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I wanted to write to you briefly about village life in India.  We have made several trips to the village since I have been here, and the experience is remarkably different from what you would experience in the city.  People are very friendly and hospitable.  They always want to give you what they have regardless of the fact that they don't have much.  One of the problems I face in the village if I visit several people's homes is that I don't have enough room in my stomach to eat all they want to serve me.  Their food is always so good.  In the village, most people are farmers so they have places for their livestock to stay.  Many times the livestock live in very close proximity to the homes.  Life is quiet and peaceful.  It is very simple without all of the hustle and bustle.  It is a great place to practice language because people continue to make the effort to speak to you.  You don't feel like you are an outsider even if there is a language barrier because people treat you as part of their family.  In fact, if they know you through a friend, they will often call you brother, or the children will call you uncle.  It's a very warm environment.  Most homes only consist of one bedroom where the parents and children sleep together.  They will often have lots of room outside for guests to sit.  If people are well off, they will have more than one room in their house.  Sometimes it is very difficult to drive out in the village because the roads are so narrow.  Oftentimes you will be overtaken by tractors or big trucks.  When the rain comes, the roads flood alot and the ground is often very muddy.  It is a very simple life, and it helps remind how simple life can be.  We distract ourselves with sin and complicate things, but really the Father just demands for us simple obedience.  People of humble means can easily understand this.  They are willing to give their all to Him!

Currently Reading The Pursuit of God with Study Guide By A. W. Tozer see related

This past week our language helpers were out of town visiting family so we had some free time.  We decided that we would take a trip to Delhi to visit friends and fill in the time.  I had visited Delhi when I first came to India, but since I was in training, I did not get much opportunity to see a lot of the city.  It was a refreshing weekend of seeing friends and learning more about India culture. 

The first site that we saw was the India Gate, which is located in the middle of the city and was built to commerate India soldiers who have died in various wars.  The India Gate is situated on the Raj Path which leads to parliment and the presidential palace. 

One thing that really hit me in Delhi is the diversity of religions that are represented in India.  We visited many differnet holy sites from different kinds of religions.

We visited Hamuyan's Tomb, which is the tomb of many Muslims built during the Mughal rule in Indian, and it has become a holy site for Muslims.

Another holy Muslim site is the Jama Masjid, which is the largest mosque in India.  It is busy with vendors all around and is normal very crowded. 

Another major religious influence is Hinduism.  The Hindu religion is said to have 300 million gods, and the majority of the people in India are Hindu.  This particular temple is of a sect of Hinduism known as Hare Krishna.

Another influence in Delhi is Sikhism.  I already visited the largest Gudwara (Sikh temple) in Delhi, but here is another picture of a Sikh temple. 

Another religious influence is Jainism.  The Jains are very interesting.  It is an offshot of Hinduism.  They believe in extreme non-violence to the point that they will not even eat any vegetable that has been uprooted.  If women want to reach Nirvana in Jainism they must lose all their hair and devote their lives to live in the temple as a nun.  The men monks believe that in order to obtain salvation, you must shed away all worldly things including clothes.

Another temple that is a popular tourist destination in Delhi is the Baha'i temple.  Perhaps it is because of it's magnificient structure.  It is known as the Lotus Temple.  Baha'i religion was started by a prophet named Bab, and he declared that all religions led to the same God.  He was heavily persecuted, so his teaching was kept underground until Baha Ullah, spread this teaching throughout the Middle East.  There are apparently 5.5 million Baha'i followers worldwide.

There is a Christian population in India, but it is very small.  Churches can found out in the villages, and a few in the big cities, but they are not very prevalent. 

India's diversity of religions show that everyone here is seeking for truth, and many people are finding it in different ways.  May we ask the Father to reveal himself to them so that they can see the truth.

Currently Reading Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows By Ravi Zacharias, R. S. B. Sawyer see related

 I have been in India for a whole month.  It has been quite the adventure.  How can I accurately describe India?  It is a world so different than ours.  It is one of the most diverse places I have ever been to.  You have either rich or poor, Hindu, Sikh or Muslim,  beggar or businessman, which god to follow, wait everything is the same, but wait it's all different.  Now you can see my difficultly in describing India to you.  It is a land of polar opposites. 

Traffic is jam packed, and you can always fit another car in the lane.  Open markets are everywhere, and there are as many vendors as there are products to sell.  People follow foreigners around desperately trying to sell us something.  Beggars come up to our vehicles at the stop lights, markets, and train stations holding their hands in front of their mouths as they were starving.  I have been informed that most beggars are not starving, but they for someone who feeds them in return for all their profits.  Nevertheless, it is hard to know what to do when a small child who looks like he hasn't taken a bath in months comes tugging at your arm.  I feel helpless when I know that anything I give them won't go to them.  I have driven by towns that look like they are built on trash heaps.  People rummage around in the garbage looking for their next meal.  Yet cows here are very healthy and their culture and religion doesn't allow them to eat cows.  I am so overwhelmed sometimes that I don't know what to do.  As Ravi Zacharias said, "India is both bad news and good news.  The good news is that it reminds me of the reality of life and suffering, but the bad news is that I can become easily calloused."

Then there is the other side of India.  In Chandigarh, where I live, there are nice markets, beautiful houses and gardens, wealthy people dressed in nice attire, shops with expensive name brand clothes, and the list goes on.  This side of India reveals the prosperity that much of the people in the West enjoy.  It is very plain to see that India is changing and developing day by day, but whatever side of India I come in contact with, I must remember that Christ loves all people, rich and poor, and he died for all of them.  It is my task as a follower of Him to have compassion and share his love.  Ask the Father that I would be filled with compassion in order to share his love with the precious people I come into contact with every day. 

Worshippers outside the Golden Temple

Golden Temple, the Sikh's holy place

Beautiful Rock Garden

Cute kid who kept playing with my camera

 Just wanted to share with everyone briefly about a community trip that we recently took in Delhi.  It was a good time to go out into the city and learn more about the people.  We have been doing a lot of training which has taken up most of our day, so we have not really been able to experience India much, but now we were given that opportunity.  We visited a gurudwara which is a Sikh place of worship.  It was a very interesting experience.  Many people come and go and give alms in a huge alms bucket and four men are singing songs in honor of their gurus.  Everyone in the temple had to cover their head and remove their shoes, also their was a place where people could get meals.  There was a pool beside the temple where people go and purify themselves.  After we visited this temple we went to the park and shared with some people.  We were most bombarded by people who wanted to clean out our ears.  They even had testimonials written down of other Americans who really appreciated their earcleaning service.  It was quite an experience and was very distracting when we were trying to share, but it is what happens when you are in a tourist area of town.  Well that's a little glimpse of my experience.  I am really looking forward to moving to Chandigarh on Tuesday.  It is supposed to be one of the nicest cities in India, so we'll see. 

Bangla Sahib Gurudwara