Kendra
Jan. 19, 2007

Today began with a visit to a Hindu temple, called Shiv Mandir. The temple, devoted to Shiva, is open 24 hours a day. We all took off our shoes at the entrance, which we’re quite used to by now. Met by enormous statues of Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god known for blessing travelers, and Shiva, we traveled through a “cave” which housed displays of (what I think was) different sites around India where blessings can be received. Some of the displays even had movable parts, where pressurized air moved mini gods around behind the glass. Once out of the cave, we had the option of purchasing candles or holy coins while we listened to chanting music over the speakers.

Our coach took us next to Parliament, which consists of an old building and a new building, one right next to the other. On the front of the old building a sign read, “GOVERNMENT WORK IS GOD’S WORK”, which I find terribly ironic, since each day we learn more and more about the corruption of politics here.

We walked through a nearby park, which has been the greenest place we’ve seen so far. The plants are well cared for; women sweep the tops of the bushes with their twig brooms. The trees are so easy to climb, being low with strong, spiraling branches that a few of us ventured up. On the way out of the park, we saw something that made us all whip out our cameras and made the locals stare in awe at the silly tourists…monkeys! They climbed in the trees and along the fences, and even though we’ve seen them previously, they’d never been so close before. We got some very candid shots of the photogenic animals; it was the highlight of my day.

We stopped at a museum of science. We enjoyed the interactive displays and models of engines, simple machines, airplanes, magnets, space models, etc. Not all of the displays worked, though, and it was difficult to see sometimes because of all the people. We soon found that other people were more interested in us than in the museum. Some of us were asked to take pictures with people. School girls pinched our cheeks and asked us our names a thousand times, each one trying to shake a hand. Several pulled out their notebooks and asked for autographs. We all (yes, including myself!) found it humorous when I was late meeting the rest down stairs and Jill paged me, several times, just as clearly and loudly as she could. Watches are cheap…I should look into buying one!

After lunch, we went to New Creation Information Technologies. It’s a Christian company with 45 employees focused on excellence in quality, service and integrity. CEO Ashish Raichur is also the pastor of All People’s Church, which we’ll visit on Sunday. I was most impressed that the company tithes 10 percent of the profits directly to APC and other ministries. They’re truly devoted to their purpose – building up the Kingdom of God by being honest with clients and creating a work environment that allows for spiritual growth. They begin every day with prayer and worship…now that’s business as missions!