Reflecting

I am constantly reminded that I am not alone. I feel alone. I miss my family and friends back home, but I wouldn’t call it being homesick. I long to see everyone again, but I know that July is not that far away. Lately, I’ve been trying to find the balance between being present here in India and keeping in touch with people back home. In some ways, it’s been difficult to be present in India. At home, I was used to hanging out with people all the time. Be it one other person or a whole group, my friends were just a cell phone call away. Here it’s different. I have no cell phone. I have several friends, but it’s difficult to get together, especially during the week, when I work until almost dark, and it’s not safe to be roaming about very late (8 o’clock has become “very late” for me).
It probably seems strange to be feeling alone when there are so many people every time I go outside. I want to have a group of people to just hang out with here in Ranchi. I was thinking about how I was going to make that happen. And then it occurred to me – I can’t make that happen. Kinda depressing, eh? At first yes, but I realized that it’s really in God’s hands. Not mine. If I try to live in India by my own strength, I’m going to have a lot of difficulty. Relying on God has been so much better. He is with me all the time, even when I feel alone in the crowded streets of India.
I’ve also been trying to figure out what exactly I’m doing here. It’s like I’m waiting for God to tell me my next step. I prayed, “Okay, God, I’m here. I’m in India. This is where You told me to go. Now what?” And then I waited…and waited… I’m still waiting. I’ll never forget what Dan O. said at our small group Bible study just before I left. He said, “You’re gonna be sooo different a year from now.” I didn’t want to think about that. Can’t I just take this as a year “off” and return home to life as usual in July? I don’t want to change. I like me. But I know he’s right. And I will still be me – me will just be a little different (Hopefully good different…I still want to like me!) So instead of refusing to change, I made myself busy with random tasks throughout the day so I wouldn’t have to think about changing.
I could only keep myself busy for so long. I was forced to reflect on my year so far. After all, it’s been almost three months! Working at MCSFI has been great. As the accounts person, I’m doing what I enjoy, but I am also able to go along for different programs and project visits to see more of the social justice work that is being done in India. And I really appreciate the kind of work that MCSFI does. From water projects for agriculture in rural areas to health and awareness issues to disaster relief, it’s an organization working for the people of India. I’m very privileged to be a part of it.
I also get to play the Mennonite game quite a bit too, which I find hilarious! I made connections with Joanne (Keim) Benderoth, who grew up in Charm and calls Fredericksburg home when she and her husband, Carl, and son, Andy, are not in Varanasi, India. They have been coming to India for 13 years now, with YWAM, and they return home every 2 years to raise more funds. They have built and run a widows’ home, which also houses a school for the widows’ children and a bakery to give them a source of income.
I recently went along to help with two of MCSFI’s programs, the HIV/AIDS awareness and Peace & Justice. MCSFI has been conducting these programs at each of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ church conferences in India. This trip happened to be in Dhamtari, the town in which Janine lived during her year with SALT. I got to meet her host family, the Chatterjees, and she wasn’t kidding, they love to talk! They were very excited that I knew one of their SALTers.
At times, the needs of the people of India overwhelm me and I don’t know what good I can do. But even small things can make a difference. I hadn’t known much about situations in Southeast Asia, let alone the subcontinent of India. Even knowing more about the people here and talking with them has been a blessing. On our train ride home from Dhamtari, I made new friends. (Thank you, Mom, for giving me the gift of gab and teaching me the art of conversation!) A compartment in 3rd class AC on the train contains 8 berths. 2 along one side, and the other six begin as seats, but fold out into beds for passengers at night (triple-bunked). Anyway, I was traveling with Rev. Minj and Sonwani Uncle, and they were in my compartment. Sometimes people talk with the rest of the passengers, sometimes they don’t. Well, this time, everyone was talking. The two men sitting across from me were Akash and S. K. Singh. Akash’s mother was traveling with him, and an older couple (I never caught their names, so they are Aunty and Uncle to me now) filled up our 8 spots. Sometimes the conversation was in English, sometimes in Hindi, and when we boarded the train at 6:30, we didn’t stop talking until well after 10. Of course they all wanted to know why I decided to come to India, and we discussed many topics, including religion, nonviolence, brain tumors, corruption, Gandhi, the global economic meltdown, Obama, and problems with electricity in India. It was such an enjoyable train ride.
I don’t know if that train trip has changed me. I don’t know if any experience here has changed me. There have been no earth-shattering moments when I knew that my life would never be the same. Yet I have accepted the fact that Dan is right. I will be different. I just might not know how different until after this year is over.

Mumbai

Don't worry, I'm safe. Ranchi is nowhere near Mumbai. I'm sure most of you have heard about the attacks on two luxury hotels in Mumbai. But even though I'm not directly affected by the attack, it's effect has been felt all over India. Please pray for the people in Mumbai.

Engagement and Another Trip to Chandwa

Don't worry, Mom, it's not my engagement. :) It’s been a while since I’ve given an update. Mostly, I’ve been between home and the office and not much else. Hindi classes are going okay, I just need to practice more and study the vocabulary they give us. It’s so nice to have a class! But every once in a while, I am able to do something out of the ordinary. First, I got to go to an engagement party. Second, I got to visit Chandwa again. So, here’s more about each of those experiences.

A couple of weeks ago, Liz and I were invited to attend an engagement party for our neighbor’s daughter, Seema. It was fun, even though I could understand pretty much nothing that was said (it was all in Hindi, obviously). There were three parts to the service in the morning. First was the cultural ceremony, in which the bride-to-be and two of her friends stood across from the groom-to-be and two of his friends. They eventually came together and then Seema and her friends washed the feet of the guys.

Next came the ritual of the families bargaining about the price to be paid from the bride’s family to the groom. Three male relatives from each side were selected and they went back and forth with a list of things that were offered and requested, until an agreement was made. It was actually fairly light-hearted, as it’s meant to be nowadays. Sometimes this can get into some heated debates and fights. But this one stayed light and fun.

Then they introduced everyone on each side of the family. Since almost everyone there was family, everyone was introduced, and it took quite a while. Anyway, next was when the betrothed went around and greeted all of the guests, and received gifts. His side gave saris to her, and her side gave shirts to him (along with money passed very discretely while shaking hands).

Next was the Christian service. A priest came and gave a blessing and preached for a bit, and then there was an exchange of rings. It was interesting to see that the groom-to-be got an engagement ring too. I had to keep reminding myself that it was only the engagement. This wasn’t the actual wedding. That will be even grander with more ceremony and celebration.

By 2:45, it was time for lunch. There was so much food, and all of it was absolutely delicious.

Then on Monday, I went to Chandwa. Well, I went through Chandwa. Amy and Priti were going out to the village of Ulatu to give a presentation about clean water, so Liz and I joined them. MCSFI has been working in 4 of the surrounding villages on well-digging projects. People from Ulatu, Bamanhirwa, Chagrahi, and Chandabadhar came for the program. We got a chance to see the well that had been dug nearby in Ulatu.

I was excited about the chance to visit the villages. I had met some of the youth from there, and now I was given the chance to see where they live. I was especially excited to see how the farms look in India. Very different from farms at home. Dad, I thought you might be interested in some of the pictures I took too. On the drive home, I had mentioned how I wanted pictures of the fences they had up, so everyone in the car was watching for fences. It was hilarious! Mainly the major crop is rice, and right now the rice has already been picked. The monsoon season is over. One of the reasons for digging wells in the villages is so that they will have water throughout the dry seasons, winter and summer. If water is available for irrigation, there can been 3 crops grown on the same plot of land. Again, I thought of Dad. Imagine having not only one growing season a year, but three!

I did not get to see anyone I had met on my last trip to Chandwa, but I guess I didn’t really expect to. At least I got to see where some of them live!

I have explained more things with the picutres I have posted under More Pics.