Bethlehem Lutheran Church

(Click on cnelson's blog to read all of Chris' posts from his current trip to India.)

What a day! We arrived at the seminary - Andhra Christian Theological College - via auto-rickshaw. Inexpensive, exhilarating and frightening, but we got there without incident. I misspoke earlier- it is not a Lutheran seminary, it is ecumenical, but a Lutheran, Victor Paul, is principal (president) and there are good numbers of Lutheran students and faculty. I am having dinner with Dr. Paul and his family tomorrow night.

The seminar has a good number of what we call "second career" students: people like our intern, Bill, who after successful business careers have retired and are studying to become pastors. There are also pastors from Church of South India (CSI), Lutheran and independent churches. They are motivated and interested and we had a great time! Great questions and participation were the rule of the day.

One of the participants, a CSI pastor who is working on her PhD through TAFTEE, and who is also married to the professor who organized the seminar, told me that David Samuel (TAFTEE's Executive Director) had told her that she needed to talk with me about leadership. So when the seminar closed for the day, I went with Priscilla to their home, met her mother-in-law, neighbors and a host of children from the slum across the street. Priscilla and Reuben, who teaches preaching, care for around 40 children every day. They provide a teacher, dinner, help with studies, and send each child home with a boiled egg and cup of soy milk. These are Hyderabad's "platform children," without the formal Parktown School we support in Chennai and the libraries that make such a difference. Reuben told me they provide for these children 365 days a year - friends from their churches cover when they're gone. "Our holiday may be some slum child's starving day." I will remember that line - rest assured you will hear it again - for the rest of my life. And once again, I have met incredible people in this incredible place!

More tomorrow! I covet your prayers as, of course, you continue in mine!