tamil, while the others are in English. There is also one German-language station and one French language channel. Sports coverage this week has kept close tabs on Tiger Woods and his U.S. Open win as well as broadcasts of the Euro Cup 2008 Soccer games. Indian television seems to be quite enamored by MTV - music videos. Mostly these consist of a lead singer backed by a group of about 20 singers performing carefully choreographed numbers in scenic locations. Melodies have the sound of traditional Indian music, but the dress and actions of the performers show the influence of western culture, especially the dancing and physical contact between the men and women. In this culture men and women (even those who are married) do not touch in public. It is not uncommon for women to hug women and men to hug or hold hands with men, but we have seen very little contact - beyond the occasional handshake - between men and women. This is untrue on television.
Other TV choices include BBC (British Broadcasting) news 24/7, a number of Indian soap operas, the Disney channel and a variety of American shows and movies.
Although I received a list of items to pack I wasn't really sure what kinds of health issues we'd be facing with the exception of high heat and humidity, and dietary/digestive concerns. So far those have indeed dominated our team's health problems, though nothing insurmountable has yet emerged and hopefully it won't in the week remaining. Each day I make entries into my journal -- personal thoughts in the front and first aid notes in the back. Fortunately there are dozens of pages used at the beginning of the book and only 2 used at the end. Some minor cuts, a few headaches, things like that. I'm grateful to all those who helped prepare me for the task of being the team's First Aid Guy: those at Lower Valley Hospice in Sunnyside, WA, my friends at the Sunnyside Fire Department and Dr. Roger Bracci, M.D. Keep those comments coming. We love reading your responses as you read our daily blog.
Our first aid officer, Baron Von Sinister
Last evening, our team was honored to be invited to the home of Reverend David to meet his family and to help him celebrate the completion of his 60th year. Today marks the beginning of his 61st year. This is the local way of saying--today is Reverend David's birthday. 
His family honored him, and they, in turn, honored us, by having a little celebration in their home and then by taking us all to dinner. The restaurant specialized in food from the Kerala state of India which is the state directly west of Tamil Nadu, home of Chennai. It was a very special evening and opportunity to celebrate this milestone in Reverend David's life with him and his family.
I know it is our prayer and the prayer of all who read this--O Lord, grant Reverend David Your continued blessings of life and health as You strengthen His faith and draw him and his family ever more close to Your heart!
Happy Birthday, Reverend David!
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
The following was on the FRONT PAGE of Saturday's Chennai Times (or whatever the newspaper is they stick under our hotel room doors every morning). The following is reprinted, condensed, plagiarized and posted without the written consent of anyone at the Chennai Times, Major League Baseball, or the Obama for President campaign headquarters (or McCain for President, for that matter). With that disclaimer, realize this was considered FRONT PAGE NEWS on Saturday...
FRONT PAGE HEADLINE: "IT cost-cutting enters the loo"
Dateline: Bangalore--Tough times ahead for techies in India. Pretty soon, they may have to carry tissue paper to office, for the US recession seems to have entered even the toilets of Indian software firms.
After slashing salary increments and travel budgets, many domestic firms and MNCs are now cutting on routine items like stationery, canteen snacks, even tissue paper. The once abundant stock of toilet paper, sanitary disposal bags and bottles of handwash are drying up now.
"Tissue paper rolls have disappeared from most gents toilets. Women colleagues say their toilets still have them, although the quality has dropped," said a tech professional working for an MNC.
Another professional, Meera Sridhar, said, "Tissue paper is found only in a couple of toilets out of the nine we have. The face tissues completely vanished a fortnight ago."
"Earlier, I would send a security guard to fetch a pen or writing pad from admin. A few days ago, the security man said I must go and get them personally. I went, only to be told the company has put a stop on stationery to cut costs," said Akhil D, a senior professional in an IT MNC.
The recession has enterd canteens too. "We used to get free snacks, biscuits, popcorn with coffee or tea or badam milk. That has stopped now, although there's no official word yet," said Rajani Pravin, a young BPO executive. The cuts are being implemented very subtly. "Everybody wants to avoid panic and bad publicity," pointed out Lata Manoharan, manger (admin), with a leading domestic tech firm.
"We heard that an American airline has cut a celery leaf from every burger it serves on board. Are companies being penny wise and pound foolish, or will they actually save?" wondered a senior manager of a BPO firm.
This FRONT PAGE ARTICLE was accompanied by a color cartoon featuring a Dilbert-esque character on the toilet reaching for an empty roll of toilet paper. The caption read--"Loo and behold...this is a paper-less office."
Ladies and gentlemen, this is FRONT PAGE NEWS!!
Tomorrow, your pop culture reporter will provide updated research into what might be turning into the Indian equivalent of the OJ murder investigation. Some dude named Krishna was given a lie detector test the other day, which was followed by a "Narco Test"--the liberal administration of sodium pentathol (truth serum)--in the hopes of determining if he was really at home watching cricket with his sister when some truly heinous murders were committed.
Believe it or not, this really was FRONT PAGE NEWS--"IT cost-cutting enters the loo"--somewhere there is a Jay Leno line, or David Letterman "Top 10 List" waiting to be made...
I went to high school in the early 80s--a wonderful time when foreign languages were an option. And they were an option I opted not to exercise. One year of Spanish with Senor Elder was enough to ruin my GPA and to limit me to ordering tacos and burritos in Mexican restaurants.
In college, I did take both Greek and Hebrew in preparation for Seminary. Greek, well, it was all Greek to me--I did pass, but with generous amounts of grace involved. Hebrew, believe it or not, I took extra Hebrew classes because I liked it--however, that was over 20 years ago and I have no idea where my Hebrew Bible is, nor do I know when I last saw it.
Suffice it to say, I speak English--and that not very well. Which makes me wonder--how did I land in the position of helping Chuck communicate our supply needs to the staff at the CMC?
Everyone on the staff speaks wonderful English--and probably an average of 3 or 4 more languages. Their English is very good, but heavily accented. Listening requires effort and concentration to follow and comprehend--two things American ears are not usually good at.
Okay...that is the language set up for this story...now for the money and math portions...
The Indian currency is the rupee. 1 dollar is worth about 42 rupees. Keeping in mind our budget for supplies and trying to compute what has been spent and what needs to be spent while making these calculations is a little tricky--but only a little. Interestingly, many products in India are sold by metric measure, which makes sense. However, the instructions for use are given in English units, which doesn't make as much sense. I think India is either trying to recover from the British, or cling to their British past. I'm not sure which.
Okay...language...money...measure...here is the recipe for ordering roofing materials...make sure to follow these steps precisely...
- Measure one round/circular roof in feet and apply the appropriate mathematical formula to determine square footage (Perhaps, pie are square--preferably ala mode...)
- Transpose the square footage into square meters
- Surf the net for roofing product sold by the kilogram
- Disregard the fact that it is a liquid product being sold by weight
- Calculate how many square feet one kilogram will cover
- Translate that measure into square meters.
- Simultaneously, calculate the cost per kilogram in rupees
- Then change the rupees into dollars for comparison to the project budget.
- But, don't forget that this product will be applied by locals hired for this express purpose
- Consult the local contractor to learn how many man-days will be needed for the process
- Project that expense into the overal cost
- Make all measures and calculations in English while listening to the staff make the same measures and calculations in Tamil (or was it Hindi...)
Got it so far? Because that was the easy part...
- Once an amount of product is arrived at and a projected cost is discovered, contact the manufacturer--miraculously with a home base in India--to learn if there are any local distributors.
- After learning the product is only available in Bombay/Mumbai and will take 2-3 days to ship, return to step 1 to determine if there are any alternate products.
- After reconciling yourself to the fact that this is the only product remotely sufficient for the product and remotely available, reprocess all the math and measures.
- Present your findings to the staff for permission to place the order.
Still with me?
- Leave the office thinking all is well.
- Spend approximately one hour on other work.
- Look up to discover Raja coming toward you with a disturbed look on his face.
- Loan Raja your pen and paper so he can run you through the math one more time.
- Learn from Raja's numbers that "you crazy white guys" (an approximation of what Raja called us--or at least what he had to be thinking about us!) had miscalculated by about 2.5 times.
- Smile contentedly and give Raja the thumbs up as you laugh at the fact that he just saved everyone about $1500-2000 (or 80,000-90,000 rupees)
As I said in the title--Raja to the Rescue!!
As we ate our lunch a little while ago, we had the privilege of a special, honored guest joining us. Reverend Samuel, the President of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church, a partner church of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, is in Chennai for meetings today. He is then on his way to Nagercoil to celebrate the Jubilee of the Seminary there next weekend.
As he addressed the group, Reverend Samuel shared with us a brief bit of the history of the IELC and its relations with the LCMS. In 1885, a missionary from the LCMS arrived in India--making India the first mission field to which an LCMS missionary was sent. Tragically, this missionary died after only a few years due to the plague, but mission work in India was begun and has continued for over 120 years. Reverend Samuel made the point that should you visit the LCMS headquarters in St. Louis, the display of flags representing the countries in which the LCMS is working is headed by the Indian flag--symbolic of the fact that India, in 1885, was the first mission field to be opened.
Accompanying the Reverend President was Pastor Herbert Hoefer, professor at Concordia University, Portland, and former missionary to India. Pastor Hoefer currently serves the LCMS Mission Board in an oversight position with responsibilities for India and Sri Lanka. He, too, is in India for the anniversary in Nagercoil later this week.
I know I can safely speak for all the members of the team that it was an honor to meet President Samuel and I know we will continue to raise him, the IELC, and the Christian Media Centre up in our prayers.
Chuck Weygandt here. I'm up a little early and thought I'd just jot down a few things to the Senders back home. I haven't been blogging because (a) there have been so many other things that take up my attention; and (b) we have other very competent folks here who are sharing their thoughts. So without the benefit of caffeine (the restaurant doesn't open until 7:00), here are a few things to share:
- We crave and cherish your feedback. At the top of this column there is a link that says "From the cnhindiamission.blogspot.com". If you click on that link, it will take you to the full blog where you can read everything posted back to the beginning; as well as post your comments.
- INTENSE. That's the word. Everything here is intense; the flavors, the traffic, the poverty, the noise, the colors, the humanity. And the love the Nationals at CMC have for the Lord, and their passion for ministry. They are thrilled we are here, and they are thrilled that you have sent us.
- We have an amazing Team here. God has truly brought together the right group for His purpose here. Each one of them - your father, brother, sister, child, or friends; are a part of this Team because God called them personally to be here. Each is uniquely qualified for the task placed before us.
- Continue to pray for us. You can't imagine how necessary your prayers are to our health, safety, and spirituality here. Enlist others to pray as well. And I assure you we are all praying for you back home as well.
- It is stunning to see your faith in action here. We have seen and touched the Bibles printed in Hindi & Tamil you helped pay for last year, that are being handed out daily to people craving the Gospel. We see how your support of Lutheran Hour Ministries brings the Good News to a people hungry for hope and salvation.
- From the website you can see we haven't reached our fundraising goal yet. There is much work to do here; and we won't get it all done on this trip or maybe even the next. The studio needs equipment we don't yet have the ability to purchase and install. Spread the word, and ask people to open their hearts and pocketbooks.
- To my brother Bill; I am wearing a vest in 98 degree humid weather because it's the only way to carry around all the stuff needed and have hands free to do the work. Water (we are going through gallons of water each), sanitizing liquid and wipes, tools, camera, pen and notepaper, ID and papers, and on and on.
- And one more thing before I go get that coffee. My best Father's Day gift is being here working side by side with my son Joshua. He has done unbelievable work getting the message out, keeping us in contact with you back home, and recording in pictures and video our mission. I hope your was one of the churches that got to see Josh's video during worship yesterday. You wouldn't believe the effort and difficulties he had to overcome to make that happen. I am very proud to call Josh not only my son, but also my best friend.
I have two children--Zane is the greatest 5-year-old this world has ever seen and Mallory is the most beautiful baby ever...really...I've got pictures to prove it.
Being 4-months-old, today was Mallory's first Father's Day. As I was deciding whether or not to come on this trip, missing my first Father's Day as the Dad of a daughter was a tough part of the equation. Obviously, I am in India and Mallory and Zane are not. Despite being halfway around the world my wife and kids gave me the best Father's Day present I could have received.
Let me explain...
Last summer, I was a delegate to the Synodical Convention in Houston. Part of our orientation packet included a bracelet. You've all seen plenty of these: yellow "Livestrong" cancer bracelets... pink breast cancer bracelets... This one was multi-colored and tells the story of salvation in the colors. My initial thought was--"Great! Jesus junk has made it to bracelets." I proceeded to toss it aside in my hotel room.
At some point in the Convention, someone from one of the churches in Houston talked about how they used these bracelets on mission trips to Africa. Feeling properly convicted of my arrogant attitude, I began wearing my bracelet.
When I got back to Elko, I ordered some for use in our congregation. Over the past several months, many folks in our congregation have begun wearing them and giving them to their friends.
After committing to come on this trip, I thought these bracelets would be a nice gift to give the kids over here. A few days before leaving, Zane helped me bag up 100 or so bracelets to bring with me.
This morning, at worship, Pastor Burch preached on God's timing--"At just the right time...God saved us..." I, then, had the privilege of doing a children's object lesson focusing on these bracelets. As I wrapped up my talk, I presented a bracelet to everyone, young and old, in attendance.
This is the point at which God really got going...
In addition to our presence in worship today, Walt Winters and Gunya Nathalang were here. They are International Lutheran Laymen's League bigwigs visiting India for the 50th Anniversary of the Lutheran Seminary in Nagercoil next week.
Gunya is the Area Counselor or Supervisor or something important like that for Asia. She came up to me after the service with tears in her eyes because of these bracelets.
In Laos and Thailand and other Asian countries, she explained, our brothers and sisters in Christ are subject to persecution and arrest and worse if they are caught carrying a Bible or cross. But the bracelets are another story. Jewelry is important in these cultures and these bracelets could be worn in safety by Christians in these countries. As Gunya and I talked, the possibilities for these little plastic bracelets seem endless.
Check God out...
- One man gave bracelets in Africa...and he gave bracelets at the Synodical Convention...I almost laughed mine into the trash can...
- My daughter was born in February, yet we decided I would miss her first Father's day...
- My son helped me pack the bracelets for distribution today...
- Gunya "happened" to be worshiping at the Christian Media Centre on the same day I "happened" to talk about these bracelets...
I had chills all over as I was talking with Gunya this morning and I have tears in my eyes right now just thinking about the possibilities for these little bracelets in expanding God's kingdom in Asia.
I also have tears in my eyes because even though I am half a world away and miss the physical hugs and kisses from Mallory and Zane, by allowing me to come on this trip, my kids gave me the best Father's Day present ever--the gift of sharing Jesus with countless people through a bag of simple, little bracelets!
Thanks, Zane! Give Mom and Mallory some extra big hugs and kisses for me!
Thanks, Mallory! Smile and giggle and bring smiles and giggles to Mom and Zane's faces!
I love you guys and will see you in a few days!
This morning began with worship at the Christian Media Centre--that will be covered in a separate post coming later...
First, we will cover second...the shopping excursion from this afternoon...
Many more roadside pieces of advice were scene ("scene" spelled here this way is not British...it is just a typo I didn't feel like fixing...) and will be reported upon...
- "Devices Are For Your Safety Use Helmets"--like most driving laws in India it is really just a recommendation...
- "Don't Jump Signal You Will Be Penalised"--as opposed to the "scene" above, the "s" is not a typo...everything gets an "s" over here because of the British influence...the penalty for jumping signal is going around and replacing all the "s's" with "z's"...
- "Stop Aggressive Driving"--what? and stop the country in its tracks...
- "Avoid Rash Driving"--there is a very slight, yet technical difference between "aggressive driving" and "rash" driving"...another week of observation and I will be able to let you know what that difference it...
- seen on a dentist office--"Painless Dentist"--I got a postcard from my dentist just before leaving home...I think I'll get my check up over here since the guy promises to be painless and I know I usually come out of Dr ____'s office in some pain...
- "Driving Faster Can Cause Disaster"--it rhymes in English...but I wonder if it rhymes in Tamil...or Urdu...or any of the other couple dozen languages spoken in India...
- "Follow Lane Discipline"--Oh!! The lines on the road mean something? And just for pondering's sake...do sidewalks count as lanes?
- seen on a store billboard--"Customer Service is Our Motto"--I'll give a free pass to so many choice comments I could make about American Customer Service and just say...six people were involved in my transaction at the jewellery (2 "l's" is a British thing also) counter in a store earlier (WENDY: don't let the above sentence make you think I was getting anything for you....especially with our anniversary coming up in a couple weeks...)
- "Reduce your Stress When You Drive Be A Courteous Driver"--the same guy from the California Tourism Department who came up with their "clean and green" slogan must have given them a two-for-one special...
- After eating lunch at an "authentic" Chinese restaurant that didn't give us a fortune cookie (which may be "authentic"...I don't know having never been to China...), we saw several nice thoughts painted on the wall of a church across the street, including...
- "The One Who Borrows Money Buys Quarrel" and "No person is so empty as the one who is full of self"
Drew made the observation that the traffic outside the store was "One Big Traffic Jam"...which made me wonder if that was true...or if it was two small traffic jams just looking like one big traffic jam....
I told you they were random thoughts on the passing scene...and with that one I will pass from the scene to think about how to convey God's action in worship this morning...back with more after I process all that God has been doing....
Today our team was met by two vehicles at 9 am and we were American tourists until our return to our hotel at 5 pm. For those of you who are following our daily itinerary and expect to hear about the Tomb of St. Thomas, well, we didn't go there yet, but we had an incredible day! Rev. David was in meetings today so two women from the CMC acted as our guides. We drove 50+ kms south of Chennai.
First stop... the Crocodile Bank. I had no idea that there were so many ,varieties of crocodiles. This 'bank' consists of a series of habitats (think zoo) where species from all over the world are kept and allowed to breed. Crocs are then sent all over the world. Denmark seems to be the most frequent recipient - Go figure! 
A few folks from our team even held a baby croc.
A few folks from our team even held a baby croc. Within the crocodile bank was a second attraction where we watched four brave snake handlers educate us about Cobras, Kraits, Pythons and Scorpions. We had front-row views of them weighing and measuring snakes and taking venom from the Kraits - which produce enough to milk every five minutes. Cobras, on the other hand, will only produce enough venom for collection once a day. Their 100 or so snakes are kept in clay jars during the day and let loose in the pit at night when they are fed rats and frogs. They are returned to their jars each morning.
Snakes are kept for venom production for one month at a time and then are returned to the wild. Venom is used for medicinal purposes; venom products were available for sale, though I don't think anyone among us made any purchases.Mamallapuram was our next stop. A tourist area with rows and rows of shops, a beautiful beach, a lighthouse and some amazing monuments carved from sandstone. Some noticed the intense smells - some good and some not so much - in this little villa. As an area that is popular with tourists we see many beggars here. Some offered beaded necklaces, picture postcards, carved marble elephants; some carrying infants and asking for money for food.
We have been told by our guides that it is illegal to give to beggars and that if you buy from these people who approach you they will continue to follow you until you leave, asking for more. The poverty is gut-wrenching. In our few days here we have seen hundreds of people living on the streets and dozens of thatched shelters that are 'home' for families.But I digress... the shops on the way to the beach are maybe 10' x 12' and selling cooked fish, long skinny cucumbers, seashells, ice cream, Coca-Cola, leather sandals, carve Hindu gods, as well as cheap plastic American toys in cellophane packaging. It is a beautiful day to be at the beach; the breeze is refreshing amidst the stifling heat and humidity. Scores of families are spending the afternoon there - though no one is in a swimsuit. Women are dressed in Saris or Sal Wars while men are in slacks and button-up shirts. Young children are stripped to their undies and running from the waves as you would see on any California beach.
Some of our group roll up their pantlegs and venture into the water to experience the warmth of the Bay of Bengal for themselves.Lunch was enjoyed inside a lovely nearby resort, whose entrance was watched by private uniformed guards (as are the majority of large businesses in Chennai including our hotel). Guards keep the most desperate people from entering and bothering paying customers.
The final stop was amazing and left us with many memories and great photos. We climbed up and down the rocky terrain to see several national monuments carved from sandstone. Goats and wild skinny dogs wandered about as crowds of Indian nationals were posing for pictures in front of large works of art. At one point a young Indian woman touched Amy's arm and asked her to be in a photo.
Before we knew it, about six of our group was posing in a "family photo" with six or so of them. It was a great international bonding moment with laughter all around.Fifteen Americans are truly a rare sight in these parts -- In all of our travels today we saw less than ten other Caucasian people and most traveled in twos. The Nationals are curious about us, sometimes making full eye contact, responding in kind to a "hello" or "hi" and then twittering to their friend because they spoke to a white person.
It was interesting to note that, amidst Hindu statues and temples we spotted a couple of vendor carts and a three-wheeled taxi that had "Jesus Loves" or "Jesus Saves" on them. At one point a van with a megaphone system drove by with a person loudly repeating "Jesus Loves You".
After a long and strenuous day of learning and experiencing more of the Indian culture we were happy to return to our 'western style' hotel and a step closer to our comfort zones. We are looking forward to tomorrow's worship service at the Media Centre. Please keep the Team in your prayers. Several are fighting with bouts of 'Delhi Belly' as our bodies adjust to the food and travel.
Here are some random observations and resulting thoughts from a day spent sightseeing south of Chennai...
- India has quite a collection of fascinating road signs...including...
- "Go Slow Unless You Have An Appointment with God"--more than a few people seemed to want that appointment to be before sunset today...
- seen on the back of a taxi: "How's My Driving?"--unfortunately there was no 800 number to pass along comments...
- "Accident Prone Area"--basically could be posted at every intersection and along virtually all curves and/or straightaways...
- "No Sound Horn"--posted in English...maybe posting in Tamil or Hindi or Urdu or any of the other 30 or so national languages would help?
- "My Town My Pride Keep It Clean & Green"--Evidently someone from the Sierra Club was contracted to help the region develop a community pride slogan...
- "Avoid Cellphones While Driving"--some things are becoming universal...
- located a few blocks from our hotel is the "Giddiness Research Centre"--probably a relaxation clinic for overstressed drivers...or passengers from out of the country trapped in a hired van...
- Where else but in India can you see, within just a couple hours, a crocodile fight...a goat fight... and a monkey fight?
- Agility observation: Josh Weygandt sure can move fast when charged by an upset Papa monkey...
- In the "You Had to See It to Understand It" category... Karl sharing some hand sanitizer with a nagging lady selling necklaces was priceless... words won't be accurate... just ask him sometime...
- Note Home: Wendy--I am more amazed than ever at all the great photos you have taken out moving car windows through the years... all I got today were blurs and poles, but at least I got something before my battery died...
- If the Bay of Bengal counts as part of the Indian Ocean I have now been in three of the four oceans of the world and I plan on asking our pilot from London to San Francisco if he can make a quick stop somewhere in the Arctic Ocean on the way home to get number four taken care of...
- At the crocodile park, one sign described the food given this particular species with a "fish" and "cow" symbol...I want to know why a crocodile can eat beef in India...but I can't?
- Swerving around a cow crossing the road engenders much different emotions than doing the same in Idaho... perhaps because these cows are gods (?) and the ones I've dodged in Idaho have usually gotten out of my father-in-law's pastures (By the way--Happy Father's Day Papa!)
- Seeing your first roaming cow along the roadway is an experience like...well...I'm not sure what it is like...but it is an experience everyone should have...so if you didn't come on this trip start making plans to get over here to finish the work in 2009!
- Several times I could swear I heard Darrel Waltrip saying--"Boogity...Boogity... Boogity Boys...Let's Go Racing!"
- And I know I heard him shouting--"They're trying to go three wide in the corner...and that just won't work...someone has got to lift (our driver never lifted!)...how did they do that...I've never seen driving like that at Bristol or Daytona...
- Tow trucks over here are labeled "Recovery Van"
- Should you ever see the words "Mutton Gongura" on a menu make sure to order it...but do not plan on feeling your lips for at least 48 hours...which means I should have feeling back in mine sometime Monday...
- Visiting a crocodile park means there is only one way to sign off your blog...you guessed it: "See Ya Later Alligator...After While Crocodile..."
Before I write further I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Sue Jetter, team member from Washington State. I am here with my husband, Ron who is an ELCA Pastor at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in the rural eastern Washington State. When I signed on for this trip I had planned to be one of the ‘worker bees’ doing remodeling and painting tasks. Due to a pinched nerve in my back which has manifested itself in various left leg and knee pain, along with a career in grantwriting, I have now been given the task of Chief Blogger for the team. Thanks to all who offered prayers for my good health and healing as I prepared for this trip! I am doing well and plan to help with some painting later today.
This morning as we arrived at the Centre, the women of the team received a gift from the women staffers at the center. They presented us with a beautiful and fragrant 10” string of white jasmine flowers for each of us to wear in our hair made by one of the employees. Many of the women here wear them.
Daily devotions were held in the Sanctuary today as it is equipped with fans and A/C and was cooler than the Chapel. It is just 10 am and many believe that today will be warmer than yesterday. The humidity feels about 60% with temperatures already in 90s. We are reminded to drink lots of bottled water to avoid dehydration.
Today’s devotional began with the singing of two English hymns: Holy, Holy, Holy and Amazing Grace accompanied by Suba, the Sound Technician who plays chords and melody by ear on an upright piano. Next the CMC staff sang a hymn in Tamil after which the Bible verse for the day and the accompanying devotional reading followed. Pastor Herb was asked to read today’s verse (Job 1:8) in English and Pastor David then translated the reading into English. The focus today is that God alone is righteous and we, like Job, can become more righteous by following God’s word and staying in relationship with him.
Upon arrival at the worksite we see that since our departure yesterday, Media Centre personnel have used a grinder on the Rehearsal studio floor to ready it for new carpet. Our team had cleared the floor of remaining carpet fibers and glue, but their grinder has taken the project to the next step. Work groups for today’s tasks were formed by Karl and Bryan and were announced last evening; painters, drywall hangers and roofers.
We have learned that much work will be required to repair the roof. The existing roof is a smooth tiled surface with a slight slope from the middle to allow rainwater to run off through scuppers (formed spouts to direct rain in place of down spouts or gutters). Trees growing near the building have created problems as dropped leaves now block the scuppers and interfere with runoff. Some trees have even taken route in cracks in the roof’s surface. Furthermore, moss is growing in places on the tile surfaces. CMC staff have waited for our team’s opinion on how to repair the leaky roof, but it is difficult for our American workers to know what building materials are available and what techniques are used to combat the heat and humidity. One CMC worker has suggested that a black adhesive material be used to cover the roof and close over leaky spots, but we are concerned that black reflective material would absorb too much heat. Today a local contractor and his work crew (who each will be paid an equivalent of $5 per day) to work on the roof trimming trees and advising us on the best method of repair.
As the trees are cut, the women bring armloads of the leafy branches inside. Cathryn tells me that she will take the branches home and use the leaves to make curry. This “Drumstick” tree is just one plant used to make curry, yet it is one of the best. The Drumstick tree also yields a fruit that is long and thin and we are told that it is very good when it is cooked. The remaining limbs are loaded onto a three-wheeled wagon converted from a bicycle and carried away.
The CMC staff are amazed at how quickly the work is going. Demolition includes tearing out one wall to turn three small rooms into two larger work studios. We find a gecko nest behind the wallboard. Paint colors have been selected with input from the staff. Measurements for sheet rock and paint coverage have been carefully recorded so that they can be converted to metric and assure that the right amount of supplies will be purchased to complete our tasks. There is no Home Depot here, so shopping for building materials means a trip to a paint store and a separate trip for drywall. It is clear to us that we must leave no tasks unfinished, as it is unlikely that any more work will be completed after our departure. Shoppers return with three colors of paint and the 27 sheets of drywall (which measure about 4’ x 6’) that are needed to proceed.
Indians love their coffee. Two or three times each day a staff member comes around with a silver tray filled with small paper cups (about 3 oz or so, with Mickie & Minnie Mouse on them) of strong coffee mixed with cream and sugar. After all of our team are served, the worker brings around another tray for the rest of the CMC staff.
Last evening Pastor David and his wife, Jothi (pronounced Joe’-thee) joined the Team at the “Silver Streak” restaurant in our hotel for a buffet dinner. They are excited about their upcoming trip to America, where they will visit congregations in the CNH District and will stay in the home of team member Glen Butler. We discuss families, food, travel, our countries and the work at the Centre.
I have also learned from Jothi that the term ‘Chai Tea’ is duplicative, as Chai is actually the word for Tea in the Hindi, Korean and Russian language (and probably others as well). So Chai refers to tea mixed with cream/milk and sugar while “Tea”, as we know it, would be called “Black Tea” here.
In order to avoid sickness, most team members are carefully avoiding foods that have been washed with any tap water or even cut with a knife that may have been wet with tap water. This limits us from eating any fruit or vegetable that is not cooked or that we did not peel ourselves. A lovely cucumber salad, apples, oranges, papaya, pineapple, mangoes and watermelon were offered and were avoided but all but a few. So far no reports of ‘Delhi Belly’ have been encountered and the whole crew remains healthy. Part of our group ventured out to a nearby grocery store to buy some fresh fruit so that we could clean, cut and eat it without concern of unclean water. They returned with apples, bananas and mangoes and some great stories. What an adventure!
As we end our workday, painting is mostly completed in the atrium and a wall has been torn out and rebuilt in the new location. The roof has been completely cleaned and the material has been identified that will resolve the leakage issues.
The following is a list of facts that Amy Knapp and I ,Lindsey Mulliner, collected while interviewing Reverend David. Some of the info may not be 100% correct, but we tried our best.
Concerning Head Paint
If both male and females wear the red dot, they are Hindu
Southern Indian ladies wear a big red dot to show that they are married and living a family life. Widows are not allowed to wear them.
Girls and married women wear flowers (jasmine) in their hair. Along with the dot, widows are must remove the flowers upon the death of her husband.
The more intricate stickers on the foreheads are for decoration only, and do not mean anything particular.
Upon being married, one wears a yellow thread around the neck that holds money. This works as a type of wedding ring.
Members of a particular sect were three white paint lines on their forehead with a big red dot. This sect believes that God is half man, and half woman, and that the family is the God head.
If a person wears a symbol on their head that looks like a U with a line going through it, these people are members of a sect that believes that God chooses to be incarnated into either a human or an animal (hence cows and pigs)
Ladies from the state west of where we are wear a small line on their head that is yellow (based on sandalwood.)
Concerning Love
1. Arranged marriages are still very popular. The betrother couple does not touch or speak until the wedding day. It has become more common for the young people to follow the “american style.”
2. In villages, boy and girl interaction is forbidden and can result in death.
3. If you’re 35, single, and a woman, you’re too old to be married.
4. In weddings, the most common flowers used are jasmine and the rose
5. By law, the legal age for marriage is 21.
6. In the villages, marriage is usually done when the woman is around the age of 15.
Concerning Death
Marigolds ( we think, or it may be another yellow flower) are the flower typically used for funerals
For funerals, Indian Christians follow a more western style, and Hindus also have wakes.
The period of mourning for both HIndu and Christians is 16 days.
On the 16thy day, they have prayers and end the period of mourning.
Concerning the Christian Faith in India
The most popular denomination in India is Roman Catholic
Lutherans are the second largest denomination in India
Their are 12 Lutheran Churches throughout India and they form the UELCI (United Evangelical Lutheran Churches of India)
Baptists, Methodists, and Anglicans form one denomination in name only and are divided by region. They are known as the Church of North India, and the Church of South India.
Mormonism is relatively new to India, and the Mormons here also dress in white shirt, black pants, black tie, and they also go door to door. We have decided that it is an international phenomenon.
I knew there was reason I always drank my coffee black! The reason: Indian Coffee! Oh, baby, is this stuff good! Take strong (I mean strong!!) black coffee, steamed milk, and sugar... add some Indian love (which is what would prevent Starbucks from serving this!) and heaven arrives in small cups. It is the small cups that are the only problem with Indian coffee... it is only served in 2-3 ounce cups. Oh, to get a venti Indian coffee... If I can't figure out how to makes this stuff (and I have been trying at breakfast each morning--yecchh! to my creations), I might have to figure out a way to smuggle "Sheila The Coffee Lady" home with me!
When 25 million (give or take a couple million) people live in a city, space is at a premium. Earlier today, Pastor Dan Rowe and I accompanied Muthu to the local paint store. We walked about a half-mile from the Media Centre and arrived at a store front--a ten foot wide store front. I have no idea what the sign in front of the store said... something like "Bob's Paint & Supplies", I think... This was not quite the 120,000 square foot Home Depot on Mountain City Highway in Elko, but they had everything we needed.
Right next door to the paint store was a pharmacy... I mean RIGHT next door. Paint supplies and chemicals just a piece of particle board (or some such flimsy wood-like substance) away from baby formula and suppositories. One trip to the paint store and a whole new perspective has been given to the complaints we Americans usually register when grousing our way through our mega-stores...
You know that email you have received a half-dozen times with the pictures of the tangled mess of wires and the caption that this is the wiring in India and it is India that we in the US call for customer service... let me testify that the pictures don't capture half the wiring stories in Chennai. There are more wires and tangled masses hanging out of buildings... off of poles... and in trees than can be imagined--yet somehow (the grace of God?) the lights come on when you flip the switch. More importantly, the a/c in the hotel room comes on! So much for leaving humidity behind when I left my childhood home in Houston behind, but I digress... Walking down the street earlier today, I got to wondering if the City Engineers Office had the schematics for the region's power grid... talk about untangling the tangled webs we weave!
I am Pastor Steve Barckholtz from St. Mark Lutheran Church, in Elko, Nevada. I've been asked to blog about some of the more humorous... intriguing.. observations from this trip. As anyone from Elko can attest, the perspectives I offer are... well... you'll see as the days go by...
Thirty years ago, my Dad worked for the family business. He did heating and air conditioning work in the heat of Barstow, California. He may not have hated it, but he certainly didn't love it. Part of his responsibilities included climbing through attics and on rooftops, cutting holes in roofs and patching and sealing those holes. He has, of course, since moved on to other work (more than once).
Fast forward to this year, when he heard the Call and began to lead this team to India. We had no idea what tasks awaited us here. We just knew that there was work to be done, and they needed us to do it.
On Wednesday at our first meeting, when the employees of the Media Centre told they were having trouble with leaks, there was one person on our team who was uniquely qualified to help fix it. Yesterday Dad climbed up on the roof and diagnosed the problem, and we're currently working with the Indian people on a solution (Due to resources, manpower, and climate, we're learning that the Indian solution is often very different than the American solution. We know that "When in Rome..." and so on, but it's still a learning experience.)
Am I proud of my Dad? You bet. But the real point behind this story is that when we put our faith in the Lord, we will see that He puts us where we are for specific reasons to do His work. We may know right away what He is using us for. We may know later. We may never know. But we, the 15 Americans working at the Christian Media Centre in Chennai, are all here for a reason, and that reason is much bigger than any of us.
Sue Jetter has been extensively documenting and journaling our experiences in India. The following is her report on the last two days. -Josh
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Our work on the Christian Media Centre has begun. The team has now adjusted to the time difference (where did Tuesday go?) and have all settled into our rooms at the Raj Park Hotel. After a good nights’ sleep and a breakfast buffet consisting of both western and Indian foods, we walked the ¾ mile to the worksite.
Traffic is intense here. The city of Chennai is home to about 10 Million people. Small cars, numerous yellow and black taxis that resemble golf carts, hundreds of motorcycles – many carrying two or more people – and scores of bicycles and open-air busses packed with people share the roadways. Honking is commonplace as it seems to take the place of turn signals, yielding and just about any other driving courtesy or warning. Most sidewalks are old, impassable or non-existent, forcing us to walk in the streets facing traffic. We see very few traffic lights and notice that red lights apparently do not mean “stop” as they do in America. Traffic travels on the left side of the road, British style. One of the workers tells me that motorcyclists and bicyclists do not follow the rules and watch out only for themselves. I tell her I am amazed that we haven’t seen any accidents. She says they happen frequently in Chennai and the numbers are increasing.
We started our first workday by joining ten of the Media Centre staff in devotions. These are held daily in a small chapel. We take our shoes off before entering and sit on the floor, women on one side of the room and men on the other. We begin with a hymn sung in English “To Jesus I Surrender”. We are accompanied by a small pump organ played by an Indian Seminary student who plays the melody and chords by memory with one hand, while the other hand moves the accordion-like back to produce and project the sound.
One of the women reads from the 2nd Chapter of Peter in their native Tamil language, after which another female staffer reads the devotion from the day out of a daily devotion booklet produced by the Centre and distributed to 2,000 households. The devotional is also available in the Tamil language on the internet. Next the staff members join together in singing a hymn in their Tamil language. Pastor David then speaks to us briefly in English, sharing that today’ devotional reading talks about the freedom that we have as individuals. He states that we are also children of God and must use our freedom in harmony with our role as God’s children. Worship ends in prayers for the ministry and the people of India and the work that we are about to begin at the Centre. Prayers end with the Lord’s Prayer being recited in both languages simultaneously.
DAY OF ARRIVAL
After arriving at our hotel and a couple hours of sleep for some, Pastor David met us with three vehicles to take us to lunch and to the Media Centre. We went to a vegetarian Indian restaurant where David ordered our meal for us. The meal began with tomato soup with croutons. It was spiced differently than our tomato soup and all agreed that it was very good. The main course was served on a silver tray with about a dozen small bowls, each holding a different flavor, a bowl of white rice and three types of naan or bread. Waiters were happy to assist us, showing us how to mix the separate items with white rice and scoop the various entrees with our bread. The meal continued with a bowl of kheer (pronounced Kerr) which we mixed with sugar, a small banana and a scoop of Indian Ice cream which comes in a rainbow of great flavors. I believe that mine was cantaloupe.
The final touch was a “do-it-yourself dinner mint”. The waiters brought three small bowls to the table – one held a type of anise seed, a second held a rose-colored and fragrant seed-like substance and the third held large sugar crystals. We were instructed to take a pinch of each and eat them together. The flavors filled the mouth and created a pleasant combination, much like a breath mint. Some of our group decided it was “potpourri for the mouth”. We notice this same combination near the doorway of our hotel restaurant as well.
Following lunch we loaded back into the vehicles and were driven to the Media Centre to meet the staff and see our worksite. The Christian Media Centre (CMC) is much larger than many of the team expected it to be. It consists of two buildings. The first is a two-story building that houses the Chapel, Sanctuary, restrooms and numerous offices and storage spaces.
Our first task at the center is to deliver 90 Youth Bibles which were donated by the LCMS Mission office and carried from the U.S. in Team Members’ luggage. Staff were grateful and appreciative of this donation. It is clear that they will be put to good use. Next the Team and all available staff members gathered in the Sanctuary. Pastor David gave us a warm welcome and each Team Member introduced themselves. This was educational not only for the CMC staff, but for many on the team who did not previously know each other. Staff members were then introduced. As part of our welcoming ceremony, staff members presented each Team Member with a beautiful handmade lei made of wonderfully fragrant sandalwood beads and ribbons. Pastor Dan Rowe recognized and reacquainted himself with staff members he knew from previous years’ mission trips. Team member Rebekah was happy to meet staff member Sheila (also known as “The Coffeemaker”) , who had stayed with one of her best friends from Concordia University in Seward, NE. What an amazing Team that God has brought together for this task!
After the welcoming ceremony, we were shown the second CMC building where our work would take place. This facility contains at least six rooms arranged in a honeycomb fashion, each with a specific purpose: TV Studio, Rehearsal Studio, Sound Control Room, Editing Room, etc. The smell of mildew is strong and it is obvious that no renovation has occurred in the 42 years since its construction. Floor tiles are missing, water stains on the ceiling and walls are evidence of leaks in the roof, wall board is rippled and several rooms are in need of new paint. During our tour, staff members and team leaders with construction experience are evaluating our task, prioritizing jobs and deciding what can realistically be accomplished in our time here.
After some much-needed downtime, the team gathered in the lobby for a quick meeting.
After that, Reverend David took us out to an authentic Indian style lunch. It was a delicious experience.
Later, at the Christian Media Centre, Reverend David spoke of us as the answer to their prayers.
We were honored with the traditional Indian sandalwood necklaces.The team spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with our new friends, examining the work site, and making plans for the work ahead.
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