The Carson Center

March 2, 2009

The day was a very long and good day.  It began at 7:30.  It began with breakfast at the Mennonite Conference Center with several church leaders.  It was a breakfast of omelets, what seemed similar to hushpuppies, a sweet pure sugar pretzel-like delicacy, and of course tea (chai as we call it).

Our first stop was the 300 bed Christian Hospital under the charge of Dr.s SK and Veena Chatteregee.  This three story hospital is a massive operation with virtually every department except for cardiology and nephrology which they plan to add soon.  There are 29 doctors working at the hospital that operates entirely on fees and gifts.  The complex includes a Nursing College with plans for a medical college that was stopped due to finances and permit problems.  In its place are plans for a pharmacy college and a physical therapy college.  The Christian witness is still strong with each morning beginning with chapel in its own building, a delicate matter since converting people to Christianity is illegal.  With pride and stories of admiration, I was shown pictures of the original missionaries.

From there we visited two schools (we saw four in total over the next 12 hours), one an English medium school and the other a Hindi medium school.  In total, the schools had enrollments of 3,000 students.  The schools were funded by fees and decreasing support from the government who in the past provided 50% of the teachers salaries.  With considerable pride they told of the impact that the schools had in preparing many Indians for important positions in the country.  The schools were considered among the most respected in the country.

We than spend the next 10 hours driving to other towns, visiting churches, schools in other towns, clinics.  What surprised me first of all was that rice paddies are everywhere.  I understand now that this area is considered the rice bowl of India.  Canals are found everywhere to provide water to the fields.  This development has only taken place in the past 30 years.  Famine is not as likely as a result.

We drove through a massive jungle as the Indians call the wooded area, forest as Americans might refer to it.  In the past, the jungle was filled with wild animals and snakes which is largely not the case today.  Other than domesticated animals, the only wild animals I saw were a few monkeys.

We visited half of the 20 churches over the two days, from the largest that has 2000 members to several outposts, small fellowships that are applying to be recognized as churches.  One outpost was taking place in the home of the person charge, a home (more like a complex) in which 60 family members lived together.

The most touching was the forest church there a small group met, often feeling isolated from the rest of the church.  They, like all of the churches, provided snacks, cold drinks, and chai.  They began to tell me how they became Christian from their Hindu background.  They were starving and knew that the missionaries would provide food and some elderly went to live in the orphanages because their families could not feed them.  They went to schools provided by the missionaries.  What they experienced was kindnesses that service because of a commitment to God.  They wanted to be a part of such a religion.

We talked, as we traveled, about the different phases of missionary work.  It was clear that Uncle JA and the Pages faced very difficult circumstances.  The story of Dr. Pages malaria was well known, how Uncle JA had walked 183 miles on one occasion which included a delirious Dr. Page and additional companion.  So serious was the situation, they ended up being carried by Indians who trotted twenty some miles rotating those who carried to get him help.

Somewhere is the 20s, a different phase began.  Very large bungalows, mansions really; were in fashion.  Missionaries had as many as 8 servants.  In place of hardship was luxury and an attitude of being in charge.  Many dollars were being poured into the work as schools, the clinics, and other services were provided.  The missionaries were tolerated because of the good they were going, but underneath, India leadership began to emerge.  Thirty-five years or so after the first missionaries came, the first Indian pastors were ordained, a development that I was told could have happened earlier.

Another stage developed in the 60 in which the American missionaries began to withdraw.  In the mid 70s, the government demanded the withdrawal of all foreign missionaries.  The land and properties were sold to individuals or church organizations and the Indian church was on its own.

It was a difficult time for the church and it is evident that some aspects could not be sustained.  Many of the bungalows are empty and are deteriorating.  The orphanage is gone as is the leprosy clinic.  The Indian financial support is not there to sustain them and the needs have changed.  Many of the churches need repairs.  One by one, the churches are being renovated and roofs are being replaced.  The funds come from church donations with the help of the conference.

I also learned that the tie between India and the US is strong.  Many members have relatives and dear friends in the US.  They are in many different professions but most cases seem to be in very respectable positions.  I was given a list of people to contact in the US.

Was it a good thing that the Uncle JA and the Pages went to India,  The answer seems to be yes.  The Indian Mennonite Church has gone to be nearly 7,000 in this group alone.  There is a strong middle class that is living comfortably with motorcycles, and cars, and houses.  But more importantly, I was told, is the appreciation that the missionaries cared enough to come under difficult circumstances to share gospel in word and deed..  It is no longer US songs that are sung, the dress is not primarily western, the preachers and deacons, and administrators are all Indian.  The Christian faith is now an Indian Christian faith.

I came to Dhamtari as a stranger.  I left with a sense of deep connection.