First stop Calcutta, old familiar territory as we lived here 1962 – 1965 when Colin was connected with the Evangelical Literature Depot. Yvonne our youngest daughter was born in Woodlands Nursing home April 1963, so many memories. We are guests of Jyoti Chakrawarty whose parents met in the Evangelical Literature Depot office back in those distant days. Jyoti, the son, now has a daughter aged 10 in fourth grade.

The Visak students all dutifully handed in their agreed assignments by Saturday morning deadlines. The major paper will come by email in a month. It proved a good course they all enjoyed the teaching especially the new opportunity for visiting other Churches and then basing the course on that kind of research. A new type of learning for them.

We were met by an arranged taxi at Dum Dum airport in Calcutta. Our hosts home reached an hour later through narrow crowded, congested streets teeming with humanity, much like the movie Slum Dog Millionaire.

Sunday was a different day going first to a Bengali medium service the initiative of an Indian who trained in Korea meeting and marrying a Korean wife there and now supported from that country.

The next stop to one of the new air conditioned shopping mall to eat at a food court just like Guildford Mall back in Surrey. The visiting South African friends chose Kentucky Fried but I stayed with my favorite kebabs and Jyoti was into noodles. After the crowded bazaars around Rishra of Jyoti’s home it was a great contrast but all part of a new emerging India showing the need for courses such as a I have been taking on cultural change and dynamics.

In the evening a small house group style meeting of 10 or so in a down town area of the main city. Jyoti himself is off to the USA to pick up a scholarship which will see him take two six week periods for the next three years at a Reformed Seminary near Grand Rapids. His interest here In Calcutta lies in the Creation Science Association seeking to establish a more biblically orientated approach to the Scriptures in the Church in India.

The real objective though is to make a visit to the areas to the North where groups of people have embraced the Christian faith with gladness. Dimapur, Nagaland where we have gone is dotted with churches some quite large in size seating 1500-3000 people This is a very different place to mainland India. Some of the territories are now 100% Christian making for a very different atmosphere to mainland India. Our guide is brother Bro Wilson from Bangalore who has arranged seminars in Gauhati, Tura and Dimapur of 2-3 days duration.

A four hours ride by air conditioned Chair Car and we are in Gauhati a prominent town on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra river which dominates this area of Assam. Here we are met by our contact who is a former student of the Seminary, COTR in Visakapatnam. One of the joys of this visit has been to meet up with former students now active in pastoral and evangelistic ministries following their training. This brother is just beginning his ministry in a small House Church so we are staying at a local hotel in the bazaar.

The Seminar went well with an enthusiastic group of around 20 local pastors of a various Baptist type groups. We stayed in a local hotel with an ac room, very welcome as Gauhati is hot, humid, congested and bustling. Outside a street full of illegal hawkers who have to pack and run should the police arrive! The incessant noise of commerce died down around 22.00 to resume at 09.00 in the morning.

The session began with a traditional garlanding happening this time with Assamese scarves. The teaching was a joy as they listened well and appreciated the material much of which was new and positive to them.

The hotel to our host was a little expensive so after two days we have been found accommodation in a home which is being run for girls and women. Training courses are given in embroidery, tailoring, computer and hand loom weaving of a year’s duration. There are also some indigent and parentless girls who stay longer. This is an example of the many useful and helpful schemes which cater to the needy half of India making up close to 50% - the Have-nots in sharp contrast to the Haves who are living well and driving around in expensive cars.

Sunday was taken up with an Ao Naga Baptist service 11.00 to 13.00 with strict instructions to be sure to end the sermon in time as the meeting hall was then needed by another group the first one having vacated on our behalf.

After lunch we ventured out in a ferry boat on the mighty Brahmaputra river, to a nearby island where a local temple was located. This is a mighty river looking more like a lake or a sea than a river, which rises in Tibet then curves through India to flow into Bangladesh. The river presents an unpredictable mass of water which wreaks havoc with widespread flooding many times.

Tura
Further to the West near the border with Bangladesh this is Garo tribal country. The terrain is very hilly so that a 7 hour winding hill road is reduced to three quarters of an hour in a helicopter.

The ministry here is under the leadership of a keen Garo pastor who has been in Church ministries but is now broadening out into a wider circle encouraging people to pray, becoming involved in a social outreach and also wanting to include a training component for those who cannot attend resident Bible schools hence Theological Distance Education linked with our friend Rev Wilson.

We are housed in the Garo Baptist Guest House located on a large compound a legacy from the days of foreign mission. The facility has been well kept up and maintained so that we are comfortable in a room with attached bathroom. Food is provided by going to a Restaurant favored by Pastor Sangma our host; the menu embraces Chinese, Indian and some Western food like burgers, spaghetti and chips.

The students listen well even though we are struggling with their levels of English. Janette has given her series on Gender issues to the male class. She would be happier if there were more females in evidence! Interestingly the Garo and adjoining Khasi tribes are one of the few in the world that are matrilineal, the men taking the woman’s name on marriage and the women inheriting the property by right.

A unique happening was being asked to share in the Dedication of the new development Immanuel Prayer Ministries with the vision of someday a dedicated facility for outreach to those in need. Colin found himself cutting the tape as the central figure at this gathering, giving the dedicatory prayer and sharing a short address. All of these people have dynamic and vision not limited to their meager resources!