July 2009

Cherishing India

Dear Friends,

Sue, Rebekah, Mary, David, and a friend, Alice, after Mary’s graduation.

I have lived my final five months in India with the heightened senses and awareness of a person who knows her time is limited. After seven months of prayerful, and at times tear-filled, efforts to secure an Indian visa, my feet touched the ground in New Delhi on February 1, 2009. Shortly after my return, World Mission informed me that I could no longer serve as regional liaison for South Asia beyond Mary’s graduation from high school. According to the PC(USA)’s personnel policy, David’s promotion to area coordinator for Asia and the Pacific prohibits my serving any longer in my present role.

With this knowledge I seized every opportunity to see, hear, touch, taste and smell this land and its people, with their incredible cultural richness. Mary and I spent our last three weeks in India traveling to places where the PC(USA) has partnerships in Kerala, South India, and where the PC(USA) is hoping to develop a stronger partnership with the Presbyterian Church of India in the two Northeastern states of Mizoram and Meghalaya.

“Chronicles of Kerala”

The Rev. Thomas John, along with his wife Betty, came to the United States as missionaries to “us” in 1994-1995. We lived in the same missionary furlough home as their neighbors while we were awaiting visas for Pakistan in 1995. While Thomas was in the United States, he wrote a theological reflection on his experience called A Strange Accent. Thomas is now the coordinator of the PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program in Kerala, on the southwest coast of India. In addition, Thomas works with CHETHANA, which receives support from the Presbyterian Hunger Program.

Rebecca, now serving as the Young Adult Volunteer at Mandirim, where there is a healthy Christian community serving senior citizens, orphans, nursing students and a hospital. This was the first YAV site in Kerala.

Thomas and Betty hosted our visit to Kerala, introduced us to the culture and delicious foods of Kerala, and accompanied us to the sites where the YAVs serve. We all participated in a YAV retreat and celebrated the birthdays of several YAVs during that weekend. Thanks to Thomas John, I was invited to preach at the Cathedral Church in Kottayam, which was celebrating Environmental Sunday.

Kerala’s literacy rate is nearly 100 percent, the highest in all of India, partly because of the strength of the Communist Party since India’s independence. Resources for the poor are more equally distributed. The popular novel, The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy, takes place in Kerala and poignantly highlights the impact of the Hindu caste system on social relationships. From the lush green tea plantations in the mountains of Munnar to the beautiful backwaters near Kottayam, Thomas and Betty John opened up for us a world where Christian witness dates back to the first century, when the Apostle Thomas brought the gospel to India. We also visited the site where Jewish settlers were given safe haven by Maharajas in the 15th century. It was a delight to spend time with Thomas and Betty, who have hosted young adult volunteers for the past 10 years, unselfishly sharing their home and their lives.

The magic, mystery, and melodies of Mizoram

“The hills are alive with the sounds of music” in Mizoram, which claims to be 100 percent Christian and is one of India’s eight northeastern states. We accompanied the Rev. Santosh George, a CSI (Church of South India) pastor who works with the Leprosy Mission and is based in Delhi. Santosh was the preacher for the annual retreat at the Academy for Integrated Christian Study (AICS) in Aizawl, a newly established Baptist seminary. Their retreat theme was: “Heal the world.”

While in Aizawl we met with the Presbyterian Church of India office bearers and spoke briefly to the theological students at Aizawl Theological College, where the PC(USA) provides scholarships for women students and also provided computers in the girls’ hostel. When we met with the students there, they asked many probing and insightful questions. A preschool for the children of theological students at ATC has also been supported by the PC(USA).

Neither the Presbyterian nor the Baptist churches presently ordain women, even though women students are enrolled in both institutions and demonstrate gifts of leadership. The founding principal of AICS is a woman, Dr. R. Hnuni, who holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament Studies. She shared with me her own frustrations with the church’s position on ordination, which is not based on biblical or theological grounds, but rather social stigmas and expectations.

Students at the Academy for Integrated Christian Studies in Aizawl conclude their retreat on "Healing the World."

Rev. George invited me to be a co-leader with him during the retreat and challenged the theological students, who are extremely gifted musicians with a passion for world mission, to address the social and health issues in their own society as a first step in “healing the world.” Two nights during the retreat the students led evenings of “Singspiration,” when small groups of men, women, and children of the community displayed their talents and their profound love for praising God in worship. Mary and I were touched beyond words. The Mizo traditional drum was used, as well as guitars, keyboard, and a Western drum set.

Northeast India has been a restricted area for many years. Mary and I were the 243rd and 244th foreign persons to visit Mizoram in 2009, when we signed in at the foreign registration office after landing in Aizawl. The people there have more oriental features, wear Western clothing, and have a strong sense of gratitude to the missionaries who first evangelized their communities. At times they do not feel a part of India and experience discrimination when they travel to other regions. It was a joy for us to spend time with these sisters and brothers in Christ, who face unique challenges.

Even though our time in India feels like it has hardly begun, we must say goodbye with gratitude in our hearts for two fantastic years in incredible India. Our gratitude extends to all who have faithfully supported us and prayed for our service.

Your partners in Christ,

Sue and Mary Hudson

The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 106