The people of India are beautiful. However, the majority live in harsh conditions and difficult circumstances. Their faces reflect the hardships they deal with daily. There are no easy answers, yet we know that Jesus Christ gives true hope and joy. We have seen the amazing change in the countenances of those who believe. Their mourning is truly turned into praise! Please join us in praying for the people of India to be delivered from spiritual darkness and oppression. There is hope!

We live in a small Christian neighborhood in a mostly Hindu city. During the two weeks before Christmas, groups of believers visit houses in the neighborhood to sing and pray a blessing over the homes. The singers usually carry tambourines and an Indian drum called a dholuk. The joyful sound is magnified as it bounces off the concrete houses and buildings on both sides of the street. We run outside to watch and listen. This song is sung in the Garhwali language of the mountains, not in north India’s main language of Hindi. It's one of our favorites, and by the sound of the exuberant singing (and dancing), it's a favorite of many!

Yesterday just 100 yards from my house I watched a young man (estimated age 20-22) wading in the waste canal at the edge of our street. I was mesmerized...shocked...sickened... as I watched a fellow human being wade shin-deep in a sludge of garbage, rotting waste, human and animal feces. His flip-flops made a squishing sound as he sunk into the ooze with each step. He was collecting bits of plastic trash in order to sell it to one of the many local recyclers (a few pennies per pound of scrap plastic). His face was handsome, his shoulders broad. This young man was created by God for dignified manhood, but has been reduced to a life almost too tragic to contemplate. I cried on the way home.

I have no easy, trite answers. There are millions of people in India earning money the same way, or doing many similarly terrible things in order to survive.

Then I think back to the jubilant faith of the village Christians I just spent three days with up in the mountains. These believers have all come out of the oppressive darkness of Hinduism. Their beaming faces, hearty laughter, radical generosity, and excitement about their future are the hope of India. Shine Jesus shine!  

All of the photos in this blog post are from our train travels in north India.

Each day brings new sights which fascinate us. The photos in this blog post show things which might seem exotic or unusual or funny to our western eyes but are normal daily scenes in India. 

October marks the time when Hindus all over India show their devotion to the goddess Durga. Private and pubic devotion is widespread. This 24 hour street puja (worship ceremony) started at 7:00am with amplified music so loud it shook our house and jolted us awake. Click here to learn more about Durga worship in India.

One of the many heartbreaking sights we encounter in India is people sleeping in the streets. There are no social services, no government programs, no safety net programs to provide help. Poverty in India is so immense, so deeply entrenched, only a God-sized solution will transform India. 

Chicken and goat are the two main types of meat available in India. In coastal areas fish abounds, but in our inland city chicken is the most common type of meat. The shop in this photo is typical. The customer picks a chicken from the cage, and the butchering is done while the customer waits. The tree stump sitting on top of the concrete table serves as the chopping block. 
Cost: approximately $1.55 per pound.

The cow and the water buffalo are sacred animals to Hindus, so beef is rarely sold in India. Goat meat (called mutton) is common, although too expensive for most families. On special occasions we buy mutton to share with friends. This photo shows freshly butchered goats.
Cost: approximately $3.00 per pound.

[We apologize to all our vegetarian friends for including this post!]

Sugarcane is one of India's main agricultural crops, and fresh-squeezed juice is sold everywhere. The stalks are crushed, the juice is collected in a pot, and the frothy liquid is served to the thirsty customer.