On our drive to Siliguri today en route to Bagdogra, where I will catch my first flight of the day tomorrow, I took a few snaps (pictures) that I wanted to show you. Much of the drive is so beautiful. I really wish the pictures could capture just how magnificent some of the scenery is here.

In the area where Johnson and Grace live, there are so, so many tea gardens, and we stopped at one along the way so that I could get a foto op with some of the other day laborers who work tirelessly in the gardens. I have such great admiration for these ladies who work incredibly long hours in such a brutally hot climate with so little to show for it. So, for a moment I joined them picking tea leaves, but only for a moment.

From this garden, we continued the drive, but what I learned along the way was that there was a driver’s strike in many of the towns between Johnson’s house and the hotel here in Siliguri. Now the difference between a strike in the US and one here in India is that in the US a strike means that a particular group of workers stop working until they get satisfaction for the reasons they stopped in the first place. But here in India, apparently what a strike means is that when a particular group strikes, almost everyone else is affected as well. In this particular case, there happened to be a driver’s strike, which meant that as you enter the center of any town, there were people there who would physically make you pull your vehicle over and stop you form going any further.

For how long you might ask?        

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        You are not allowed to leave until the strike is over. Usually, it is about a day or two. But however long it is, you are physically not allowed to go any further. Only certain vehicles are allowed to pass through, but the majority are not. Literally, almost everything comes to a complete stop. Fortunately for us, Johnson is a member of the Human Rights Press and this status enabled us to keep moving through the barricades that were erected. But can you imagine traveling somewhere and then being made aware of the fact that some group was striking about something that had absolutely nothing to do with you and yet it was going to impact you so severely? I found this to be incredulous, but apparently, this is somewhat common here and something that impacts almost everyone.

But through the towns and over the rivers and through the forests we went.

These next 2 pictures are from the Tiger bridge, which has an absolutely stunning view, along with a whole host of monkeys who sit on the bridge to greet you coming and going. Apparently, people feed them here and so they hang out, knowing that they will get a meal.

In stopping to take the picture of the landscape, one of these not so cute little guys started hissing at me and making overtures that he was going to attack. So, I had Grace briefly distract him by throwing him some cheeto’s behind the vehicle while I did an end around and back into the car before he could get at me. It was indeed a narrow escape. Thank God for salty snack foods.

And off we went until we got to Siliguri where we did some souvenir shopping at one of the big malls in town. And then to our hotel where we had a final meal together before settling in and down for the night. As I sit in my room writing my last entry from India, I am so grateful for the experience. There is much to think about and process over the next days and weeks. But right now, at the forefront of my mind is what truly wonderful people Grace and Johnson and what an incredible ministry they have here!

I was so impressed by the things I saw with the regional pastors they oversee, the children’s development program they run, their bible college ministry, their tailoring outreach program, and a whole host of other ministries both on and off of their campus. The work they do is really blessed. And yet, with all that they had to do, they still found the time to make me feel like all they had to do was host me and make me feel as if I was the only one in the universe that mattered.

Their attention to detail and their willingness to sacrifice so many things to make my adjustment to their homeland as smooth as possible is no doubt what helped to make this such a memorable trip! B/c of their care and provision for and protection of me, I was free to be at peace and experience the best of all there was to see, taste, touch, smell, and feel. Without them, the trip could have been very different. But because of them, I felt treasured!

I say all of this not only to let you know that our investment in and partnership with them in their ministry is one of the best things we do, b/c it is. But also b/c the way that they treated and cared for me has inspired me and given me a clearer picture of how to care for and treasure others even and especially when I feel I have too much to do and not enough time to do it.

To be prioritized and treasured is a wonderful thing. It makes all the difference and maybe just maybe what I take from here will enable me to more freely share it with you and us with each other. Sounds like Kingdom stuff to me!

 

 

 

 

 

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