Thanksgiving Service - Deacon Annie

Today was the BIG Thanksgiving service - 3,000+ people attended the 3+ hour long srvice that was full of smells and bells on the St Michael's School cricket court. There were clergy from throughout the Diocese of Durgapur plus 12 from the Methodist church in England, a bishop from Australia, a bishop from Canada, a bishop from Bangladesh, a moderator from England and loads of WNCers. It was a joyful morning for all except Jessica who took her malaria medication on an empty tummy and needed to go to her room to recouperate. Lunch has just ended and all are wandering, reorganizing, resting, reading and all together hanging out. Lynn and Fran plan to walk to the basti (slum village across the street) to see how one of the hostel girl's grandmother is doing. Then we all plan to walk to the local very Indian market, where we could choose the goat or chicken we want killed for supper. Part of the reason to do is to see the real India, partly to get some exercise and partly to prepare for the disco tonight at which we will dance for hours with the children who could dance non-stop for days, given half a chance. It is so wonderful to see how many programs have bloomed here; the Daughters of the King chapter is held up as a model throughout India and the Synod president encouraged women to form more chapters; the healing and medical missions in Purulia, especially the Festivals of Joy are huge - with 1000+ people attending every evening and the Bishop wants to start more chapters of the Order of St. Luke here and in Calcutta. Tomorrow all the folks on campus go to Serenga to the hospital that was founded 100+ years ago by the Mthodists and which now will have a library; we are going for the dedication service. I love Serenga because the hospital is very peaceful. I usually go and spend the night and pray with the student nurses and the patients but I think this trip will be short; it is a rough trip - very bumpy and very long (3ish hours) and so we will go, have the service of dedication, have tea and return. The roads are seriously scary at night; there are no street lights and lots of dark-skinned people who walk in the road and cows and dogs that wander in and out...such is the driving life in India. Companionship is a funny thing; we are not missionaries bringing the good news of jesus Christ to these folks; they know Jesus and love jesus. And in some ways we aren't pilgrims either because three of us on this team have been here before. And we aren't tourists becasue we are not rushing from one place to the other snapping pix and tying to remember the difference between Mumbai and Kolcatta. We are somewhere in-between, having trouble receiving the overwhelming hospitality, deeply moved by it, aware that we can solve so many problems by buying medicines and paying teachers' salaries and sponsoring children, and yet completely aware that these are band aids on huge problems that can only be solved by God. The sermon this morning was about the looking for the face of Christ rather than looking at the storms and losing faith. And then the message went on to say that the poor have been recipients of a disproportionate amount of the storm of greed, self-centeredness, fear and separateness; we feel the blessings of God and then forget to pass them on to others -- we hold onto them as though they were ours to keep. It is about 75+ degrees and sunny; we are safe, well fed, having mixed sleeping patterns and very cared for. Our call is to pass all this love and hospitality onto others now. -deacon annie