Although travel has become increasingly accessible over the last few decades it is still taxing. Even more taxing still is traveling on a budget. This is where I find myself.
I flew out of Los Angeles at 7 am on monday morning. Said goodbye to the city that can rivals all others in both "green consciousness" and pollution and made my way to Atlanta. I spent only a few hours in Atlanta, the majority of which was trying to get access to my bag that had been checked through to Johannesburg. I had planned to carry the bag on, but at the last minute they made me check it. I had over $200 in it, and the keys to my apartment- both of which I was sure would be stolen in Johannesburg (they were). Long story short they would not let me get it. So I took off my belt, shoes, hoodie, ipod, removed my phone, change, opened my bag, removed my laptop and waited in line to go through security (again). I flew out of Atlanta Monday evening, arriving in Johannesburg over 15 flying hours later (not including time change). The entire flight I just wanted to be in India. I didnt want to read, or watch a movie, or sleep- I just wanted to be in India. Unfortunately for me, this didnt speed up the flight.
Half way through as I was staring off into space a woman in front of me passed out and fell down in the aisle. I looked around and everyone was asleep and the flight attendants were in the back. I didn't really think much, I just unbuckled, knocked my "personal t.v." to the side, nearly tripped over the blanket and dropped the books and ipod that were in my lap before reaching her (10 feet from me). As I got to her I realized "oh crap, I have no idea what to do," so i did the only thing I could remember from first aid/CPR class 5 years ago- ask her if she can hear me. She could and thankfully thats when someone intelligent came up and I could sink back to the haven of my media induced coma.
I arrived in Johannesburg and had a 6 hour layover. In line I met a guy my age named Omar. He was a malay guy who was getting his masters degree in Islamic Studies in Durban. Cool kid, very devout muslim, good talk. From there I flew to Doha Qatar where I endured a riveting 14 hour layover. At one point I fell asleep in a chair with my cheek pressed up against the abnormally high armrest. I woke up literally 8 hours later. I had actually some how cut the inside of my cheek with my teeth while I was asleep and had a huge sore inside (there is still an incision I strangely enough feel the need to stick my tongue in from time to time).
From there got on the most "culturally charged" flight of my journey. Doha to Hyderabad. This flight was quite chaotic as most of the people did not see the need to sit in their assigned seats. They figured we should function on a first come first serve basis. This lead to making the (tiny) aisle walk way a 2-way street. good times. I landed, and got home at 5 am today (thursday). It is now 11:37 am and I am ready for bed.
All that to say- I made it. I am back [finally]. If I was made of cash I would have flown direct from the states, but... im not.
peace,
r
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Live from Los Angeles
I am nearing the end of my time in the states. I am excited to get back, ready to hit the ground running and get back to "normal life."
I have spent the last 3 days in the car. My brother and I drove from Greenville SC, to Los Angeles. It took us a few days but we both had a great time. Was able to visit with friends at every stop. He is coming out here for college and my friend is getting married so I bummed a ride with him. Planning to spend a few days here, before traveling back.
It looks like I will be able to hit the ground running. We have conferences, and classes planned through december- cant wait!
I have spent the last 3 days in the car. My brother and I drove from Greenville SC, to Los Angeles. It took us a few days but we both had a great time. Was able to visit with friends at every stop. He is coming out here for college and my friend is getting married so I bummed a ride with him. Planning to spend a few days here, before traveling back.
It looks like I will be able to hit the ground running. We have conferences, and classes planned through december- cant wait!
Saturday, September 04, 2010
'merica
This last week I spent some time at a local High School discussing what it means to be a Dalit. My goal was just to widen their perspective a bit and show them what people their age are facing. I was hardly 16 when I left America for the first time and spent a month working in the slums in India, so I think they have a greater capacity for change than they are sometimes given credit.
I spoke to 6 different classes 1 hour each. I had a lot of fun, but in all honesty by the end the last thing I wanted to talk about was India (I had just spent 6 hours doing it). During my last class a boy on the front row asked a question.
I will never forget one of my first encounters with the best professor I had in College. First day of class he said something along the lines of "you were always told there are no stupid questions. Thats not true. there are many stupid questions so think before you ask." Mr. front row asked me a stupid question last week.
While I was talking his hand shot up in the air while his forehead wrinkled with irritation. His predicament was "If we are Americans shouldn't we just focus on making America a better place? There are many needs here." The first time, like a good teacher, I somewhat blew him off and moved on. However, to my disappointment, he was more intelligent than that and did exactly what I would have done if I was him- keep asking over and over. Eventually I calmly smiled and said some of us would rather help those in need instead of making sure we have enough gas for our huge SUV's and entire aisles full of different types of bread."
It is interesting what you notice returning and those were 2 of mine. It was a pretty stupid response, but oh well. I realized though that his question must be answered. I also realized that it is most likely his parents that taught him that.
First of all those of us that are Christians are not first Americans. We do not pledge our allegiance to a flag, a nation or a president but a to a king and a kingdom. His kingdom is much greater (in every sense of the word) than the 50 states.
Second we are humans. Regardless of your nationality or religion everyone holds to some form of understanding as to what it means to be human. For example if I were to be found having a slave in my home town of Greenville everyone would be appalled. Why? Because it is inhumane. They would be upset because that person deserves to be treated better. I take it one step further and say if that is happening 10,000 miles away you should be equally appalled because they are people (regardless of the culture they are in).
In short my heart breaks for that kid. His parents have taught him things about us as a nation and his role in it that have led him to a selfish ethnocentrism and he is the one that is going to suffer because of it.
I spoke to 6 different classes 1 hour each. I had a lot of fun, but in all honesty by the end the last thing I wanted to talk about was India (I had just spent 6 hours doing it). During my last class a boy on the front row asked a question.
I will never forget one of my first encounters with the best professor I had in College. First day of class he said something along the lines of "you were always told there are no stupid questions. Thats not true. there are many stupid questions so think before you ask." Mr. front row asked me a stupid question last week.
While I was talking his hand shot up in the air while his forehead wrinkled with irritation. His predicament was "If we are Americans shouldn't we just focus on making America a better place? There are many needs here." The first time, like a good teacher, I somewhat blew him off and moved on. However, to my disappointment, he was more intelligent than that and did exactly what I would have done if I was him- keep asking over and over. Eventually I calmly smiled and said some of us would rather help those in need instead of making sure we have enough gas for our huge SUV's and entire aisles full of different types of bread."
It is interesting what you notice returning and those were 2 of mine. It was a pretty stupid response, but oh well. I realized though that his question must be answered. I also realized that it is most likely his parents that taught him that.
First of all those of us that are Christians are not first Americans. We do not pledge our allegiance to a flag, a nation or a president but a to a king and a kingdom. His kingdom is much greater (in every sense of the word) than the 50 states.
Second we are humans. Regardless of your nationality or religion everyone holds to some form of understanding as to what it means to be human. For example if I were to be found having a slave in my home town of Greenville everyone would be appalled. Why? Because it is inhumane. They would be upset because that person deserves to be treated better. I take it one step further and say if that is happening 10,000 miles away you should be equally appalled because they are people (regardless of the culture they are in).
In short my heart breaks for that kid. His parents have taught him things about us as a nation and his role in it that have led him to a selfish ethnocentrism and he is the one that is going to suffer because of it.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
A Day in the Life of a Dalit
Tomorrow and Thursday I will be speaking at a local public school. I have been asked to visit a few classes to discuss Social Injustice in India. I have some pictures, and a little presentation prepared that should last about 30 minutes or so. The total time they are giving me is an hour each class so for the second half I will be giving them some group work. I plan to break the students into groups of 3-5 people and then give them a scenario that many people find themselves in. My goal is to make the students think outside of our experiences, and put themselves in the shoes of the oppressed. Below are the five scenarios I am giving them.
1) Both you and your spouse are Dalits. Because of this the village you are living in has been taking away your farm land and charging you extra fees for things they don’t charge other people. Eventually its gets to the point that you have almost nothing. You would like to leave and go somewhere else, but you have no money to get there, and no skill except farming. You also have 1 thirteen year old daughter who is malnourished because you can’t afford food. Although you have done all you can, her health is declining. One day a man offers to marry your daughter. He is about 25 years older than her (she is only 13), and you know very well that he will abuse her sexually, physically, and emotionally. However he will give her food, and if she stays here she will continue to starve. What do you do?
This is actually a true story. The name of the little girl was Phoolan Devi. Her parents did in fact allow the man to marry her. She was abused so much she tried many times to run away back home. However if her parents allowed her back it could have easily lead to the husbands family trying to kill her or her family for shaming him. So they consistently sent her back to him until she ran away from the village all together.
2) Both you and your spouse are Dalits. You both work very hard every day but still are barely surviving. In order to have enough money to survive you had to take your 13 year old son out of school to work at a restaurant bussing tables. You hated to do it, but he was starving and this is the only way your family can make enough money to eat. One day a very well to do man comes to your village. He tells you and your spouse that he sees how much you are struggling, and has a solution for you. He offers to give you a large sum of money on loan. He then offers to train your son to work for him in a professional job in the capital city. This is the kind of opportunity you have been praying for, but although you are familiar with the company you don’t know this man very well. What do you do?
This is a very common story. The unfortunate thing is it is never as good as it seems. This boy will be taken to the city and forced to work 18 hour days for very little pay. He will be forced to pay off the loan given to his parents, but will be charged interest at such a rate he will never be able to pay it off. His task-masters threaten to harm his family if he tries to run away.
3) You are a 15 year old Dalit girl. Although your family was unable to provide you with an education or a job you are all very close to each other. Life has been difficult, but not impossible. One day a lady in the village that you know very well tells you that jobs in America can pay as much as $50 a day (your family might make that in a month). The woman explains that she has friends that can get you to America but it will cost $4,000 to get there (passport, visa, plane ticket etc.). The woman is kind enough to loan you the money. This is the kind of opportunity you have been hoping for and it would take care of your entire family, but America is very far away and a $4,000 loan is very expensive. What do you do?
This is a common story as well. Unfortunately it is extremely unlikely she will ever make it to America. What happens is instead she will end up in brothel. The "owners" will tell her she can leave when she pays her debts, but again for the same reasons as #3 it is very difficult to pay of the loan. She will also be told that her family will be harmed if she tries to escape.
4) You are a Dalit man. You have been married for 15 years and have 2 boys. Your family has lived in the same village for generations and you have been able to make a decent living farming. However a few months ago your wife became very sick. You have no idea what it is but she can hardly get out of bed. Although the local hospital is supposed to be free the doctors have demanded bribes before they look at her. On top of that the medicines they prescribe are very costly. Eventually you had to sell all your land and you have almost nothing left, but your wife still needs 2-3 more months of medication before she is cured. An upper class man in the village offers to give you a loan that is just enough to cover the costs, however you have to send your oldest son to work for him in order to pay it off. You know it will be close to slavery for your son so what do you do? Your wife or your son?
Again not an uncommon story. Unfortunately there is no easy solution. It is easy for us to point our fingers and explain how horrible it is for someone to "sell" their children, but many of these people have sent their children off with tears in their eyes because they didn't know what else to do.
5) You are a Dalit woman who found out she was HIV+. Although you were faithful to your husband your whole life your husband wasn’t and you got it from him. You are breast feeding your baby daughter and the doctor tells you that you must stop otherwise although it is not guaranteed the baby could get it also. However bottle feeding is NEVER practiced and people will assume you have HIV. If they find out you are HIV+ you will be kicked out out of the village with your baby, and your husband will disown you. Being kicked out of the village means that you have no means of survival (for you and your baby) except prostitution. What do you do?
This was actually edited. the full version is that many times the husband will keep seeing prostitutes and then refuse to wear a condom with his wife. So she will get many different forms of HIV each of which working differently to destroy her body. When it does come out that she is infected her husband may blame her for both of their infections.
The purpose of these scenarios is not to shock, but rather to give people a different perspective. To think outside of ourselves and put ourselves in their shoes if only briefly. I hope that after walking in their shoes for even just a moment it will lead us to compassion, and a desire to bring hope to the hopeless.
r
1) Both you and your spouse are Dalits. Because of this the village you are living in has been taking away your farm land and charging you extra fees for things they don’t charge other people. Eventually its gets to the point that you have almost nothing. You would like to leave and go somewhere else, but you have no money to get there, and no skill except farming. You also have 1 thirteen year old daughter who is malnourished because you can’t afford food. Although you have done all you can, her health is declining. One day a man offers to marry your daughter. He is about 25 years older than her (she is only 13), and you know very well that he will abuse her sexually, physically, and emotionally. However he will give her food, and if she stays here she will continue to starve. What do you do?
This is actually a true story. The name of the little girl was Phoolan Devi. Her parents did in fact allow the man to marry her. She was abused so much she tried many times to run away back home. However if her parents allowed her back it could have easily lead to the husbands family trying to kill her or her family for shaming him. So they consistently sent her back to him until she ran away from the village all together.
2) Both you and your spouse are Dalits. You both work very hard every day but still are barely surviving. In order to have enough money to survive you had to take your 13 year old son out of school to work at a restaurant bussing tables. You hated to do it, but he was starving and this is the only way your family can make enough money to eat. One day a very well to do man comes to your village. He tells you and your spouse that he sees how much you are struggling, and has a solution for you. He offers to give you a large sum of money on loan. He then offers to train your son to work for him in a professional job in the capital city. This is the kind of opportunity you have been praying for, but although you are familiar with the company you don’t know this man very well. What do you do?
This is a very common story. The unfortunate thing is it is never as good as it seems. This boy will be taken to the city and forced to work 18 hour days for very little pay. He will be forced to pay off the loan given to his parents, but will be charged interest at such a rate he will never be able to pay it off. His task-masters threaten to harm his family if he tries to run away.
3) You are a 15 year old Dalit girl. Although your family was unable to provide you with an education or a job you are all very close to each other. Life has been difficult, but not impossible. One day a lady in the village that you know very well tells you that jobs in America can pay as much as $50 a day (your family might make that in a month). The woman explains that she has friends that can get you to America but it will cost $4,000 to get there (passport, visa, plane ticket etc.). The woman is kind enough to loan you the money. This is the kind of opportunity you have been hoping for and it would take care of your entire family, but America is very far away and a $4,000 loan is very expensive. What do you do?
This is a common story as well. Unfortunately it is extremely unlikely she will ever make it to America. What happens is instead she will end up in brothel. The "owners" will tell her she can leave when she pays her debts, but again for the same reasons as #3 it is very difficult to pay of the loan. She will also be told that her family will be harmed if she tries to escape.
4) You are a Dalit man. You have been married for 15 years and have 2 boys. Your family has lived in the same village for generations and you have been able to make a decent living farming. However a few months ago your wife became very sick. You have no idea what it is but she can hardly get out of bed. Although the local hospital is supposed to be free the doctors have demanded bribes before they look at her. On top of that the medicines they prescribe are very costly. Eventually you had to sell all your land and you have almost nothing left, but your wife still needs 2-3 more months of medication before she is cured. An upper class man in the village offers to give you a loan that is just enough to cover the costs, however you have to send your oldest son to work for him in order to pay it off. You know it will be close to slavery for your son so what do you do? Your wife or your son?
Again not an uncommon story. Unfortunately there is no easy solution. It is easy for us to point our fingers and explain how horrible it is for someone to "sell" their children, but many of these people have sent their children off with tears in their eyes because they didn't know what else to do.
5) You are a Dalit woman who found out she was HIV+. Although you were faithful to your husband your whole life your husband wasn’t and you got it from him. You are breast feeding your baby daughter and the doctor tells you that you must stop otherwise although it is not guaranteed the baby could get it also. However bottle feeding is NEVER practiced and people will assume you have HIV. If they find out you are HIV+ you will be kicked out out of the village with your baby, and your husband will disown you. Being kicked out of the village means that you have no means of survival (for you and your baby) except prostitution. What do you do?
This was actually edited. the full version is that many times the husband will keep seeing prostitutes and then refuse to wear a condom with his wife. So she will get many different forms of HIV each of which working differently to destroy her body. When it does come out that she is infected her husband may blame her for both of their infections.
The purpose of these scenarios is not to shock, but rather to give people a different perspective. To think outside of ourselves and put ourselves in their shoes if only briefly. I hope that after walking in their shoes for even just a moment it will lead us to compassion, and a desire to bring hope to the hopeless.
r
Monday, August 23, 2010
Re-entry
I have been in the states fora few 2 weeks now and I am in the middle of what many call “re-entry.” Although I am not staying here, there is still an adjustment process. It is somewhat difficult to put my finger on exactly, as the struggle is very subtle (but persistent). In many ways I have grown accustom to the way of life in India which is very different to that of America. I can give you a few examples of adjustment the last few days.
I still have to make sure I am driving on the right [pun intended] side of the road. At almost every intersection I have to double check to make sure I didn’t turn into oncoming traffic.
I met a man two days ago that was imprisoned for a month for driving without a license. Rules and regulations in India all have exceptions and generally more fluid than our black and white policies here.
I am not used to eating so much. We eat a lot. Often.
I am not used to the transparency. India is a shame based culture and is naturally less open and vulnerable than American culture.
Topics of conversation. Because I have been gone a year I haven’t followed popular t.v. shows, heard the new music on the radio, or seen any of the previews for movies in theater. These are a big part of our culture and it can sometimes be difficult to relate on these issues that were once very easy and natural for me.
I am also not sure how to answer the question “how was India.” I can say “good” but that comes so short of doing justice to my experience that I wonder if its worth even saying. It is difficult to explain something that is so vastly different from what is considered “normal” here. It is like explaining to a fish what it is like to be dry.
I thought I was doing really well. I like America, I love these people, my church, my family. It is so refreshing to be here and hear how the Lord has been working the last year here. The last 2 days though I have had a headache, but I wasn’t sure why as I never get these. Yesterday I realized that I am tense. I realized this because I had been clenching my jaw all day which was causing some pretty rough headaches.
I still have to make sure I am driving on the right [pun intended] side of the road. At almost every intersection I have to double check to make sure I didn’t turn into oncoming traffic.
I met a man two days ago that was imprisoned for a month for driving without a license. Rules and regulations in India all have exceptions and generally more fluid than our black and white policies here.
I am not used to eating so much. We eat a lot. Often.
I am not used to the transparency. India is a shame based culture and is naturally less open and vulnerable than American culture.
Topics of conversation. Because I have been gone a year I haven’t followed popular t.v. shows, heard the new music on the radio, or seen any of the previews for movies in theater. These are a big part of our culture and it can sometimes be difficult to relate on these issues that were once very easy and natural for me.
I am also not sure how to answer the question “how was India.” I can say “good” but that comes so short of doing justice to my experience that I wonder if its worth even saying. It is difficult to explain something that is so vastly different from what is considered “normal” here. It is like explaining to a fish what it is like to be dry.
I thought I was doing really well. I like America, I love these people, my church, my family. It is so refreshing to be here and hear how the Lord has been working the last year here. The last 2 days though I have had a headache, but I wasn’t sure why as I never get these. Yesterday I realized that I am tense. I realized this because I had been clenching my jaw all day which was causing some pretty rough headaches.
Visas and Funerals
A few weeks back I sat down with one of my leaders to discuss the increasing difficulties of my visa. The government has now decided that every 6 months not only do I have to leave the country, but I have to be out for a total of 2 months. We have been waiting to see if this was actually implemented and if so how strictly and as time has progressed we have seen that this is in fact the case.
We discussed all the details and mutually agreed that it would be most beneficial (and cheaper in the long run) if I applied for a different visa. In order to do that I had to apply in person in Washington DC.
I had purchased my tickets to Johannesburg a long time before hand but added on a 1 week trip to the states before returning to India. I was never sure exactly what the Lord was planning through the whole ordeal but was (and am) confident he had something specific in mind.
Strangely while I was in South Africa a handful of peculiar circumstances made us re-visit our decision for me to get a new visa. We decided that my applying for a new visa would add a new element of risk and scrutiny to the work and we decided it wasn't worth that scrutiny. (I know thats vague- talk to me in person).
Within a few hours of deciding this my grandma passed away. So instead of traveling to DC for a new visa (which was no longer necessary), I went directly to Chicago to help get everything ready for the funeral. This in itself is a blessing because if I hadn’t been on my way back to work out my visa I would not have been able to attend her funeral
What this means though is that I will be in the states for substantially longer than any of us planned. I have not rebooked my flights yet, but we are looking at me flying back out mid-september (because India requires I stay outside the country for a total of 2 months).
So I do ask for your prayers. That the Lord leads me in his purposes for my time in the states. There are many many things that I could do, but I want to be purposeful with this new found time that I have. I also need prayer against “reverse culture shock.” I have been out of the country for a year now and have grown accustom to a different way of life. Yesterday I gasped as my dad turned to drive down the right side of the road, the day before I grew irritated with the rigidity of the airline officials and customs officers, and today I found myself in Target staring at an advertisement (eyes big as saucers). It is honestly not that difficult yet, but I need to depend on the Spirit as I move forward.
Thank you for your prayers, and I hope to see you soon.
We discussed all the details and mutually agreed that it would be most beneficial (and cheaper in the long run) if I applied for a different visa. In order to do that I had to apply in person in Washington DC.
I had purchased my tickets to Johannesburg a long time before hand but added on a 1 week trip to the states before returning to India. I was never sure exactly what the Lord was planning through the whole ordeal but was (and am) confident he had something specific in mind.
Strangely while I was in South Africa a handful of peculiar circumstances made us re-visit our decision for me to get a new visa. We decided that my applying for a new visa would add a new element of risk and scrutiny to the work and we decided it wasn't worth that scrutiny. (I know thats vague- talk to me in person).
Within a few hours of deciding this my grandma passed away. So instead of traveling to DC for a new visa (which was no longer necessary), I went directly to Chicago to help get everything ready for the funeral. This in itself is a blessing because if I hadn’t been on my way back to work out my visa I would not have been able to attend her funeral
What this means though is that I will be in the states for substantially longer than any of us planned. I have not rebooked my flights yet, but we are looking at me flying back out mid-september (because India requires I stay outside the country for a total of 2 months).
So I do ask for your prayers. That the Lord leads me in his purposes for my time in the states. There are many many things that I could do, but I want to be purposeful with this new found time that I have. I also need prayer against “reverse culture shock.” I have been out of the country for a year now and have grown accustom to a different way of life. Yesterday I gasped as my dad turned to drive down the right side of the road, the day before I grew irritated with the rigidity of the airline officials and customs officers, and today I found myself in Target staring at an advertisement (eyes big as saucers). It is honestly not that difficult yet, but I need to depend on the Spirit as I move forward.
Thank you for your prayers, and I hope to see you soon.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
June-July
Hi there. June is over, i can't believe it. My mom and aunt were able to visit for a bit in June which was a huge blessing. We traveled around a bit, showed them what all was going on here, went to the Taj Mahal etc.
Also during june we had our ELT training. 99 students from all over the country came to the base for leadership training. it has been great, lots of good biblical/practical teaching. The program ends today and by sunday they will be traveling home.
Also I will be leaving the country for a bit next saturday. Because of my visa I am required to leave the country every 2 months. it seems far, but i will actually reach there quicker than it took me to reach Nepal last February (last February involved a 30+ hour train ride). I have a friend that has been working there for a few years so it will be good to see the work going on there.
Pray for me for safe, uneventful travels!
Also during june we had our ELT training. 99 students from all over the country came to the base for leadership training. it has been great, lots of good biblical/practical teaching. The program ends today and by sunday they will be traveling home.
Also I will be leaving the country for a bit next saturday. Because of my visa I am required to leave the country every 2 months. it seems far, but i will actually reach there quicker than it took me to reach Nepal last February (last February involved a 30+ hour train ride). I have a friend that has been working there for a few years so it will be good to see the work going on there.
Pray for me for safe, uneventful travels!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Slums and Surfing
The term slum here means something vastly different than the way we use it in the states. What we call a slum in the US is called “middle class” here. Here a slum is a conglomeration of mud/dung brick shanties all shimmied adjacent to one another in an effort to share walls. There is no water or electricity and all the sewage runs through the streets. Children when fully clothed are still nearly naked, all of which have no hope for an education (yet). The average salary: 1-2 dollars per 12-14 hour work day. This is a slum.
Today I went surfing. We are a few hundred miles from the coast, but one of the local resorts has recently opened a “surf simulator,” where they make a wave that you can legitimately surf on. Today was 106 degrees (that is considered “cool” for this time of year) so my So-Cal born roommate and I drove out there to pay a visit to the “Flow-Rider.”
As you reach the peak of the wave you can feel the rush of dropping in, but you can also see the slum 200 feet from you. As we enjoyed the cool water and the fun of surfing, a few hundred feet from us were people that were only worried about feeding their children for another day. We spent roughly $10 for an afternoon of surfing- but that is an entire weeks pay for them.
I have hesitated for sometime to post something like this, because I don’t have a solution. However this illustrates my greatest struggle here thus far. The inequality is horrifying. On the way to my apartment you will pass a Mercedes dealership. The Mercedes sign happens to serve as the corner post for a small tea stall. This tea stall is across the street from a very large slum- literally in the shadow of a billboard advertising “Luxury Villas.”
So what do we do? Is it wrong to drive a Mercedes, or live in a luxury villa? Or in my case is it wrong to spend $10 to surf for the afternoon? Is it wrong to give your children a good education, to have insurance, or proper medical care? Is it wrong to have running water and electricity?
See the thing is most of us are willing to draw a line somewhere, but it is conveniently in a place we haven’t yet crossed (and as we near it, it often suddenly moves). The truth is none of the previously mentioned luxuries are sinful or wrong. However the lawfulness of something has little bearing on its profitability.
I am filthy rich. I have an apartment. I have water. I have electricity. I have a motorcycle. I have insurance. I have an education. There is an inequality that frankly even in my most valiant efforts will never be surmounted.
This is my struggle. Please pray for me. I don’t think God made me to simply surf and enjoy life, but I also can not say that he is leading me to live in utter poverty simply because others do. Pray that he leads in a way that I am able to best serve, love and represent him to the world.
Thanks,
r
Today I went surfing. We are a few hundred miles from the coast, but one of the local resorts has recently opened a “surf simulator,” where they make a wave that you can legitimately surf on. Today was 106 degrees (that is considered “cool” for this time of year) so my So-Cal born roommate and I drove out there to pay a visit to the “Flow-Rider.”
As you reach the peak of the wave you can feel the rush of dropping in, but you can also see the slum 200 feet from you. As we enjoyed the cool water and the fun of surfing, a few hundred feet from us were people that were only worried about feeding their children for another day. We spent roughly $10 for an afternoon of surfing- but that is an entire weeks pay for them.
I have hesitated for sometime to post something like this, because I don’t have a solution. However this illustrates my greatest struggle here thus far. The inequality is horrifying. On the way to my apartment you will pass a Mercedes dealership. The Mercedes sign happens to serve as the corner post for a small tea stall. This tea stall is across the street from a very large slum- literally in the shadow of a billboard advertising “Luxury Villas.”
So what do we do? Is it wrong to drive a Mercedes, or live in a luxury villa? Or in my case is it wrong to spend $10 to surf for the afternoon? Is it wrong to give your children a good education, to have insurance, or proper medical care? Is it wrong to have running water and electricity?
See the thing is most of us are willing to draw a line somewhere, but it is conveniently in a place we haven’t yet crossed (and as we near it, it often suddenly moves). The truth is none of the previously mentioned luxuries are sinful or wrong. However the lawfulness of something has little bearing on its profitability.
I am filthy rich. I have an apartment. I have water. I have electricity. I have a motorcycle. I have insurance. I have an education. There is an inequality that frankly even in my most valiant efforts will never be surmounted.
This is my struggle. Please pray for me. I don’t think God made me to simply surf and enjoy life, but I also can not say that he is leading me to live in utter poverty simply because others do. Pray that he leads in a way that I am able to best serve, love and represent him to the world.
Thanks,
r
Thursday, February 04, 2010
the train ride
I had a great blog entry that got deleted. So im going to try to remember, and write it again.
I took a 30+ hour train ride across the country. It was wonderful. Below my bed there was a Punjabi Sikh man. I could tell he was a Sikh because of the meticulous way he wrapped his turban so as to accentuate the prominent bulge of hair that had never been cut. He wore a solid metal silver bracelet to maintain balance and harmony. His graying beard was very long but tied up under his chin in the traditional Sikh way. He shared that he also carried the religious knife, and wore the religious underwear. In reference to said underwear he explained, “I wear the brief kind, not the French kind so if I take pant off now- no problem.” Thankfully he didn’t elaborate.
He was a very kind man, always making sure I was safe and as comfortable as possible. He was very moral, as most Sikhs are, and extraordinarily sincere in his pursuits. The snapshot of his life that I saw on the train was easily more moral than the average Christian’s. At one point I looked at him and was stunned by the fact that same “kind” man would one day look in the face of God in complete horror as he is told that he had never been known by God. So I asked the father for an opportunity to share
About halfway through our journey as I began to mix my rice and curry by hand he said to me “you have a very good opportunity!” I paused and asked him what he was referring to and he explained that he was going to spend the next hour giving me a class on Sikhism. I realized this was an answer to my previous prayer and indulged him. He began like this “6 day creation is bullsh*t. The bible is bullsh*t.” This led into an hour log tirade of head bobbing and hardly intelligible logic.
He continued at breakneck speed for the entirety of the conversation. I noticed he was slightly dehydrated because as he spoke small beads of foamy spit would form on his lower lip until large enough to be launched by the next aspirated syllable. From time to time I would interject loaded questions (i.e. in reference to the statement “everything must be proved scientifically” I asked “can you prove history, math, or even that statement scientifically”) but it was clear he was only waiting for his next moment to begin talking, as his responses rarely had any relevance to my questions.
Eventually I remembered his unhindered candor at the offset of our conversation and thought I would return the favor. So mimicking his boldness and illogical and non-linear progression of thought I gave the good news. I just said it. I didn’t lead into it. I didn’t butter him up for it- I just said it. From my perspective it couldn’t have been more ineffective, however that’s not my role.
The entire conversation reminded me of Psalm 114 and Christ’ allusion to in when he said “they have ears that do not hear, and eyes that do not see.” That Punjabi man had become as lifeless as the idol he worshipped, so much that the words of life (john 6) were anything but intelligible to him. I’m going to do the best dang job that I can- but the Lord changes hearts.
I took a 30+ hour train ride across the country. It was wonderful. Below my bed there was a Punjabi Sikh man. I could tell he was a Sikh because of the meticulous way he wrapped his turban so as to accentuate the prominent bulge of hair that had never been cut. He wore a solid metal silver bracelet to maintain balance and harmony. His graying beard was very long but tied up under his chin in the traditional Sikh way. He shared that he also carried the religious knife, and wore the religious underwear. In reference to said underwear he explained, “I wear the brief kind, not the French kind so if I take pant off now- no problem.” Thankfully he didn’t elaborate.
He was a very kind man, always making sure I was safe and as comfortable as possible. He was very moral, as most Sikhs are, and extraordinarily sincere in his pursuits. The snapshot of his life that I saw on the train was easily more moral than the average Christian’s. At one point I looked at him and was stunned by the fact that same “kind” man would one day look in the face of God in complete horror as he is told that he had never been known by God. So I asked the father for an opportunity to share
About halfway through our journey as I began to mix my rice and curry by hand he said to me “you have a very good opportunity!” I paused and asked him what he was referring to and he explained that he was going to spend the next hour giving me a class on Sikhism. I realized this was an answer to my previous prayer and indulged him. He began like this “6 day creation is bullsh*t. The bible is bullsh*t.” This led into an hour log tirade of head bobbing and hardly intelligible logic.
He continued at breakneck speed for the entirety of the conversation. I noticed he was slightly dehydrated because as he spoke small beads of foamy spit would form on his lower lip until large enough to be launched by the next aspirated syllable. From time to time I would interject loaded questions (i.e. in reference to the statement “everything must be proved scientifically” I asked “can you prove history, math, or even that statement scientifically”) but it was clear he was only waiting for his next moment to begin talking, as his responses rarely had any relevance to my questions.
Eventually I remembered his unhindered candor at the offset of our conversation and thought I would return the favor. So mimicking his boldness and illogical and non-linear progression of thought I gave the good news. I just said it. I didn’t lead into it. I didn’t butter him up for it- I just said it. From my perspective it couldn’t have been more ineffective, however that’s not my role.
The entire conversation reminded me of Psalm 114 and Christ’ allusion to in when he said “they have ears that do not hear, and eyes that do not see.” That Punjabi man had become as lifeless as the idol he worshipped, so much that the words of life (john 6) were anything but intelligible to him. I’m going to do the best dang job that I can- but the Lord changes hearts.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
A cow and a bicycle.
How much is your daughter worth? Now I'm single so i know the question isn't nearly as potent for me, but nevertheless it still strikes a nerve. One of the leaders here gave me a biography of a lady named Phoolan Devi- the Al Capone of the 80's here. I will spare you the details, but when she was 11 she was sold for a cow and a bicycle to a 31 year old man as his wife. The journalist writing the book asked her mother the question that comes to everyone's mind "why?" Her mother could only say one line "it is a scary thing what poverty will make you do." See at the time they were in the middle of a land dispute which as farmers was their only source of income. They were hungry, and had no food for their daughter or themselves. Their rational was, sure this man will abuse her, but is that worse than starving to death? They couldn't provide for their daughter, and this man said he would at least feed her.
Can you imagine asking yourself that question? "which is better for my daughter? To give her to a man that will molest her? or let her starve to death?" I cant.
Now for the sake of honesty and clarity, this although much more common here than in the west is not something that everyone goes through. Not every villager is faced with these issues, but many are. I want you to have an accurate picture rather than simply a dramatic one.
Can you imagine asking yourself that question? "which is better for my daughter? To give her to a man that will molest her? or let her starve to death?" I cant.
Now for the sake of honesty and clarity, this although much more common here than in the west is not something that everyone goes through. Not every villager is faced with these issues, but many are. I want you to have an accurate picture rather than simply a dramatic one.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Instant
Yesterday was christmas for me. My wonderful family sent me a HUGE box of happiness. Things like Mac & Cheese, toilet paper, theology books, Starbucks, and a 'fresh' pair of rainbows. Honestly I don't think there could have been a better care package. They really do know me.
This morning my roommate was looking at everything and he didn't know what any of it was. So I said um, this is a bag of beef jerkey you open the bag and eat it (beef is his favorite so its ok). This is instant grits you just add water. This is instant coffee, you just add water. He looked at me totally confused and said "What does 'instant' mean?" He is very good at english but the idea of instant is completely unheard of here. So I said i would show him.
I boiled some water and added it to instant grits and in about 10 seconds we had breakfast. He was shocked. He said thats food?!?! Already?!?!? Its like magic!! Then I said "do you want a cup of coffee?" and I poured the rest of the boiling water into a cup of instant starbucks (which is actually really good- try it). He laughed and laughed saying "here 1 meal takes one hour to prepare!" Then he said something very interesting he said "no wonder it is so difficult for foreigners to come to my india."
I think he really hit on something there. See I don't care if I have to wait for the bus, or wait at the market or the bazaar or whatever. But because I come from an instant culture it is hard for me to some days to not understand this culture to the extent that i want to. See the first few months I learned a lot of simple things. Don't shake with your left hand, bobbing you head means yes, drive on the left side etc. Those are easy lessons that can be learned instantly. However really understanding and becoming like this culture takes much much longer. Thinking like them, laughing like them, reasoning like them that doesn't happen by "just adding water." It takes time, it takes relationships, and it takes abiding in Christ. These are the things I want to learn/become and often i want it instantly.
A few months ago I was in Philly with my friend Phil. We went to the Art museum. He is very gifted with art (his cd ghosts of the great highway is one of the best i have heard in 2009). Now part of the time i walked around the Museum and said "oh that picture is nice that one is nice" based only on my appreciation of the aesthetics. However when he walked with me he would give me the background behind each painting. Once he explained to me that some of the artists were actually communicating a very strong message (often a very rebellious message) some of the paintings I didn't enjoy previously became remarkably beautiful because I knew how to understand them. I think it is this way with culture also. I can look at it and appreciate it for what is on the surface, but i want to understand why this culture has been painted this way. What each stroke is communicating.
Not sure if that makes a lot of sense, and forgive me if I am taking the analogy too far, but i think it is a fair illustration of life here.
r
This morning my roommate was looking at everything and he didn't know what any of it was. So I said um, this is a bag of beef jerkey you open the bag and eat it (beef is his favorite so its ok). This is instant grits you just add water. This is instant coffee, you just add water. He looked at me totally confused and said "What does 'instant' mean?" He is very good at english but the idea of instant is completely unheard of here. So I said i would show him.
I boiled some water and added it to instant grits and in about 10 seconds we had breakfast. He was shocked. He said thats food?!?! Already?!?!? Its like magic!! Then I said "do you want a cup of coffee?" and I poured the rest of the boiling water into a cup of instant starbucks (which is actually really good- try it). He laughed and laughed saying "here 1 meal takes one hour to prepare!" Then he said something very interesting he said "no wonder it is so difficult for foreigners to come to my india."
I think he really hit on something there. See I don't care if I have to wait for the bus, or wait at the market or the bazaar or whatever. But because I come from an instant culture it is hard for me to some days to not understand this culture to the extent that i want to. See the first few months I learned a lot of simple things. Don't shake with your left hand, bobbing you head means yes, drive on the left side etc. Those are easy lessons that can be learned instantly. However really understanding and becoming like this culture takes much much longer. Thinking like them, laughing like them, reasoning like them that doesn't happen by "just adding water." It takes time, it takes relationships, and it takes abiding in Christ. These are the things I want to learn/become and often i want it instantly.
A few months ago I was in Philly with my friend Phil. We went to the Art museum. He is very gifted with art (his cd ghosts of the great highway is one of the best i have heard in 2009). Now part of the time i walked around the Museum and said "oh that picture is nice that one is nice" based only on my appreciation of the aesthetics. However when he walked with me he would give me the background behind each painting. Once he explained to me that some of the artists were actually communicating a very strong message (often a very rebellious message) some of the paintings I didn't enjoy previously became remarkably beautiful because I knew how to understand them. I think it is this way with culture also. I can look at it and appreciate it for what is on the surface, but i want to understand why this culture has been painted this way. What each stroke is communicating.
Not sure if that makes a lot of sense, and forgive me if I am taking the analogy too far, but i think it is a fair illustration of life here.
r
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The little things add up
I just got back from an American family's home tonight. We had an awesome dinner and really just hung out for awhile. It was very interesting to me because I realized a few things. After we prayed we walked into the kitchen to get food and the first thing I noticed was the size of the cups. I know it's weird but just hold on. See American cups are bigger than the vast majority of other countries. There XL size is our small size. So when I got things for my flat I got "normal" size cups (normal=small, we are the weird ones) and they are made out of stainless steel. Everywhere you go plan on drinking out of like an 8oz cup. However this family brought out the HUGE plastic cups and it was wonderful. Its funny the things that you notice when you don't have them.
Its also funny the things that are insulting/complimentary. An American took me aside and asked "how do you bob your head like that?" The culture here shakes their head a little, ok a lot different. I certainly made an effort when i first got here, but don't really notice it anymore. Apparently I am doing it without thinking, as weird as it sounds thats encouraging to me.
r
Its also funny the things that are insulting/complimentary. An American took me aside and asked "how do you bob your head like that?" The culture here shakes their head a little, ok a lot different. I certainly made an effort when i first got here, but don't really notice it anymore. Apparently I am doing it without thinking, as weird as it sounds thats encouraging to me.
r
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Diwali
So yesterday was Diwali. Well technically it lasts for 3 days, but yesterday was the bulk of the celebrations. Diwali is called the festival of lights and is a celebration of the birth of Krishna. It was amazing. See in the states we shoot off firecrackers, but here they call them "bombs." Now I figured that this was just a linguistic thing and maybe they didnt know the english word for firecrackers, or fireworks. False. Many of these were much closer to bombs than any firecracker I have seen. The streets erupted with "bombs" and everywhere we went we now had to dodge these "bombs."
At one point I had just finished my run for the day. I had my ipod in, hands on my head sucking in air, and my eyes closed. All of the sudden there was a flash of light, a burst of wind and the loudest BANG I have ever heard. Naturally i thought I was dying so I hit the deck only to realize that I had walked into a kid's "bomb" throwing path. The kids thought it was hilarious, and lets be honest it was.
We went into town last night and literally people would set up roman candles, strings of firecrackers EVERYTHING in the road. and we would just drive through. However after that it was time for bed. So about 11pm I settled down to sleep. No No, the "bombs" didn't stop until 7 am the next day. A group of kids thought the best place to blow things up would be right below my bedroom window. soooo i dint really sleep.
Anyway Happy Diwali! (its pronounced D'vall-ee)
At one point I had just finished my run for the day. I had my ipod in, hands on my head sucking in air, and my eyes closed. All of the sudden there was a flash of light, a burst of wind and the loudest BANG I have ever heard. Naturally i thought I was dying so I hit the deck only to realize that I had walked into a kid's "bomb" throwing path. The kids thought it was hilarious, and lets be honest it was.
We went into town last night and literally people would set up roman candles, strings of firecrackers EVERYTHING in the road. and we would just drive through. However after that it was time for bed. So about 11pm I settled down to sleep. No No, the "bombs" didn't stop until 7 am the next day. A group of kids thought the best place to blow things up would be right below my bedroom window. soooo i dint really sleep.
Anyway Happy Diwali! (its pronounced D'vall-ee)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Hugs and Stuff
I saw something interesting today. Nobody else found it interesting but me. There were a bunch of Americans in the Cafeteria (canteen) today. One of the girls in their group saw a guy she [I am assuming] she hadn't seen in a long time because she screamed ran across the room and gave him a huge hug. The Americans didn't think it was funny because it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The Indians didn't think it was funny because they were just stunned. See in their culture there is not interaction across sexes beyond a brief conversation. I looked around and the whole room was staring at these 2 people hugging, and they were completely oblivious. It would be about as shocking as a couple making out in the middle of the room would be to us.
I have said it before but I am continually amazed by their hospitality here. They are so patient with us as we stumble through learning their culture.
I have said it before but I am continually amazed by their hospitality here. They are so patient with us as we stumble through learning their culture.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Learning Culture...
Imagine something with me. Imagine your company has a new intern. This intern is working for free because he is so excited about the work your office does.
He is a young single guy from India. This doesn’t really matter except that his accent is so thick it is pretty difficult to talk to him. Some people in the office even need you to translate his English. He is trying to learn American slang but keeps saying “yes sir,” to the janitor and “Yea dude,” to the CEO.
He cannot drive anywhere so if he needs anything you either have to drive him, or find someone else to drive him. When you do drive him you notice he is clutching the side of the seat because he has never seen someone drive as “crazy” as they do in the states. Thankfully public transport is pretty good so you are hoping he learns to use that.
Sometimes your work takes the both of you out of town. Now, although excited this man has never traveled like a normal person. See in his country he only rode in BMW and Lexus Suv’s, never (literally) in a Honda or a Toyota. His choice of hotels is only the best. Your company obviously cannot afford that so you stay at the Hampton Inn. Although he is perfectly content, you know that he has only slept on memory foam mattresses his whole life. Even though the hotel beds are comfortable to you, he is going to wake up every hour in the night because he wont be comfortable at all. Again, he doesn’t complain but you also know that he will be exhausted the next day and probably won’t be as productive as you. He does his best to fit in, but he isn’t used to the temperature in the states. He is used to it being warm so when you are perfectly comfortable you will see him shivering, sometimes his fingers even turn blue.
Also in his country he only ate at 4 or 5 star restaurants. Now you would love to have him over to your home for dinner, but many of your friends have told you that your cooking will make him sick if he can even eat it at all. Your boss even said that you couldn’t go to any restaurant of lower class than Outback (although you and him often would eat at “normal” places). Everywhere he goes though he carries a bottle of water because he can’t drink American water. He hasn’t ever even eaten with a fork before. Now although he tries to use a fork every single meal, you can always tell where he sat because there is food everywhere. He is so different that whenever you go in public with him you know everyone will stare at you (some people even judge you for being with him at all).
Although this is your imagination, it’s my reality- I’m that guy. Now my point in that is to call your attention to the generosity of my hosts. See although they are not paying me, there is certainly still a great cost to them. I am so blessed by the ways they have sought to ease me into their culture. They have made a huge front-end investment in me and I am thankful for them. I love it here, I love the adventure and everything I am learning, and I am very thankful for their patience.
He is a young single guy from India. This doesn’t really matter except that his accent is so thick it is pretty difficult to talk to him. Some people in the office even need you to translate his English. He is trying to learn American slang but keeps saying “yes sir,” to the janitor and “Yea dude,” to the CEO.
He cannot drive anywhere so if he needs anything you either have to drive him, or find someone else to drive him. When you do drive him you notice he is clutching the side of the seat because he has never seen someone drive as “crazy” as they do in the states. Thankfully public transport is pretty good so you are hoping he learns to use that.
Sometimes your work takes the both of you out of town. Now, although excited this man has never traveled like a normal person. See in his country he only rode in BMW and Lexus Suv’s, never (literally) in a Honda or a Toyota. His choice of hotels is only the best. Your company obviously cannot afford that so you stay at the Hampton Inn. Although he is perfectly content, you know that he has only slept on memory foam mattresses his whole life. Even though the hotel beds are comfortable to you, he is going to wake up every hour in the night because he wont be comfortable at all. Again, he doesn’t complain but you also know that he will be exhausted the next day and probably won’t be as productive as you. He does his best to fit in, but he isn’t used to the temperature in the states. He is used to it being warm so when you are perfectly comfortable you will see him shivering, sometimes his fingers even turn blue.
Also in his country he only ate at 4 or 5 star restaurants. Now you would love to have him over to your home for dinner, but many of your friends have told you that your cooking will make him sick if he can even eat it at all. Your boss even said that you couldn’t go to any restaurant of lower class than Outback (although you and him often would eat at “normal” places). Everywhere he goes though he carries a bottle of water because he can’t drink American water. He hasn’t ever even eaten with a fork before. Now although he tries to use a fork every single meal, you can always tell where he sat because there is food everywhere. He is so different that whenever you go in public with him you know everyone will stare at you (some people even judge you for being with him at all).
Although this is your imagination, it’s my reality- I’m that guy. Now my point in that is to call your attention to the generosity of my hosts. See although they are not paying me, there is certainly still a great cost to them. I am so blessed by the ways they have sought to ease me into their culture. They have made a huge front-end investment in me and I am thankful for them. I love it here, I love the adventure and everything I am learning, and I am very thankful for their patience.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
It's not just a name
Today I was in the canteen (cafeteria) throwing food in my mouth with my right hand (thats how we do). I was sitting with a guy I never met before and he asked my name. I told him robby. He looked at me totally confused and said "are you from a Hindu family?" I wasn't at all sure how that was relevant to the conversation but simply said "No, Christian." Then he said "Oh, ok your name sounds like Ravi, which is a Hindu name." Then it all made sense.
A week or so ago I posted about a little confusion I had as to what to call myself here. I thought about foreigners that came to the sates and often I met people that adopted american names. Although we knew the Chinese guy was not originally named Tom, we would have no problem with that. The difference is that in the states your name has very little meaning to it. For example if I tell you my name is Robby, you don't know anything more about me than how to get my attention. In the states you give meaning to your name, the name doesn't give meaning to you.
However here it is different. Your name immediately tells other people what state you are from, what social class you belong to, and what religion you family ascribes to. So if I was to say that my name was Ravi it would be making statements about myself, my family and our background that are clearly not true.
It almost reminded me of the kid trying to be someone he is not. The kid that bought a Tony Hawk skate board but really has no idea how to skate. Or the person that has taken one philosophy class but tries to talk like he is well versed in philosophy. Or the first year bible student debating Calvinism at Starbucks. The slang term is "poser." Someone that poses to be something/someone they aren't.
Here there is a lot in a name. A lot of trust, value, and identity in a name and I have no right to coin a new nickname for myself. Lesson learned!
R
A week or so ago I posted about a little confusion I had as to what to call myself here. I thought about foreigners that came to the sates and often I met people that adopted american names. Although we knew the Chinese guy was not originally named Tom, we would have no problem with that. The difference is that in the states your name has very little meaning to it. For example if I tell you my name is Robby, you don't know anything more about me than how to get my attention. In the states you give meaning to your name, the name doesn't give meaning to you.
However here it is different. Your name immediately tells other people what state you are from, what social class you belong to, and what religion you family ascribes to. So if I was to say that my name was Ravi it would be making statements about myself, my family and our background that are clearly not true.
It almost reminded me of the kid trying to be someone he is not. The kid that bought a Tony Hawk skate board but really has no idea how to skate. Or the person that has taken one philosophy class but tries to talk like he is well versed in philosophy. Or the first year bible student debating Calvinism at Starbucks. The slang term is "poser." Someone that poses to be something/someone they aren't.
Here there is a lot in a name. A lot of trust, value, and identity in a name and I have no right to coin a new nickname for myself. Lesson learned!
R
Friday, September 25, 2009
A Suprise
I haven't been here very long, but I have somewhat grown accustom to seeing things that for me are out of the ordinary. Everything here is done different, it makes it exciting and interesting. However yesterday I saw something that literally made me stop in the middle of the road and stare like an idiot.
Here there are beggars everywhere. Slumdog Millionaire did a good job of portraying reality. Everywhere you go there are beggars and street vendors that would make DHEC have a conniption. Yesterday I hopped on the bus and went into town to explore a little. There I saw for the first time a roadside tattoo artist. The said "artist" was about 12 years old and sitting in the dirt on the sidewalk with a tattoo gun going to town on a guy's arm. He had a little white (dirty) blanket and a small jar of black ink (not green). It looked similar to a bottle of ink you would use for a quill pen.
Now I know standards of cleanliness are different, but to me that looked like a death wish.
Guess i'm not in Kansas anymore.
Here there are beggars everywhere. Slumdog Millionaire did a good job of portraying reality. Everywhere you go there are beggars and street vendors that would make DHEC have a conniption. Yesterday I hopped on the bus and went into town to explore a little. There I saw for the first time a roadside tattoo artist. The said "artist" was about 12 years old and sitting in the dirt on the sidewalk with a tattoo gun going to town on a guy's arm. He had a little white (dirty) blanket and a small jar of black ink (not green). It looked similar to a bottle of ink you would use for a quill pen.
Now I know standards of cleanliness are different, but to me that looked like a death wish.
Guess i'm not in Kansas anymore.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Noah was weird
I read just finished my devos today. I am still kind of stunned/thoughtful about what I just read. I read about Noah. Now I grew up thinking of Noah as a great zookeeper painted onto every nursery wall. You know the cartoon where he is this funny bearded guy with birds elephants and giraffes? I think that is a misrepresentation.
I read about Noah today. I've been in Mathew, but Jesus references Noah in chapter 24, so I went back to read that. The first thing that I saw was that "Noah walked with God." Now I haven't done an in depth study yet but I know that same description is used of Adam. I also know that Gal. 5 tells me to walk in step with the spirit.
But do you know what Noah did? he was in the middle of the desert and spend YEARS building a boat! Why? Because he walked with God. Then he gets all these animals and his whole family and they go into the boat (remember it has likely never rained in the history of the world at this point,and he isn't even close to the ocean) and they sit there for a week! He was in the boat with the family and all these animals for a WEEK! Why because he walked with God, and God told him to.
What gets me is that Mathew 24 says that the return of the son of man will be like in the days of Noah. Everyone will be happy clappy, and then He will return on the clouds. Revelation also says that people will be screaming at the mountains to fall on them for fear of the one who sits on the throne.
So what is my response? I know this day is coming. Am I going to live like righteous Noah and tell everyone or will I shut my mouth out of a desire to be liked? So all that to say the Lord just hit me with the urgency of the situation. Noah didn't sit on his duff and "have a good time" he went and built a boat. So lets do something.
In other news I just got back from visiting teams that are "doing something." A huge blessing to hang out with them, see their work, little bit of mutual encouragement going on, it was great.
Anyway, thanks for caring. Peace.
R
I read about Noah today. I've been in Mathew, but Jesus references Noah in chapter 24, so I went back to read that. The first thing that I saw was that "Noah walked with God." Now I haven't done an in depth study yet but I know that same description is used of Adam. I also know that Gal. 5 tells me to walk in step with the spirit.
But do you know what Noah did? he was in the middle of the desert and spend YEARS building a boat! Why? Because he walked with God. Then he gets all these animals and his whole family and they go into the boat (remember it has likely never rained in the history of the world at this point,and he isn't even close to the ocean) and they sit there for a week! He was in the boat with the family and all these animals for a WEEK! Why because he walked with God, and God told him to.
What gets me is that Mathew 24 says that the return of the son of man will be like in the days of Noah. Everyone will be happy clappy, and then He will return on the clouds. Revelation also says that people will be screaming at the mountains to fall on them for fear of the one who sits on the throne.
So what is my response? I know this day is coming. Am I going to live like righteous Noah and tell everyone or will I shut my mouth out of a desire to be liked? So all that to say the Lord just hit me with the urgency of the situation. Noah didn't sit on his duff and "have a good time" he went and built a boat. So lets do something.
In other news I just got back from visiting teams that are "doing something." A huge blessing to hang out with them, see their work, little bit of mutual encouragement going on, it was great.
Anyway, thanks for caring. Peace.
R
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Losing to Gain?
One of my favorite authors is D.A. Carson. Although he has done an excellent job of addressing many different issues one I have especially enjoyed the way he points out irony in scripture. The reality is that the word of God was written by real people with personalities and he does a great job pointing that out.
One of the things I initially found most ironic was Jesus’ teaching on life. Jesus said that to gain life you have to loose it, to be great in the kingdom you have to be a servant, least and last. At first glance I thought this was dripping with irony, however the more I meditate on it I think it is simply common sense.
Another topic that I enjoy is finance/investments. Now I am not very good at it, but I do enjoy learning about different financial markets and fund opportunities (so bear with me if you hate finance). Everyone knows that if you want to have money for retirement you have to invest it. If you just let your cash sit in your checking account your interest rate wont even hit inflation and you will consistently loose money. The only way to make money is to invest it in a profitable fund. We have to let go of it and put it in something greater than itself so that it will grow. At least for a time we loose it so that we might gain it.
Now what if there was a fund that was guaranteed a 1000% annual return? What if there was a fund where it was impossible to loose money? You would most likely reject all notion of diversification and invest every thing in this one fund. You wouldn’t even be out of line to begin selling things you could do without in order to put the profit in this particular fund. Wouldn’t it be logical to also go and tell everyone you knew about this new found fund? Now the reality is that for a time you would be without. You wouldn’t have access to that cash immediately but you would endure living without for the joy of what would come later.
I think this is exactly what Christ is talking about. He calls us to invest our lives in something greater than ourselves so that we might take hold of that something greater. Sure maybe we will be without today, maybe we will be uncomfortable (its 9:30 pm and I am sitting on my bed sweating- with the fan on), but if we have taken our comfort and given it up to invest in something greater isn’t it worth it? Think of the previously mentioned fund, would it make any sense to not invest everything in it? I think that’s what Christ calls us to, to give him everything. To loose our life that we might gain it, it seems ironic but we hold to the same principles elsewhere.
Life with Christ is crazy. I think it’s worth a try.
One of the things I initially found most ironic was Jesus’ teaching on life. Jesus said that to gain life you have to loose it, to be great in the kingdom you have to be a servant, least and last. At first glance I thought this was dripping with irony, however the more I meditate on it I think it is simply common sense.
Another topic that I enjoy is finance/investments. Now I am not very good at it, but I do enjoy learning about different financial markets and fund opportunities (so bear with me if you hate finance). Everyone knows that if you want to have money for retirement you have to invest it. If you just let your cash sit in your checking account your interest rate wont even hit inflation and you will consistently loose money. The only way to make money is to invest it in a profitable fund. We have to let go of it and put it in something greater than itself so that it will grow. At least for a time we loose it so that we might gain it.
Now what if there was a fund that was guaranteed a 1000% annual return? What if there was a fund where it was impossible to loose money? You would most likely reject all notion of diversification and invest every thing in this one fund. You wouldn’t even be out of line to begin selling things you could do without in order to put the profit in this particular fund. Wouldn’t it be logical to also go and tell everyone you knew about this new found fund? Now the reality is that for a time you would be without. You wouldn’t have access to that cash immediately but you would endure living without for the joy of what would come later.
I think this is exactly what Christ is talking about. He calls us to invest our lives in something greater than ourselves so that we might take hold of that something greater. Sure maybe we will be without today, maybe we will be uncomfortable (its 9:30 pm and I am sitting on my bed sweating- with the fan on), but if we have taken our comfort and given it up to invest in something greater isn’t it worth it? Think of the previously mentioned fund, would it make any sense to not invest everything in it? I think that’s what Christ calls us to, to give him everything. To loose our life that we might gain it, it seems ironic but we hold to the same principles elsewhere.
Life with Christ is crazy. I think it’s worth a try.
"normal" life
Hey hey,
well I am here. I know I haven't been very good about updating this, but I am still trying to figure out what I can say and what I can't. Learning from mistakes already!
I have been here about 2 weeks now and am starting to get into a flow. Right now I live in a dorm about 50 meters from my office. I eat in the canteen (cafe, cafeteria, lunchroom etc.) which is also on campus.
Right now the biggest thing I am working on job wise is coordinating communication between the team here and a f-ship in the states. I will also be teaching an ESL class this fall (for the first time in my life) and then helping to teach a little in January while taking classes.
I got asked a question the other day that for the first time I wasn't sure how to answer. A guy asked me "what is your name." Well um, hmm. I actually had to think about it. Here was my thought process. Well my real name is Robert but I don't go by that. My nickname is Robby, but if I tell you that you will say Ruby and that is a girls name here. The closest equivalent that I know of here is Ravi. But is my name Ravi, Ruby, Robby, or Robert? So I said Ravi. I have tried this a few times telling them my name is Ravi, and each time I get the response "no it isn't." Hahaha, so then I tried Robby/Ruby and they laugh and say "dont you know that's a girls name here?!" Eh, yea, um ok? So what is my name? hmmm, TBD. :-)
well I am here. I know I haven't been very good about updating this, but I am still trying to figure out what I can say and what I can't. Learning from mistakes already!
I have been here about 2 weeks now and am starting to get into a flow. Right now I live in a dorm about 50 meters from my office. I eat in the canteen (cafe, cafeteria, lunchroom etc.) which is also on campus.
Right now the biggest thing I am working on job wise is coordinating communication between the team here and a f-ship in the states. I will also be teaching an ESL class this fall (for the first time in my life) and then helping to teach a little in January while taking classes.
I got asked a question the other day that for the first time I wasn't sure how to answer. A guy asked me "what is your name." Well um, hmm. I actually had to think about it. Here was my thought process. Well my real name is Robert but I don't go by that. My nickname is Robby, but if I tell you that you will say Ruby and that is a girls name here. The closest equivalent that I know of here is Ravi. But is my name Ravi, Ruby, Robby, or Robert? So I said Ravi. I have tried this a few times telling them my name is Ravi, and each time I get the response "no it isn't." Hahaha, so then I tried Robby/Ruby and they laugh and say "dont you know that's a girls name here?!" Eh, yea, um ok? So what is my name? hmmm, TBD. :-)
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