I DIDN'T KNOW HOW SIMPLE LIVING LIFE COULD BE

I am really grateful to be learning how Indian people live their lives. Of course there are a quite a few  administrative personnel who most often can fix computer problems.  But there is truly a group of very smart people who try to make our work life function on twenty-first century terms.

But what about the rest of it?  I'm having a temporary cash flow problem, so I washed some of my clothes by hand and hung them out to dry where the workers do. It feels like 1955 (that's the last century, by the way).
Sun bleach has always beat out every every other product!  Can't dry that underwear outside?  Turn the overhead fan on high; problem solved.Want to dry a sheet?  Well just hang it over the edge of the rooftop.  Everyone else does.  It's a mosaic of colors and patterns.. Andy Warhol would be proud. 

In India, function always triumphs over form.  If you want to keep your house that wonderful color you painted it, well, between the heat and humidity, you'd have to repaint 4 times a year.  You  just go with the flow, and decide not to care about the color of the outside of the house.  Pretty practical, eh?

Oh, did the electricity go out for awhile to day?  Well, that's why I brought my books and my needlepoint! And have I spent some time in prayer today?  Oops, must have slipped my mind.  And if the creatures in the terrarium you call your home don't bite, why not enjoy the Geico Gecko?  They're all God's creatures, except for maybe the mosquitos.  But then, in Wisconsin they're HUMONGOUS, so I should complain here?  We also have the best collection of toads West of Bamgladesh, but they hop around outside, so we might organize a toad race.  For some reason, it took four days for me to get my water back.  (I have a separate tank from everybody  else.)   Did I go YUCK?  Yeah, I did for a half hour and then fixed the problem.  I just can't tell you how I did it.  There are some poisonous snakes. but some month we're going to learn about them, and then I'll know.

Point is, I just decided to look for what it is, rather than what it isn't.  GREAT!  I just squshed that dang mosquito. What it is is gentle, full of beautiful, hospitable men, women and children who are living their lives the best way they know how.  And most of our effort is spent raising the level of education of the children and helping make the environment cleaner and safer.  Oh yeah, there's violence and chaos too.  Hmm...sounds like it could be America.

The faith expressed here at St. Michael's could be maudlin babble, but it's ardent belief in God's love, and a commandment to live it.  I love you all.

I AM FINALLY HERE! NOW, WHERE IS THAT, EXACTLY?

I am in Durgapur, West Bengal, India.  Two and a half hours from Kolkata.  We're at the point where the Ganges River becomes the Hooghly and empties into the Bay of Bengal.  I feel blessed indeed that I knew where I was going, what it would look like, and the familiar faces I would see. 

It's hot and humid here, of course.  Did I say it was it was hot and humid?  Well, it is.  It's definitely hot and humid.  I'm so glad the St. Anne's choir gave me an autographed umbrella, because many women use them to protect themselves from the sun.  I certainly will.

I could write a lot about what the people here hope I will do in terms of music.  Many miss hearing choral singing. There is a huge Hindu festival now - Durga Pooja, and the students are on vacation for 2 weeks, so I have time to drink in the atmosphere, and prepare for Whatever leisurely.  I don't really mean leisurely; I really mean prayerfully.  That way, I am much more likely to be present 'in the moment.'

I love to sit in the shadows of the partially finished cathedral, meditating or reading, sometimes even doing needlework.  More about that later.

Be...
Be still...
Be still and know...
Be still and know that I am...
Be still and know that I am God.

I HAVE MY VISA. NOW WHAT?!

After weeks of procrastinating, I took Jennifer, my cat, to her foster home today.  Her foster mom and Jennifer are a great match, and I couldn't have found a better placement.  But now, it's too quiet; no one's screaming for food or a treat or a cuddle; no fur to bury my face in.  This is sacrificial; I gave up some 'one' who has been my comfort and strength for 14 years.  The tears are close to the surface, and I grieve for this loss in my life. "Whence cometh my help?"  God says to me,"Fret not, dear Lynn or Jennifer.  You are in my care. Trust in me...trust in me.  And so I surrender to God's promise that I, and perhaps we, are in the palm of God's hand.

Today is Saturday, and I leave next Friday, the 23rd!  Some of my lists will go uncompleted.  I will forget things I wanted to take with me. Mary reminds Martha that there are stores in Durgapur; that perhaps I didn't really need to take that with me;  and, believe it or not, there IS mail between Green Bay and Durgapur.  All shall be well, all shall be well.

TWO WEEKS TO GO!

I can hear the clock ticking very loudly now.  No, wait-  maybe it's just the alarm clock.

I have three lists - the haveta, the wanna and the nowayJose.  But you know, when I get on that plane, all shall be well, as Julian of Norwich says. 'Mary' says, "C'mon, let's go.  I can't wait!"  And 'Martha' says, "Keep crossing stuff off the list."  But the list includes daily time for myself, including meditation. My parish, St. Anne's,  DePere WI, continues to lift me up in prayer, supporting me in every way possible.  I have little 'blood' family, but my friends are my family, too, and we shall go on this transforming journey together.  What glorious days of sunshine and cool temperatures with which to prepare!

 One special thing to look forward to is meeting my God-child, Mitali Rui Das,  Mitali is four years old, and goes to school on the compound at St. Michael's.  I've seen her picture: what a little charmer!  I decided last year to put my money where my mouth is, and sponsor her. How good it feels to put Mitali ahead of my coffee and sweet rolls.

Durgapur Cathedral

look at my photo on Facebook

Before the Beginning

I have longed to go to India since grad school.  September 2010 I traveled to North India on a tour: Jaipur, Taj Mahal, Varanasi, Delhi.  I knew then I wanted to return, especially after I visited the Anglican Diocese of Durgapur in West Bengal.  The projects to educate and make life better for the very poor there touched me and I wanted to be a part of it.  The Bishop there told me he wanted a Western music program in the schools the Diocese runs.  Would I do it?  After recovering from the shock  of hearing the
Bishop's words, I replied, "Yes, of course I will do it." This Call to serve combines all the things I have ever done and wanted to do in music.  The Episcopal church sends people to be Partners in Mission with a host church, and I was given the opportunity to go to Durgapur.  Two weeks of intensive training gave me some insight into what this Call might involve besides conducting rehearsals.  Adaptability, humor and complete trust in God's plan seem to be key ingredients in this journey.

Six weeks to go!

Creating a blog:  one more test of technoknowledge!

I am in Green Bay preparing to leave for Durgapur at the end of Sept. 2011.
I do believe there is order amidst the chaos of packing, visa, packing, vaccinations, planning and packing! 

It is clear to me that in order to answer this Call to Durgapur, I must surrender many things which have been dear to me, including my cat Jennifer.  She is going to a loving new home, but I will miss her nonetheless. I don't think I have ever trusted God's love as much as I do these days, because I am traveling to a world which is totally unknown to me.  Talk about the 'worm-hole!  Talk about a leap of faith!

Studying Bengali with a tutor is exciting, tiring and one of the best uses I have made of my time.  Bengali is a soft, beautiful language, and has characteristics of German, French and Italian.  For instance, the verbs are at the end of the sentence, like German.  There are nasalized vowels like French, and pronounced double consonants as in Italian.  For those of you singers out there, I was thrilled to discover that the language text I was using (written in 1958!) used the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to teach  you how to pronounce the words.  Who knew?  Now I know why I studied all those languages!