India!

I just took a swim in the Indian Ocean. Actually, the Sea of Arabia. It was very warm, with 15 foot waves that we were body surfing on. Very fun! Now I'm showered and sitting in a cyber cafe in Mangalore, near the SW tip of the subcontinent. Don't have much time to write, but I wanted to let everyone know that everything is going great!

Here's the recap: We arrived in Bangalore after 20 hours of flying from Philadelphia. I watched "The Queen" and "Little Miss Sunshine" on the flight over, and drank good red wine from the south of France - after all, it was France Air, so their wine must be good, right? Three members of our group had to wait an extra day for their luggage, which took me back to Israel when Dad didn't get his luggage until 2 MONTHS AFTER we got home!

We stayed at United Theological College, an ecumenical seminary and college of the Church of South India. In the mornings, we worshipped at the college chapel and participated in several special lectures. Topics included Indian Christianity, Globalization, History of Indian Missions, etc. In the afternoons we visited Christian Student Movement, a wordwide youth organization, several Bangalore churches, a Hindu Bull Temple, a Buddhist temple, and the markets. I'll post pictures as soon as I can find a computer modern enough to take my camera!

We've also participated in an Indian wedding with LOTS of GREAT food - they were friends of Dr. Wilson's. All the food's been great! Perhaps the most excitement came on our third day, however, when we got into a car accident, which then turned into an all out high-speed chase through the streets of Bangalore. Really! We were sideswiped by another vehicle, who then refused to pull over. Our driver, not wanted to get stuck with the damages, floored the van and chased him into an alley. An altercation ensued, and it wasn't very pretty, but we got out of there safe and with the other van's papers. It was most exhilarating!!!

Now we're on the coast, in Mangalore, staying at Karnataka Theological College. We worshipped this morning, and went swimming this afternoon. So far, everyone is healthy and sleeping pretty well - getting adjusted to the reverse time schedule!

Blessings to all, and thanks for keeping us in your prayers! -Christoph