We made it to India...yeah...wow. From the moment you step out of the airport you know you are in another world. Although I didn't really believe it before, there really are people everywhere. The roads are ridiculous, fun and scary all at the same time--but I love the auto rickshaws! While you are technically supposed to drive on the left side of the road, common practice is to drive wherever you can without having to stop and wait. Horns, of course, are used non-stop...to the point that even my dad would find it a bit excessive!
I took my vitamin and malaria pills on an empty stomach before I went down to breakfast. Bad idea. I felt terrible! My thought on the way to the bathroom was: "Oh God, I am sick in India, and about to doubt that you are good and that your mercies never fail. Give me faith, Job-like faith that trusts you during suffering--even though my sickness doesn't compare to his. You taught him to say, 'The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD!'" It's one thing to be sick in another country but it's a lot more scary to be unbelieving! God answered my prayer. Not only did he calm my heart and strengthen my faith, but he also strengthened my stomach. The symptoms passed and I was able to go down and eat.
We are being taken care of by Clara, Dr. Manohar and his wife, Irene. Dr. Manohar is very educated but started ICSA out of a desire to care for the poor. All of the staff here are very friendly! It's nice to no longer be a tourist but to instead have work to do.
This afternoon after class--today we had an overview of Indian history and politics--I was able to spend some time praying and thinking. It was refreshing to be still and listen. My mind wandered to David Livingston, the "father" of the modern Christian missionary movement. As I remember, he went to India with his family sometime during the 19th century. While there, he buried his entire family, lost 10+ years of bible translation work in a fire, and suffered from multiple health conditions. However, he did not leave India. He said with Paul,
"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of nowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philipians 3:8).
Here are some pictures from Malaysia that Laura and Mariam took. Hope you enjoy them.
I miss all of you and pray for you. Pray for me.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Speechless in Malaysia
If you've never kept a public journal before, it's not readily apparent how hard it can actually be. I want to tell about all the different places I'm seeing but don't want to simply chronicle my trip. I would like to write something profound but I really don't feel very profound at the moment either.
I was looking at some journaling tips online yesterday and was a bit amused. Dream journals "can be very telling of how we feel about current situations." Okay. Last night I dreamt that I was in an ice cream shop in line to get some vanilla soft serve ice cream. The line took forever and I never did get to taste the ice cream because my dream changed right after my sweet ice cream wish was fulfilled. Sad day! Next I dreamed that my mom got rid of her car in favor of a motorcycle. It was a Chevy motorcycle which, as far as I know, does not even exist (save in my imagination). I wish I could have seen her on it though--I certainly don't think it will happen in real life. Sad day again! My life must be filled with unfulfilled desires! Grief and healing journals also have there merits, but at the moment I'm not overcome with grief...So, I will try to journal as best I can.
As is true of most places, the best aspect of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia is its people. Most are Malay and Muslim, but there are also many people of Indian descent as well. As far as I can gather from the people I've asked, Malaysia is a Islamic country but Muslim practice is not coerced. According to a Muslim man at the Masjid Negara (the national mosque of Malaysia), the government is composed of several different parliaments; one made up of Malays, one of Indians, etc. The representatives elected to parliament do not need to be practicing Muslims but the president/PM is required to be a faithful Muslim.
Masjid Negara
Malaysia is a very patriotic country. 2007 is the 50th anniversary of Malaysia's independence from Great Britain. The Malaysian flag is proudly displayed on almost every building in KL. I was even given a small parade-style flag at the KL Convention Centre (KLCC). It is impressive to see how many people are participating in the independence celebrations which culminate August 31 (a couple days after we leave...I'm telling you, it's in the dreams!). Overall, Malaysians are very proud of KL--as they should be. It is a beautiful city with lots of glassy buildings and strong promise for economic development. Julia, an attendant at the "executive lounge" at our hotel, told me that many Malaysians look west for career advancement and what she called "big money" while many Indians look to Malaysia.
Well, I have more to write but should let others have a chance at the email. But first, one story. Our first day in KL we went to KLCC--easily spotted by the Petronas Twin Towers. At their base is an ornate and beautiful shopping mall that doesn't even allow pictures to be taken (shops included Rolex, Prada, etc.). Two of the girls on my trip needed a restroom and entered the nearest one. Although we had been warned that "squaty potties" (holes in the ground) were the norm in this area, they weren't quite prepared for this. The center of the room was carpeted and around the perimeter, without any privacy curtains, there was a trough for relieving yourself...Jamie and Liz decided that they didn't need a bathroom that badly and left. They were able to find a spot with more suitable arrangement a little further on for a small fee. What they had unwittingly supposed to be a bathroom was in reality a prayer room! We're all making little blunders like this along the way, but hopefully learning :P (meal time is especially confusing)
Please keep me in prayer, it is hard work to not just go on vacation mentally.
(Thanks sistas for the notes and especially the verses you sent me--keep 'em coming 'cause I need 'em!)
I was looking at some journaling tips online yesterday and was a bit amused. Dream journals "can be very telling of how we feel about current situations." Okay. Last night I dreamt that I was in an ice cream shop in line to get some vanilla soft serve ice cream. The line took forever and I never did get to taste the ice cream because my dream changed right after my sweet ice cream wish was fulfilled. Sad day! Next I dreamed that my mom got rid of her car in favor of a motorcycle. It was a Chevy motorcycle which, as far as I know, does not even exist (save in my imagination). I wish I could have seen her on it though--I certainly don't think it will happen in real life. Sad day again! My life must be filled with unfulfilled desires! Grief and healing journals also have there merits, but at the moment I'm not overcome with grief...So, I will try to journal as best I can.
As is true of most places, the best aspect of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia is its people. Most are Malay and Muslim, but there are also many people of Indian descent as well. As far as I can gather from the people I've asked, Malaysia is a Islamic country but Muslim practice is not coerced. According to a Muslim man at the Masjid Negara (the national mosque of Malaysia), the government is composed of several different parliaments; one made up of Malays, one of Indians, etc. The representatives elected to parliament do not need to be practicing Muslims but the president/PM is required to be a faithful Muslim.
Masjid NegaraMalaysia is a very patriotic country. 2007 is the 50th anniversary of Malaysia's independence from Great Britain. The Malaysian flag is proudly displayed on almost every building in KL. I was even given a small parade-style flag at the KL Convention Centre (KLCC). It is impressive to see how many people are participating in the independence celebrations which culminate August 31 (a couple days after we leave...I'm telling you, it's in the dreams!). Overall, Malaysians are very proud of KL--as they should be. It is a beautiful city with lots of glassy buildings and strong promise for economic development. Julia, an attendant at the "executive lounge" at our hotel, told me that many Malaysians look west for career advancement and what she called "big money" while many Indians look to Malaysia.
Well, I have more to write but should let others have a chance at the email. But first, one story. Our first day in KL we went to KLCC--easily spotted by the Petronas Twin Towers. At their base is an ornate and beautiful shopping mall that doesn't even allow pictures to be taken (shops included Rolex, Prada, etc.). Two of the girls on my trip needed a restroom and entered the nearest one. Although we had been warned that "squaty potties" (holes in the ground) were the norm in this area, they weren't quite prepared for this. The center of the room was carpeted and around the perimeter, without any privacy curtains, there was a trough for relieving yourself...Jamie and Liz decided that they didn't need a bathroom that badly and left. They were able to find a spot with more suitable arrangement a little further on for a small fee. What they had unwittingly supposed to be a bathroom was in reality a prayer room! We're all making little blunders like this along the way, but hopefully learning :P (meal time is especially confusing)
Please keep me in prayer, it is hard work to not just go on vacation mentally.
(Thanks sistas for the notes and especially the verses you sent me--keep 'em coming 'cause I need 'em!)
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Just about ready
Today is Thursday and my flight leaves, God willing, this coming Sunday at 6:20 AM. Am I ready? I'm not sure, but I know that God is able to make all grace abound to me, so that having all sufficiency in all things, at all times, I may abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). So yes, I guess I am ready. Please pray for me, that God would go before me and prepare ways for me to serve, and that He would keep me, body and especially soul, while I am there.
This past week has been full of getting ready to go; I feel like I have done more prep work in this past week than I have throughout the entire summer. God's grace flowing through people around me has been the steam driving the engine up this hill as I prepare to go. A prime example of his grace was a new debit card arriving in the mail today. I opened a new account Monday with Wells Fargo so that I would have an ATM card from a large bank in India. When I first called the bank, they weren't sure if they could get me the card that soon but they put a rush on it anyway hoping that it would come today. I looked through the mail today with the mindset that it would be in there and I'd have it for India or it wouldn't be there and God would work something else out. It wasn't in the mailbox. That's fine, I thought, maybe tomorrow? God kept me from being anxious about it (which I am prone to do) and not two minutes later a UPS truck pulled up with my debit card. I know it's not a huge thing, but it sure was encouraging to me. Please pray that God would continue to strengthen my faith--not so much that everything would work out smoothly for me (I want that too) but more that I would have unshakable faith no matter what comes my way.
Other things to pray for:
-that Christ would get praise for himself through my life
-my group from St. Olaf
-the Indian people I will work with, that I would be a Gospel light for them
-that I would not have bouts of homesickness
-health and strength
-patience
(more to come)
This past week has been full of getting ready to go; I feel like I have done more prep work in this past week than I have throughout the entire summer. God's grace flowing through people around me has been the steam driving the engine up this hill as I prepare to go. A prime example of his grace was a new debit card arriving in the mail today. I opened a new account Monday with Wells Fargo so that I would have an ATM card from a large bank in India. When I first called the bank, they weren't sure if they could get me the card that soon but they put a rush on it anyway hoping that it would come today. I looked through the mail today with the mindset that it would be in there and I'd have it for India or it wouldn't be there and God would work something else out. It wasn't in the mailbox. That's fine, I thought, maybe tomorrow? God kept me from being anxious about it (which I am prone to do) and not two minutes later a UPS truck pulled up with my debit card. I know it's not a huge thing, but it sure was encouraging to me. Please pray that God would continue to strengthen my faith--not so much that everything would work out smoothly for me (I want that too) but more that I would have unshakable faith no matter what comes my way.
Other things to pray for:
-that Christ would get praise for himself through my life
-my group from St. Olaf
-the Indian people I will work with, that I would be a Gospel light for them
-that I would not have bouts of homesickness
-health and strength
-patience
(more to come)
A note before I go
Instead of going back to campus for the first semester of my sophomore year, I am flying half-way around the world to South India with a team of 9 other students from St. Olaf! We will work on biology related projects under the direction of Indian researchers. We will also get to learn about the Indian people, their culture, see their architecture, the landscape, etc.
We will fly out of LA on Malaysian airlines to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and have an extended five-day layover so that our group can get to know each other before we reach India. We will then fly into Chennai (formerly called Madras) and stay there for about 5 weeks. While in Chennai, we will hear different Indian experts talk about India, Indian culture, etc. and learn how to ride the train, shop in the market and other survival skills in India. After that, our group will split up into twos and threes and going to several other sites to complete 2 research projects, both taking about 5 more weeks each.
My first research project will be in Kodaikanal, a town SW of Chennai. Kodaikanal is in the mountains, so the temperature will be considerably cooler than on the plains! Most likely, my project at Kodai will include water quality testing/monitoring. After Kodaikanal, we have a two week travel break--during which I hope to head north to see the Taj Mahal and the Himalayas! Next, I will head to Kuppam for my second project at RUHSA. RUHSA is a rural hospital that began as an offshoot of the Christian Medical College in Vellore.
All of the above is very exciting, but it doesn't explain the more exciting reason of why I even want to go to India in the first place. I believe that God is calling me to go make disciples (=followers) of Christ in the nations (not just home) and that my time in India will be used to prepare me for that purpose. I believe God will use my time in India to further open my eyes to see the needs of people of everywhere and increase in my heart a love for Christ that will in turn move me to pour out my life for them. When asked what the great commandment was, Jesus said you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. The second was that you love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-38). Please pray that God would make these loves evident in my life--no matter where I am.
The most loving (=best) thing I can do for anyone is to pray that they would love Christ and share Christ with them. In saying that, I feel that I have been a very selfish person. I have not always loved my friends the way I should have. Its so much easier to leave Christ out of the picture when you try to comfort a friend who doesn't love Christ. It is easier to shy away from weighty matters like what you believe because it is uncomfortable. Doing nice things for someone or encouraging them without giving them Jesus is not loving on my part. Friends, if I have done that to you, I am sorry and I ask that you would forgive me--even if you don't think it is something worth asking for forgiveness. :)
It is so hard to resist the urge to blend in and put on a mask, God help me resist that urge.
On this blog I plan to let you all know what I am doing in India and some of the thoughts that go through my head while I'm there. Sometimes the posts will tell about what God is teaching me at different stages, and other times they will more informational about the places or people I am visiting. Sometimes short and sometimes long. Regardless, I hope that you are encouraged by what you read.
We will fly out of LA on Malaysian airlines to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and have an extended five-day layover so that our group can get to know each other before we reach India. We will then fly into Chennai (formerly called Madras) and stay there for about 5 weeks. While in Chennai, we will hear different Indian experts talk about India, Indian culture, etc. and learn how to ride the train, shop in the market and other survival skills in India. After that, our group will split up into twos and threes and going to several other sites to complete 2 research projects, both taking about 5 more weeks each.
My first research project will be in Kodaikanal, a town SW of Chennai. Kodaikanal is in the mountains, so the temperature will be considerably cooler than on the plains! Most likely, my project at Kodai will include water quality testing/monitoring. After Kodaikanal, we have a two week travel break--during which I hope to head north to see the Taj Mahal and the Himalayas! Next, I will head to Kuppam for my second project at RUHSA. RUHSA is a rural hospital that began as an offshoot of the Christian Medical College in Vellore.
All of the above is very exciting, but it doesn't explain the more exciting reason of why I even want to go to India in the first place. I believe that God is calling me to go make disciples (=followers) of Christ in the nations (not just home) and that my time in India will be used to prepare me for that purpose. I believe God will use my time in India to further open my eyes to see the needs of people of everywhere and increase in my heart a love for Christ that will in turn move me to pour out my life for them. When asked what the great commandment was, Jesus said you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. The second was that you love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-38). Please pray that God would make these loves evident in my life--no matter where I am.
The most loving (=best) thing I can do for anyone is to pray that they would love Christ and share Christ with them. In saying that, I feel that I have been a very selfish person. I have not always loved my friends the way I should have. Its so much easier to leave Christ out of the picture when you try to comfort a friend who doesn't love Christ. It is easier to shy away from weighty matters like what you believe because it is uncomfortable. Doing nice things for someone or encouraging them without giving them Jesus is not loving on my part. Friends, if I have done that to you, I am sorry and I ask that you would forgive me--even if you don't think it is something worth asking for forgiveness. :)
It is so hard to resist the urge to blend in and put on a mask, God help me resist that urge.
On this blog I plan to let you all know what I am doing in India and some of the thoughts that go through my head while I'm there. Sometimes the posts will tell about what God is teaching me at different stages, and other times they will more informational about the places or people I am visiting. Sometimes short and sometimes long. Regardless, I hope that you are encouraged by what you read.
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