My first month here India has been one of adjustment to a new culture with a slower pace of life. One of the first adjustments I had to make was with my work here at The Henry Martyn Institute (HMI) which has now changed from organizing the library by cataloging its books, office support, and some computer training to helping the staff learn how to use the new LAN (Local Area Network) system when it is successfully installed and all the bugs worked out of it. I have also been given two other tasks the first of which is to inventory and organize HMI’s own publications and the publications it sells. The second project is to organize the institute’s archives.

The other main adjustment I am having to make is get used to being a minority both in faith and skin color. Being a middle class White Anglo Saxon Protestant. I had not really felt discrimination until last Sunday when I was trying to get an auto-rickshaw to take me to church. I ask at least six of the auto-rickshaw drivers to give me a ride to the part of town where the church is by meter, a price of approximately 10 Rupees, they all wanted to charge me 20 to 30 Rupees because I am a white western Foreigner who they assumed was very wealthy, and of course by their standards I am. As a result of that experience I can empathize with people back in the U.S. who are labeled just because of the skin color, ancestral heritage etc. I believe that is one of the many lessons the Lord had in mind for me to learn when he called to come to India as a Volunteer Missionary.

In regards to my experience above I have not yet felt discrimination because of my faith, However I do believe that my faith has grown stronger as a result of knowing that here in India I am part of a small community of believers in Christ in a predominately Muslim state in a nation of where the Hindu faith is a majority. However I have discovered in the past few days that the opportunities for me to share my faith are numerous and I have begun to do so with roommates and co-workers and if we do not agree on a point we agree to disagree. I have come away from those discussions realizing that part of God’s purpose in sending me here to India was to touch the lives of those people, (by loving my neighbor as myself and as God has loved me) and hopefully planting the seed of faith that God will harvest in the future.

Well those are the major life adjustments I am making for my time India. There are the little every days one that pop up also like living with roommates, get used to meetings or events starting 15 minutes to a half hour late and people not being offended by people showing up late because that is life in India.

Well that is all the Mission News from Hyderabad, India for this month. I will be touch with you next month with another update on my years adventure here. Thank you again for all your prayers and support.

In The Service of Christ

Rich

December 08, 1997

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Hyderabad India. I hope all is well with you in this joyous season in which we celebrate the most precious and gracious gift ever given to humankind. The gift of his son and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who came to earth to redeem us from our sins.

After a bumpy two months of adjustment, which included moving in with an Indian Couple from HMI and their two and half year old son because of personality and age differences with my former housemate (he is 18 and I am 35 which basically a lifetime), I am now starting to get into the swing of things here with clearly defined schedule and projects.

My projects consists of helping the Library in the Cataloging of Its books. Doing and Inventory of the Publications that HMI markets, being a clearing house for information going to HMI’s new World Wide Web Home Page. I am also getting practical experience in HMI’s Ministry of Reconciliation by working two days at its project site in Hyderabad’s old city which was the site of the 1992 riots between Hindus and Muslims.

The Ministry of Reconciliation from what I have seen in my limited time here is a combination of the Theology of the Cross and Friendship Evangelism. The Theology of Cross aspect of the ministry of Reconciliation is that people are actively entering into the suffering of others by sacrifice themselves, whether it be in reputation, or religious or caste disapproval. In other words they are taking Christ’s command to love their neighbor as themselves to heart. The aspect of Friendship Evangelism I see in the ministry of reconciliation is that we are seeking to understand people of different faiths and then when the opportunity arises share our own faith and if we happen to disagree on a point or subject we agree to disagree and respect each others point views instead of resorting to violence. In my mind it is planting the seed of faith in someone that God will harvest later while in the process trying to bring a little a piece of God’s Kingdom here on earth.

Besides my duties at HMI I have kept myself busy by continuing my running and traveling. I made my first trip out of Hyderabad on November 28th to Banglore for a week with my friend, neighbor and HMI’s Assistant Director the Rev. Thomas Ninan. Thomas’ Family lives in Banglore, while he works here in Hyderabad and travels home to his wife and daughter at the end of every month. My travels in December will take me to the State of Goa where I will spend Christmas with HMI’s Director, his family, and a couple of other guests. I also hope to travel to the state of Tamil Nadu to meet Sam & Minnie Sudarsanam while they are visit family here in India during December and January.

Next I hope to update you on how advent and Christmas are celebrated in India and some of the experiences I have had in visiting various Christian denominations here in India. Well that is the India Mission update for this month. I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New year.

In Christ Service,

Rich Hah

January 27, 1998

Greetings once again from Hyderabad, India. I hope that everything is going well for you. December was a very eventful month here in India, with the dissolution of the national parliament and elections being called for mid-February, Advent & Christmas Celebrations and of course my work here at the Henry Martyn Institute I my last update I said I would describe how Christmas and Advent are Celebrated her in India. One thing I can tell you is that Christmas is not commercialized like in it is back in the United States and that you have a lot more opportunities to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas. The Christian church here in India celebrate the Advent/Christmas Season with Carol fests, lectures, Sunday school plays, church picnics/festivals, and worship Services. In all the events I attended (a carol fest, lecture on the History of the Christian church in India and worships services) the main focus was on the true meaning of Christmas and the precious gift that was given on that night over 2000 years ago. Here at HMI during our Christmas party we had the rare opportunity and privilege to share the Christmas story with a group of 15 Muslim (Ishmaili sect) from Bombay, who are in the midst of a two month study course at the institute. We did this through a skit and a nativity play.On the work front I am still inventorying the publications that HMI has for sale, However I have also started to organize the institutes archives along with recommending procedures for updating the library’s day to day operations. In December I also had the opportunity to attend two workshops in a series of three sponsored by HMI dealing with a controversy between Christians and Muslims over a chapter in a moral science text book (dealing with beginnings of Islam and the Islamic prophet Mohammed) used in a Roman Catholic School which has Muslims as part of its student population, that erupted into violence last August. Attending these workshops was very enlightening to me by making me more aware of India’s communal (religious) divisions and tensions. The workshops also showed me that there are people here in India and Hyderabad of all faiths that care about people and want to solve problems like the one with the text book by reflecting on the incident, discussing the reason that the violence happened, and then taking steps to make sure this kind of violence hopefully does not happen again.

The past month has not been all work I did get to take and extended three week Christmas vacation (or holiday as they call it here). During this period I traveled to the state of Goa where I spent Christmas with HMI’s director and his family and relaxed on the beaches of the Arabian Sea. I then traveled to Cochin in the state of Kerala, where I met my friend Thomas, and saw the St. Francis church which is supposedly the oldest Christian church in India and Cochin’s Jewish Synagogue which is the only Synagogue in India. Eleven families descendants of the original Jewish settlers still worship there. From Cochin Thomas and I traveled to Kotaym and stayed at a Christian Ashram (an Indian retreat and prayers center) where Thomas was attending a conference on peace and reconciliation in South Asia. After Kotaym, (where my book bag containing my camera, one of my Bibles, day planners, devotional and theological books was stolen or as the police say "disappeared" at the railway station. Luckily, Thanks to God, I had my money and passport on my person so they are safe and still with me. I have replaced most the items and the only thing of value, except for sentimental value, that disappeared was my camera) I traveled to Madras now known a Chenai, where I played tourist and saw the tomb of the Apostle St. Thomas. While in Madras I met Sam and Minnie Sudarsanam at the Madras airport, where they had a nine hour layover, on the way home to the U.S. and was given a full update on the happenings at Bethel.

During my all most four months here in India the one thing that strike me most about this culture is its spirituality and how it is translated into care for people especially the family unit. In other words here in India with all its poverty people are practicing the theology of the cross by entering those peoples sufferings. Also known as following Jesus’ great commandment to love others as he loved us. While I am an ardent admirer of the spirituality of India’s I have also noticed a threat to the sincere practitioners of religion that is what is called religious fundamentalism (a better term is fanaticism) here in India. This fundamentalism/fanaticism seeks to divide and discriminate against people along religious and caste lines and exploits people of all faiths by using them to create incidents that start communalism and further marginlizes the people of the lower classes. This type of communalism happened in Hyderabad’s old city on December 6th, the fifth anniversary of the destruction of the Barbri Masjid (an Islamic Mosque) by followers of India Hindu Nationalist Party the BJP India’s version of Germany’s National Socialist Party (Nazi party) in the 1930’s. Unfortunately the BJP is getting stronger and may take a huge share (not a majority ) of the seats in Parliamentary elections called for mid-February.

I do not want to end this months update on a down note. So I will take this opportunity to say how blessed I feel by God to have been given this opportunity to serve him here in Hyderabad, India in HMI’s ministry of reconciliation. I am also thankful for the new friends he has brought into my life. Last but not least I thank God for the support and of my family, friends, and Bethel family. Well that all for this months update. I will be in touch next month with details of the elections and my further adventures including a brief vacation to Sri Lanka for a Indian Visa renewal. May God bless and keep all of you.

In Christ’s Service,

Rich

February 1, 1998

Greetings once again from Hyderabad, India. I hope everything is going well for you. I doing fine here in Hyderabad and have discovered that days do fly by very fast when you are doing the Lord’s work and can hardly believe that the end of February will mark the halfway point of my assignment as a volunteer Missionary here in India.

Due to the fact that I have nearly completed half of my service. I would like to use this months update to reflect on the lessons that Lord has taught me in the past five months. The first lesson I learned was patience due to the fact that pace of life her in India is a lot slower than in the U.S. This is a lesson that I have been reminded of constantly during my stay here and especially in Kotaym when I had to deal with the railway police when my book bag "disappeared". The second lesson was to trust the Lord in all things even when you are going through trials. This point was brought home to me after I had moved from HMI’s Abids guest house to the Nampali guest house because of age, personality, value differences etc. with my first roommate. After a couple weeks in the Nampali guest house with my new roommates and friends I could look back at the incident which caused me to move and see that it was the Lords answer to one of my prayers and that the move was part of his plan to help me learn more about India and the Christian Church in India.

The third thing I learned is to open my eyes in order to see and learn new things. I do not think I will ever get used to seeing the poverty here in India. My heart breaks every time I see a physically challenged beggar or person with out limbs. I pray that during my time here in India I will not be callous to these sights and the contrast between the haves and the have nots in this Country.

The fourth lesson I have learned here in India is one I mentioned in one my articles for the glimpse. That is how it feels to be labeled just because of your skin. I learned this lesson early in my stay here when trying to get a ride to church in an Auto-Rick-shaw one Sunday and five out the six tried want to charge me twenty Rupees for a ten Rupees ride just because my skin color was white and they thought I was very wealthy (I am according to Indian standards). Through this incident I can now empathize with people of color in the U.S. on how it feels to be labeled because of skin. I can tell you that it does not feel nice.

The fifth and final lesson that I have learned is how to be more spiritual and take out of my day to pray, reflect, and give thanks to the Lord for the many things he has done for me in these past five months. As I have mentioned before I have come to admire the spirituality of the Indian people and how it is translated in to care for people. I will always remember and incident that happened in January during the Muslim Holy days of Ramazan (Ramadan in the U.S., where the Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset). When my roommate Koshy and I stopped into a shop run by Muslims to buy rice for dinner. We happened to go into the shop at the same time the proprietor and his staff were breaking the fast. The proprietor without even thinking twice offered us some of their fruit to eat. Which we graciously accepted in respect for their tradition and Indian hospitality.

Well that is all from Hyderabad for this month. Next month I hope to tell you how my Sri Lankan holiday went along with how the Lenten Season is observed here in India. Thank you again for all your prayers, letters, and support.

In the Service of Christ,

Rich

March 15, 1998

Greetings once again from Hyderabad, India. I hope that all of you are doing well. February was a busy month for me in which I finished organizing HMI’s Library Archives, almost completed the organization of HMI’s archives, attended a two day training session on group mediation techniques and started a new task in which I help the children at HMI’s Bawadi school in Hyderabad’s old city with their English lessons every Friday. The most pleasant task I have as a volunteer Missionary and the one I look forward to the most is working with the children at the Bawadi school. When I work with these children I feel that I am contributing something tangible to their lives which are the first ones affected when communalism breaks out in Hyderabad. I know that when I do my office work the other four days of the week that I am doing the Lord’s work by supporting HMI’s ministry of reconciliation & peacemaking. However when I am working with the children in the old city and feel their love for me for just being there I know and feel that I am helping to build a little piece of God’s kingdom here on earth.

Besides work in February I had the opportunity and pleasure of traveling to the Island country of Sri Lanka in order to extend (renew)my Indian visa. While I was in Sri I was graciously housed at the Theological college of Lanka (a seminary) which is located about 3 1/2 miles outside the town of Kandy. The college is a Christian ecumenical institution with students from Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist traditions. The college emphasizes indigenous forms of Christian worship and uses symbols from Sri

Lankan culture for Christian purposes, one example of this is that they light Sri Lankan oil lamps instead of altar candles. They also use the two main languages of the Sri Lankan people Sinahla and Tamil in their worship services. In viewing this form of indigenous worship I though how appropriate it was and that the great reformer Martin Luther would be pleased to see the Gospel taught and preached in the language and context of the people and their culture.

While I was in Sri Lanka I also learned more about the ethnic conflict which is going on there. The conflict is mainly concentrated in the northern part of the island. The conflict is between the Tamils who in live in the north and are mostly Hindu and the Sinahlese who live in the other areas of the Island and are mostly Buddhists (80% of the Sri Lankan population is Buddhist). The ethnic conflict is now a guerrilla war between a terrorist organization in the north called the Little Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) who want an independent Tamil state in the northern provinces of Sri Lanka and the national government. According to the press reports and people I talked to the LTTE is losing the war and is very desperate.

About two weeks before I arrived the LTTE truck bombed a Buddhist temple in Kandy, where a tooth that is supposed to be one of the Buddha’s is kept. No matter what your faith is an attack on house worship is the worse thing that can be done in my mind and unfortunately the LTTE did not get one house of worship but two. The truck bomb also damaged St. Paul’s Church the oldest place of Christian worship in Kandy. I will be writing more about my Sri Lankan trip and this conflict in one of my articles for the glimpse. As for the future of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka I can see it coming topeaceful end when the next generation takes over. I can say this because while I was staying at the Seminary I saw Sinahlese and Tamils worshipping, praying, studying and playing together.

Well that is all from Hyderabad and the Indian sub continent for this month. Until next month may God bless and keep all of you.

In Christ’s Service,

Rich

April 4, 1998

Greetings once again from Hyderabad, India. Where summer has begun with a bang. The temperature here on March 23rd was 41 degrees Celsius (Approx. 105 degrees Farenhite) and will supposedly climb higher as April & May come along.

In regards to my work at HMI I have completed organizing all the archives for the institute and am now in the process of creating Bibliographies of certain types of books in the institute’s library. I am also in the process of indexing articles from HMI’s quarterly journal "The Bulletin". In addition to the main body of my work I have also written two articles for HMI’s semi-annual newsletter "Interaction". One deals with the group mediation workshop I mentioned in last months letter and the other with a visit from an ELCA delegation to the institute last November. Unfortunately my Fridays with the Children of Sultan Shai have come to end until June because the children are on summer vacation.

Unofficially I was kept busy last month helping my friend and roommate Koshy complete his M.Th. Thesis. I did this by editing his English and telling him that he needed work all hours of the day & night in order finish the thesis by the deadline.

One thing that came to light to me last month was how the Lord was using me to influence the lives of people back home. This realization dawned on me when I received unsolicited letters from two young men back home in the United States one a 13 year old Sunday School of confirmation student from the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the other from a young gentleman in Las Vegas who had written Bethel in search of a Pen pal. These letters to which I have responded made me realize how God is using my talent for writing about my experiences here India to touch the lives of these young men. I pray that by responding to these letters that I have touched these gentlemen in a positive way and showed them that people do care about others.

Well that it is from Hyderabad, for this month. However before I go I would like thank all of you who have sent me emails letters and cards. I am truly blessed to be part of congregation like Bethel. While on the subject of email those of you who have it (whose email address I do not have) please send me your email address at one of the above email addresses so I can start sending you this update via email and be a good steward of the church’s money. Until next month may God Bless and Keep all of you.

In Christ’s Service

Rich

April 14, 1998

Greetings and a Happy Easter Season from Hyderabad, India. Where the academic year has come to end and the Summer Holidays (which is the reason for the April date of this May Mission Update)are in Full Swing.

During the later part of March and early April I was kept busy by traveling to Banglore for my friend and roommate Koshy’s M.Th. graduation, a conference on India’s inter-faith context, ( hosted by HMI in conjunction with a group of visiting seminary professors, from the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.), A visit from a LYE (Lutheran Youth Encounter) Team, A visit from the ELCA’s Division of Global Mission program Director for South Asia Werner Luoma, touring Hyderabad’s Golconda Fort, seeing the movie "Titanic" and Lenten and Easter services. Besides the above activities my main work at HMI now consists of compiling a cumulative Index of all the articles written since 1942 for the institutes Journal "the Bulletin". I am also kept busy with typing indexes and Bibliographies of the institutes library holdings and working on the institutes press clipping archives documentation project.

One thing that the Lord has brought to light to me through all the activities and visits from church officials and groups from the U.S. while observing the Lenten and Easter season here in India is the Universality of the Christian Church. This point dawned on me on Palm Sunday, (which happened to be a couple days after I read Pastor Walz’s article in the "Glimpse" on the message of our Hymns), during the worship service at the Lutheran Church of Hyderabad When we sang the Hymn "All Glory Laud and Honor", While singing this Hymn I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and a vital connection to Bethel because I knew that same Hymn would be sung their twelve and a half hours later as part of Bethel’s Palm Sunday processional. The point of this world being a global village and the Christian Church being a worldwide church was reinforced on Easter when I felt that connection with Bethel once again when we sang the Hymns "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" and "Thine is the Glory".

Well that is all from Hyderabad for this month. May the Lord give you a blessed Easter season.

In Christ’s Service,

Rich

May 26, 1998

Greetings once again from Hyderabad, India to which I have just returned after spending two weeks in the coolness of the Nilgiri Hills in the state of Tamil Nadu at HMI’s summer course on Interfaith relations.

During this two week summer course I received Second Prize overall (i.e. graduated second in my class), received an offer to have my assignment (a book review) published in the Institutes after I make a few corrections, and strengthened my own Christian faith by learning about the faith of our Islamic neighbors. While coming to an understanding of what Inter-Faith relations and dialogue are. They (Inter-Faith relations and dialogue) were defined by someone at the course as respect for anothers faith without compromising on our own faith and doctrines.

One other thing I have learned over my past eight months here in India came to light again for me during the summer course. That is we as Christians are confusing the terms evangelism and proselytization. Evangelism in it original Greek means to be the messenger of good news (the Gospel) and to share that message with others by words deeds, and prayer and then let the holy spirit do its work in the hearts of the people who have heard that message. In other words we plant the seeds that God will harvest later .

While remembering that we do not convert people God does and that those conversions God accomplished by his spirit are heartfelt. Proselytization on the other hand is a forced conversion by inducements for numbers etc. and is not heartfelt in the person being converted and may be a type of oppression because a fair amount of people converted this way return to their previous faith after the proselytizer has left. During the summer course I also learned more about the Ideology of Hiduvta or Indian nationalism which is based on renewing Indian society on the Ideas of the Hinduism of the past and that to be truly Indian or Hindu one has to be a Hindu not only culturally but religiously as well. The Ideology is espoused by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS), India’s version of the German National Socialist (Nazi) brown shirts of the 1930’s and its political wing the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) which now leads India’s governing coalition in the national  Parliament. The Hinduvta Ideology was first espoused by a man named Savvaka who was elected president of the Hindu Sangha and in his book Who is a Hindu defined a Hindu (an Indian) "as a person who considers Bharatwarsha (India) from the Indus (river) to the seas as his fatherland (Pitribhumi) and holy land (punyabhumi) that is a cradle of his religion." Under this definition Indian Christians, Muslims, and Jews can not be Hindus even culturally. Savvaka also said that Indian Christians and Muslims can not be true patriots because their Holy Lands are in the Middle East.

The Ideology of Hinduvta was further developed by a man named Golvawaka who founded the R.S.S. and was influenced by the ideals of Adolph Hitler and said that Hitler’s example of exterminating Semitic peoples should be followed. Golvawaka also said that non-Hindus should become Hindu in culture and religion or remain in India as non-citizens submissive to Hindu Brahmins. After learning more about this Ideology of Hinduvta I can see the reasons behind the communal divide that lie beneath India’s surface and in the light of India’s nuclear tests last week I can understand the reaction of the world community especially Pakistan’s (even though it has internal problems of its own) in regard to its being an Islamic republic.

Other than the Summer course my time has been taken up by the journal indexing project, and as I said in my May update traveling to the town of Chenglapattu, for the baptism of my roommates Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac. While in Chenglapattu I stayed with Sarah’s parents who hold a weekly prayer meeting at their house every Saturday night. On the Saturday night I was there I was asked to give the message, which I did (without any preparation) on the Road to Emaus passage from the Gospel of Luke. The next day at the reception of following the baptism I was again asked to give another impromptu speech with words of blessing for the family.

It seems that everybody enjoyed both talks and for me I have a feeling that God is developing a new talent in me. I say this because right after I arrived in India I have had to give several impromptu talks like the ones I gave last month.

Well that is all the news from India for this month. However before I go I would like to inform all of you that next months (July’s) update will probably be the last one you will receive personally because in July I will be busy wrapping up my projects at HMI and packing for my return home in August. However I hope to make time to send out an email update that I will ask to be posted at Bethel. Until next month May the Lord bless you and keep you ; the Lord make his face to shine upon , and be gracious to you ; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you , and give you peace. (Num6:24 NRSV)

In Christ’s Service,

Rich

June 25, 1998

Greetings once again from Hyderabad, India where the rains have started and the temperature has dropped to a cool 38 to 39 degrees Celsius (97 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit). However the weather is about the only thing cooling down here on the Indian sub-continent and Hyderabad in particular due to the out break of communal violence between Muslims and Hindus last week (June 5th) in Hyderabad’s old city and last months tests of nuclear bombs by India and Pakistan.

The communal violence which erupted on in the old city on Friday June 5th, and which allegedly was spontaneous over a handbill distributed on June 2nd which had a picture of the Hindu god Ganesh with a mosque under his feet. I use the word allegedly here due to the fact that the violence started three days after the distribution of the pamphlet and after the noon prayers at one of Hyderabad’s largest mosques the Mecca Masjid from which a mob armed with weapons and petrol (gasoline) canisters exited and started burning houses and stabbing people. In retribution for this violence Hindu fanatics burnt mosques and destroyed Qur’an which is the Islamic scriptures. One of the saddest facts about this type of violence, which is almost alwaysinstigated by politician in order to gain power , that it is the innocent people who are the poorest of the poor who are hurt and exploited. The hand of the politicians can definitely be seen in this most recent incident because of three factors. The first one the handbill with a picture of Hindu god standing over a mosque leads one to think that the BJP and RSS, who I mentioned in last months update along with their ideology of Hinduvta, had a role in the distribution of that leaflet. The second the time from the distribution of the pamphlet until the violent response by fanatical Muslims after the Friday noon prayer in other words their was enough time to organize and collect the weapons and canisters of petrol that they used, and the third one at least two politicians were arrested for their part in inciting the violence. The violence in the old city did subside after a curfew was imposed and from reports in the paper things are better and the curfew is being gradually relaxed. I continually pray that some day all this violence because of ones religion would stop.

Unfortunately with the politicians continually exploiting the religious and cultural differences within India for their own gain. India has the potential of becoming another Bosnia in the near future. Fortunately their are enough good minded people and organizations like the Henry Martyn Institute that working for peace and communal harmony in India and Hyderabad in particular.

In regards to last months test of nuclear bombs by India and Pakistan. It tells me that these two countries have their priorities completely wrong when they concentrate their technology on making weapons of mass destruction when they can not even provide the basic necessities of life to most of their population. I also wonder if we in the west should not shoulder some of the blame for these events in South Asia due to the fact that we were the ones who set an example of an arms race during the cold war period. Along with our get ahead at any cost values while forgetting to care for the needs of others. I pray that India and Pakistan will reorder their priorities and concentrate their energy and technology on providing the basic necessities of life to their population. I also hope that we in the west, in the particular the United States as a "Judeo-Christian" country would help them do so without forcing our culture and values on them. I also pray that we Christian individuals would encourage our leaders and the leaders of the world to do this so that we would be doing what the lord said in Micah 6:8 what he requires of us that is " To do Justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." (NRSV) and by doing that fulfill Christ’s commandment to love one another as he loved (and still does love) us.

Besides the events described above I have enjoyed my time here in Hyderabad and can not believe that my assignment as Volunteer Missionary stationed at the Henry Martyn Institute has little more than a month to go. Speaking of my work at HMI I am looking forward to starting to teach English again to the children at the institutes Balwadi school in the old city. Other than that I am doing preliminary research for a book by the Director’s wife on the history of the Henry Martyn Institute and completing a second draft of the comprehensive Index of articles published in the institute’s Journal The Bulletin from 1941 to the present which will be published in a upcoming issue of that journal in addition to the book review I wrote at the HMI summer course which will be in the next edition of The Bulletin which is currently in production.

Well that is it from Hyderabad for now. As I mentioned last month this update is the last one most of you will receive personally until after I return home in late August early September due to the fact that I will be busy next month completing projects and packing for my trip home. However I will make time to write an email version of the update and will ask that Bethel please post it in the information center.  

Before I go I want to thank all of you for your constant support whether it has been by letter, email, prayer, or financial. I know that I would not have had such a special year as this , where I have learned about different culture and its expression of Christianity and grown in my own faith in Christ, if it was not for people like you and a congregation like Bethel.

I look forward to seeing an meeting with all of you when I return home. I ask once again for your prayers for me for a safe time of traveling and return home. Thank you again for all your prayers and support.

In Christ’s Service,

Rich

Dear Family, Friends, and Supporters,

Greetings (for the last time) from Hyderabad, India. I hope everything is going well for you. I am doing fine and can hardly believe that I have been here in India for ten months and that in three weeks from now I will completed my assignment as a Volunteer Missionary here in India.

Due to the fact that this update will be the last one I am sending from the Indian sub-continent. I would like use it to once again reflect on the lessons the Lord has taught me in the past ten and one half months. The first lesson I learned was that of patience due to the fact that things move at slower pace here in India then back home in the U.S. This lesson of patience is one that I am constantly reminded of when dealing with government agencies here whether it be standing in crowded lines to make reservations for train journeys or like the time I had to deal with the Railway police in Kotaym when according to them my book bag "disappeared" (was stolen).

The next lesson I learned was to keep trusting in the Lord because he will work all things for good. I now know from my personal trial with the roommate I had for my first month here in India that he does truly work all things for good. I say this because I now realize that the argument I had with him that lead to my moving out was part of God’s plan to have me experience the real culture of India by living with an Indian family and students from the Henry Martyn Institute.

The third lesson I learned was how to keep my eyes open to look at and learn new things and also to see things from a different perspective. Having been exposed to the rampant poverty here in India for the past ten and a half. I can now understand what Christ meant when he said that "you will always have the poor with you". In other words I believe they poor are here to convict us to put the "Theology of the Cross" into practice by entering into their suffering with them.

The next lesson was how it feels to be discriminated against. As I mentioned in a previous letter one Sunday in October, when I was trying to get a ride to church in an Auto-Rickshaw five out six of the drivers tried to charge me twenty Rupees for ten Rupee ride just because I was a westerner with white who they thought was wealthy (which according to their standards I am). After that experience I can now empathize with people of color and all ethnic backgrounds in the U.S. on how it feels to be label as something because of your skin color, believe it does not feel good at all and is very frustrating. Also in regards to discrimination it is disheartening to know that you cannot go to some shops or merchants with your friends because if the proprietors see that you are a westerner especially an Anglo they will raise the price of the goods your friends (who are native Indians) want to buy.

The fifth and sixth lesson I have learned are how to be more spiritual and how to share my faith with others without being afraid. My deeper spirituality I learned from observing people here in India, everywhere you seem to go (i.e. stores, restaurants and Auto-Rickshaws seem to have a symbol of the proprietor’s religion and faith. I have been greatly impressed by the spirituality of the Indian people and how they put their faith into practice in everyday life. I have tried to follow their example by spending more time in personal devotions and being Christian in my actions as well as my reactions. The increased emphasis on spirituality in my life has helped me not to be afraid to share my faith with others especially during the morning devotions at HMI where my devotion have become longer and more Biblical every timje I give one.

The next lesson I learned was that we are to love one another as God loved us not only through but in are actions even towards are enemies because as it is says in James "faith without works is dead." And I also now believe that a faith without love and works to Humankind is no faith at all.

The final lesson I have learned during my time here in India is how it feels to be blessed by God. I feel blessed by God for the friends I have made here in India, and the support, prayers, and letters (which were always an unexpected surprise) from my family, friends, and Bethel family.

In concluding this update and seeing the lessons I have been taught by the Lord in my ten and one half months here in India as a Volunteer Missionary. I pray that by putting these lessons into practice I have planted the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that the Holy Spirit will nurture, and that God will harvest later, in the hearts of the people (non-Christians) I have met here in India. In others words I pray that I have been a good Ambassador for Christ, Bethel and the ELCA.

Well Goodbye from Hyderabad, India for the final. I look forward to seeing all of you when I return home. Once again, I ask for your prayers for a safe journey home. May God, bless and keep all of you in his gracious care.

 In Christ’s Service

Rich