Mungeli

I slept my first afternoon in Mungeli. I didn't get much sleep on the overnight train (thank you creepy staring guy!), so I crashed as soon as I arrived at the Henrys'. Anil was returning from a court case deposition in Delhi, so Terry and I had a late dinner around 10 pm (turns out that 10 pm is quite early for dinner in the Henry household. Several nights we sat down for dinner at midnight).

It became clear the following morning that my cough was more than my lungs purging Kolkata's pollution... I was sick... again! I stared an antibiotic straight away. I REFUSED to spend my last week in India ill!

I went to morning prayers (in Hindi) and noticed that the men and women were sitting in different sides of the chapel (apparently that's how it's done in that region of the country... Alexander Campbell would be so proud!). After prayers, I took a tour of the hospital with Anil. I went into the ICU, the recovery ward, the women's ward, and the private rooms. I essentially followed Anil on his morning rounds and he explained all the cases to me. The thing about this hospital is that hardly anyone comes to the proper doctor unless it's dire (as the local medicine 'quacks', as Anil lovingly calls them, are the first, yet usually insufficient, treatment choice). Many of the cases could have been an easy five day antibiotic treatment, but rather, is now at the stage where a major surgery is the only option. There are also cases like the couple, who are currently healing in the hospital. They got into a fight, so the wife doused herself in kerosene and set herself on fire over the same of the argument. At some point, the husband decided to help and also got severely burned. There are certain cultural practices, whether it be superstitious magic medicine or extreme acts of martyrdom or anything in between that make proper medical practice in this place very difficult at times. People respect the doctors, that is abundantly clear, but it is often only when their loved-one is near death that the respect motivates action.

Also, entire families stay with the ill in the hospital. The looks of concern on their faces is heartbreaking. Especially now, during the harvesting season, it is a great sacrifice to leave back-breaking and meagerly paying jobs to stay at the bedside of a loved-one. Faces, prematurely aged by poverty, are etched with deep creases and tired expressions. Now their eyes are also filled with concern as well as exhaustion. This is not a full service hospital like in the States. Nurses are not available to bathe you or bring you water. A cooking staff does not prepare a tray of food to be delivered to your bed. It is necessary that a family member remain to give a patient basic care. There is no such thing as visiting hours' here.

After rounds, I headed to the CNI school that is run by the hospital. The principal gave me a tour and the children were incredible! Every time I walked into a room, they all stood and said, 'Hello Ma'am' or 'Good morning Ma'am'. The following day was Independence Day and they were all preparing for a special show (I returned for the actual performance the following day and was the 'guest of honor'). I watched practice and snapped a few photos before heading back to the hospital.

I napped much of the afternoon (stupid cough!) and accepted Anil's offer to stand in on a surgery in the OT. I watched a hysterectomy that afternoon and three more surgeries the following day. The surgeons were always very good about calling me over to see exactly what they were doing and why ('See the tear in his stomach here? We are stitching it up.' or 'Notice the fluid around the kidney? We've got to stop the oozing.'). They also included me in the pre-examinations ('see this blotch here on the sonogram? She is probably in the late stages of cancer. We'll take a biopsy to be sure.')

I have zero desire to become a surgeon, but I was fairly surprised that I only had to leave the room once during my entire four days at the hospital. I really am more capable than I thought!

There are three young doctors here as well: 2 surgeons and a dentist. The dentist is 24 and was very excited to hear that I was his age (the other two are in their late twenties, so he feels like a baby in comparison). Every night I was there, the younger doctors came over to the Henrys' to watch movies, eat dinner and hang out. We all had such a blast, and by the end of it I was beginning to get some of the medical jokes they told!

I wish I could have stayed longer -- as it was, I extended my stay by an extra day -- but I had to head to Delhi as I'm leaving in three days. Thing's didn't work out to meet up with Julien and Youssef (they went AWOL in Nepal for a few weeks), but I want to see the Taj Mahal before leaving India and it's near Delhi. I booked a stupid-expensive hotel for the last four nights. Its near some really cool Delhi sites, so I will be able to keep myself entertained. Right... not Mungeli...

It was interesting while in Mungeli. Anil laughed a lot at my fondness for Kolkata, because everyone from the country finds it over crowded and generally disgusting with pollution and waste; however, those who live in the city love it. I am one of them! I welcomed the trip to the countryside -- they are doing incredible work in Mungeli (Global Ministries should be honored to have a connection with Anil and Teresa Henry) -- but my heart is in the City of Joy. I adore Kolkata (as you all know by now). I cannot believe that I am gone from Kolkata and will leave India on Friday. I am not ready for that. I am certain that saying goodbye to my life in Kolkata was the most difficult part of this process, but I am no sure that it has actually registered that I am going to be in the States on Saturday... I am soooo not ready for that!

Some Thoughts on Christianity in N. India

It seems as though ecumenism in India (Northern India in particular) is rooted in a necessity, more than simply a theological ideal. I have already discussed in various posts the extreme religiosity that permeates the Indian culture, and in a country where Christianity is such an extreme religious minority, those who profess a faith based in the Gospel of Jesus Christ must come together rather than remain disconnected due to denominational boundaries. I do not intend to make the claim that a theology of Christian unity does not play a significant role in the identity of Indian Christians, however. The ecumenical ideal is as vibrant as the women's sarees here, and many of the leaders in the North Indian unity movement were Indians, rather than their Western counterparts.

T.K. Thomas spent much of his career working in the Geneva offices of the World Council of Churches and was considered one of the finest advocates of the world Christian unity movement. His numerous writings championed the most cutting edge ideas of ecumenical theology (particularly in India). "The Christian ideal, then, has nothing exclusive about it," Thomas writes. "It invites people of all religious persuasions and people of no religious persuasion to work together for human development", largely because Christianity recognizes its Christ as the fullest embodiment of authentic humanity. Still, according to Thomas, such emptying and blurring of any religious identity is a necessity of the Christian faith. "We cannot follow the Christ who emptied himself without emptying ourselves of all things -- including our identities."

Furthermore, Thomas was a leading name in cause of inclusive language and women's rights in the Indian Church. In a country of extreme class-ism, caste-ism, and sexism, he argued that it was simply inappropriate to discriminate against 'the least of these' (in this case, women) in words and deeds if we are to hold Jesus's Gospel message true. God is ever present and aware of all that occurs. God is everywhere and all things. Thus, "everything must of course include woman, but she is not seen, she is, for the most part, excluded." As a result, women (who make up the majority of practicing Christians in India) are followers of the male monopolized God. In the current Indian culture, such claims are quite revolutionary, but so is our Christian faith, he argued. Christ came to give good news to the oppressed, thus requiring the Church, both male and female, to become more "daringly eclectic" with our language for God.

Still, nothing about such claims are simple in a society where one's location in the cultural hierarchy makes all the difference. Many of the Hindus that I have met talk to me about their appreciation for the man Jesus of Nazareth. They recognize the value in his teachings of love and care for others, and they even speak of him as a respected Guru. Christians are esteemed for their work with the poor and the excellent private education that they provide India. Still, Christianity has a message that is not particularly appealing to those in the higher echelons of Indian society, as it advocates for a breaking down of exclusionary social and political structures. Hinduism often welcomes elitism (though I do not pretend to be naive of the same potential in prosperity gospel or predestination theologies within Christianity), thus the majority of Christian converts from Hinduism are those in the lower castes. And so we return to the cultural necessity of uniting in a common cause, or faith. Dhanji Bhai Nauroji said in 1881: "[Indian Christians] belong, it is true, to various denominations, but seldom if ever do they make anything of denominational differences. The fact is, they do not know and are not eager to know, what these difference exactly are. They are Christians, and they glory in that name."

Yet, the colonized Indian Christians still remained dependent on their missionaries and thus held tightly to the ties of their mission churches. As a result, the conversations surrounding church union in North India brought with it unique tensions concerning dual identities: the traditions of their Western evangelists and the realities of their indigenous faith. They required approval from the Western powers, since the movement was one for unity (rather than further separation in the name of denominational preferences) and often struggled to find an acceptable road map for union in the eyes of their Western founding churches.

Eventually there was success after four official drafts of a unity plan. The powers that be in the West were satisfied with the proposal, and in 1970, the Church of North India was inaugurated. Some have said that the greatest and last significant success of CNI was the day it unified. They argue that few know of the continued work of the Church of North India and that (particularly here in Kolkata) the Catholic and Assemblies of God presence is the Christianity of which most Indians are aware. Perhaps that is largely caused by the tensions that have always existed in CNI between its historical ties with the colonizing religion of the West and its desire to be an indigenous Indian Church. Both the Roman Catholics and AGs are still controlled by their Western heads and can be more publicly present due to their outsider status. It is much more difficult for an Indian church to decipher its mixed identity in the public square. It again becomes the struggle that Mainline Protestantism in America grapples with : how do we both profess loudly our unique Christian faith and still be active and respected participants in a pluralistic society that does not necessarily share our faith commitments? How do we be revolutionary prophets for the peace and justice of Jesus Christ without disrespecting those who believe differently (and thus negating our own purpose of sharing the Good News)?

I think the beginning of the answer must be unity. Holding onto fights over history and polity, of schisms and excommunications does not seem appropriate any longer (I am not certain, personally, that it ever was, but that's a conversation for another day). CNI is on the right path, they are Christians in Northern India first and products of certain mission fields second. The next stage of their work will be to discern what their future holds as a faith communion. It has been nearly 40 years since the 40-year unity conversation culminated in the inauguration of the Church of North India. If the seminarians I have met at Bishop's College are any indication of the forthcoming church (and I like to think that seminarians always are!), I am very excited to see what CNI has in store for Northern India.

Lunch in the BC Mess

I sat down for lunch at the Bishop's College Mess Hall, prepared for my obligatory food conversation with every Indian before any meal. It goes a little something like this:

Indian: Oh... you are eating our food?
Me: Yes.
Indian: Are you certain that you can eat the food?
Me: Yes. I love Indian food.
Indian: So you enjoy Indian food. It is very spicy. You do not have stomach problems from the spices?
Me: No. I eat a lot of Indian food in the States, plus I grew up near Mexico and am used to spicy food.
Indian: Oh. So you are accustomed to spicy foods. Do you like our rice, then?
Me: Yes...

and so the conversation continues... usually we turn to the fact that I should not drink the water here... Yes, I have become quite good at brushing my teeth with bottled water! It is very impressive to watch!

Right, so I sit down to eat lunch, have the food conversation with two different people who sat down at the table at different times, then start talking Church with my friend Maggie (a first year ministry student and an oldest-child minister's daughter... no wonder we're friends!). Maggie began to complain that there are no 'lady priests' in the Kolkata diocese of CNI. There were a few in other regions, but none in Kolkata and certainly no female bishops! I asked what she thought the reason for that was (since there is no official policy against ordaining women), and another student answered. "In India," he explained, "women stay in the home mostly, and it is very difficult for them to leave the household. Also, in most countries, the churches are controlled by men (ain't that the truth! ... Bethany's inner monologue), so it is difficult for the women to become priests. They are scared to try..." Maggie responded with, "It is so stupid!" She is going to become a priest, no doubt.

I told them about my own seminary experience, where there are many more men than women at UC (I even had a class last quarter in which I was the only female in the classroom!). It is still not easy to be a 'lady priest', but it is possible. In fact, women are 'bishops' in my denomination, and we have even elected a woman as the GMP (General Minister & President, for those of you non-Disciples reading)! They all thought that was really cool, but I looked at Maggie and found myself in complete awe of her. She is so full of gumption and completely willing to take on the church to answer a calling to ordained ministry. I am not sure what I would do if I were in her position, and I am very grateful that I do not have the fight ahead of me for ordination that she does. The Disciples women pastors have fought that battle for me, several decades ago. Certainly, it is not perfect, but I feel really blessed to have so many amazing Disciples women as role models for ministry in my family (I include both grandmothers, my aunts, and my mother in that). I was even dedicated in the morning of my mother's afternoon ordination in 1984!

I won't have the struggle that Maggie has in store to answer my calling to ministry... I have such respect for her and for all the women who have gone before me to make my load slightly easier to bear. Thank you.

Lots of Random, but good, Stuff

Well, today was an interesting day. I woke up at 7:15 am (yay!) and rushed to get to breakfast at BMS. They say that it takes 2 weeks to adjust to the jet lag, and its two weeks exactly! I then went to Bishop's College and didn't really get any work done... but I did have some good conversations about CNI and its structure with several of the theological students over chai tea. I really do think that I will be okay once I move into the college guest house. Right now, it is hard to be alone every night. The culture shock has manifested itself in loneliness. It is hard to not have anyone to talk to at the end of the day, so I usually just read or go to bed by 9 pm.

At 4 pm, I went to St. James Church (formerly Anglican, now CNI) for a book release ceremony. Three volumes of the new Dalit Bible Commentary were released in West Bengal. I am such a nerd, I got super-excited because I thought a man whose book on ecumenism I'm currently reading was there, but I had simply misheard the name (I'm still adjusting to Indian English). Anyway, it was a big deal, because this is (if I understood correctly) the first Bible commentary written for the Dalit perspective (Dalits are the 'untouchables' in the caste system). Of the 250-million Dalit in India, approximately 20-million are Christian (this is a HUGE difference in percentage within a single community than the roughly 1% of Indians, overall, who are Christians). The publication of this commentary series is not only a move forward in Indian religious scholarship and academia, it is incredibly important to the Dalit community in general. Time and time again, speakers acknowledged the liberating message of the Gospel for the Dalit... ours certainly is a religion for the oppressed peoples of the world, and I was present at a really ground-breaking moment in the history of the Gospel at work.

After dinner, Cecile and I went to Park Street to meet a few of her friends (2 French women and a Moroccan man). Youssef looks frighteningly like my cousin Spencer, so that kept throwing me off, but I had a lot of fun with them. They spoke a lot of French (that I could roughly follow some of the time), but they all speak English well too... there was a lot of translating for me (I know, after 7 years of French, it is absolutely pathetic that I was so rotten at understanding basic chatter... ah well, that's why I'm taking French again next year). We went to the Park Hotel (think the W or Hard Rock Hotels in the States) to listen to a cover band (they were singing "Black Velvet" when we walked in... I ABSOLUTELY LOVE American music cover bands in foreign countries!). Cecile and I both thought that the lead singer was cute, but then I've always secretly wanted to be a rock band's groupie (I guess it's not so secret anymore). Youssef asked if I like Metalica and I said 'they're okay.' He then tried to tell me that I was not a real American because Metalica 'represents America'. I informed him that Lynard Skynard represents America, and I loved THEM. He was not convinced, and I reminded him that the American (i.e. ME) would know better than the Moroccan (i.e. him) what constitutes 'America'. That's right cultural snobbery! I later met a British Indian who is in Kolkata to visit his Indian relatives for a month. He name is Ronnie and he asked me if I would 'fancy some tea sometime'. I told him to ring me, so we'll see if tea ever happens. He's not exactly a 'Barrister-type' like I predicted, but I totally told Vince that were I to get engaged in India, it would be to a Brit who was here visiting his Indian relatives! I'm soooo good at calling this stuff! Anywho... he's got a great accent, and it's a hilarious story to tell!

Lastly, they moved me to a new room at SCEPTRE today (my temp housing until the guest house clears out at Bishop's College). This one is much smaller, but I got a sheet to cover myself with at nite!!!! So, I'm moving up in the world! Of course, the mattress in this room still has a plastic cover, so I feel like I'm sleeping in a 1960s 'nuclear' home each time I move! I'm not sure which is worse: no blanket, or plastic mattress wrap? I think that no blanket is much more pathetic, but the plastic mattress is down right annoying! Alas, such is my life in India!

Reflections on a Great Day

Today is a monsoon day. Usually, there are little showers that leave the streets wet, but that clears up after 15 or 20 minutes. Today will not be one of those days. Unfortunately, I do not yet have an umbrella (because I've been lazy and am paying for it now...) Good news is that I will only to to walk the 2 km distance between my lodgings and Bishop's College twice before I receive the lovely gift of an umbrella at lunch from Margaret (the mother half of 'Ann Margaret'). Maybe today is a taxi day as well...

Yesterday was wonderful all around, though, so I can deal with the dreariness of today. At breakfast, Sissy -- or Cecile -- mentioned that she wanted to go to the cinema, but not alone. I volunteered to go with her after church and we tried to exchange mobile numbers. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I discovered that my cell was not working (I'll continue with that thread later). We asked Margaret if Ann wanted to come, and we all agreed to meet at noon to decide on a film.

I then walked up to the college to meet the Caleb family for church. We went to St. Andrew's Church, a former Church of Scotland congregation, now CNI. It's a beautiful building (with A/C!!!!), but membership is dwindling. People no longer live in the area and only the truly faithful (to the congregation... no questions of Christian faithfulness implied here...) make the commute. A funny story about St. Andrew's:

The Scottish founder of St. Andrew's came to Kolkata on the same boat as the Kolkata bishop of the Church of England. The Anglican bishop told the Scot that he could build a Presbyterian church in Kolkata, as long as its steeple was not taller than that of the Church of England's. The Presbyterian minister agreed, then went on to build a taller steeple... but he did not finish with that insult. No. He placed a giant rooster at the top of the steeple to 'crow' at the Anglican church below. Now St. Andrew's is locally known as the 'Cock Church of Kolkata'.

Ah... I do love me a good Church of England vs. Church of Scotland story! Especially when the Scots get the last word! The best part of the story in my opinion, though, is the fact that the two churches are now united in CNI over 100 years later! Seriously, this denomination is sooooo cool!

So, worship itself was heavily Church of Scotland. We even used the Church of Scotland worship book rather than the CNI Book of Worship. Dr. Caleb told me that each congregation of CNI retains its own worship autonomy pretty much, while the property is all owned by the denomination (which is sort of the opposite from the Disciples way of doing things, insofar as there are certain pieces that are commonly found among DOC worship services, but the congregation ALWAYS owns its own land).

After church, Dr. Caleb's oldest daughter Ruth (just starting grade 11) took me to the imported food store (peanut butter, pasta, and Pringles!! YAY!!!) and then by the mobile shop. THIS was a hoot! We walk in and have to identify my mobile number and problem on a central computer. I am then given a number on a printed out sheet of paper (my number was 'ONE') and we were ushered to the waiting area. There was no other customer in the store... and there were at least six open counters... and I was given a number and asked to wait. Ruth and I were cracking up at how totally absurd the whole thing was! After about a 3-minute wait, my number -- 'ONE' -- was called. It turns out that my phone store did not process all the necessary documents and my service was suspended until they went through. Now, just to give you an idea of what we need as documentation to purchase a cell phone in India: a copy of one's passport, a copy of the American address page, a copy of the Indian visa page, a passport photo, and a letter from one's place of Indian residence affirming the length of stay in India. Seriously, I felt like I was being processed by the Department of Homeland Security to get a mobile! So, hopefully by the end of today, my phone will be back on...

I returned to BMS to meet Cecile and Anne for the film. We decided to see Get Smart at 2:55 (I was soooo bummed to be missing it over the summer, but I am STOKED to have a decent number of 'English' films to choose from in Kolkata) at the Forum Mall. We had lunch at the food court, did a little bit of window shopping, and then went to the movies (I won't get started on the concessions area, because I'll talk on this for HOURS... its soooooo cool!). I highly recommend Get Smart to everyone! I loved the TV show as a kid, so I had VERY high expectations going into the film. It lived up! And my love of the movie had very little to do with the fact that I've found a place in Kolkata where I can sit in an air conditioned room for multiple hours and be entertained.

After the movie, I went back to Bishop's College for evening chapel. It was the first chapel service of the academic term (they're just starting today, I think), so different groups from the various languages represented at the College sang special music. It was a really cool experience, because each had its own flavor, and I was able to get a sense of the vast diversity here on campus. The service itself was very Anglican (though we sang from the old Methodist hymnal) overall, which was an odd sensory reality as we all removed our shoes and most of the congregation was seated on the floor... they insisted that I, of course, sit in one of the few chairs reserved for the elderly, faculty, and special guests (I insisted, today, that I should sit on the floor with the students).

After chapel, I went to Dr. Caleb's home for dinner. We had hot dogs, a goolash-y dish, green beans, and potatoes. They usually have a simple 'Western' meal on Sunday evenings. I loved it! We talked about the city and a lot about the foreigners who come to 'Mother's House' to do charity work. Ruth explained the Indian (private Christian) school system to me, and I told her about the American system. I really enjoyed myself. It was dark by the time we were finished, so Dr. Caleb insisted that two male students take me home. I feel bad for the poor students who just happen to be walking around campus when its time for me to leave, because Dr. Caleb just calls their name and asks if they can escort me home. They always say 'of course', of course, but I do wonder what is being put on hold for the 30 minutes it takes to deliver the American package safely home. It will be nice to be living on campus by the end of the week. This won't have to continue... I feel so badly about it (though I am grateful for the kindness they are showing me).

I had them deliver me to BMS where folks were gathering for Domino's pizza. GLORIOUS! I only had half a slice, because I had already eaten dinner with the Calebs, but it was totally worth being stuffed! I think the pizza is better here than in the States... it was at least the PERFECT end to the day!