India, Days 1-4

Hello from India! It's hard to believe that it's been more than four days since I left Salem to travel here -- and I wanted to share a quick update on what I've been up to. I've written at length here about what this trip is all about -- if you're interested in the big picture. But here are a few snapshots and snippets of these first few days.

First: The trip. I enjoy airline travel, for the most part. Seeing different airports, different countries, and trying out different airplanes. My trip from Salem started at 2:30 when I woke up to catch the hut shuttle from Salem, to Portland, and then a 7:40 flight to San Francisco, (delayed about an hour) and then an 11:30 flight from San Francisco, to Delhi. The departure gate (left) at San Francisco already begins to capture the theme of Indian culture.  This flight was aboard a Boeing 777 -- a plane I've not yet flown so I was excited to cross it off my airplane bucket list.  Here it is at the gate in San Francisco: 

The plane was mostly comfortable -- as much as you might expect for 16 hours in the air. The flight took us north over Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, the Arctic Circle, and then east, north of  Greenland, crossing over to Russia, and then south over Pakistan, Krygistan, and some other "-stan" countries that I don't remember. The entertainment center provided a reasonable set of options for movies and TV shows.

Here are a few other pictures of the plane, including the entertainment center, the main cabin, the business-class cabin, and the exit sign in both English and Hindi.

Depending on how you look at it, the food on an airplane can be the best or worst part about flying. I usually on't mind it so much -- especially when flying a foreign carrier. Granted, it's not a Michelin-star dining experience, but it beats getting nothing. Usually the food reflects the carrier's nation, so you get to sample the cuisine even before you arrive. In my case, it was (in addition to the usual salads, and bread), chicken curry, lamb and couscous, with rice pudding, and a fruit custard for dessert. 

 My first full day after arriving in India included a trip to a small city about 3 hours south of where I'm "based" in Vijayawada. Highway travel in India is an adventure -- and I'm glad I wasn't driving. My friend  and hostJoseph was an excellent chauffeur, navigaing us around everything from semi-trucks, to bicycles, to "Tuk-Tuk's" (motorized rickshaws), to pedestrians. On a highway.  It seems chaotic, but there is quite clearly a method to what's going on. We spent the night in Kavali -- and here are a couple of pictures of what I saw along the way:



Who wouldn't want to try out a restaurant with a name like Sweet Magic? So we did, for breakfast.  This (right) is a Dosa - a sort of crepe with a filling that included various vegetables. Tasty.

Street scenes in Vijayawada, a city of about 2 million people.

While staying at my host's home, these two came over for a visit with their mother.

This was dinner -- absolutely delicious. Naan bread -- served with a variety of sauces and meats. In America, we spend years teaching our children not to eat with their hands, but to use their forks and spoons. In India, everyone eats with their hands. Everything. The naan becomes the way you "mop" up the food on your plate.

And here I am sampling some coconut water, fresh from the coconut. It was...different. I'm told it's very good for you, however.

Church followed on Sunday, and I had the opportunity both to preach, and to assist in the dedication of a new cooking facility that will be used by the church for their monthly potlucks. It was quite an honor -- they presented me with a wreath of flowers to wear, as well as a traditional Indian garment, which I was able to keep. I was asked to pray for the building, and then to cut the ribbon, officially opening it up. 

Afterwards, I was able to preach. Here's a picture of the church service -- sorry, none of me preaching, as that would have been hard to photograph!

And finally, a visit to a now-closed seminary that has trained, probably hundreds (thousands?) of pastors in a century and a half. This seminary was started by British Missionaries who were in India in the 1800's during the colonial period. They also began sharing the gospel, and a seminary was founded by the Baptist Mission. The facility included classrooms (of course), a chapel, dorm rooms, married-student housing, and offices and administration buildings. My host's father trained here (he is the pastor standing next to me in the photo above) years ago, and my host has many memories of living on the grounds of the seminary while his father was a student. Sadly, the seminary has closed, and the grounds are now largely abandoned. No doubt, however, that God used these facilities in many ways over the century-and-a-half it was operating.

That's mostly it for now! I'll try to include a few more updates in the next couple of days. Our teaching begins tomorrow (Tuesday) and so I'll be eager to share some of those pictures and stories as well.