India Report #11, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011 at 7 a.m. (last at Pedda Kodapgal)
Dear family and friends:
Last night was our final meeting here. The PLAN is that we leave at 10 for Hyderabad. The car we were to use from Gangarum is not available because his children are using it. So we are not sure what will be our vehicle but something will turn up and we will go sometime. At least we should have one day at Hyderabad to reorganize our suitcases in preparation for the new airline requirements on a different airline from Hyderabad to Kalkatta (Calcutta). And then we will need to do it again to conform to the flight from Kalkatta to Aizawl. At least we plan to leave the screen in Mizoram when we go and that will save us one case on two more flights. Often the partners with American Airlines have different restrictions and charges than they do.
Yesterday was full of change. The PLAN was for us to go by car to B. Khanapur village where we dedicated the Quiet Hour church built 26 years ago and needed roof repair. (It was supposed to be done on Friday until someone there “expired”, you will recall.) We paid for those repairs and they were done in time for dedication on Sabbath morning. Well, rather than the car, we rode yet again in the Jeep with its bone rattling and dust raising talents over the non-roads with huge ruts, pot holes and bumps. Of course, I was in my suit for the special occasion. It has now been baptized in dust several times already on this trip.
I was supposed to be back to the meeting site by 11 a.m. to preach on the Second Coming of Jesus, as promised to the people. But the QH B. Khanapur congregation were not there on time and we waited and waited and waited and finally completed the dedication somewhere around noon. I have on video some of the action. So A. Kumar, the Section Secretary had the site sermon. We arrived back for Shyla’s prepared meal at about 2 and had to hurry to get over to the site where they were giving communion to 500 new members who had come. That lasted until about 4:30 when the people returned to their villages. Then back again for the closing meeting supposedly at 7:30. The ministers were into their endless singing filling in time till the trucks arrived with the usual group. But it was much larger than most of the other meetings. (Somewhat more than a thousand). More than 225 have been baptized so far and they expect around 350. It is a strong Hindu area and resistance slows down the responses. We are thankful for the plans to bring a seasoned pastor here to follow up along with other volunteers.
Remembering past experience, we did not bring the computer and projector to the meeting. The last meeting is filled with so many things that there is little room for the segments that use the visuals which are hard to shorten when time runs out. But the people had been promised (by me) that we would show the full Jesus video for those who had seen only portions of it because the truck from their village was late. I had in mind the former plan of their staying all day and needing the two-hour screening to help fill in the afternoon until the evening meeting. But since they went home and came again they really wanted to see it and would not be put off. Paulson and pastors assured me that they wanted the full sermon with visuals and the children’s story by Jeff and Mary Alice’s health talk also and since it was the last night they would all stay by. I wanted to tell Paulson that if he believed that I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I’d like to sell him. I will tell him that his head is in the clouds but his people’s feet are on the earth and that is where the real action takes place.
Well, they managed to “fill the time” waiting for the trucks to come back with singing and offerings and various procrastinations until we relented and put the screen together again and Jeff went for the computer and video projector. I was to give a shortened version of my sermon while that was taking place, but the “extras” filled that too. They were sure I should have full time for the sermon etc. But my judgment prevailed and we started the Jesus Video at 10 p.m. It came through very vivid in the extra darkness when they turned off the offending lights. I slept through some of the first half but woke up to notice that the computer had a pop-up window that I jumped up to read. It told me the computer was just about dead and operating on reserve battery. The switch had not been turned on that gave real power. I hastened to throw that switch just in time. The video continued without interruption.
But as it came to the last appeal on video before it was complete, the congregation jumped to their feet and bolted for the trucks. The pastors were trying their best to get them to stay as they had predicted they would. I joked Paulson, “do you see how eager they are to see and hear the sermon and stay by since it is the last night?” He got the obvious point.
We did have a short after service where some insisted on garlanding us yet again even though it was past midnight. We passed the garlands on only to have them returned on us again and again. It would take the neck of a giraffe to receive all the garlands they bring.
Paulson just phoned that the vehicle is here to take our baggage not at 10 as announced but at 9:30. So we are in the hurry-up stage once more and I’ll hastily close this for now. We actually got off by 10:30 and made it here to Hyderabad by 3 with a stop in Sangareddy to have lunch for our group of 8 in a restaurant. Some were brave and tried other dishes, but my stomach dictated I stay by the tried and true tomato soup with plain steamed rice. It served me well.
Here in Hyderabad we are in the same hotel as when we arrived from USA. We know the help (baggage carrier) by name—Sheam. He is very courteous and worthy of the tip we give him. We have no desire to go out and see more of the town but just to get rested with enough hours in the night to accomplish that at one try and then tomorrow to restructure our baggage.
Jeff scouted the area around our hotel (S.G. Comfort) and found a fruit stand where he bought some decent bananas (the ones given us by villagers served well but ripened to the point they were not pleasantly usable) and some excellent tangerines to supplement tomorrow’s complementary breakfast at the hotel. Jeff also found where we can buy water and got enough to get us all through to the airport on Tuesday. Mary Alice and I must be there at 4 a.m. on Tuesday to fly at 6 while Jeff has to be there at 8 to fly at 10 back to USA. It has been pleasant company with Jeff and we pray he has a good journey back home to Mary, maybe seeing a few things in Delhi during his five-hour layover.
As for us, we expect to spend Tuesday night at our SDA School in Calcutta and fly to Mizoram on Wednesday for the full day drive on Thursday to our meeting site and to begin another round of sermons there on Friday night. More later as events
unfold! Our time in Pedda Kodapgal was stressful with all the unexpected, but was also rich in fulfillment with seeing new Hindu acceptance after long resistance to the Christian message. We look forward to seeing a strong SDA work there reaching out to other villages too. The time is ripe.
With all our love,
Dad and Mom (Glenn and Mary Alice)