One last blg from India

As I write this Von, Mic, Tim, and Sim are probably on their way home from work. Ev is probably already home and Chris might be sleeping. All returning to their own beds and regular lives. Please pray for them as they think through all we learnt on the CHAI trip. And when you see them please ask them about their experiences. Im sure they would all love to be able to share all the ways we have seen God at work!


I am having a lovely time with friends. Their town is smallish and a bit more peaceful. The last 2 days we've been able to travel into the rural areas which I think are really beautiful. It is such a contrast. Its green and leafy, the houses are made of mud and some tin and everything is so clean. There are very few believers in this area. The main people group are R people. In this district alone there are 2million R people and 63 believers. Please pray for God's work here.

On Wednesday I will leave to do some more traveling and visiting. I will be looking at some potently long term work option so please pray for wisdom as I think through all that. Also pray for safety as I travel.




We hope you've enjoyed reading about our adventures. We have really appreciated your prayers for us.


So thanks again for all your support!

See you in Sydney in 2 weeks.

Kate

I'm blogging when I could be shopping

Hello kids.

Kate, Von and Mic are already on their way to Dubai, leaving Sim, Ev and I in Delhi. This is a way cooler part of Delhi - the shopping is amazing and right outside our guesthouse. I shall make the most of it before we leave for Hong Kong in a few hours. But before I go, I thought I'd blog one last time about whatever happens to pop into my head.

Ok perhaps dot points.

Jai was awesome.
We rode elephants but being held hostage for a 50 rupee tip was not awesome.
We've hung out with a lot of Americans. I may come home and say y'all and refer to a shopping centre as the mall. Do not hold this against me.
We saw really cool forts and palaces and went shopping in the pink city.
We were extremely touristy (not our fault) and went to a wannabe amusement park called Chokhi Danhis where there was a manually operated ferris wheel. As in two guys were pushing it and one guy was inside the mechanism, pushing it round with his legs...
We had midnight Baskin and Robbins
Finer details of Jai are evading me I'm sorry I need more coffee.
We spent less than 24 hours in Agra and the prospect of seeing Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal didnt seem to excite us all that much.
Both monuments were incredible but for me personally this was my reaction: cool. let's take some photos. the end.
Our train to Delhi was three hours late. But when it arrived it was unexpectedly luxurious. We got food. And comfy seats. This was very nice because I will post about how much I can't stand the Indian train system.
The guy behind me speaking Hindi sounds really unimpressed.
And that signals the end of my brain power so I shall post the following from my Facebook blog which almost everyone but Peter has access to because he refuses to 'conform' but really, he probably just couldn't navigate it. Kidding.

From my Facebook blog:

I will be home in 2 days and I love India, yes I do, but before I leave, my last blog will be entirely dedicated to my contempt for the Indian train system. This is for the following reasons:

a) So much as travelling to the train station causes pain. To get to Var station we were packed into a van, two people had to sit on others laps and our luggage was piled on top of us. I thought I would die right there.
b) Our trains were scheduled at ridiculous times. i.e. 4.55am, 12am...
c) Trains often do not arrive on time. At Luck station our train was an hour and fifteen minutes late. It is in the middle of winter in India. We were stranded on a platform. My friends got into their sleeping bags. I sat on my backpack and managed 2 minutes of actual sleep with my head buried in my lap. You better believe I can sleep anywhere, anytime. Fortunately, our train last night that was 3 hours late, was at a station that provided an indoor restaurant. I was exhausted and slept at a table. Or tried to.
d) Train stations are synonymous with carrying a ridiculous amount of weight on one's back. It makes me incredibly grumpy to be in a strange and overwhelming place AND have 20 kilos on my back.
e) We must navigate the train station and strain our ears for the English commentary. We must determine platform, then carriage, then seats. Early in our trip we could be found running the length of a train to find our carriage and asking directions from people who for the most part were not very helpful. And Indian trains are LONG. Think CityRail times 3. Perhaps 4. Running along these with 20 kilos on your back is the worst ever.
f) Trains stations are your first impression of a place. Every single time, I have been given the wrong impression of a place. I come out of a train station and think oh help me this is the worst place ever. It is just overwhelming and intense, filled with people, dirty and dusty.
g) People won't leave you alone. As soon as you get off that train its "porter?" "rickshaw madam?" "i'll take you to my uncles guesthouse..." "NO!"
h) People literally start congregating around and staring at us as a group as we come out of a train station. Mic: "So... you got tickets to the show?"
i) Beggars. The whole experience is heart-wrenching enough but in this environment its just an added stress.
j) Train toilets. Enough said.
k) I admit this is somewhat comical but sometimes its annoying: The tone of a mans voice as he walks through the train selling chai. The tone reminds me of how a frog might 'ribbet'. "Chai" 'Ribbet" "Chai" "Ribbet". Ask me and I shall imitate for you. I have been doing it since our first train ride.
l) Wearing a skirt on a train and having to sleep on the top bunk of a sleeper. I only made that mistake once.
m) Second class. Complete with drum players and beggars. One particularly sad team of beggars was a little boy and girl who were performing a sort of acrobatics routine. The boys face had a painted smile. I wondered if he ever really did have cause to smile.

I have been compiling this list in my head for quite some time. The train ride itself can be enjoyable, but in and out is hell on earth.

Hmmm. I'll miss India.

Peace out!

Christine

Thanks for your patience!

It's been some crazy days since leaving Var as we pack four cities into 10 days. Below are some of my highlights in each as we met great people and know this can only be a snapshot because each team member will have their own take on it...

Luck

A & S were able to share with us their work with putting together stories ('One Story') that aims share the bible through stories. Stories are passed orally between people and is culturally more effectively than our academic literary approach. A team member saw this first hand when visiting the home of a non-believer and noted how the mum spoke through sharing stories.

Jai

An amazing team working to reach those in power in society in order to effect change down the system and therefore bring about social justice for the oppressed as God's love transforms and inspires local believers. They are recruiting to start this work in another state.

A highlight of my time here was going on my first 'YARP" (read backwards...) walk. Definitely something I can do back home walking between places - it's about walking through a neighbourhood and as inspired and led by the Spirit, to yarp over and for the place and people in it.

Sharing Sunday 'worship' time was also great - to be able to gather with God's people from across halfway round the world in a foreign land is pretty special. Also, the way the Jai team are so enthusiastic for King J to shine in the city...!

Luv v

Elephants and Palaces

This is Mic.

Quick blog before dinner. Today we had a really great time sightseeing and 'yarp-ing' :) The team had a fun time riding Elephants up towards a great palace on top of a mountain that overlooks Jai. We visited a fort on top of the mountain as well where we did some 'yarp-ing'.

Another day, another city

Our train was 6 hours late into the city of Jai*pur but that is no so bad as we eventually were able to get on last night (this morning?) at 1:50am - it was running an hour and a half late at that point... it was so cold I took out my sleeping bag and sat in it on the platform as cows meandered past, rats scurried across the tracks, men and women stared at me/us and the team either read or tried to nap.

Lucknow was much The City after our hometown stint in Var. I suffered reverse culture shock in a ridiculous way as we spent time in shopping centres with food courts which was just so different (but should've been 'normal') to the past couple of weeks.

Our friend here in Jai, J, has an itinerary planned for us which sounds like it includes a ride on an elephant up to a ruined palace...?!?! I'm very much looking forward to it.

Thanks for all your prayers - health-wise, the team is much better but there were some rough patches for a few team members in the past week. Please continue to pray for good health, and as we learn about the work God is doing here, for his love for his people here - there is also a prayer walk (walking around a place and praying over it... not sure quite how it works) planned tomorrow.

Dinner calls.

Luv von

Two Big Smiles

Here is a description of two big smiles seen in the last couple of days:

Dog Gone
Our German friend, U, who’s house we used for the Christmas feast, has been living in constant fear for the last few years of a black dog. This rabid dog has a dislike for foreigners and caused much distress to her in her goings in and out of her house. Even Mick and Evan were heard to have clung to each other as they tried to sneak past the rascist canine.
Evan, the great caretaker of things, decided to speak to his guest-house owner about the dog. He explained that this dog was going to cost his business by scaring off its money-laden tourists – good point Ev. A couple of days later he was informed by the owner that 450 rupees later, the dog had been taken care of.
When U was informed of this, a beaming smile formed on her face that I’m sure stayed for the next 30 minutes.
May your rides home ever be bad-dog-free U. Sorry we couldn’t deliver its head to you on a platter.

McHappy Mick
Our first trip out in Luck after dropping off our bags at A & S’s was to the Sahara Gunj Mall – a new modern western-style shopping mall celebrating its third year anniversary.
When Mick entered its holy gates and found himself surrounded by McDonalds, KFC and Dominos Pizza, a grin that stretched from ear to ear appeared that only vanished when the last french fry disappeared.
Tonight we are getting McDonalds home delivered as a little New Years Eve treat – hip hip hooray!

Sim

What Christmas in this city really looks like and other things.

Looks like its Christine, Queen of Details to the rescue. The previous posts have done no justice in describing our past week in this crazy city, although admittedly, 10,000 words probably still couldn't paint an adequate picture. When we first came out of the train station almost 12 days ago my first thought was: O, help me God. Now, I am not ready to leave. Even if this place did take some getting used to.

Let me try and explain this to you.

Start with a dusty, uneven road. Every now and then along this road are giant holes where pipes are being dug up. On the sides of these roads are small market stalls perhaps selling vegetables and hot food, or there are simple store fronts. The air is smokey and dusty. People are lining the streets, milling around the stalls. The narrow road starts to feel claustrophobic as rickshaw wallahs impatiently ring their bells and autos beep their horns at you. A motorcycle narrowly misses you as it whips past. A range rover, completely out of place, joins the mix, and all cringe out of the way, but even the range rover must stop while a cow slowly moves out of the way of traffic. While keeping your eye on the traffic and ignoring the pleas of beggars, you're also trying not to step in the many piles of animal waste that litter the road. While avoiding stepping in poop, you narrowly miss stepping on the tail of one of the many dogs that line the streets, all curled up. As if all of this wasn't enough, everyone is staring at you like you're an alien, and the colour of your skin, or the style of your dress, screams that you don't belong.

And yet all 7 of us can now navigate these roads confidently, ignoring stares and jeers and hollering transport and haggling over prices like nobody's business. Kate and Von many a time simply left their rickshaw fare on the bicycle seat and later learnt they were actually ripping people off...

Transportation in India is something else. There are no road rules. This is the order of things: pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, rickshaw (cart connected to a man on a bike), auto (carriage built aound a motorcycle), car, bus, truck, cow. You'd better believe that traffic will stop for a cow. You'd better believe that cows are everywhere. I have an insane photo of a chaotic roundabout in which a cow is the centre of it all. These scenes are now normal to us. Suicidal auto drivers however, I am still struggling to get used to.

Interesting transport experiences aside, the people we have met is what has made this city bearable. Well, that, and fantastic little cafe's that have good food, free wireless and sell beautiful fair trade goods. God is at work in this, the most darkly spiritual city in all of India, and it has been an amazing privilege to see. The opportunity to actually participate in work with travellers has been by far the most rewarding part of this trip - we can safely say that the CHAI team has made itself useful and this really has been perfect for a short term visit. Christmas was the crux of our time here - it took days of preparation, buying food for 80 people is no small task in India. Christmas Eve was spent peeling, grating, chopping and cooking and Christmas morning was spent doing quite a bit more of the same. I admit -the 'Christmassy' feeling wasn't there. It felt like any other day, but we were all excited about how the feast would go and were praying earnestly for success - this was one of the main events for B & L for the whole year.

It was an amazing day and thankfully, all went smoothly. We started by singing together and I loved that even though many there weren't Christian, all these voices were being lifted to God. B's talk faithfully presented the gospel and after the formalities, we got into our feast!

And now we get to the interesting part. The conversations. This is what it was all about. But chatting to New Agers about Jesus in India is no small feat. I spent quite a bit of time trying to talk some sense into a group of people who were convinced that they had more than five senses and Jesus lived in India. The resounding idea was: all roads lead to God. Unless this God condemns you to hell for not believing in him, in which case, that's wrong and your path is wrong. Which therefore totally invalidates the argument for pluralism but I couldn't expect my audience to follow that kind of logic. I was told that I reminded this group of some of their other Christian friends who have the same 'problem' - not looking outside the box. But according to them - all roads lead to God and once you find the truth you're looking for you'll just know it. Well I can say safely I've found the truth and this way works for me but if theyre saying I need to get out of the box - well then theyre saying Christianity is wrong and the pluralistic argument falls apart again. I never knew how much I appreciated a good, logical argument until I came to India. Don't get me wrong, I love talking to all these travellers and hearing all their crazy ideas. They're so fantastically easy to smash to pieces. Which is really only satisfying if the one being shot down listens and understands the refutation but New Age spirituality is so convenient in being able to just pull from any religion to overcome the obstacles put in place by common sense. No matter, I've found that I could spend hours trying to convince a single person that the 'absolute truth' is so simple and so beautiful and it's staring them in the face.

This trip has been very interesting in that we're experiencing New Age hippy culture amongst traditional Hindu Indian culture. Its pretty trippy but we've all taken it in our stride. I think. We've gone to celebrations for the winter solstice, been roped into three hours of Shiva worship on the scitar, seen burning bodies on the ghats of the Ganga. Every moment here feels surreal.

Sickness however, feels very real. Continued prayer for the health of others would be very much appreciated, particularly as the next week will pass in a blur of train trips and perhaps a shared bathroom between 7. I'm trying to push it out of my mind at present.

Please, please, please continue to pray for B & L. They have not been feeling 100% since we got here and they have soldiered on and are now exhausted. They are truly amazing, godly people who are doing fantastic work here. It's hard to understand until you're in the thick of the city and have had several unfruitful discussions but this is their everyday reality - and they wouldn't want it any other way. Please continue to pray!

In only 12 days, I'm going to be so bold as to say I think we've made our mark on this city. With the travellers, with our hosts, on the traveller hangouts, at our places of voluntary work, through the relationships we've made. Everybody in India is interesting, they have a story to tell, or they're looking for something and life is more than just 9-5. I will be so sad to leave and get nothing but superficial email updates about how the Christians here are holding up, or how the 'spiritual quests' of the travellers are going. It's a busy, crazy city, but there is a tight-knit community here that I will really miss. There is so much still that I want to see, more people that I need to question, more to understand about myself and about God.

I don't care how corny it sounds, when I get on the train tomorrow at 4.55am, a part of me will forever remain here.

Merry Christmas!

Some highlights from the day:

Ev: I think definitely the amount of non followers to ratio of followers was one of the real exciting things for me which provided opportunities for fruitful discussion about Jesus.

Von: Being able to celebrate the birth of Jesus in a very different way (praise God for his creativity in making his nations unique!) - we sat outside under shade, in a circle on cushions and mats, with an Indian floral/candle decoration in the middle spelling out 'Jesus', sang a mixture of carols and bajans (?? traditional Indian-style songs composed by Christians), prayed, heard a talk... and then feasted with people from all over the world!

Mic: Good conversations... good food... great company (so much more to say but we are in public and Von is scribing for Mic).

The Splendid Seven

Hi, this is L....
I'm writing to say Thank you for all your support and prayers for the CHAI team...and for letting them come. Thanks for the food and books that the money that some of you gave helped to buy.
Happy Christmas!!
We had an amazing Christmas day! Eighty people from about 20 different countries came and heard the good news and were fed and offered hospitality and love. Travelers who were far away from home and thankful for this kindness.
And all of this was enabled by these 7 capable, kind, helpful, mature, beautiful people that make up CHAI 2008! I can't tell you the amount of times that I've heard the words "How can I help you L....?". My heart is so full of thanks to God for His grace that we as a family (and beyond....church family, travellers etc) have experienced through the hands of these amazing brothers and sisters.
There's so much more I could say...but I think it's time for bed.
Tomorrow we will go to a nice restaurant and have a bit of our own Christmas celebrations- which will be a well earned rest for all of us.
God bless you...

As I write this the rest of the team are chopping veggies (and entertaining T). The shopping is done. We have baked 1000's of cookies and cakes. We have handed out so so many invites. And B is in the local Japanese (yes Japanese, random hey?) cafe preparing to share Jesus with the travelers of Var. We are getting ready for our Vegetarian feast tomorrow!

Please pray for B as he prepares and gives the message (he is still unwell which makes things harder).

Please pray that heaps would come. We are catering for 80 but really have no idea. Its all in God's hands! Pray that we would have just the right amount of food.

Pray that many who are generally searching would come.

Pray for grace and wisdom in our conversations following the talk.

Pray for those who have heard the gospel many times through L&B. Pray that tomorrow they would give their lives to Christ. Particularly for GB and A. Also for those who the Chai team have been chatting to. Particularly C, R & T.

Pray that those who want to case trouble would stay away.

Pray that God would be glorified as we celebrate Jesus coming into the world!

We are really excited about the opportunity it is to be part of this. Such a privilege to be able to spend Christmas sharing Jesus with those who are seeking peace, love, fulfillment, light, truth.


Merry Christmas from us all!

And we thank you so much for your prayers.


Kate

Noise

This place is so noisy! Of course there are the horns and cows and people yelling and wedding music etc etc etc... But I'm really getting sad every time I hear the bells (and its very often). Apparently when people approach a god in a temple they ring bells to wake him up! It's so sad that there are so many people desperately trying to wake up some piece of wood or plaster or stone while the Living God loves to hear from us!
As well as being sad and annoying it has been an amazing reminder of the privilege of prayer.

Let us then approach the throne of God with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb 4:16
Kate

Interesting expeirences in and around Var

It is now our sixth day in Var and our eighth overall in India with many new, challenging and wonderful experiences already happening. We are all glad to have settled in to our guest houses and start to settle in to the one place.

Since our last blog, we have had many new and wonderful relationships with some travelers and locals alike. The daily routine of Var has a more familiar feel, now it is second nature to haggle for the price of local transport, whether it be auto rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. We are also getting much better at avoiding the local cows and buffalos!

But more importantly we have had several opportunities to speak about King J to travelers and foreigners. We had an interesting discussion over Sunday lunch with a couple who came for the first time. We have seen interesting takes on New Age philosophy/religions, well different forms of it anyhow. Reading the gospel each day and having team devotions encourages us to press into King J and bring clarity in a culture that it is not seeing the light that is King J.

Today has seen us reflect on our experiences during the previous day and seeing our faith in deeds of volunteer work for all of us.

Please continue to pray for opportunities to share King J with others and for health for B,L & T as well for some of the team who are feeling tired and some signs of illness and for the city of Var as a whole to be guided towards King J.

We humbly thank you all for your continued pray and support.

Ev.

Some highlights of our trip so far... sorry its in reverse chronological order.. so recent ones are first...















Kate: hmm... yummy!! :)
















Sim: hmm.. yummy !!! :)
















hmmm.. butter chicken !!!














At the lotus lounge enjoying the view of the Ganges
















On the side of the Ganges














The streets of Lanka in Var
















More streets of Lanka















Riding rickshaws in Var
















At Dehli train station waiting for train to Var
















Sight seeing at the Red Fort in Delhi
















In Hong Kong enjoying the city's special light show on the river side

Being local...

... almost! The sights, sounds, smells (!!) are becoming familiar and I think I can say on behalf of the team that we are all thoroughly enjoying our time here. (It certainly helps that we are all in good health, including everyone who has eaten food offered to us by friendly locals before we have had an opportunity to whip out the hand sanitisers!) The conversations with all the workers we've met so far have been encouraging and inspirational - their dedication, graciousness, hospitality and above all, love for Jesus, is at once humbling and also a challenge to each of us in rethinking our life priorities.

Var is supposed to be 'the holiest city in India' and as I'm sure the rest of India, is a place of great contrasts. We had breakfast in one of the funkiest cafes any of us had ever been in (the ones where you could sit in it all day and they are happy for you to do so)... then walk outside past cows, street vendors touting vegies, cycle rickshaws vying for our business and many many pictures and statues of idols tucked away or staring us in the face.

B & L are unwell so please pray for their health. They have a very full schedule leading up to the Christmas Vegetarian Feast on Christmas day. And please give praise and thanks to our Father for sustaining us thus far; for opportunities to speak to travellers and invite them to the Feast; for more workers for this great harvest in the city of Var and the nation of India.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Veronica

PS. Please continue to provide comments - we are moderating them so don't be concerned if they don't show up immediately.

Var*nasi

It's Thursday now and we are in Var! We arrived yesterday by train which took 15 hours!!! It was an interesting experience where we made friends with an Indian family who shared some of their dinner to us. Simeon, Kate, Von and Ev were brave enough to eat the food... we are all guessing that Simeon will be the first one to get sick .. since he eats everything put forward to him. As the train pulled up to Var station, we meet B on the train which was a surprise and a delight already helping us by carrying our bags and calmingly helping us off the train to our Guest Houses. Meeting with B & L & T put smile on our faces .. especially with L's home cooked Indian food. Yesterday we were also treated by a friend of B's at a resturaunt called the Hayat .. where we were treated as special guests with an amazing buffet of Indian food and desert. Today we had some cultural and language learning.

Michael

We are in India!

Delhi airport was weirdly quiet (perhaps not suprising if the recent DFAT reports are right). We had a drama free taxi ride to the hostel and an adventure to find dinner and clothes. People have been saying that Delhi has been really cleaned up in preperation for the Commonwealth Games. But as we walked home tonight after dinner we still needed to step over many people sleeping on the footpaths and try not to breath as unpleasent smells drifted our way... I think Delhi still has some cleaning to be done:-)

I have been here once before (in 2000) and I am struck again by the absence of the gospel. I haven't seen a church since we arrived!

Kate

Honky Town

Mic, Tim and Chris arrived safely to Hong Kong on Friday and had a quick but intense introduction to Hong Kong night life. Summarised as follows: people, neon lights, people, repetition of the same shops selling the same things, more people...

Tomorrow Kate, Sim and Ev will arrive and then it's only one more sleep before we step onto Indian soil!

Chris: "Why would you build a sky scraper on a hillside???"
Mic: "I'll never look at pigeon the same ever again... the other white meat. "
Tim: "Anyone want to go visit Victoria Peak?"
Von: "It's funny to watch the reactions of the team to all things Honky."

One week to go...

Last night we had our final prep meeting. Veronica leaves tomorrow. Tim, Mic and Christine leave on Friday. Sim, Ev and I leave Sunday. We cant believe its so soon! We are both excited and a little apprahensive (well I guess I only speak for myself there).
I was chatting to L & B on Skyp yesterday. They are both excitied and also tired. Please pray for them as they prepare for our visit and the Christmas outreach. Please pray that God would use us all to his glory!
Kate

Comissioning Service

This Sunday the commissioning service is being held for the CHAI team as they prepare to leave for India.

Pray for all those last minute "bits-and-pieces" which still have to be done. The aim is for this blog to be updated on a near-daily while the team is away.

Cheers

Namasté!

Hello and welcome to our blog!

This coming Saturday, 8 November 2008 is the date of our supporter's dinner. We'd love to see you then, over a meal of yummy Indian food.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on this space as we share with you our happenings.

the CHAI team >.<