A brief travelogue. Photos to follow.
March 3
Awaken in Delhi to blue skies and sunshine – in mood and in weather. First breakfast was a delight – pura (a deep fried bread that tastes just like rollkuchen!), a potato and green pea curry, eggs and coffee.
Our driver took me for a brief walk around the hotel and I caught a glimpse of the real city – workers heading to their jobs, people sweeping the dusty streets, dogs everywhere and lineups at the chai seller’s stand.
We travelled on to Bagdogra and en route could see the snowy caps of the Himalayas – breathtaking!
Arriving at Bagdogra we met our Indian host, Shakti, and had lunch in the airport restaurant. Interestingly the commercial airport is situated above an Indian air force base. Apparently this is a secret?!?
Then we began our very long drive to Alipurduar. The ride was at times harrowing and never dull. Saw monkeys. Drove through forests and jungle and on twisty hillside roads. Remarkably only saw one accident in 5 hours. Arrived safely at The Dooars Mountain hotel, our home for the next 7 nights.
March 4
Slept poorly due to relentless barking. Took a walk after breakfast down the still quiet streets of Alipurduar. People were just rousing themselves. It seemed everyone was standing at their threshold and brushing teeth!
Attended church service in Lathabari, at the church built with help from our 2010 team and funds from our church. It was a lovely service and we were treated as honoured guests. The service was a rather long 3hours with singing dancing communion and more!
Afterwards we were served lunch of fish and rice and vegetables, all cooked over an open fire.
Next stop was the church at Sumulktala where our first conference will take place. They welcomed us with a drum beat and song and parade and then a welcoming service of singing and introductions and flowers and scarves.
March 5
Conference day 1: I was first on the agenda with my lesson on the story of Sarah and Abraham and living with hope. I wove in my own story of living with and without hope as we waited for a healthy child and as a result was fully spent by the time I was done.
More than 125 women are registered and many have their children with them so the conference site is a lively and noisy and colorful place. I spent the afternoon just relaxing and taking it all in.
We had dinner at Shakti’s house and feasted on traditional Bengali foods prepared by his wife. It was a fun evening and very special to be in a local home.
March 6
Conference day 2 and I’m teaching just after lunch on the story of Mary and Martha and the importance for women especially to take time to “sit at the feet of Jesus” to gain energy and strength for all the work we must do.
The weather is hot and dry. Inside the conference tent this morning the temperature was 38! There is alight breeze though and that makes it mostly comfortable.
Have not thus far experienced any significant culture shock. It reminds me very much of Morocco and Mexico. Only the sounds are completely unique – the barking and yelping dogs and a multitude of horns honking.
March 7
Conference day 3 and I am just along for the ride today. It’s a day of listening and playing with the kids and taking pictures. After lunch (the usual rice, dal, fish Bengali style and fruit) we had a joyful time with the women. We had them demonstrate and teach us some of their ethnic dances. It was such an amazing experience to join hands and arms in a circle dance accompanied only by their voices.
Afterward we distributed the small gifts of toiletries collected and prepared by the women of our church. Then a time of shared prayer requests and group prayers. These people pray out loud individually and simultaneously. It’s something to behold and one cannot help but be affected by their fervor and passion. Their requests were for such things as relief from pain, healing of illness, success for children taking exams, safe delivery of babies, spiritual health of Hindu family members and more. It was impossible to hear these and not marvel that none requested any material thing though they were mostly very poor.
This afternoon I fell deeply in love with this place and these people. I felt a passion for them that at once filled me and drained me. My defenses were shattered.
The day closed with an emotional closing service and we reluctantly said goodbye to these wonderful people.
March 8
Today we went on the road, heading first to Jaigon to visit the Grace Ashram orphanage. We were met there by the passionate Matthew family who are currently caring for approx. 40 orphans. It was an amazing place and we were all impressed by the level and quality of care provided to these children. Some are true orphans; others have parents who cannot provide for them. Though their stories are sad it’s impossible to go there and not feel hopeful for them. They are clearly loved and well nourished and educated.
Next stop was a little church started by two young women who have built up a congregation of some 50 people as a direct result of their dedicated work among the children of the area. The pastor, Anita has something of a gift for healing and local Hindus are turning to Christian faith as a result. Quite amazing! We left school supplies collected by our church to help them in their ongoing children’s programming.
Third stop was another orphanage where we had tea and chatted briefly. It was an amazing day again!
March 9
Today is the holiday Holi which is a festival of colour. Hindus splash one another with colored powder. Pink and purple seemed most common but we also saw green and blue. Pictures don’t do it justice!
We went out to a small rural church located on a tea estate where the estate has been closed down for 5 months. As a result the people there are without work or incomes. We distributed mosquito nets to every family in the church and then spent some time with them in song and dance in the courtyard of the church. Several of these people had been at the Sumulktala conference and it was so good to see them again!
March 10
Time to set out from Alipurduar and head to Jalpaigiri. We travelled by train – 2nd class rush seating. We boarded early and were all able to sit together but the car soon beck quite crowded.
It was just a 2 hour trip but quite fun and much more relaxing than traveling by road.
We had dinner at the home of Pastor Biplap after a brief shopping trip to the local markets.
March 11
We attended Biplap’s church in the morning. Another long and meaningful service. It was followed by a brief visit to the site of a home being built by a woman in the church who lost her husband in the recent earthquake in Sikkim. She asked that we come to say a prayer of blessing for the new home.
Afterwards we had lunch at our hotel and then packed up for a long drive to Siliguri for the next conference.
We arrived at the Him Corse Bhaven conference centre in late afternoon. Today was the first time I wasn’t feeling particularly well but fortunately that didn’t last too long!
March 12
Conference 2 Day 1: again I opened the conference. The session was really well received and really seemed to warm up the approximately 100 women attending. I heard from some that they had no idea women in Canada lost babies at birth; they believed this was only a problem of Indian women.
The rest of my day was peaceful. The grounds at the centre are so lovely and peaceful and remind me of a monastery.
After the sessions were complete our team of 6 crammed into a wee small taxi/van and headed to a local mall. It was a surreal experience after the more basic places we have found ourselves in. This could have been a mall in any Canadian city. We shopped with great enthusiasm – purchasing gifts and Indian goods for ourselves. We stopped to snack at a tea shop and found ourselves seated beside the captain of India’s football team. Which meant that for a change our mostly fair skinned group went largely unnoticed!
March 13
Today was our first rainy cool day. I most be fully acclimatized as I think I felt as cold as the locals!
I presented just after lunch. Again it seemed to go smoothly and was well received.
After dinner we joined the conference attendees in their version of India’s Got Talent! Or something like that. It was an entertaining evening of song, dance and humor. Many laughs were shared, and were especially raucous when Steve Hiltz (of Lunenberg NS)played his “bagpipes.”
March 14
Conference day 3. Today we wrapped up again.
I was invited to join the women in their dorm for awhile. It was a warm cozy and colorful place filled with laughter. Many pictures were taken as everyone crowded around me.
In the afternoon we again distributed gifts from our home church for all the women and then spent some time sharing song and more dance. They had quite a good time getting us to follow along with any crazy dances they came up with! It was truly a hoot and will be an afternoon I’ll not soon forget.
This evening we closed the conference with another service. More singing more thank yous, more tears and sorrowful goodbyes. It’s incredible how such strong bonds can be forged in just a few days. It was genuinely hard to say goodbye.
Afterwards we had dinner, packed our bags and prepared for the beginning of our journey home.
Tomorrow we fly back to Delhi for some 36 hours and then it’s on toward home.
This has been an incredible journey on the Indian road, full of twists and turns and pleasant stops along the way. I’m sad it’s coming to an end though delighted I will soon be home again with my family. I miss them so very much.
A few months ago I bought this lovely book of poems by Wendell Berry. I’ve been slowly working my way through it, and last night, stayed up much too late reading aloud to myself. This one caught my attention as I’d just encountered it for the first time earlier in the week in a
Looking for a Fine Balance 