Before leaving India, I did not get an opportunity to post about our last day with the ALC, Wednesday. It was a mountaintop experience. Literally.

I had asked about their perspective on the missionaries who planted the church in India. I have always struggled with the work of missionaries in the world – they are portrayed as abusive, insensitive, culturally obstructive. The arch of conversation paints a negative picture.

Not here. So I asked.

I was given a response that was reverent and thankful. It was filled with awe and gratitude for the risks and the gifts they brought. As I posted earlier, it was the protestant missionaries who brought the opportunity for freedom from caste oppression. They lived their faith – they did it right. Loving. Respecting. Healing.

Pastor Theophilus basically said: Missionaries came here when there was nothing – they brought roads, health care, English, hope for escaping our status.They lived the sacrifical life. They took care of us holistically. They gave their lives for us. We have highest regard for the missionaries. They came, they lived, they loved, and they stayed.

And then he showed us.

Helga Johansen was a missionary for 31 years. She was the first to touch the lepers and give them hope for community and healing. Her grave, located in a local church and tended to daily by the sexton, calls her an “ardent lover of poor and downtrodden.” She was a nurse who started a hospital and a ministry of healing, but she was also a stubborn seeker of people. We drove up the mountain (hill?) that she went up frequently to seek out the tribal people, those in need. The bus made us nervous. We have no idea how she did it on a horse. She started the mission to bring a higher standard of living to the people of the hills that the Arcot Lutheran Church remains committed to today. The Agricultural Institute there is just starting to get it’s teaching and mentoring going; Bishop Clements handed out the first certificates. The primary and secondary schools up that same mountain are doing amazing work, with stretched resources.

We headed back down for Ash Wednesday worship, Pastor Reed Pedersen preaching at Siloam Church, and me preaching at Pastor Janne’s church. Notice that I said preaching – we could not post that while we were in India. The current political and religious climate could have resulted in our being deported or Bishop Clements being detained. Those posts where I have said to expect more later? Ask the people you know who went about those experiences – preaching, leading worship, church dedications, distributing communion. I got to share in a baptism at St. John’s new companion parish. Those worship services were incredible. The experience…well, ask all of us for the stories. We can tell you them now. I will put up a second post of pictures from those days.

The wrap up and parting on Thursday from our new friends was filled with tears, amazement, promises, and hope. Siloam Girls Boarding School (Janne and Theophilus’ students) put on a remarkable program Wednesday night. Janne opened it up for them to ask us whatever they wanted. They asked if we value our daughters, because they aren’t. They asked if we believed in dowry, and cheered when we said no. They asked thoughtful questions, ones which longed to know that there are places in the world where women and girls are valued. It made it clear that THESE girls know they are valued by these pastors, teachers, and church. They come from harsh and painful circumstances, but they have, at Siloam, a glimpse of what it is to be respected and loved and valued. I thank God for this place, for Pastor Theophilus and Pastor Janne, for Bishop Socrates and the ALC and their dedication to this mission.

The rest of Thursday brought our first time to do some rushed shopping, walk the streets of Puducherry, eat at a western restaurant, and feel elephants. Yep. Rescued elephants. We asked our guide about seeing elephants, and he came up with an NGO that is “rehabilitating” 3 elephants from a temple. They don’t advertise. There is no sign. We walked a good half hour to get there – our guide saying that we were going where no American has gone before. And we learned about the abuse and misuse of elephants from a man passionate about caring for these 3 amazing animals. You would have an impossible time finding the place, but you can find there story here https://www.facebook.com/EleFriends101ECF/

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were about 2 things: travel and Taj. Getting to the Taj took flying to Dehli, 4 hours driving to Agra, another hotel, and 4 hours back to Delhi to get back to the airport and start the flights home. It was worth every minute. The Taj Mahal was breathtaking, and the Red Fort a revelation.

These posts have given you a glimpse. Take the time to talk to one of us and get a bigger picture. We have stories. We have tears. We have songs. And we have love for our companions. We long to share all of them with you.