Tom's India Journal 2010

Re: Further Thoughts From India

2010-07-30T12:51:00.001-07:00

I liked this comment you made, Tom. I know I need that freedom. I have such a tendency to feel "guilt-tripped" if I don't have the same enthusiasm for someone else's calling.
Karin

"It gave me the freedom to appreciate the work that God has given others to do without feeling that I must enlist in their work, or they in mine. It provided a stronger "yes" to my own work and a clearer "no" to those things I'm not called to do."

Further Thoughts From India

2010-07-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Shortly after my return I wrote: "There were personal lessons for me, as well. Probably the most important one is that God has, indeed, created me with a purpose in life and has given me tasks to do." The details of how that will work out are still coming together, but allow me to share the principle that God impressed upon me while I was over there. It began with the connecting of two dots; two seemingly very random, disparate dots: The idea of "mountain top experiences" and my training almost 40 years ago as a US Army Infantry officer in "land navigation", or map reading and interpretation.

I may not have been listening somewhere along the line, but, to the best of my recollection, I have heard many, many times as people explained mountain top experiences, but never in the way it came together for me during my trip. In retrospect I would say that all the explanations of mountain top experiences I have ever heard had to do with the "effect" they have on our lives. That effect is that they "pump up" our emotions, they invigorate our committment, they charge our batteries for the work that will resume when we come down off the mountain, and, hopefully, they motivate us to do that work at a higher level than previously.

But, the problem with focussing on the effect is that the effect, being emotionally oriented, can fade over time and/or get hijacked towards the wrong ends. The former is an experience, I think, common to people everywhere. The best example of the latter is seen in the Biblical account in Matthew 17:

"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three sheltersone for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.'"

Like most of us, I suspect, Peter's instinct was to worship the experience or the place of the experience. But he missed the purpose.

To the best of my recollection, I have never heard anyone talk about the "purpose" of a mountain top experience. This is where my Infantry training came into play. In certain circumstances there is a real purpose in making the effort of going to the mountain top. Yes, from the mountain top you see a beautiful panorama, sometimes even breath-taking. But that isn't why you go there. You go there because from the mountain top you gain a clearer view of where you've been and where you're going. You can see what the terrain ahead looks like; where there may be easier routes, or where there are dangers or challenges. From the mountain top you can get a renewed bearing on your ultimate objective, and whether there may be some intermediate objectives that will need to be accomplished. That is the purpose of the mountain top, the reason you go up there.

For me this reaffirmed what I sense as the purpose God created me for and also helped me to have a sense of focus. It gave me the freedom to appreciate the work that God has given others to do without feeling that I must enlist in their work, or they in mine. It provided a stronger "yes" to my own work and a clearer "no" to those things I'm not called to do.

Another Thought

2010-07-23T16:19:00.001-07:00

I made some notes on some of the "thoughts" that crossed my mind while in India. One of those might be more broadly useful to share: What are we to make of "mountain top experiences"? Having experienced these kinds of things numerous times over the course of my life, the experience itself, was/is not new to me. But they took on a new meaning for me after some reflection in India. All my life I've heard people speak about the effect of mountain top experiences and how to "manage" that as we go back into our regular life. Perhaps you've heard some of these: They are to recharge our batteries and to give us energy to continue on when we return to daily life in the valley, or, they are to give us a "boost" and raise our "performance level" much as athletes train in mile-high Denver before competing in sea-level sports events, or, they provide that boost so that we are able to work consistently at higher levels much as mountain climbers acclimate at a base camp before attempting the final assault on a peak.

But as I reflected it struck me that there is a difference between the "effect" of a mountain top experience and the "purpose" of a mountain top experience. You see, years ago I was a US Army Infantry officer, and we trained, among other things, in land navigation: how to read maps and get where you're going in an unfamiliar area. And when you're in an unfamiliar area and you have someplace you want to get to, there is a purpose, a reason, for going to the mountain top. It isn't for the emotional or spiritual battery charging, though the vistas from the mountain top are often beautiful and breath-taking. Nonetheless, that is not why you go there.

You go there because, from the heights, you can get a good view of the surrounding terrain, you can review where you've been, you can check where the best routes forward may be, and most of all, you can reassure yourself that you are still on track to the objective you want to reach, or make the necessary course corrections so that you will achieve your objective.

This was a key event in my trip to India. The good news is that you don't have to go to India in order to make this kind of review. A few questions will do it. Where do you want to go? What is the purpose in your life? How do you intend to get there? How've you been doing? What course corrections are necessary? What potential dangers may lie in the terrain ahead? How are you going to deal with them? I don't have all the answers for my own life, but I have begun the process of working on them. And I know where I want to go.

India Reflections

2010-07-23T11:14:00.001-07:00

When is the time to write about an experience such as this trip to India has provided? Is it immediately, when the images, names, and memories are fresh? Or is it after a longer period of reflection, when it has become clear; the difference between those things that are impressive and those that are important? I hope to do some of both.

One might ask, But why bother? Who cares? I write, oddly, for those who best know already: For God, as a means of thanksgiving and in hope that someone might profit from it to His honor; and for me, in order to attempt to bring some order and organization to this dusty-attic-jumble of mental images and thoughts. There are also those who have given sacrificially to enable me to make this trip; people who believed that God might do something useful in and/or through me. I owe these people a report on the return on investment. And, of course, there are others who care about me, as well, but who were not able, or moved, to assist. They, too, for friendship sake alone, deserve to hear of the outcome. And beyond these there may be many others. So, I hope, again, that someone else may stumble upon this or that bit of bric-a-brak and discover a hidden gem.

Overall Impressions -- The Impressive
India is a remarkable place. There is a vitality that is almost palpable. It springs partly from the fact that there seem to be people everywhere. Even small villages are full of them. As you drive through the towns you see great mobs of people, mostly scurrying to and fro, some standing waiting for a break in the interminable traffic to get across the road. On the major thoroughfares there are people walking on the sidewalks and in the streets, there are bikes, sometimes with as many as three people, and 100cc motorcycles or scooters -- "two-wheelers" in local parlance -- sometimes with four or five people, and "auto rickshaws", little three-wheeled scooter-like taxis, sometimes with five or six people, all of these mingling in a chaotic frenzy with cars large and small, trucks, busses, tour vans, etc. Oh, and cows wandering blithely through the streets of the major cities with no regard for the mechanical beasts buzzing around them. And above it all is the constant jingle-jangle of vehicle horns tooting as drivers proclaim to all around, "Look out I'm coming through so keep out of my way." In a city block, in heavy traffic, our driver might have honked his horn a hundred or more times. So there is activity and action everywhere you look; a constant buzz.

It is at once a drab and colorful place. The streets are often dirty and muddy and pot-holed, the buildings in the city are mostly dingy, dirty-white stucco or concrete or perhaps a once-bright coral or turquoise, now dimmed with dirt. Sidewalks are a jumble of levels and surfaces and broken concrete seems the norm. Power poles sprout along the streets and are festooned with hundreds of wires and cables carrying the modern modes of communication into tired old buildings that strain to contain the vibrancy of the commerce that bustles everywhere. And in the trees and along the rooftops you occasionally seem the random bird of prey looking for sparrows, or monkeys looking for a piece of fruit hanging in the trees. Through all of this seem to float the Indian women dressed in their saris; a wispy explosion of light and color amid a heavy, drab setting. Golds, greens, reds, blues, whites, yellows....every color of the rainbow rendered in a froth of silk draped about the women who proceed serenely, if purposefully, through it all. And, of course, the unending traffic and horns are the symphonic score for this fashion show.

And then there are the villages. Unlike my previous trip, we spent a lot of time, at least half or our waking, non-traveling hours, in village settings. These are, frankly, indescribable. In some respects life seems unchanged from 500 years ago. Homes have no plumbing; water is carried from the well. The well may be newer, or not, but it still must be transported by women or children toting large pots. The houses may have brick walls, or not, but most still have thatch roofs. Some now have concrete floors, others have floors of dirt covered with woven straw mats. Most do seem to have electric light....coming from bare bulbs dangling from exposed wires strung from ceiling and walls. (OSHA would have a field day!) But even here there are the beautiful colors of the women's saris and the warmth of the flashing smiles of children.

The country side is lovely. We took a 5 or 6 hour train ride from Bangalore to Chennai, and a number of bus trips out from the cities to see village sites. There are parts of India that are as beautiful as anything Hawaii has to offer. (Hawaii is at about 20 degrees north latitude and Bangalore and Chennai are at about 12 or 13 degrees north latitude, so the area is definitely tropical.) In places forests of palms and tropical hardwoods abound. Old, but still magnificent, volcanic mountains and rock formations are around the area. And, in some of the village areas, the beaches are reminiscent of Hawaii....except for the omnipresent cows grazing the beach plants or resting in the sand.

In one of these villages we had a chance to go out on a traditional fishing boat with the men and a few boys and watch as they demonstrated how they fish. The water of Lake Pulicat -- using Google Earth, fly to "Chennai", zoom to an elevation of 100 miles, and Pulicat Lake is a very large body of water right on the coast due north of the city, Vadagodi village is on the south end of the largest island -- is brackish and shallow. The men motor out from shore, take their net with a man on each end, wade out, walk through the water and then close a circle entrapping the fish. After the demonstration, the boys jumped overboard and began to play in the water. Being very hot, Dave and I went in after them and played with the boys for a few minutes. Children are the same everywhere: fun.

Impacts -- The Important
Probably the most important thing that impressed me is that God is at work. Everywhere. And He definitely doesn't need me to help Him accomplish what He intends to do. He has people all over that are hard at work doing those things that He has placed upon their hearts. But, He does have places where I can work, and things I can do, if I want to have the joy and the blessings of being a part of His work in the world. We heard amazing stories of how God is using the missionaries of India to go into places with His message of love. And not merely a message in words, though that, too, but also a message of His love expressed in building of community facilities, of training and providing educational and work skills to underprivileged women and children, of providing health training and medical care to communities. It is very hard work, sometimes dangerous -- people have been martyred or injured, homes destroyed -- and in very challenging circumstances. Most westerners would faint at the challenge, I think. But the people there are used to those circumstances and, even having found their own way out, go back in in order that they might lead others out. We met some amazing saints of God who are hard at work and ask only for prayers that they might be more effective.

There were personal lessons for me, as well. Probably the most important one is that God has, indeed, created me with a purpose in life and has given me tasks to do. You recall that Jesus said, ""Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." A yoke is not a horse-collar; a yoke is for two necks. I take it that Jesus is saying, "If you join me, you will have work to do. But it will be work that you will find satisfying in the deepest part of your soul. And you will discover that working alongside me is a gentle process." I don't think that God's call to me is to be a missionary to India; He obviously has people there already. And He may call some. But my work is here. And so I must be about the tasks He has given me to do. I must take from the brothers and sisters in India the faithfulness, the prayerfulness, the work ethic that they demonstrate, and then get busy with doing my own tasks here.

And, of course, as always in situations in which we encounter new and different stresses, there were the reminders that the Christian life is more about "doing" than about "knowing." After Jesus washed the disciples' feet, and explained what He had done, He said, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." And so I had some opportunities to practice some of these deeds in settings where weariness and fatigue joined with strangeness and unfamiliarity to see if I could remember how to practice what I was learning.

And, again, of course, it is never all about me. The trip provided opportunities for me to watch as God used others: Dave preaching, Angel or Patrick translating, Larry filming or praying. It provided opportunities to see that sometimes I didn't even have to actually do anything unusual, I could just "be me being me", and God could use that -- playing with the children in Vadagodi or Ullalul. And it provided opportunities to see that sometimes I didn't even have to do anything at all; that the mere presence of a person who had come halfway around the world to learn about God's work in India could be a source of encouragement that the Holy Spirit would use to encourage and strengthen someone working hard in challenging circumstances.

And it was great to see that there are common desires and passions that unite people everywhere. There were people asking for prayer for family members and friends that don't know God. There were people asking for prayer for economic stress. There were also people asking for prayers for marriages that were under stress. In a little village outside Bangalore we came and worshipped with a small group of people who are suffering social persecution because the area is mostly Hindu and they don't want their neighbors turning to Christ. One woman came with a symbolic bag of sand and bottle of water and asked us to pray over them. She and her husband were going to be building a home and they wanted to have God's blessing on their home; partly as a light in the village and partly for protection from persecution and from cobras and other dangers. I was able to share that Lorie and I, similarly, when we built our home, prayed for our home, and told her of Psalm 127:1, that we had prayed -- "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it..." -- when our home was being built. (By the way, we have never had any cobras in our home. ;-) ) So, the trip was a potent reminder that the image of God in mankind is something that ought to unite hears across all cultures and that the love God has for all mankind ought to serve as a motivator for us on a daily basis.

So, again, my profound thanks to all of you who helped me to participate in this trip both through gifts and prayers. God bless you. You have been an inspiration to me.

Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my desktop computer at home....praise the Lord! ;-)

F M P B

2010-07-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Friends Missionary Prayer Band is an old, very large indigenous organization that works throughout India we met and talked strategy with the leaders and several missionaries. In sum, we heard amazing stories about how God has worked and is working.

Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my iPhone

Magadi -- a Chennai slum church

2010-07-20T20:50:00.001-07:00

We went to visit with people in a small church that ministers to the very poor. Afterward we went to the home of one of the church elders. Muddy alley ways, a small home of just one room. But people who are warm and hospitable and who's love for God is palpable.

Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my iPhone

Singing with the missionaries

2010-07-20T05:24:00.000-07:00

I forgot to send this clip yesterday. The conference began with singing.

Dinner with Sam & Visanthi

2010-07-19T09:21:00.001-07:00

Had a wonderful dinner in the home of Sam & Visanthi tonight along with a new Indian friend from this trip and some old friends from my previous trip. Sasi, the wife from the old friends is a converted Hindu and a nurse. She has spent a lot of time working in Orissa where many Christians have been martyred and many more have had their homes destroyed and burned by Hindu nationalists. It gives you just the slightest glimpse of man's inhumanity once you remove the concept of "created in the image of God." Not to mention how much we take for granted.

Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my iPhone

An appropriate thought for today

2010-07-19T04:43:00.000-07:00

... given the discussion at the missions conference.

Tom Lindholtz

Sent from my iPhone

Subject: [cqod] 07/19/10 -- Ellul: Christian ethics

The Christian ethic is inseparable from the preaching of the Word, for the very behaviour of the Christian destroys the work of Satan, and helps to build up the Body of Christ in the world.
... Jacques Ellul (1912-1994), The Presence of the Kingdom

Quiet time reflection:
Lord, You lead Your people into battle through Your word.

Monday -- A Missionary Conference

2010-07-19T00:13:00.000-07:00

We are at another of the villages near yesterday's trip. Today the indigenous mission group has assembled ten missionaries and their wives. Dave is talking to them about knowing God's will. They are each reporting on the work they are doing in their villages. Most of them face social persecution. Some of them face dangers from cobras and wild elephants. It is amazing to reflect on the daily life challenges these people face.

Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my iPhone

Sunday --Trip to Vadagodi

2010-07-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Vadagodi is a small fishing village north of Chennai. The people are very poor but an indigenous Indian missile group comprised of a bunch of lay business men have been working on the island. Our church partnered with them to build a church building on the island.
We got to the island on a traditional fishing boat like the one above. Later in the day we went out fishing with some of the men. I wound up going swimming with some of the village kids as did Dave. I have never felt as much like the Pied Piper as I did today. Scores of children mobbed me and some wouldn't let me out of their reach. Of course I loved it A couple of the boys even made the 2-hour round trip back to the mainland to say good bye.

Saturday morning

2010-07-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

Up very early today -- 4:00. We catch the train this morning to Chennai. Or as a friend called it, the Chennai Twain. A long but I understand beautiful ride.
More later.
Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my iPhone

Friday --Amazing trip

2010-07-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

It was a very long day but a rewarding one. We had a 3+hour drive to a little tiny church in a little tiny village. It is a place where there is persecution but the people were worshiping and trusting God for all that they needed. We were there to see a site for possible future involvement. Then a long ride back to Bangalore. Beautiful countryside and some interesting sites. A very full long day.
Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my iPhone

Friday church

2010-07-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Tom's Thursday voicemail from India

2010-07-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Click here to bring up Tom's voicemail drop site. Once there, a single click will play his voicemail from Bangalore, India. Make sure your speakers are turned up.

Good thought for today in India

2010-07-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

From renown missionary to India, Amy Carmichael.

Tom Lindholtz

Sent from my iPhone

Meditation:
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. --2 Corinthians 4:3-5 (NIV)
_____

Quotation:
   We preach Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
   ... Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), motto of the Dohnavur
_____
Quiet time reflection:
   Lord, grant me the servant's heart.
_____

Thursday morning

2010-07-15T01:21:00.001-07:00

Spent the morning at an indigenous mission organization with the director and then Dave spoke to the assembled missionaries and their families. He spoke from Eph. 5:22ff about marriage and the challenges relationships face in stressful situations. Some of these people serve at the risk of their lives. We have it so easy. During a Q&A the Indians expressed shock at the decline they hear of in the American church. It was a great time but with some sobering moments.

Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my iPhone

First day pics

2010-07-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

This is the court yard outside the door to our room. Ihave the same roommate I did when I came seven years ago. Larry is a great guy.

First day

2010-07-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

Really tired tonight. I've had about an hour sleep since I left over 48 hours ago. But I expect a nights sleep to put things right. And the young people From our church that we met up with here are really outstanding. Interacting with them today was worth the price of admission all by itself.

We went to the village of Ullalu to day to present what was supposed to be a women's retreat for the women of this poor village. First of all, instead of the 30-40 women they expected we had a out 200 come. Second, we so had maybe 40 men show up. Our program was very well received and at the end a number of people raised their hands to receive Jesus into their lives. There is a very good follow up program through local people. After the program the local church fed them lunch. Then a smaller number who had been selected because they were poor, about 30 today in addition to 30 yesterday, received care packages that included about a month's worth of food staples.

Not terribly hungry tonight for anything except sleep. So with that, thank you and good night n

Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my iPhone

2010-07-13T04:09:00.000-07:00

Five hours to lay over in the Hong Kong airport. Already the trip has been positive as it has provided our pastor, Dave, and I to enjoy some positive conversation. And now we've found a nice little coffee shop with a couple wing back chairs and foot rests. Nice break from the crowded seating of the plane.

Tom Lindholtz
Sent from my iPhone

A good word as I prepare to leave

2010-07-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

"The Jews would not willingly tread upon the smallest piece of paper in their way, but took it up; for possibly, they say, the name of God may be on it. Though there was a little superstition in this, yet truly there is nothing but good religion in it, if we apply it to men. Trample not on any; there may be some work of grace there, that thou knowest not of. The name of God may be written upon that soul thou treadest on; it may be a soul that Christ thought so much of, as to give His precious blood for it; therefore despise it not."
-Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)
Aids to Reflection [1825] , London: W. Pickering, 1839, Aphorism XXVIII, p. 76
See the book at http://cqod.com/r/rs448
Tom
Tom Lindholtz
tlindholtz@comcast.net
facebook.com/tom.lindholtz
"Discovery consists of looking at the same thing
as everyone else and thinking something different."
-- Roger von Oech

Another info resource

2010-07-07T19:40:00.001-07:00

I mentioned that you can find this page at http://tom.lindholtz.net . In addition, If you would like to get a broader picture of what we're doing, both the adult team that I am on, as well as the youth team that is already there, please also check out http://sungrove.org/india . Finally, I may try to post to my Facebook page, as well http://www.facebook.com/tom.lindholtz . If that doesn't succeed in giving you information overload, may I suggest you seek help. ;-)

RE: Tom's India Trip -- 7/7

2010-07-07T19:24:00.001-07:00

In my last paragraph of my last update I noted that I'm hoping to be
able to arrange to post regular notes from India. In order to
simplify the logistics of doing that, my brother, Rick, has kindly
set up a web page to which I can send those notes directly. I
apologize that this won't be quite so convenient for you; you'll need
to log onto the web page in order to see my posts. But the
alternative would be to not post at all while I'm gone.

So, if you'd like to follow our activities while we're in India you
can go to http://tom.lindholtz.net and you'll find the latest
information. Right now the page is showing the update I sent out a
couple days ago, and this will be there, too.

I might mention that I may not be receiving any e-mail while I'm
gone. (I'm not sure how this will work.) I will be trying to save
my data usage for sending messages, maybe the occasional picture, to
you. But I will look forward to two-way communication when I return.

This may be my last e-mail before I leave on Monday, so let me again
thank each of you for your care, interest, and support. Your prayers
are invaluable and all of us appreciate them.

Thanks again,
Tom

Tom

Tom Lindholtz

tlindholtz@comcast.net
facebook.com/tom.lindholtz

"Discovery consists of looking at the same thing
as everyone else and thinking something different."
-- Roger von Oech

Pre- Trip Update - July 3

2010-07-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had our last logistics and planning meeting for the India trip. Support is mostly in, I've had all my shots, I've taken or am taking my pills, we're getting all the odds and ends together and tying up all the loose ends. All kinds of little details to remember: make paper copies of my passport to carry around with me, make e-mail attachments of passport and visa to keep on my phone, some supplies to pick up at the store, things to pack, etc., etc.

There will be a "commissioning service" at church tomorrow. The young people who are preceding us are leaving on Monday. And then my travelling partner, our new pastor, and I will be leaving the following Monday, 7/12. Approximately 24 hours later we will arrive in Bangalore, India. We'll hit the ground running; arriving at about 1:00 in the morning on the 14th, we have a full, long schedule of meetings and activities planned for that day. And it doesn't slow down until the 17th when we will be taking an all-day train trip to Chennai. Upon arrival there we will step back into the whirlwind of meetings and activities until we depart for home around midnight on the 21st.

I have made arrangements to be able to send short e-mails from India via my phone. So I hope, if all goes well, to be able to give you a few brief updates as we go along. I find I am anticipating the trip more and more as the departure day approaches. I, we all, will appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we travel. Thanks again for your partnership.