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  A letter from Adrian and Julie Bird in India  
             
 

April 1, 2004

Greetings Friends,

Following the return home of the two visiting delegations from Texas, March has allowed us to fall back into a semblance of routine in Kerala. This is a busy season within the Church of South India and a time of transition for Immanuel Church. After serving Immanuel Church for four years, Achan Fenn received his transfer orders from the diocese to CSI Kalamaserry on 1 May. Immanuel Church will then welcome the arrival of Achan T.I. James and his family. Achan James will be familiar to some of you as he was a member of the delegation from India that visited Grace Presbytery in 2002. As with any transition of this nature there is both excitement and a sense of loss. We wish Achan Fenn and his family well as they embark on their new position within the diocese. Their guidance and friendship over the last months has been invaluable to us. Please pray for their transition, as well as for Achan James and his family as they prepare to move to Ernakulam.

  
             
  Achan Fenn, Kochamma, Sarah, Deepu, and Veejay prepare to move to a new church this month.
Achan Fenn, Kochamma, Sarah, Deepu, and Veejay prepare to move to a new church this month. 		  Between times of Worship, Bible Study, and Prayer Fellowship, we have continued to enjoy time with the children at Karunalayam, the women of the CSI Hostel in Ernakulam, and with the youth of Immanuel Church. Our time with the youth this month has been filled with the challenge of understanding mission within the church. (A reminder here that “youth” are those between the ages of 16 and 35!) As breakfast continues to be offered to the poor within the community, we have been challenged by the words of Dom Hélder Câmara (1909-1999), Archbishop of Olinda, Brazil: “When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”  
             
  It is easy to offer a donation, sign a check, or even for us to show up to help feed the hungry. It is much more difficult for us to ask deeper questions of faith relating to issues of human dignity and poverty and to be changed through the encounter with others in the world. And so we struggle with the youth to ask deeper questions of faith. Achan Thomas John, chairman of CSI Karunalayam, and Indian coordinator of the PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer Program and Joining Hands Against Hunger Program, has been a valuable resource in asking some of these questions. There are no easy answers, and yet we feel called to respond to the needs of those we are blessed to share breakfast with every second Friday. Please pray for the youth as they extend the feeding program to three mornings during Holy Week, and for all those who gather to receive the humble offering of idli, stew and hot sweet tea.  
             
  India recently received an unwanted distinction. The United Nations agency Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council reported that India currently has the highest number of children dying annually from poor hygiene. Failure to secure safe water and sanitation is the cause of death for 6,000 children each day across the world! The report calls human excrement “the most deadly biological weapon of mass destruction.”   Our next door neighbor, Treesa, at the local public water tap.
Our next door neighbor, Treesa, at the local public water tap.
 
             
 

The report has sparked the UN program, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All (WASH) to be launched in India this month. The mass number of people in any given area makes the challenge of providing clean water and adequate waste disposal a daunting one. With the vast resources available within and around the world, and available within India, we remain deeply challenged by the tragic consequences of poverty in the lives of so many. Please pray for those in the world who do not have access to clean water and sanitation.

It has been a celebration these last weeks to witness the energy and excitement created by the India vs. Pakistan cricket test series. This is the first time the two countries have competed against each other in many years due to Indo-Pakistan tensions. Cricket is a hugely popular sport for both nations, and we enjoy being entertained by children who gather together on streets, fields, and wasteland to emulate their heroes. Please continue to pray for opportunities for nations to come together in celebration and peace.

We continue to struggle alongside our friends in the weekly Bible study here about current issues of war and peace, justice and abuse, especially as we turn with Christ from Galilee to Jerusalem. It has been challenging for us to journey with Christ as he turns all our assumptions of power, success, and kingship upside-down. This next week as we walk together to the cross, we pray God would somehow challenge us to see more clearly and respond more faithfully in a tumultuous world.

Thank you for your prayers for us and for this community. It is such a privilege to experience God’s Church in the world. Your support through emails, care packages, and prayers means more than you know. May the sovereignty of God astound and humble you in this Lenten season.

In God’s Peace,

Adrian and Julie

  
             
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