itinerary
flights
devotional
photos
blogs...
Ansley Chambliss
Thelma Cheetham
Becca Childers
Cathy Crosland
Mel Dunlap
Steve Hellier
William Hellier
Katherine McClellan
Sharon McClellan
John Miller
Jimmy Mitchell
Keely Naughton
Francesca Pefianco
Iain Robins
Marijane Robins
Amy Seefeldt
Matt Simpson
Brittany Stokes
Janek Witharana
Matt Wright
amy seefeldt blog...
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easter sunday , march 23, 2008
Our final day in India. We celebrated Easter first by attending the service at Parliament Free Church, an Anglican church just a couple blocks from the YMCA. After the exuberant Indian worship we witnessed in Mussoorie, the service here was disappointingly lacking in life. The congregation hurriedly mumbled through the Nicene Creed, and I found myself searching in vain for some note of true celebration of Easter. The experience was worthwhile, however, because it showed our students that there are elements of life and death in churches around the world--that's not just an American problem.
After church, we moved on to my aunt's house in Delhi, where my mother had prepared an Easter Egg hunt for the students. Each student had to find a ceramic cross with Easter lilies on it, as well as an Indian egg painted with the words, "Yishuji oottha hai," or "Christ is risen." So we did have our moment of celebration that Christ conquered death.
The afternoon and evening were filled with last-minute souvenir shopping and exploration. As we walked back to the YMCA, we saw two protests that I hope our students will remember, in order to value the freedom we possess here in the United States. Down one street, an enormous crowd had gathered to protest China's occupation of Tibet. Free Tibet flags were flying everywhere, and we heard a great deal of shouting, though there was no violence--thankfully. Even more sobering than this Tibetan protest was the row of shacks we passed outside a church. These were Christians from Orissa who had travelled to Delhi to protest the violent persecution of Christians that has been taking place in Orissa. They hung posters of Christian brothers and sisters engulfed in flame, surrounded by cheering crowds. The photos were stomach-turning. I couldn't decide whether I felt more privileged for the freedom I enjoy or humbled by my lack of prayer for the church around the world. We really are ONE body in Christ, and I'm ashamed of how little I consider the fate of Christians in other countries.
Please pray for these Christians in India, and pray that our students would hold onto their new-found awareness of the global reality of the body of Christ, and their place in it. Pray that this trip will permanently impact our lives, causing a new and deeper level of devotion to serving Christ by serving others.
saturday, march 22, 2008
Today is Holi, the Hindu festival of spring and colour. It gets a little crazy, since many young men take the opportunity to drink and drug themselves into a stupor. Children and adults crowd into the streets to throw bright colours on each other and play in water fights. To be safe, we stayed in the hotel compound until after noon, when the ruckus had died down a little. The children on the compound entertained us, though, with their gleeful playing. They sheer joy of the water and colour was infectious.
In the afternoon, we set out for Delhi. This time, the bus ride was much shorter, lasting only five hours. We were happy to reach the YMCA safely and relax for the evening.
good friday, march 21, 2008
Our last morning in Mussoorie, and students seemed sad to leave. The mountains truly are lovely, awe-inspiring, and the pace of life is slowed down just enough to allow you to breathe normally.
We headed first to Sharpe Memorial Blind School, in Dehra Dun, the city at the foot of the mountain. The school held a special Good Friday service, and we were privileged to hear the choir singing hymns like "The Old Rugged Cross" and "O, the Deep Deep Love of Jesus" in a swaying, lilting Hindi. It was beautiful. Remarkably, the sermon just happened to be based on the same passage as our devotional for the day: John 19, on the true scandal of the cross. One of the striking sights for us was to watch the children file out of the service. They walked out in pairs, one blind child leading another. Katherine later commented that she was instinctively alarmed--neither one can see, they're going to bump into something! There's a natural spiritual parallel here that she identified: people in spiritual blindness cannot lead one another successfully. I saw it a little differently, however. In this life, we ALL see through a glass darkly. We all have limited vision. Many times, it does feel like we're partially blind, leading others who can't see. It's why we so desperately need a shepherd.
And in the afternoon, as we drove to Rajaji National Park, God sent us a shepherding angel. I'm convinced. The bus driver lost his way. I knew that we were less than 20 miles from the park, but I wasn't sure exactly which road to take. We stopped to ask for direction, and the shopkeepers had no idea what we were looking for. I stood on the roadside in the dusty afternoon sun, nervously trying to figure out the next step, praying for guidance. A man walked out of a house and asked where we were headed. When I told him, he said, "Just wait a minute." He walked back into his house, emerged with his shoes and sunglasses on, hopped onto his motorcycle, and proceeded to lead our bus right to the gate of the national park. It was amazing! Who does that?! Even more amazing, we arrived at 3:40. The gates of the park closed at 4 pm. If we had been even 15 minutes later, we wouldn't have gotten into the park.
Though we didn't get the elephant rides the students had so anticipated, we did get to see wild elephants and dancing peacocks and lots of deer and monkeys. It was like God planted them along the way for us. In the evening, sitting around our bonfire, under the full moon, beside the Ganges River, I found myself trying to express to students how blessed we are by God. He provides so much more than we need, and we ought to take joy in the overabundance of blessing we receive. The students and chaperones alike have been treated to such natural beauty this trip, it's remarkable and restorative.
thursday, march 20, 2008
Today was long and wonderful. We rose before the crack of dawn, hiking up to the top of the mountain to watch the sun rise. God blessed us by putting on a show, unveiling the snow-capped mountains briefly. We watched them turn gold in the morning light before they faded again a couple hours later. Frankly, the students were as excited about breakfast as they were about the sunrise. We ate at a little roadside stall that makes some of the best pancakes and toast and eggs and chai that you've ever tasted. The boys must have downed twenty pieces of toast each.
Keely had waited patiently for her chance to stock up on peanut butter and jam, which she (and most of the others) took full advantage of. Mr. Prakash was extremely happy for our business, as we cleaned him out of plum, apricot, and fresh strawberry jam.
Around noon, we headed back down to Jhori, to complete the murals we began on Monday. Let me clarify, Steve Hellier, Sharon McClellan, and I headed back down to Jhori. The kids all got lost. Their taxis dropped them off at the wrong point, far from the trail head. Once again, I saw the boys conduct themselves as men. Together, they figured out how to keep the girls safe, and sent one on ahead to find the place where the path down to village began. They (and we!) were nervous for a while, but they found their way to the school and their confidence increased as a result.
Francesca, Becca, and Ansley did a wonderful job completing the murals and we all enjoyed joking with Manoj and Satbir, two of the teachers. Many students commented on how wonderful it was to begin seeing these Christians simply as brothers and sisters engaged in the same mission as they were.
The day ended back at the Hanifl Centre, where Manoj and his wife joined us for devotions. Manoj has been teaching the students a Hindi worship song called, "Chalte Jao Re, Yishu Ke Piche," which means, "Come, let's go follow behind Jesus." Now that I consider it, that sums up our entire experience in India. We're walking, running, sometimes stumbling forward, but we're trying to follow behind Christ, going where he would go, loving as he would love.
wednesday, march 19, 2008
Today I had the privilege of showing students around the school where I'll be teaching next year: Woodstock School. I envisioned a quiet day for them, in which they'd tour, and perhaps sit in on a couple classes, before resting in the afternoon. Nothing I envisioned took place.
The day began with Matt Simpson sharing with the High School what it's like to be a student with a visual disability. Happily, the Woodstock students caught on to Matt's witty humor immediately, and ripples of laughter accompanied his short talk. By the end, Matt had firmly established that he doesn't appreciate being treated differently. I do wish he had shared the system of "cliff warnings" he and Jimmy Mitchell developed as they hiked around Mussoorie: When Matt got close to an edge, Jimmy would give him the category of cliff: harmless, slight injury, lose-a-limb, or death. Clever, if you ask me.
We almost randomly chose to drop in on a Journalism class, but in retrospect, it had to be the finger of God that nudged us. I entirely underestimated what could be accomplished in a short time. Our students were interviewed by the Journalism class, answering everything from academic to personal to spiritual questions. I was so proud of the way they handled questions about their plans to party in college or about the role of faith in their lives. They're confident enough in their identity in Christ that they weren't threatened, but invigorated. Katherine and Mel managed to get into an intense discussion with the teacher on the purpose or purposelessness of prayer. The experience was great for them! Stretched them. Most importantly, their answers will appear in a video broadcast that the Journalism class prepares weekly, as well as in the school newspaper.
In the afternoon, students were set free to roam. The most ambitious group--including Matt, Jimmy, John, and Mr. Hellier, set off on a 3 hour hike to conquer some nearby peaks. Successfully, I might add. John came up to me beaming that night, thrilled at the experience of walking in the Himalayas. The most thrilling aspect, I think, was when the boys made a "snake stick" by shaving a tree limb and carving a fork into the tip. Whoever led had to carry the snake stick, just in case. This kind of experience can't be manufactured, but it's so beautiful to watch these boys becoming men right before my eyes.
tuesday, march 18, 2008
We had a great time in the village of Sainji today. Everyone seemed impressed with the quality of 
living there in comparison to Jhori, the village we visited yesterday. Sainji has a fantastic irrigation system. All the wheat fields are a brilliant shade of green right now, and the contrasting colors of the buildings made for a picturesque scene. Steve Hellier shared the story of Daniel in the Lions' Den and we all taught the students "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High," with actions. Once again, the Hokey Pokey was a big hit. We even convinced Keely to do some ballet for the girls, which they loved. Some of the children clung to our 
Whitefield students, which made leaving more than a little emotional.
In the afternoon, we explored the bazaar together. All the men bought an article of clothing, which they sported at dinner. The male bonding also included a competition at a "grip test" of strength. Mr. Hellier won.
We shared dinner together with Manoj and his wife, Nasreen. We went to their home, newly rebuilt after a major landslide. Nasreen slaved in the kitchen all day making us a wonderful meal of chicken curry and rice. We were so privileged to be able to celebrate with them the dedication of their new home.
monday, march 17, 2008
We began the day with a stunning sunrise, available five steps from our front door. We could see the pink morning light rising over about five ranges of mountains. Breakfast excited everyone, particularly the homemade bread, homemeade peanut butter and homemade jam. Several girls are on a mission to bring back tins of PB & J. Who would have guessed you'd go to India and return with that as a souvenir?
A lengthy walk to and through Mussoorie took us to the village of Jhori, where Manoj operates a Christian school. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day, with a cloudless blue sky and rhododendrons and cherry blossoms in bloom. Students seemed enchanted by the views and willing to overlook the trash. When we got to the village school, I was so proud of the way every Whitefield student jumped right in to make friends with their little brothers and sisters. We had Francesca and Becca painting a mural of Jesus rescuing a lamb from the thorns (based on a dream Manoj had had), and Katherine and Ansley painting the walls of a classroom with symbols and pictures on the theme of "Jesus, the Light of the World." We had the Matts, Mel, Keely, and Jimmy teaching the children some songs--everything from "Father Abraham" to the "Hokey Pokey" (which, incidentally, the kids loved).
After several hours playing with the children, we began heading back up home. First, however, we took a detour to the home of the headman of the village, who is in the last stages of leukemia. Manoj asked us to come with him to pray for healing and faith for Mr. Singh. It was deeply moving to witness all these young voices raised in prayer for a sick man, claiming the authority and love of Christ. Pray with us that God will choose to demonstrate his power by healing this man. Manoj explained to Mr. Singh that he and the students don't know each other very well, but that we still share a profound and eternal bond because we share our love for the same God. We claimed that love in prayer for Mr. Singh.
This evening, students are taking a much-needed rest. I do hope you'll be seeing some photos shortly.
sunday, march 16, 2008 (evening)
Our seven hour bus ride magically (or not so magically) transformed into a twelve hour marathon. We stopped halfway for "breakfast" at noon, and toured some lovely rose gardens. Before venturing up the mountain, we stopped for a five-minute break. Half the group crossed the road and then I looked down the street, only to find that a crowd of Free Tibet protesters had gathered. You'll be happy to know that the students obeyed without question and hopped right back on the bus.
When we reached Mussoorie, we checked into our dorm and students seemed pleasantly surprised. The verdict is that the Hanifl Center is "cleaner than Sharptop."
Two minutes after lugging our luggage up the steps to Hanifl to check in, we loaded into taxis and headed to my parents house. An Indian worship leader named Ong joined us to sing and to teach us a couple Hindi songs. Dinner followed. We were ready. The spice cake and chocolate cake proved to be the biggest hits of the evening.
Dale Seefeldt shared a few words for Palm Sunday, on how Zechariah 9:16 teaches that we believers are being prepared to become jewels in the crown of the Lord. The evening closed with Manoj Daliya sharing his story. He told us how God "captured" him for service in the villages surrounding Mussoorie. The point that he really tried to drive home with students was that he was their age when he became convinced that a life of service waited for him.
sunday, march 16, 2008 (morning)
Saturday was full of activity and a lot of processing for students, as they got their first taste of India. Everyone enjoyed Humayun's Tomb. We took a combined total of at least 500 pictures. We'll try and upload some of them as soon as we're in a place that'll allow it. About half the group even climbed a banyan tree. William Hellier was most intrigued by the parakeets. As we waited to enter a restaurant for lunch, the inevitable snake charmer appeared, so a few brave souls allowed the snake to be draped around their necks.
Perhaps the most poignant moment for all of us came in the evening. We had spent a couple hours in an open-air bazaar and were heading back to our bus. A young boy who makes a living shining shoes approached us, asking for work and money to buy food. We gave him a couple packs of gummy fruit--which he looked at suspiciously, asking what this strange food was, and if it would be safe to eat. After a pause, he opened the packet and ate. Then he looked up beseechingly and whispered, "Don't you have any bread?" We didn't, and the moment hit all of us hard. I don't even know his name, but would you pray for him? And pray for everyone on this trip, as we confront poverty and attempt to form a godly response.
saturday, march 15, 2008
After a seven hour flight on an enormous and enormously packed flight, we circled Delhi for an hour, landing a little before 1 am. Customs and immigration were uneventful, and fortunately, all our bags came through with no problem. Our bus driver was waiting exactly where expected. He'd been waiting for three hours for us. We reached the YMCA close to 2 am, and were shortly settled into our rooms, with little difficulty.
Students are learning already. Lesson number one: Plug in the air conditioner if you want it to work. Just as we were preparing for bed, a local gurudwara (Sikh temple) began its call to prayer, and all the students rushed out on the balcony to hear the sounds.
Now, about half the group is eating their first breakfast here (toast, tea, and fried eggs), and the other other half has not yet roused. In an hour or so, we'll head out to Humayun's tomb.
friday, march 14, 2008
We made it to Amsterdam okay, all in one piece. Aside from some strange tasting airplane food, we're all doing well. We even found a Dutch McDonald's. We're all a little sleep-deprived and waiting to find a bed. In another 10 hours.