India-2011

Happy Thanksgiving,  Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to all!   It feels like it's been so long since i've written, so i'll try to remember some of the stuff that's gone on since then, by using the fine art of bullet points.

•  The curriculum is about done, with the knowledge that it is a working curriculum. This means it'll be tested out at a few churches in the States, then we'll make necessary changes to it again.  But the main gist is done!  Woot!
•  I haven't really "preached" yet, barring a couple of testimonies.  But these next two weeks it may actually happen, especially with the working curriculum being done.  
• I was Santa Claus at the school for Christmas.  
• I had thanksgiving with REAL Indians
• Things haven't gone as planned, at all  You never will be able to get all your ducks in a row here, but i'm learning to adapt.  
• Bollywood movies are fun.
• Time is weird here.  I'm not sure if I've been in India for two weeks or two years.  
• Because of Christmas break, I haven't seen the kids in three weeks, and there's only two weeks left until I leave.  
• I like those kids.  All of them.  
• Indian food has grown on me.  
• I think I have a mullet
• God sides with the poor.  He defends those who are helpless.  So I will do what I can to reflect Him in this for the rest of my life.  

I hope bullet points helped, because there's so many different feelings within me, so many happenings going on outside of me that it's hard to put in words right now.  I feel like I won't be able to process all of it until I come back.  Until I come back, though,  pray that God gives me the courage and the determination to follow the things I feel passionate about doing here-namely, investing in the relationships I have with the Indian people here and speaking God's word to the churches here in India.  I can't wait to come back and talk to a lot of you guys.  I miss your faces!

Adios,

Garrett

Aap kaise hain?  Mai achcha hoon.  Mai admi hoon.
(How are you?  I am good.  I am a man)

That's the extent of my Hindi, so far.

Sometimes, when I don't understand the Indian's English, and they don't understand my Hindi, I just speak Spanish.  

And that actually usually solves everything.

Just kidding.

So I have had a bit of homesickness this week, being that i was, well, sick.  The crazy pollution + too much sugar one night = a mild cold that turned into a hacking cough.  But i'm alive, and all better!  And overall, i'm really loving it here.  What we're doing with the curriculum and the slum school really excites me.  The people i'm working with, too, are all really great people.  I'm learning so much about life from conversations i've had with them.  The kids, too, are nothing short of precious.  All of them.  The local pastors here too have showed me nothing but kindness, and delicious Indian home cooking!  It'll be nice, though, to have some of mom's spaghetti when I return.  

And see blue skies again. 

As far as what is upcoming, i'm hoping to finish the curriculum by early December, so we can actually use the curriculum to preach at the churches here in Delhi.  Like some Christians in America, a portion of the more wealthy Christians here tend to overlook the plight of the oppressed.  In addition to that, the general culture here, fueled by Hindu religion's belief in reincarnation, sees status as something you've earned from another life.  The malnourished child, the street beggar, or the child forced into prostitution deserves to be where they're at because they were bad in their previous life.  Christianity here doesn't preach that, and the majority of Christians here are more aware of the plight of the poor,  but sometimes the worldview of the general culture leaks into the church. 

Like in Germany during the Nazi regime, when all but Dietrich Bonhoeffer and a small band of Christian separatists, pledged their loyalty to the Nazi party and the eradication of the Jewish race.

Or in America, in the 1800's when Southern preachers would distort the Bible to say that slavery is Biblical and should not be abolished.

Or in America today....you can fill in the blank.

I'll start with two, though...

"Some of us reduce love to tolerance"

"Some of us think that the only successful way of Christianity is one that depends on how big your church is, or how well your "worship band" performs. "  

I just wen't on a tangent.

Basically, me and another intern want to preach to the rich here who i'm told are are unaware or unconcerned with God's idea of justice, then challenge them to go and help bring God's justice to those very people in their backyard who are in poverty and vulnerable to exploitation.  

And i'll probably use the book of Amos in at least one of the sermons!

If you haven't read that book lately, I encourage you to do so now.  It will challenge you.

Goodnight everyone, or should I say, good morning?  (It's a 13 hour time difference)

Sleep awaits 

Delhi Update!

Namaste!

It's already been over a month since i've been gone!  Woweee!

It seems like nothing has happened and a lot at the same time.

1.) Nothing has happened in the sense that it is holiday season in India, and when it's holiday no one goes to school, and when no one goes to school we can't see the kids.  There have been a few times that i've been able to help out at the school, and even teach, but not enough to where I feel like i'm able to make relationships yet.  It's a little frustrating, but the major holidays are coming to an end.  And it really feels like the ball is starting to roll, then once it does, it will only accelerate from there.
2.) A lot has happened, in that my Christian worldview has been completely rocked.  In America we often times we go to church, have our daily devotionals to spend time with God, develop friendships, mostly with other Christians, but sometimes with those who don't know Christ.  When it comes to helping those in poverty, we may volunteer at a soup kitchen, or on holidays give them a turkey and a care package.  A lot of these so far are good, and things that Christians must do.

But Christians here in Delhi are the only hope that so many of these people have,  not just for eternal life, but to be able to eat, have an education, and be rescued from oppressors waiting for the prime opportunity to exploit them.

When it comes to taking care of the practical needs of people, the American church tends to get lazy and leave things to the state.  The welfare system will take care of the poor, the foster care system will take care of the orphan, and social security will take care of the widow.  These systems in put in place can be very good, and this is in no way a call to revoke them, but I believe the church has used these systems as an excuse to not get down in the trenches.  Christ took us out of our broken relationship with the Father and made us a new creation, restoring our brokenness.  Similarly, we are called to go down to the fringes of society; the lowest end of the totem pole, and lead them away from the broken relationships that have only lead to their abuse and exploitation, and replace them with a reflection of how Christ relates to us.

The state can give people money, but it can't rescue us from our true poverty, our relationships that were broken with each other and with God when we made that infamous decision at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Remember what happened when Adam and Eve first sinned?  We hid from each other, then hid from God himself.  But in the New Testament, God gives us His Church, the Body of Christ, the ministry of reconciliation.  Reconciliation is more than forgiveness.  It's restoring those relationships with our fellow man and with God we lost in the fall.  So let's do more than evangelize the world, let us, as the church, be a vehicle for transformation!

A short update

Namaste!

To all my friends and family, i'm doing really well, but usually too busy to blog.

But here I am!  Blogging away as we speak....

So life here is exciting, to say the least. Another intern and I are teaching at one of the slum schools here twice a week.  The first week has been challenging, considering none of them really don't know English and I am still trying to pick up the basics of the Hindi language, but we'll "make it happen."  After all, love can be hard work sometimes, right?
Three days a week we're still writing the syllabus, which is actually turning out to be more like a book.  But the subject matter (poverty) requires a lot of thinking, both conceptually and practically.  Hopefully the youth pastors and kids who read this will catch on to what we're trying to tell them, and run with it!
Other than that i'm doing various things:  driving around town, visiting the markets, experiencing India!
 Oh! And Sunday i'll be giving my testimony in church!
By the way, my skype name is garrettthebrown if you want to chat.

The bed is calling my name, everyone.

Goodnight!

India! Post II

Namaste!  ("Greetings" in the Hindi language, kind of like "Aloha" or "Shalom").  It's been over a week since I boarded a plane to Delhi.  Oh how time flies!  Anyways, it feels like I've been everywhere this week, not necessarily ministering to people, yet, but just checking things out: learning culture and language.  One thing I have learned is that driving here is crazy!  In this culture, there are no such things as lines.  If you want something, you gotta fight and claw you're way in.  Well, this thought process applied to the road is just insane!  I'll have to show you all a video clip sometime soon.
          In regards to what me, Mike, Janna, and Bethany have been doing,  it's been just being part of the culture, whether it be going to the slums, walking the ritziest of malls, going to the market, going to a Hindi-speaking/Talmut-speaking A.G. church, eating at homes of some Indian Christians here, inviting them to ours, among other things.
          What we've been focusing on mainly,  though, is developing a 5 week program that will bring awareness of poverty to youth groups back in the U.S.  What we have so far are just ideas and a basic outline, but I think our finished product has the potential to absolutely rock the worlds of the kids in the U.S.  I believe this program is going to do more than make some kids get goosebumps and teary-eyed; it will completely change their lives.  So if you so desire, pray that we gain wisdom in exactly how to structure this project, and that we do it efficiently so we have more time to love on (and be loved by) the kids in the slum schools.

Namaste

Garrett

India: Day 1

Reality struck really hard today, my first full day of being here.  I was walking around one of the markets, in Delhi when a little boy, not more than 6 years old came begging for money.  I could have given him some change, but since he was, as most child beggars here are, slave workers, all of my "charity" would have ultimately gone towards the mafia.  By giving him food I could maybe fill his stomach, but it doesn't take him further away from his dire situation.  By tring to heroically swoop him out of the streets and into our family care system, the mafia would just steal him right back, and possibly harm lives that would not have otherwise been touched.  Maybe the police would help if this was America, but in India law enforcement often have ties with the mafia.  So what we have here is a hopeless situation for this boy.  It's a flawlessly evil system that no human can wage against.
           But we have hope, and victory in Christ's name.  Here's why:  Eph. 1:19-23:  ¹⁹ I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power ²⁰ that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. ²¹ Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. ²² God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.
           And the letter continues: Eph. 6:10-12 Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
          Above the power of the demonic, and I mean demonic system that lies behind these people who enslave, abuse,  and even prostitute children is the power of the risen Christ, who has given the church His authority.  So by the authority of the mighty power that raised Christ, we have hope for this child.  I don't know exactly how, yet, on my first day here.  But I know He reigns.  So, Father, release this little child from the hands of his captors.  May he end up falling right into Your grace.  Give me and my team wisdom to not only find ways to save these children, but to help disarm the evil powers of this world.  We are given the keys to the Kingdom, and with the full armor of God we are called as a church to face the enemy head on.  So let's do it!