what do you get when you have 13 seminarians waiting at a crowded airport for roughly 5 hours to catch their home-bound flight???
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a really great game of rummy!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Culture and Religious Practices
While travelling in India, we have had the opportunity to see how the Christian church has developed in a complex multi-cultural/religious environment. This has manifested itself many times during our journey as we have seen the intersection of Hindu, Islamic and Christian practices. It is a jolt to observe either symbols or practices from another tradition that have become part of Christian practice not a part of our U.S. centric Christian approach.
We observed this at all junctures of our visit. One such observation was in Kerala (one of 21 Indian states on the west coast of India) where tradition holds that St Thomas first came from the Middle East spreading Christian teachings to the Indian subcontinent from the Middle East. Specifically, the flagpoles in front of the reformed Orthodox churches had the symbols that are seen in the Hindu temples with a cross replacing a bull on the top (Kodimaram). The explanation was that this was adopted by the Orthodox Church to better relate to people who were culturally Hindu and maybe attracting them to become part of the Orthodox community of faith (perhaps an early form of what today of what we call making our churches visitor friendly). Having done this over time it has become part of religious practice. This applies to the outdoor oil Lamps (similar to those seen at the Hindu temples) we also saw at many of the Orthodox Churches.
A second observation, a rather stark view at a Catholic church on St Thomas Mount in Chennai where tradition holds that Thomas was killed for his religious teaching. Beside the church is a nativity scene where there were there were the normal figures we associate with a nativity scene (Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, livestock, a deep blue painted wise man who is a representation of Hinduism, straw), but the twist was the addition of water buffalo, palm trees, tigers and most surprisingly, Santa Claus and. How do these creep into the narrative?
The third observation was at the Tamilnadu Theological Seminary (TTS) in Madurai (SW of Chennai in the state of Tamilnadu) where we were fortunate to be part of the harvest festival of Pongal. This four-day festival celebrates the successful harvest (generally in this region, rice and sugar cane). The first day is a day of preparation,( the clearing out of the old and getting ready for the celebration), the second is the actual celebration (similar to Thanksgiving and New Year celebrations combined), the third a celebration of the animals that support people throughout the year, and the last the visiting of family and friends. The preparations include decorating with flowers and full sugar cane stalks as well as the preparation of pongal, a rice boil with sugar that when the pot boils over (think fish boil over an open fire), it is a signal for celebration of the harvest and the new year. This festival is celebrated by all religious traditions but what is of interest is how this celebration weaves together the many aspects of daily life: the revering of the livestock as supportive of our lives (Hindu), the thanksgiving to God(s) for the harvest (et al.), and gathering of family for the celebration (et al.) At TTS we were part of a service at the stables (think dairy cows, chickens, new born calves with pigs in the background) where the Thanksgiving service for Mata Pongal was combination of our Christian tradition (prayer, scripture, and singing) and the ceremonial feeding of the animals (pongal rice, and bananas served on a banana leaf to a cow as a sign of thanking the animals for their support during the year (milk, eggs, help with the plowing, etc.)
This dovetails with writing of sociologist, Charles Horton Cooley who developed an extensive system of thought regarding rationality based on conscience emerging from human relationships. Cooley points out that a society as a whole holds together based on how individuals perceive themselves through the eyes of others. Therefore, individuals will accept or reject themselves and their beliefs though the social perceptions of others. In Cooley’s “Primary Group”, theory the space exists for this to transpire and to see how individual beliefs shape and form. However, as Hill points out, this outgrowth of Enlightment thought does not add the component of God or spirituality. From our observation, the enculturation of sacred objects into each faiths worship space is a way of adding the element of religion and God as a way for a multicultural society to recognize the divine in all. As Christians or people of other faiths, this recognition reminds us that God’s divine purpose for all of humanity is to reside in relationship with others.
How does this apply to our practice of faith in the U.S. culture? How does culture drive religious practice in our society? How does society drive our religious practices?
Kimberly Allen, Jim Person
We observed this at all junctures of our visit. One such observation was in Kerala (one of 21 Indian states on the west coast of India) where tradition holds that St Thomas first came from the Middle East spreading Christian teachings to the Indian subcontinent from the Middle East. Specifically, the flagpoles in front of the reformed Orthodox churches had the symbols that are seen in the Hindu temples with a cross replacing a bull on the top (Kodimaram). The explanation was that this was adopted by the Orthodox Church to better relate to people who were culturally Hindu and maybe attracting them to become part of the Orthodox community of faith (perhaps an early form of what today of what we call making our churches visitor friendly). Having done this over time it has become part of religious practice. This applies to the outdoor oil Lamps (similar to those seen at the Hindu temples) we also saw at many of the Orthodox Churches.
A second observation, a rather stark view at a Catholic church on St Thomas Mount in Chennai where tradition holds that Thomas was killed for his religious teaching. Beside the church is a nativity scene where there were there were the normal figures we associate with a nativity scene (Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, livestock, a deep blue painted wise man who is a representation of Hinduism, straw), but the twist was the addition of water buffalo, palm trees, tigers and most surprisingly, Santa Claus and. How do these creep into the narrative?
The third observation was at the Tamilnadu Theological Seminary (TTS) in Madurai (SW of Chennai in the state of Tamilnadu) where we were fortunate to be part of the harvest festival of Pongal. This four-day festival celebrates the successful harvest (generally in this region, rice and sugar cane). The first day is a day of preparation,( the clearing out of the old and getting ready for the celebration), the second is the actual celebration (similar to Thanksgiving and New Year celebrations combined), the third a celebration of the animals that support people throughout the year, and the last the visiting of family and friends. The preparations include decorating with flowers and full sugar cane stalks as well as the preparation of pongal, a rice boil with sugar that when the pot boils over (think fish boil over an open fire), it is a signal for celebration of the harvest and the new year. This festival is celebrated by all religious traditions but what is of interest is how this celebration weaves together the many aspects of daily life: the revering of the livestock as supportive of our lives (Hindu), the thanksgiving to God(s) for the harvest (et al.), and gathering of family for the celebration (et al.) At TTS we were part of a service at the stables (think dairy cows, chickens, new born calves with pigs in the background) where the Thanksgiving service for Mata Pongal was combination of our Christian tradition (prayer, scripture, and singing) and the ceremonial feeding of the animals (pongal rice, and bananas served on a banana leaf to a cow as a sign of thanking the animals for their support during the year (milk, eggs, help with the plowing, etc.)
This dovetails with writing of sociologist, Charles Horton Cooley who developed an extensive system of thought regarding rationality based on conscience emerging from human relationships. Cooley points out that a society as a whole holds together based on how individuals perceive themselves through the eyes of others. Therefore, individuals will accept or reject themselves and their beliefs though the social perceptions of others. In Cooley’s “Primary Group”, theory the space exists for this to transpire and to see how individual beliefs shape and form. However, as Hill points out, this outgrowth of Enlightment thought does not add the component of God or spirituality. From our observation, the enculturation of sacred objects into each faiths worship space is a way of adding the element of religion and God as a way for a multicultural society to recognize the divine in all. As Christians or people of other faiths, this recognition reminds us that God’s divine purpose for all of humanity is to reside in relationship with others.
How does this apply to our practice of faith in the U.S. culture? How does culture drive religious practice in our society? How does society drive our religious practices?
Kimberly Allen, Jim Person
Indian Feminism
22 Jan. 10
Sister Pushpa Joseph is the professor of biblical studies at the University of Madras serving in their Department of Christian Studies as well as an advocate for and a practical theologian of Indian feminist theology.
In a conversation with Sister Pushpa she explained how Indian feminism is primarily constructed of two considerations: “1. Indian feminism is a bundle of rich paradoxes, and 2. Indian feminism is a story of fragments.”
Of the many elements that make up the varied “bundle of rich paradoxes” is the Indian national paper The Hindu. The Hindu paper offers some of the finest English language writing and analysis in the world; yet, in the same paper there can be found some of the most superstitious symbols of Indian culture and the assigned cultural identity of the Indian woman: matrimonial classified ads and astronomical forecasts. This paradox within The Hindu national paper reveals the evidence behind Sister Pushpa’s statement that “even language is getting globalized.”
Sister Pushpa herself is an interesting paradox of Indian feminism. Sister Pushpa is a Syrian Catholic Franciscan Indian-born feminist nun. Sister Pushpa is working her ministry under the patriarchal system of the Roman Catholic church in India that is simultaneously oppressing the role of women within the Church and yet it is the Church that provides her the status and resources within her own Indian culture and caste system that empowers her and others with her significant engagement within the Indian feminist movement. Sister Pushpa reflects on her paradoxical position within the Church and declares: “Catholic nuns take on the role of the authentic feminine within the Church.”
Understanding the Indian feminist movement as a unified story of fragments requires a reframing of identity and authority for some who may struggle with the complex question of: what gives integrity to the identity and thus the authority of the individual based on their shared experiences? Experiences that gathered as a whole reveal the identity of an entire community of women who must face in their culture of birth a construction that inherently denies their voices and thus their power.
Sister Pushpa says, “individual dialogue is the action by which feminist theology works within religion.” The social constructs that women in India find themselves defined by are issues of gender, class, caste, and the religious patriarchy. Emerging from under these social constructs, Sister Pushpa instructs that it is through the sharing and re-membering of the “flesh and blood realities of our women” that they are able to claim their identities within Indian society and culture with integrity. This individual sharing of personal her stories lays the foundation for the Indian feminist movement to empower “rigorous systematic critical analysis.” In addition this sharing and weaving together of all the various fragmented narratives will “preserve Indian women’s contextual uniqueness.” Quilting together a tapestry of knowing that is a sacred newly emerging consciousness of Indian feminist wisdom that “serves as a celebration of their differences.” A celebration that acknowledges the Crazy Quilt that is the embodiment of 21st century Indian life. A Crazy Quilt that is the pluralistic contingency driven manifestation of the fragments of knowing that united reflect the universal wisdom of the Indian feminist movement.
Sister Pushpa recommends Uma Chakravarthi’s work Recasting Women for a look into the vast world of Indian women and the fragmented narratives that will shed light on their ever evolving identity and the self claimed integrity of being through knowing realized through their respective shared experiences. It is through anthologies of the Indian women’s experience, a consideration the new biblical hermeneutics presented through the lens of an Indian woman in tandem with a hermeneutic of suspicion of the biblical silence in the text in regard to women and the issue of violence against women that leads us to a universal question for all women in all countries; as Sister Pushpa challenges us: “What does the Jesus movement with its application of equal disciples mean in a caste driven society?”
Rob and Renee
Sister Pushpa Joseph is the professor of biblical studies at the University of Madras serving in their Department of Christian Studies as well as an advocate for and a practical theologian of Indian feminist theology.
In a conversation with Sister Pushpa she explained how Indian feminism is primarily constructed of two considerations: “1. Indian feminism is a bundle of rich paradoxes, and 2. Indian feminism is a story of fragments.”
Of the many elements that make up the varied “bundle of rich paradoxes” is the Indian national paper The Hindu. The Hindu paper offers some of the finest English language writing and analysis in the world; yet, in the same paper there can be found some of the most superstitious symbols of Indian culture and the assigned cultural identity of the Indian woman: matrimonial classified ads and astronomical forecasts. This paradox within The Hindu national paper reveals the evidence behind Sister Pushpa’s statement that “even language is getting globalized.”
Sister Pushpa herself is an interesting paradox of Indian feminism. Sister Pushpa is a Syrian Catholic Franciscan Indian-born feminist nun. Sister Pushpa is working her ministry under the patriarchal system of the Roman Catholic church in India that is simultaneously oppressing the role of women within the Church and yet it is the Church that provides her the status and resources within her own Indian culture and caste system that empowers her and others with her significant engagement within the Indian feminist movement. Sister Pushpa reflects on her paradoxical position within the Church and declares: “Catholic nuns take on the role of the authentic feminine within the Church.”
Understanding the Indian feminist movement as a unified story of fragments requires a reframing of identity and authority for some who may struggle with the complex question of: what gives integrity to the identity and thus the authority of the individual based on their shared experiences? Experiences that gathered as a whole reveal the identity of an entire community of women who must face in their culture of birth a construction that inherently denies their voices and thus their power.
Sister Pushpa says, “individual dialogue is the action by which feminist theology works within religion.” The social constructs that women in India find themselves defined by are issues of gender, class, caste, and the religious patriarchy. Emerging from under these social constructs, Sister Pushpa instructs that it is through the sharing and re-membering of the “flesh and blood realities of our women” that they are able to claim their identities within Indian society and culture with integrity. This individual sharing of personal her stories lays the foundation for the Indian feminist movement to empower “rigorous systematic critical analysis.” In addition this sharing and weaving together of all the various fragmented narratives will “preserve Indian women’s contextual uniqueness.” Quilting together a tapestry of knowing that is a sacred newly emerging consciousness of Indian feminist wisdom that “serves as a celebration of their differences.” A celebration that acknowledges the Crazy Quilt that is the embodiment of 21st century Indian life. A Crazy Quilt that is the pluralistic contingency driven manifestation of the fragments of knowing that united reflect the universal wisdom of the Indian feminist movement.
Sister Pushpa recommends Uma Chakravarthi’s work Recasting Women for a look into the vast world of Indian women and the fragmented narratives that will shed light on their ever evolving identity and the self claimed integrity of being through knowing realized through their respective shared experiences. It is through anthologies of the Indian women’s experience, a consideration the new biblical hermeneutics presented through the lens of an Indian woman in tandem with a hermeneutic of suspicion of the biblical silence in the text in regard to women and the issue of violence against women that leads us to a universal question for all women in all countries; as Sister Pushpa challenges us: “What does the Jesus movement with its application of equal disciples mean in a caste driven society?”
Rob and Renee
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Pluralism Which Exists
While journeying through India you cannot help but be struck by the reality that is Interfaith. Here it is a daily existence within life. We often times speak of interfaith, yet it is too often in the theoretical. Here we find the existence of this pluralistic interfaith context fascinating and teaching us lessons each day. Fr. Felix Wilfred spoke of the necessity for becoming friends in order to truly dialogue and grow with one another, and throughout the trip this has been evident within day to day routine. Here the Divine cannot be squarely placed into a neat and orderly definition, but rather there is a fluidity to the Divine. Here the Sacred is not in one place or the other, but rather the sacred is present in multiple contexts and locations. God's song is being sung in multiple ways, and being witnessed and accepted in these multiple layers within this culture. In the west people are too willing to close God off, and to define God to this or that. Rather in India there is a definite understanding of the both/and reality with God. As we continue on the final stages of this journey we are truly being extended and pushed to see the Divine within the multiple layers of this culture.
God Bless, D and J
God Bless, D and J
Searching Sacred Spaces
What do you consider sacred? What does it mean to set some places and objects apart as holy? These are just a few of the questions that we have been exploring over the course of our two weeks in Southern India. Each day as we walk down the street we walk past Hindu temples filled with devoted worshipers, fragrant incense, and colorful statues. But next to these Hindu temples, just a few doors down, we also walk past Christian congregations and Muslim mosques, also filled with devoted followers. Southern India is a land full of spaces set aside as sacred, be those Christian, Muslim, or Hindu.
We have been intrigued by the Orthodox Christian Church's understanding of the sacred. Father Abraham, a doctoral student at the Syrian Orthodox Seminary in Kottayam, explained to us that sacraments are not simply limited to a few actions that one encounters in the church. Instead he contended, there is an aspect of the sacred in every facet of our lives: our careers, family life, education. That being acknowledged though, through our exploration of Orthodox churches and the two Orthodox seminaries, it still appears that certain spaces and objects are set apart, as, dare we say, more sacred. In their worship spaces the "holy of holies" is hidden behind a protective curtain. Also, the Orthodox seminary was constructed in such a way, that from its original entrance, one would be immediately drawn towards the church's altar in the distance, by an unobstructed line of crosses. Father Abraham explained that this was essential so that visiting bishops would see the sacred altar and thus could say their prayers immediately upon their arrival. To adapt a phrase from George Orwell's Animal Farm, "All things are holy, but some things are more holy than others."
We acknowledge though that the tension of seeing the sacred in all, yet setting certain places and things aside as holy, is not limited solely to the Orthodox Church in India.
How do we as people working in many facets of the Church properly live in this tension? While there is no simple answer to this question, it remains something we hope to explore over the course of our life journeys. Noting that experiences like the ones we are having in India only further broaden our cultural and theological lenses.
Katie <>< and Jack
We have been intrigued by the Orthodox Christian Church's understanding of the sacred. Father Abraham, a doctoral student at the Syrian Orthodox Seminary in Kottayam, explained to us that sacraments are not simply limited to a few actions that one encounters in the church. Instead he contended, there is an aspect of the sacred in every facet of our lives: our careers, family life, education. That being acknowledged though, through our exploration of Orthodox churches and the two Orthodox seminaries, it still appears that certain spaces and objects are set apart, as, dare we say, more sacred. In their worship spaces the "holy of holies" is hidden behind a protective curtain. Also, the Orthodox seminary was constructed in such a way, that from its original entrance, one would be immediately drawn towards the church's altar in the distance, by an unobstructed line of crosses. Father Abraham explained that this was essential so that visiting bishops would see the sacred altar and thus could say their prayers immediately upon their arrival. To adapt a phrase from George Orwell's Animal Farm, "All things are holy, but some things are more holy than others."
We acknowledge though that the tension of seeing the sacred in all, yet setting certain places and things aside as holy, is not limited solely to the Orthodox Church in India.
How do we as people working in many facets of the Church properly live in this tension? While there is no simple answer to this question, it remains something we hope to explore over the course of our life journeys. Noting that experiences like the ones we are having in India only further broaden our cultural and theological lenses.
Katie <>< and Jack
Indian Christian Identity
In approaching the cultural and religious identity of South India in the context of colonialism, we are forced to negotiate historic truth and mythic truth as loci of identity and authority. In the United States we say that history is written by the victors and set out to follow a trail of paper back as far as is authentically possible. In India, tradition and unity are emphasized through narrative.
A doctoral student whom we met at Marthome Theological Seminary in Kottayam emphasized that there is no absolute history. Primarily, Indians have not been very interested in writing and maintaining historical records. Furthermore, whatever records may have existed were likely destroyed by the Roman Catholic colonialists that accompanied the Portuguese. Oral tradition, on the other hand, is highly valued as living energy. Writing down the tradition extinguishes its energy, leading to its stagnation. Observing the tradition as it is lived out and spoken of, then, allows for a dynamism and interaction of both storyteller and audience. Therefore, the subjectivity of the storyteller is always present.
We have heard that St. Thomas brought Christianity to India. Sometimes this has been stated as fact; sometimes as tradition or legend. Regardless of whether it is fact or legend, the link to St. Thomas is of prime importance and part of the Indian Christian identity. In the United States, apostolic succession is important to Catholics and a number of Orthodox denominations. For other Christians, it is knowing when and what the reformers confessed. For Indian Christians, apostolic succession, that link to the original twelve, is an important source of self-validation and authority. God did not forget to send God's Word to India.
In contrast, the union of Protestant denominations known as the Church of South India (CSI) is a focal point of their identity. This union was not brought to them on the wave of colonialism, not a western denomination. Rather, CSI is homegrown, Indian born and bred. It is a source of identity and pride even more so than their original denominations.
From the beginning of our travels in India, we have seen the mingling of sacred symbols and different traditions: Hindu lamps and sacred bowls, for example, accompanying the adoration of the host in a monstrance. With the mingling of eastern symbols with the narrative of St. Thomas, Christianity here is distinctly Indian. Both St. Thomas and the CSI are vital to Indian Christian identity. Whether strictly factual or the thing of legends, the narrative of St. Thomas provides a foundation for Catholic and Orthodox identity. In much the same manner, many Protestant denominations ground their identity in the union of the Church of South India.
Brent & Karen
A doctoral student whom we met at Marthome Theological Seminary in Kottayam emphasized that there is no absolute history. Primarily, Indians have not been very interested in writing and maintaining historical records. Furthermore, whatever records may have existed were likely destroyed by the Roman Catholic colonialists that accompanied the Portuguese. Oral tradition, on the other hand, is highly valued as living energy. Writing down the tradition extinguishes its energy, leading to its stagnation. Observing the tradition as it is lived out and spoken of, then, allows for a dynamism and interaction of both storyteller and audience. Therefore, the subjectivity of the storyteller is always present.
We have heard that St. Thomas brought Christianity to India. Sometimes this has been stated as fact; sometimes as tradition or legend. Regardless of whether it is fact or legend, the link to St. Thomas is of prime importance and part of the Indian Christian identity. In the United States, apostolic succession is important to Catholics and a number of Orthodox denominations. For other Christians, it is knowing when and what the reformers confessed. For Indian Christians, apostolic succession, that link to the original twelve, is an important source of self-validation and authority. God did not forget to send God's Word to India.
In contrast, the union of Protestant denominations known as the Church of South India (CSI) is a focal point of their identity. This union was not brought to them on the wave of colonialism, not a western denomination. Rather, CSI is homegrown, Indian born and bred. It is a source of identity and pride even more so than their original denominations.
From the beginning of our travels in India, we have seen the mingling of sacred symbols and different traditions: Hindu lamps and sacred bowls, for example, accompanying the adoration of the host in a monstrance. With the mingling of eastern symbols with the narrative of St. Thomas, Christianity here is distinctly Indian. Both St. Thomas and the CSI are vital to Indian Christian identity. Whether strictly factual or the thing of legends, the narrative of St. Thomas provides a foundation for Catholic and Orthodox identity. In much the same manner, many Protestant denominations ground their identity in the union of the Church of South India.
Brent & Karen
Seeing the Sacred
In our travels here in India we have witnessed the Sacred in different places.
Whether it is in a temple, synogoue, or church the people of India is a perfect example of true ecumenisim and harmony across denominational lines. What we have seen is that the sacred is already on the inside of everyone that worships a holy deity. With that said the people of India illustrate the respect of worship and holiness. Thereby, creating opportunities for building friendships across religious boundaries.
As we come to the end of our journey, we will continue to seek out the sacred in ways that are radical in nature but giving GOD unconditional praise.
Katie Jo & Jacquelyne
Whether it is in a temple, synogoue, or church the people of India is a perfect example of true ecumenisim and harmony across denominational lines. What we have seen is that the sacred is already on the inside of everyone that worships a holy deity. With that said the people of India illustrate the respect of worship and holiness. Thereby, creating opportunities for building friendships across religious boundaries.
As we come to the end of our journey, we will continue to seek out the sacred in ways that are radical in nature but giving GOD unconditional praise.
Katie Jo & Jacquelyne
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Lenses
Throughout our visits to different churches and temples we have sought to see past our own contexts in order to see the sacred in these foreign settings. The divine has defiantly been present, but in some of the more subtle and unexpected places at times. The people have shown us the sacred in their settings by demonstrating their encounter with it. We may not have seen the sacred in the objects and images presented (in the Hindu, Jewish, and even Christian settings), but we experienced the sacred when we were able to witness the Hindus whisper their prayers into the ears of a cow statue and in the chanting at the Orthodox Christian seminary and in the conversations with our fellow seminarians at Tamilnadu Theological Seminary and hearing the Islamic call to prayer chanted over the city buzz. We have witnessed the people of all faiths here in India pray and celebrate God and we are slowly learning to celebrate with them. Perhaps not in the same way as them, but by recognizing the sacredness of their experiences and faith.
M and V
M and V
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Kottayam, India
Hello friends,
We have arrived safely in Kottayam. We actually got here on Saturday. We have done lots of shopping and sightseeing. We are in a hotel until Wednesday and we enjoy that because it is harder for the mosquitoes to bite us. They have been pretty bad so far. I think we are tasty.
Sorry that we are not posting deep theological spiritual reflections everyday. To be honest we are still processing what we saw 7 days ago. We have been taking things in and writing in our journals all along the way. We are going to have many stories to bring back.
Thank you for you love and support.
Katie <><
We have arrived safely in Kottayam. We actually got here on Saturday. We have done lots of shopping and sightseeing. We are in a hotel until Wednesday and we enjoy that because it is harder for the mosquitoes to bite us. They have been pretty bad so far. I think we are tasty.
Sorry that we are not posting deep theological spiritual reflections everyday. To be honest we are still processing what we saw 7 days ago. We have been taking things in and writing in our journals all along the way. We are going to have many stories to bring back.
Thank you for you love and support.
Katie <><
Friday, January 15, 2010
Photos - FINALLY!
Here are just a few photos to wet your appetite...
This was our first meal...the rest have looked very similar.
and another...
On Sunday we were able to worship in a Dalit village and John got to preach!
We got to meet and speak with Dr. Felix Wilfred
and one last one... A group shot at the Hindu Temple!
I will try and post more...this blogger site just takes forever. I am uploading a ton of photos to my facebook page. Please go and check them out.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=151558&id=594217002&l=b8cd39d888
Katie <><
This was our first meal...the rest have looked very similar.
and another...
On Sunday we were able to worship in a Dalit village and John got to preach!
We got to meet and speak with Dr. Felix Wilfred
and one last one... A group shot at the Hindu Temple!
I will try and post more...this blogger site just takes forever. I am uploading a ton of photos to my facebook page. Please go and check them out.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=151558&id=594217002&l=b8cd39d888
Katie <><
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Madurai, India
Hello again.
This time I am bringing you greetings from Madurai! We took an overnight sleeper train from Chennai to get here. We are staying at Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary. There are palm trees lining the paths, an amaing out door chapel and much more...many of us are thinking of just staying here to finish our degrees! :o)
I am sorry that we have not posted any photos yet. We have only been able to go to internet cafe's and the computer that I am using now does not have a USB drive in it for me to upload from my camera. I have my MacBook Pro with me but we have not found wireless internet. :o( So hopefully I will have something for you. But son't you worry because I think that every one here has a camera and so when we see something awesome there are at least 15 photos taken at the same time. I know that when we return we will have so many photos and stories to share. As for video...I LOVE my new camera! I have taken about 6 hours worth of amazing video. (amazing because we are in such a beautiful place...not because of me!)
Yesterday we were able to go to a Hindu Temple in Madurai and I am sorry but I don't remember the name of it. But I was very humbled to be in such a place of reverence. Beautiful colors, detailed stones and many people worshipping.
That is all for now. Time is money here...
Peace to all of you as you read this...may you be Blessed!
Katie <><
This time I am bringing you greetings from Madurai! We took an overnight sleeper train from Chennai to get here. We are staying at Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary. There are palm trees lining the paths, an amaing out door chapel and much more...many of us are thinking of just staying here to finish our degrees! :o)
I am sorry that we have not posted any photos yet. We have only been able to go to internet cafe's and the computer that I am using now does not have a USB drive in it for me to upload from my camera. I have my MacBook Pro with me but we have not found wireless internet. :o( So hopefully I will have something for you. But son't you worry because I think that every one here has a camera and so when we see something awesome there are at least 15 photos taken at the same time. I know that when we return we will have so many photos and stories to share. As for video...I LOVE my new camera! I have taken about 6 hours worth of amazing video. (amazing because we are in such a beautiful place...not because of me!)
Yesterday we were able to go to a Hindu Temple in Madurai and I am sorry but I don't remember the name of it. But I was very humbled to be in such a place of reverence. Beautiful colors, detailed stones and many people worshipping.
That is all for now. Time is money here...
Peace to all of you as you read this...may you be Blessed!
Katie <><
Monday, January 11, 2010
We are here!
Hi everyone out there.
We made it and are amazed! Every minute is a new adventure. We have experienced so much and everything is great. Of course the traffic is something else we nearly hit a person today I have my heart out of my throat now. Visiting the people has been wonderful. we have experienced the Divine at every turn.
Keep praying for our safety and good health. Tonight we are off on the adventure on the train!
Vicki
We made it and are amazed! Every minute is a new adventure. We have experienced so much and everything is great. Of course the traffic is something else we nearly hit a person today I have my heart out of my throat now. Visiting the people has been wonderful. we have experienced the Divine at every turn.
Keep praying for our safety and good health. Tonight we are off on the adventure on the train!
Vicki
India (WOW)
OK, we are here and safe. I am stuff to the brim with Indian food (it's great, but there is a lot!!). Holy cow has a whole new meaning and traffic is something that must be experienced. BumP....WAS THAT A PERSON WE JUST HIT?? REALLY NO KIDDING! Detailed explanation upon return.
On a more serious note...We just met Dr. Felix Wilfred one the leading Asian theologians of our time. WOW, I just wanted to spend all day sitting in his home listening to the wisdom he was accumulated though all his years of study and ministry. It was amazing!!! He is such a humble, serene, and knowledgeable man of God. A quote from him today was "some follow the path and others make their own path and who is to say which one is better." This was in reference to a question of who should set the rules of engagement for society and religious practice in an pluralistic world.
Once again, more details upon return...just teasing you for now.
Peace and Much love,
Kimberly....wait...is that a HOLY COW?
On a more serious note...We just met Dr. Felix Wilfred one the leading Asian theologians of our time. WOW, I just wanted to spend all day sitting in his home listening to the wisdom he was accumulated though all his years of study and ministry. It was amazing!!! He is such a humble, serene, and knowledgeable man of God. A quote from him today was "some follow the path and others make their own path and who is to say which one is better." This was in reference to a question of who should set the rules of engagement for society and religious practice in an pluralistic world.
Once again, more details upon return...just teasing you for now.
Peace and Much love,
Kimberly....wait...is that a HOLY COW?
Tyler
It has been Three overwhelming days here in India, and OMG I am loving every minute of it. The spirit is pleasant and inviting here, but the traffic is a chaotic mess. I am really seeing GOD in a whole new light and we still have a lot to experience. The food is great but I am so full and fat that I really need to lose 100lbs when I get home. Well that is all for now TTYL
J Tyler
J Tyler
Sunday, January 10, 2010
We are here...we made it
Hello there! Sorry it has been so long since we have posted anything. We have not been able to get to an internet cafe. It is hard to believe that we have been here for just a little over 48 hours. We have experienced a lot already.
More to come about all of that...we have gone shopping, we have been to see the place where St. Thomas is said to be buried, and we have worshiped with a Dalit community. We are on our way to have a conversation with Felix Wilfred.
I hope to get to an internet cafe soon so that you can hear from others as well. Until then...
Katie <><
More to come about all of that...we have gone shopping, we have been to see the place where St. Thomas is said to be buried, and we have worshiped with a Dalit community. We are on our way to have a conversation with Felix Wilfred.
I hope to get to an internet cafe soon so that you can hear from others as well. Until then...
Katie <><
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Chicago...Brussels...Chennai, India
We have arrived safely in Chicago after only a 20 minute delay in St. Louis. We fly out of Chicago at 5:05pm. (Which we expect to be delayed slightly.)
Thanks for checking in.
Katie <><
Thanks for checking in.
Katie <><
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Alomst Ready For Takeoff
On January 7th, I along with 13 of my classmates and professor Mai Ahn Tran will depart the United States and begin our journey to India. We will be joining Dr. Niles who is already enjoying her time with family in India.
The purpose of our Journey is to introduce us to the Church(s) in India and the context that it finds itself in. We will be studying the distinct and complex socio-cultural, political, and religious landscapes of South India. We will be exposed to three large Church traditions: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox as we struggle to understand our place and our contribution in the complex soci-cultural, political and religious landscape. *Taken from the Class Syllabus*
We are scheduled to visit three major cities in India: Chennai, Madurai and Kottayam.
I hope that you stay tuned in to see and hear about what we are experiencing...and trust me when I say that you will be hearing much more than just about the food we are eating or how nice the people are. We are embarking on a "Journey Through India" and I believe that it will be life changing not only for us but for the people that we will meet.
Namaste - God's Peace Go With Us
Katie <><
Fellow Traveler
p.s. The weather is not to bad there either...
The purpose of our Journey is to introduce us to the Church(s) in India and the context that it finds itself in. We will be studying the distinct and complex socio-cultural, political, and religious landscapes of South India. We will be exposed to three large Church traditions: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox as we struggle to understand our place and our contribution in the complex soci-cultural, political and religious landscape. *Taken from the Class Syllabus*
We are scheduled to visit three major cities in India: Chennai, Madurai and Kottayam.
I hope that you stay tuned in to see and hear about what we are experiencing...and trust me when I say that you will be hearing much more than just about the food we are eating or how nice the people are. We are embarking on a "Journey Through India" and I believe that it will be life changing not only for us but for the people that we will meet.
Namaste - God's Peace Go With Us
Katie <><
Fellow Traveler
p.s. The weather is not to bad there either...
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