Tsunami Village

We still haven't had much time to blog. Our apologies. The schedule has been grueling. A van shows up for us shortly after sunrise each morning and drops us off as late as 11 p.m. each night. Still, we're trying to keep you updated as much as possible with photos and few words. Many of the details and reflections on how we can learn from the incredible work and acts of faith in India's Christian community will have to wait until we return home and give our big multimedia presentation. We spent Wednesday afternoon at the Madhaya Kerala Diocese's Tsunami Village, where the church built rows of homes for survivors displaced by the 2004 Tsunami. Walking around the village, Bishop Itty remarked that a good story would be "FEMA vs. the church." Seeing a need, the Anglican Church of South India found a way to build these suffering families a place to call home -- finding the money and the land right after the natural disaster hit India's southern coast. We're seeing a lot of that in India: A diocese constantly finding ways to aid those who need homes, comfort, education and peace in meaningful ways. Not a lot of money and material wealth, but a diocese rich in spirit and grace. And tremendous faith. Yesterday, Bill Lupfer was asked by an educator to reflect on what he has seen so far. He said: "The people of Kerala have a real commitment to living the Gospel the way Jesus teaches rather than what people are comfortable with." That about sums it up. Stay tuned.

The tsunami village is near the banks of Kayakulam Lake, which connects to the Arabian Sea. The 2004 tsunami washed over the lake shore with a rush of water. "A man came up to me after worship service and said, 'The sea is coming,'" said the Rev. Matthew Jilow Ninan of St. Peter's CSI Church. The wave, about knee-deep for an adult and waist-high for children, nearly reached the church, he said.

BISHOP MOORE VIDYAPATH

Wednesday morning started at the Bishop Moore Vidyapath school run by the Kerala Diocese. More than 2,000 students attend the school, where academic acheivement is among the highest in the region. The students speak Malayalam and impeccable English. A reading from Gospels, the Lord's Prayer and the singing of hymns and the Indian national anthem start every day. Bishop Itty led the students in prayer and told them about Oregon Episcopal School.

TUESDAY

We haven't had much time to blog the past two days (plus we have had some equipment problems). Sorry. We're on our way out the door to visit the diocese's Tsunami Relief Village. We spent Tuesday on boats and ferries amid the marsh lands and rice paddies, visiting the Anglican Church of South India's mission schools and churches along the Pumba River. While hot, humid and bug-infested (plus Joe has broken in out in some sort of rash), it was an amazing journey into the heart of Indian Christianity along one of the most holy rivers in Hinduism. The church is doing some inspiring things. The mission posts mostly serve day workers. who showed up with hands and feet blistered and worn, to welcome us. A full report coming Wednesday.
Some pictures:

A few photos for now

We're having Internet and equipment problems, so just a few pictures for now. Come back for detailed posts later (hopefully Monday night).

Joe with children from the mountain missionary school at Panakkachira ...
In India, parishioners give the "kiss of peace" during the peace, passed from the priests through the church, one person at a time.

More Photos ...

Sunday, the last night of the diocese convention, drew thousands of Christians from around Kerala to Kottayam.
We were all called to the stage, where the bishop presented the entire group from Oregon with prayer blankets.
Bishop Samuel Thomas (don't you love that smile?) wraps Heather's prayer blanket around her on stage.
Monday, we drove for hours into the high mountains of Kerala, visiting several diocese missions and schools set up for day laborers and their children. Anee stands at the entrance of church being built at the end of a long, rocky path in the upper elevations of the Keralan rubber tree forests.

Most laborers in India can't afford power tools, so most of the houses and buildings, including the churches, are constructed with hand tools.

New Life at Bethel Ashram

At one point, as we prepared to leave the Bethel Ashram orphanage, a young woman whose mother died in a construction landslide when she was only 10 and was raised by the sisters returned home from the hospital, carrying a newborn baby.

She gave birth three days ago. The sisters will help the young woman, now 25, care for the child while her husband is away, working in Delhi. Bishop Itty gave the mother and child a blessing on the front porch of the ashram. "He is Keralan," said one sister. "So, he is our bishop, too."

Bethel Ashram

At about 1 p.m., our van stopped at abusy corner in Kerala (is there any other kidn of corner in Kerala?) and picked up three sisters with the Anglican diocese-supported Bethel Ashram orphanage in Tiruvalla. We drove them an hour to the orphanage in Tiruvalla, passing collor-splashed Hindu festivals, elephants workign in lumber yards and a Christian burial procession, where the body of woman was wrapped in white and carried on a bed of flowers.

We spent the afternoon at the Bethel Ashram. In the tradition of Mother Teresa, an order of sisters who have taken a life-long commitment to raise the girls who show up as infants and young children at the orphanage. It was another stop on our journey of witnessing the healing power of grace. There is only one boy, Jeevain, 2, who was abandoned when he was just 14 days old. He will stay the Bethel Ashram until he is 5, when he will be moved to an orphanage for boys.

Bill tried hard to get Jevain to smile with a game of peek-a-boo. Didn't work. Only his sisters could get him to smile. He hardly left Sister Molly's hip.

The ashram will raise and educate these girls untilt hey are women, when they can decide whether to join the order or enter the world outside.