Wednesday, January 29, 2014

"Culture Day" Designs For Hope Eluru India Trip Day 6



Today was supposed to be an easy day-our "culture" day.  However when we got to the Bishop's House we discovered that we were going to get. Participate in the auspicious occasion of the door hanging on the new church construction  apparently the door hanging ceremony is a very special occasion in India. 



We were honored to be able to participate.  The yellow paste that Rosi is putting on the door is basically a tamaric paste.  It is yellow to signify the holiness of God.

Afterwards we journeyed to the Village of Manuguluru and visited the church's school there.  



Like before, the children sang us songs and we shared the gospel with them using the color wheel.  Unlike before, I behaved and did not get them in trouble... But when it came to the color white. -  as in white as snow - I did show them a picture of the snow you guys are having at home...they got a kick out of it (which reminds me...we are praying for all of you  - especially the ones who got stranded).

From here we made our way to Kolleru Lake where we toured the largest lake in India, which also serves as a Siberian Pelican refuge.  



I don't think I have ever seen so many pelicans in my life.    During the boat tour some Indian Catla fish began jumping. These were large fish about 18-24 inches in size and 5-8 pounds In weight. One tried jumping into the boat and splashed against side of the boat - also splashing Matt. I've never seen Matt move so quickly. 

We then proceeded to Machilipadnam - which means "fish town" because it is on the Bay of Bengal.  We had lunch there (chicken fried rice - again) and then went on to see the Bay of Bengal. 


Yes, that is me standing in the Bay of Bengal.  You can't go all the way around the world and see a whole new ocean and NOT get I it...come on Matt and Josh, get with the program!  They "touched" the water but would not get in,  by the way, that is indeed black sand.

We had not been there more than five minutes when people began coming up asking to take their picture with us.  Apparently we are celebrities in India - or maybe it was just our white skin.  Either way, we tried our best to convince Bishop John to start charging for the pictures. 

The Bay of Bengal is about 100km away from Eluru which means a 2 hour drive on a good day - except I am pretty sure we got lost on the way back because Venkat had to repeatedly stop and ask for directions. Then, as if that were not enough, we pulled into one town only to be stopped by a labor union demonstration. They stopped all traffic by lining up motorcycles and began burning tires in the street.  



It was a good old fashion protest like you see on CNN (but a bit smaller) and we had front row seats.  Small as it was, it was the first time I really felt as if we were in any kind of danger.  Fortunately the protest only lasted about one half hour and then after maneuvering through the traffic nightmare, we were on our way.

Tonight we eat at the Bishops House...

...tomorrow we start the long journey home. 

We are so ready. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Adventures In Eating! Design For Hope Eluru Trip Day 5



As the picture suggests, today was the Pastor's Seminar.  Josh and I spent all day leading sessions teaching the importance of disciple-making, spiritual disciplines, biblical doctrine, and biblical interpretation.  Josh did an outstanding job.  I hope my part was good as well.  At least we received charitable feedback after it was over.  But it was poor Matt that got the raw end of the stick today.  Originally, we were going to be installing bicycle kits contemporaneously with the Pastor's Seminar so that Matt would be working while we were teaching.  But we installed the bicycle generators yesterday, so Matt really had nothing to do today.  No big deal, right?  Wrong, because Bishop John insisted that he sit up in front of the class along with Josh and me - all day... Over 6 hours just sitting there...doing nothing but staring back at 50 pastors...Bless his heart.  Anything for the cause!

There's really not much more I can say about today, so I thought I might take the opportunity to answer the question everyone - both here and at home - seems to want to know: How is the food?

I mentioned in the day 2 blog that we had Dosa for our first breakfast here... You can see below (Tuesday) a picture of what that looks like.

We actually didn't eat lunch on Saturday, but for dinner we had chicken wings as an appetizer.  Josh and I had Chicken Kabob Biryani while Matt had chicken fried rice.



First of all kabob doesn't mean what you think it means.  Basically chicken kabob means drumstick! Which is evident in the picture.  Second, chicken fried rice ain't what you get at the local Chinese restaurant, although it's actually not too bad.  The biryani was extremely spicy - not hot, just overpowering spice - but it was edible.  But here is the kicker. THERE WAS SO MUCH FOOD.  When they took our order, they asked if we meant 1 plate of biryani or two and were surprised we wanted two.  It didn't take long to figure out why.  Rice is so filling anyway that it doesn't take much to fill you up and there was enough on each plate to feed all three of us.  Literally, all three of us could have eaten one plate and, since then, that is how we have ordered.  The problem though was what to do with all the extra food?  We tried to see if there was someone they could give the food to - perhaps a homeless person - but the language barrier became a problem.  At first they thought we didn't like the food and wanted to send it back - perhaps trade it for something else.  They were insistent that once we ordered we had to keep what we ordered.  Finally we got a manager who could somewhat understand what we were trying to say - at least we THINK she understood since she replied with "Thank you for your mercy."  The truth is, all week we have been a source of entertainment to the wait staff at the restaurant.  We keep imagining them saying "stupid Americans" every time we come in.  Honestly though it has been just as entertaining to us.

Sunday morning we went out to a school before church for the Republic Day flag raising ceremony and they served us breakfast there.  It was a Vada (see picture from Monday below). Vada basically looks like a cake doughnut (although it doesn't taste like a doughnut since it is made from green peas - and tastes like green peas too - yuck).

For lunch Sunday we had Hong Kong Chicken starter with mutton biryani.  All three of us shared one order.  Sorry, no pics, but just replace the drumsticks above with chunks of stewed lamb and you will get the idea.  The wait staff hovered over us the whole time - I think just waiting for us to screw up...which we did when it came time to pay.  Josh was counting his change and noticed that he had two different styles of 2Rupee coins.  It was interesting and we immediately began carefully examining and discussing them... Well apparently the wait staff thought we were questioning whether they had given us the correct change.  Again, the language barrier became a problem as we couldn't get them to understand that we were simply doting over the coin styles...by the way, the reason it was so interesting is that the coin had an imprint of a hand holding up two fingers - just in case you didn't know what a 2 looked like.

Sunday night proved to be somewhat of a relief to both us and to the wait staff because Bishop John and his wife Rosi came to eat with us.  Apparently he is a regular at the restaurant and well known by the wait staff.  He did all the ordering for us.  We could just imagine the wait staff saying "Thank Buda someone to order for those dumb Yankees."  Actually it turned out pretty well. Chicken wings, Chicken Kabobs, Dragon Chicken, and Chicken Fried Rice...and yes, Dragon Chicken lived up to its name (but it was very tasty).  Sorry, no pics.

Monday morning was the first time we actually ate at the hotel breakfast buffet.  We had Idli and Vada (again) but not by choice - that is what was on the buffet.  



Essentially Idli is a rice cake (the white patty in the picture) and unless you are willing to put one of the curry or ginger sauces on it, it has no taste whatsoever.  We have no idea what the noodly stuff is, but it wasn't too bad - not tasty mind you, but not bad either.  Since we were not adventurous enough to go for curry sauce at breakfast, we quickly scarfed down the tasteless food and then immediately went back to our rooms and had some granola and a cereal bar.

We skipped lunch again on Monday due to time constraints (except for eating some crackers and trail mix) but dinner turned out quite delightful.  We decided ahead of time to go through the menu before going to the restaurant and we determined to be a bit adventurous and try a curry.  Not knowing which one to try, we got on the internet and looked them all up.  In the end, we voted for superstition and picked the one that bore Josh's name - Chicken Rogan Josh.



When when we got to the restaurant, they immediately asked us - "Will Bishop be joining you tonight?"  Sorry to disappoint, but you have to deal with us stupid Americans by ourselves...but what you don't know is that we came prepared.  It was actually the best meal we had eaten yet.  We also ordered Chapati  bread and Garlic Naan (both are flat breads). Both were VERY good and helped tone down the curry.  Chapati bread in India is almost exactly the same as it is in Uganda, so that was a pleasant surprise for Matt and me.  The wait staff could see we were enjoying the food this time and so they kept coming over and putting more on our plate. I think they actually enjoyed watching us eat.  I actually had to say "no more" to at least four different waiters, who all apparently didn't believe that I was full.  I guess my size suggests I eat more than I do...

This morning, Josh opted out of the buffet completely, but Matt and I went up and tried again.  They had Idli again (no thanks-we pass) but they also had Dosa.  Since the Dosa we had before wasn't so bad, we went for it. 



It was good this time too. Of course it wasn't enough to fill us up, so we came back again to the room for a cereal bar (I'm so glad we packed those!). I think we both have decided that tomorrow we join Josh in skipping the buffet altogether!

Lunch was served at the Pastor's Seminar - homemade Biryani.



I think it looks more gross than it actually was. Please do not ask what kind of meat it was...we have no idea (just close your eyes and eat it).  Actually the homemade Biryani was better than the restaurant Biryani.  On the other hand, watching all the pastors eat this messy stuff with their fingers was just plain gross...

That brings us to tonight's dinner...  Apparently, last night's success raised our standing with the wait staff.  While they were very attentive after they associated us with Bishop John, they were actually competing tonight to have us at their table.  It didn't matter, I think they all came by at some point to check on us.  They all seem eager to make sure we enjoyed what we are eating.  Tonight's choice was a cashew chicken starter (think sausage ball except with chicken and nuts instead of sausage and cheese).  It was actually pretty good.  The entree (helped along by Chapati bread and Butter Naan) was Chicken Tikka Marsala.


For this one, think of an Italian dish with chicken and tomato sauce...except the tomato sauce is about a 10.5 on the spicy meter. Tum at Tum Tum...

Tomorrow night we will eat at the Bishop's house, so this was actually the last meal we will have in the hotel restaurant.  The wait staff seemed a bit disappointed when they found out we would not be back...but the female manager was able to get up the courage to ask us for an American $1 bill.  We of course obliged and then she asked us to sign it.  So now there is apparently a $1US bill running around the rural parts of India with the names Josh, Joel, and Matt scribbled on it!

We're famous ;)

Monday, January 27, 2014

It Was A Test - Designs For Hope Eluru Trip Day 4


Today started out with a bang - literally - at least for Matt.  We had been discussing the power situation and how most electronics will operate at both 110v and 220v.  That was when Matt noted that he wasn't sure whether his Ryobi battery charger was 110v only or 110-220v.  He though he would give it a test.  A flash of light and a puff of smoke later, his question was answered.  Now his Ryobi battery charger is just a pretty green paperweight.

Despite its rough - but comical - start, today proved to be a very productive and beneficial day.  In the morning, we installed 10 Designs For Hope bicycle generator kits on brand new Avon bicycles and 2 kits on older bicycles.  We then presented the bicycles and generator kits to the pastors, along with the water filtration systems we had assembled yesterday.



The pastors were very glad and appreciative.  In Bishop John's words, they were "Very Happy."  Apparently they knew about the bicycle generator kits but had not been told about the water filters.  At first I think it was a bit of a shock when they saw I would drink the water that came from a pretty filthy rain drainage pond nearby.  However, when they saw how pure and clean the water was after going through the filter, they became quite excited - and wanted to try it for themselves.

Afterwards, we interviewed the two pastors who had previously field tested our prototype generators. They told us how they had used the lights to hold night-time bible services in some of the remote villages.  Something they would not have otherwise been able to do.

After lunch, we went to visit one of ICM church's schools in the nearby village of Madepalli.  



While Bishop John inspected the teacher's records, I managed to get the kids in trouble - at least twice - by making faces and gestures at them when they were supposed to be sitting quietly.  Apparently I get a bad conduct grade (I think I have too much of my Daddy's blood in me).   They sang us some songs and then I told them the gospel story using the color wheel.

To end the day on a good note, we went back to the Bishop's House and the orphanage - after stopping by a local sports equipment shop and buying a couple of balls, two frisbee, a jump rope, and Cricket bats for the kids... Yes, apparently Cricket is the national pastime of India. If you've ever been around me in Kid's Church you will know that I am the jump rope champion.  You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but it is true.  I'm proud to say I still hold that title.  The kids were impressed. I've never played Cricket before...until today.



I still don't get it.  Maybe I should stick to jumping rope. Matt tried his hand at Cricket as well...


While Josh played frisbee with just about every kid there...all at the same time!



It really was a good day today.  Tomorrow, we hold the pastor's conference. 

Eluru Traffic report.  Cows are still running rampant in the streets and taxis are going every which way.  There are more people in the streets than you could think possible.  How they keep from getting killed I have no idea.  Then there was the guy on the motorcycle carrying the golden Mr. Universe trophy... Go figure. Today's traffic was probably the worst yet.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

In Season and Out - Designs For Hope Eluru India Day 3



Preach the word.  Be prepared in Season and out. 2 Timothy 4:2

After 39 hours of travel, our team had only one thing in mind - bed.  As we sat in Bishop John's office though, we (or rather I should say I) had a shocking revelation.  Just before we left Birmingham I had received word from Dr. Joshua Raj - the executive director of South Asia Mission - that he would not be able to make the trip with us due to a family emergency.  As an ordained minister in the Anglican Orthodox Church, Dr. Raj had been scheduled to bring the message today (Sunday) in Eluru.  As we sat in Bishop John's office (actually as we were preparing to leave to come back to the hotel to go to bed), Bishop John dropped the bomb... I would be bringing the message the next morning in church (cue a skipped heartbeat and a jawon the floor).  I sat in shock for a moment attempting to pick my jaw off the floor.  We all thought of course that he was joking - but as it turned out he was not.

Normally, it takes me about a week or perhaps two to put a good sermon together.  Even when I was preaching every week at the assisted living center in Clay, I was always preparing 3 or 4 weeks ahead.  Sure, I have one or two sermons that I keep in my back pocket that - with one or two day's notice I could pull together...but one night?  And being as tired as we were?  And to make it worse, I couldn't pull out one of those Psuedo-prepared messages - despite the fact that I had several of them saved on my iPad.  No...Bishop John wanted me to preach from the scripture established on the Anglican almanac.  I had to go to the hotel room exhausted and prepare a message from scratch from Matthew 4:12-23.



Oh yeah, I had to wear the orthodox vestments in order to preach.   

Be prepared in season and out.  Well I suppose if I had the Anglican Church almanac I might have been prepared better, but I suppose - given a passage like Matthew 4:12-23 - someone who claims to be a preacher can come up with something to preach on. I guess the best thing about God's word is that it really does preach itself if you let it.  No, it wasn't the best sermon or the longest sermon I had ever preached.  Given more time, I might have done something to really impress those guys, but then again it wasn't really about me. A simple, 15 minute sermon on Repentance and Following Jesus was just what God had in mind for the day (read the scripture and you'll get the just).

After church, we went just a few minutes out of town to Madepalla Village to see the new church they are trying to build there. Being the only white people for miles and miles and miles (we literally have not seen another Caucasian since we arrived in Hyderabad), we were treated as guests of honor. And of course, being the "reverend" of our group, Bishop John asked me to speak briefly there as well.  This time I was able to get away with a simple word of welcome and introduction.

The rest of the day was not as stressful.  We prepared the water filters and then I drank filtered water that came from some really gross looking rain drainage.



Afterwards we played with the kids at the orphanage a while before coming back to the hotel for dinner.

Post report:
In case you we wondering whether the rumors were true, oxen and buffalo really do roam the streets of India unimpaired.



They lay down in the middle of the street and people simply drive around them.  They wander down the street like one of the vehicles.  And sometimes they ram things.

We asked who took care of them or how they managed and Bishop John informed us that the cattle actually preferred to wander around free.  Apparently, some of them have started resorting to begging. Homeless cows begging for food. Unfortunately, he also says that sometimes they are misbehaved - even when the police are around.  Imagine that - the cattle do not listen to the police.  You would think they were people or something.

Angry Birds - Designs For Hope Eluru India Day 2


When you leave for a foreign land, you are acutely aware that you are going to a place that is...well...foreign.  The people are different.  The language is different. The food is different.  The culture is different.  That can be quite an imposing situation for your first time in a new country - regardless of how experienced you are in such things.

Our second day began in Mumbai and we were hit square in the face with new culture - specifically a culture in which bribes and extortion are normal practice rather than the exception.  Going through customs proved to be a sink-or-swim education in that practice as we were stopped for attempting to bring in "dutiful" items into the country undeclared.  We had letters declaring that our goods had no retail value and were being brought in as gifts and donations from a charitable organization to a charitable organization, but that mattered not to the customs agent.  A few conversations later, we found out that we could pay $400 in "taxes" to make our  problem go away.  Of course, there would be no receipt for such taxes you understand.  A short trip to the back room and the passing of the cash to one of the guards and we were on our way.  Somehow I doubt that cash ever made it into the state coffers. 

Mumbai proved to be the most confusing, inefficient, frustrating airports I believe I have ever been in.  Before we boarded our transfer to Hyderabad, we were searched and our bags x-rayed at least three times.  Our bags were ransacked twice. And we had to show our passport and boarding passes on at least six different occasions if not more.  But soon enough (or rather later enough) we finally made it to Hyderabad, met our new friend, Bishop John Nakka, and were on our way by van to Eluru.


                                              Bishop John S.D.R. Nakka 


John proved to be a difficult person to communicate with - not because of any character flaw or personality distinction.  In fact, he is a very likable man and I have quickly come to call him my friend.  However, his English accent is quite difficult for any of us to understand and our Southern drawl proved just as difficult for him to understand.  Conversations were labored from the beginning and even after a full day together we still struggle to communicate effectively.  Additionally, were were not in the van more than five minutes and he was fast asleep.  It turned out that the reason for his sleeping behavior was the fact that he is a diabetic and had been ill all week, but it sort of left us alone with one of John's regional pastors, Job, and with the driver, Ventak, who was not the most chatty individual - although apparently Ventak has a propensity to sing to himself under his breath (for the entire six hour trip).  Very quickly my level of uneasiness started to rise...how were we going to manage the week?  Were we going to be able to accomplish anything at all while we were her? That was when God taught me a lesson in a very familiar and unexpected way at our first in country meal - breakfast.

Our first adventure in eating was in a small town about an hour outside of Hyderabad called Suryaped.  It was a very rural, poor town that time seemed to have forgotten.  We had been served breakfast on the plane from Hyderabad to Mumbai, but Bishop John's diabetes required him to stop and eat - so for his sake we stopped to have second breakfast. We ate in the restaurant of the town's local hotel, which was barely a hotel at all and certainly not any place I would ever dare to stop and eat on my own, much less stay overnight - but as it turned out the food was edible after all. We had an onion Dosa, which was pretty good but way too spicy for breakfast.  

Sitting at breakfast, though, we began hearing a familiar sound.  It took us a moment before we realized what it was.  Looking around, we saw across the room a small child playing on a tablet - he was playing Angry Birds. I must admit that was perhaps the very last thing I expected being literally half way around the world from home in a place that was utterly unfamiliar.  It reminded me of the flight over from Amsterdam to Mumbai.  During that leg, there was a very westernized Indian family sitting right in front of us and their small son spent a greater part of the flight playing Angry Birds as well...and when the battery on his iPad died, he cried because he could not play anymore.

Angry Birds... It became a reminder to me - a reminder that I am using to keep myself centered for the rest of the trip... That is, we are not that different after all. Of course we are different in many many ways as I have already pointed out, but in the ways that it really matters we are not different at all. That little boy in Suryaped is just like every other little boy I know at home.  He likes to play.  Apparently he likes to play Angry Birds.  And of course John and Job and Ventak and everyone else I met this day and all the ones I will meet in the days to come are just like everyone else I know at home as well.  They have dreams.  They have fears.  They get sick. They laugh.  They cry.  And either they already know Jesus as savior...or they need Jesus as savior...just like everyone else I know at home.  

Who would think Angry Birds would be a spiritual reminder to me of our unity in Christ and as a human race?  I guess God did when he decided we should eat Dosa for breakfast in the small town of Suryaped in rural India.

Be Still - Designs For Hope Eluru India Trip Day 1

Somewhere Over the Atlantic...

If you have ever flown overseas, whether for business, for pleasure, or for a mission trip, then you know the flight itself is perhaps the most brutal part of the trip - especially if you are flying coach.  You spend countless hours crammed in like sardines with people of all types and ages and there is very little to occupy your time.  If you are lucky, then you can find a way to fall asleep and then awaken several hours later on the other side of the world.



Josh and Matt were lucky.  They say they didn't sleep, but I have pictures to the contrary.  I am not so lucky.  There may have been moments were it seems as if I were sleeping, but truthfully it was little more than a wink here or a "z" or two there.  It just seems if you have sleep apnea like I do, sleeping on a plane is not an option, so I am left watching as the little white icon of an airplane ticks across the flight tracker on the tiny screen on the back of the seat in front of me...Time to Destination 01:43....oh and that is only for this first leg of the journey to Amsterdam. After that, we have another 8-hour flight to Mumbai and then a 2-hour flight to Hyderabad, and finally a 6-8 hour van drive to Eluru.

Oh sure, I could watch one of the complimentary movies or play about a thousand rounds of Bejeweled, or even read one of the books I brought for just this occasion.  Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem right somehow.  All the lights on the plane are out and literally everyone else is asleep.  So for right now at least it is just me and the little white airplane...ticking across...Time to Destination 01:40...sigh...

One thing about his time, however, is that it serves as a very good time to be alone with God.  I wouldn't exactly call it the classic case of Silence and Solitude under the circumstances, but it does just about as well.  I have become a firm believer over the last year or so in the discipline of Silence and Solitude.  Most Christians do not realize its importance.  It is more than "quiet time" and more than "prayer time" - it is one on one time with God.  

On the drive over to Atlanta from Birmingham to catch the plane, Josh was telling me that his favorite verse in the Bible is Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God.  Actually, that is my wife Patty's favorite verse as well and we have a plaque of it on our bookshelf at home.  That verse probably describes Silence and Solitude better than anything else and represents this particular moment more than anything else I could think of myself - just being still in the darkness on the plane and being alone with God to know him better.

I do want to know God better and to feel his presence with me on a regular if not continual basis.  When you love someone, you want to be with them and spend time with them.  I realize that God is always with me but I want to feel his presence in a very real way.  Think about it this way. It's only been about 12 hours and already I miss my beloved wife.  That is how I want my relationship to be with God - only all the more so because my love for him should be all the more greater than my love for Patty.  Unfortunately, Christians (myself included) say that we love God above all else, but our actions do not always convey that reality. I have found that Silence and Solitude moves my reality closer to my claims.

The lights are up now and Josh is awake...



Time to Destination 01:35... Be still...

Post Note: the one good thing about not having internet access on the plane is that I can actually revise and update this blog before posting.  I am now on my way to Mumbai from Amsterdam and I am blessed to say that with the assistance of a little friend named Ben (a.k.a. Benadryl), I managed to get a couple of hours of fairly decent sleep.

Time to Destination 05:49...(***groan***) Maybe I can try for a few more hours of sleep in a few minutes, but now that I am awake, I think I will first fill out that dreaded customs form!