Family and Friends:

I've had a couple of days of rest in Bangalore.  I've met with several people and had a couple of meetings, but it's been a down time.  Tonight I head off by train to Nagpur, where I meet with the Muslim group.

There are a couple of items about worship places in Mumbai that I forgot to share.  One of the proposals had been to use cell groups instead of a worship center.  As soon as I brought that idea up in our general meeting, two people immediately responded: "Have you seen our apartments?  That's impossible." 

When I went the next day, I asked to see a couple of apartments.  They are amazingly small, even for the middle class.  They are two rooms of about 15'x15' with an attached bathroom.  Some have a small kitchen attached; some have the kitchen in the bedroom.  Two to five people reside in one of these apartments. They have mattresses propped against the walls during the day.  They cost about $20,000, which would be about $150,000 in our USA cost of living.  They really can't have a cell group gathering in their homes.

Another way church life is handled is by the sharing of worship facilities.  Sites for new churches are prohibitively expensive, but those that were built years back are still there.  One of our congregations has an old Anglican church in the vicinity.  We visited the building, which is small but just beautiful with stained class windows, pillars, steeple, etc.  They have a board out front which lists five different language groups and denominations that meet for worship there.  The rent they charge is only $12 a month.  Our IELC President Rev. Rajagambeeram was part of the 5-person delegation for the Mumbai
visit, and he offered to visit any of the area bishops if one of our congregations has a church nearby that they would like to rent.

One of the major benefits of foreign investment in India has been improved quality of life for the residents of the major cities.  In order to attract foreign residents and to attract non-resident Indians to return and to attract talent to stay in the country, mayors knew they had to make their cities somewhat livable by Western standards.  This has resulted in the development of some excellent schools, fine apartment complexes, ritzy malls, attractive office buildings, ready internet access, many TV channels, stoplights, street dividers (so drivers have to stay on their side of the street), parking regulations, etc.  There always has been an "America" in India (300 million people who live at the standard of middle class Americans), but now they actually have many of the same facilities available as well.

The mayors also have dealt somewhat with the noise and air pollution.  In Mumbai, the noisy 3-wheeler autorickshaws are banned from the center of the city, and only taxis are allowed.  In Bangalore, the smoke-exhuding lorries (trucks) are banned from the center of the city.  I was in Bangalore just two years ago, and I've found a marked improvement in the air
pollution.

With the ability of Westerners to invest in India, the wife of one of our IELC members has begun a business enterprise.  Mr. John Peter Kirubagaran is the director of the United Evangelical Mission, and his wife is running an export business and invested in real estate using investment funds from friends and mission supporters.  The investors will get an excellent return on their money, and the profits will enable the UEMI's ministry to expand using stable local resources.  Praise the Lord!

I thought I'd share with you a few cultural situations I've encountered recently.  The president of our IELC, Rev. Rajagambeeram, has no funding for all of his church travels and administration.  He's had to spend much of his own resources, which are quite meager for our IELC pastors.  When we were in Mumbai, he took the chance to go to a shop and purchase a pair of pants. As they were being tailored, he asked me to stop by the store and then insisted that I choose a shirt.  I tried over and over again to convince him that this was not necessary and unneeded.  Finally, I chose one, and then he chose a tie to go with it and gave it to me.  How does one receive a gift from someone who really can't afford to give it?:  with embarrassment but graciously and humbly.

The Rethinking Forum conference was held at a Roman Catholic retreat center.  The first morning I didn't know where the meeting was being held, so a nun led me to the building.  It was on the second floor ("first floor" in India).  As we came to the stairs, she stepped aside and with a bow and sweep of her arm instructed me to go up the stairs first.  In the Indian culture, they deal with the potentially leering looks of men by having them walk in front.

Typically, when a group of us stops at a restaurant to eat, those at the table will ask me what I want to eat.  I will say, and then they will tell the server to bring everyone that same dish.  I think it must be a way to make a guest feel affirmed in his choice of food.

God bless.

Herb