Whew! The trip is passed, and we are home with family. But I thought that maybe you would like to know what happened the last several days.
On Thursday we traveled to Madurai. It was about a three hour drive, but I think it was my favorite drive of the whole trip. It was smooth ("er" I might add, definitely appreciate the driving in America more now :). So it was slightly easier for some team members. :)
As we traveled the land started to change. Nagercoil had more trees and was much greener than Madurai. It was a lot like a desert, with just some low-lying shrubs on the ground. I knew Madurai was going to be a different experience, but not just in how it looked (grass, trees, etc.), but in several different areas. Areas like poverty, the spirituality of the city, and the condition of the people. I wasn't prepared for what I would experience on this short trip.
Madurai was very crowded and very dirty. It reminded me of a "Dallas size" city, but with several thousand more people jam-packed into the same space. There was much more poverty than there was than in Nagercoil. People were sleeping on the streets, there were also many more people who looked very thin than in Nagercoil. My heart felt for the people there in Madurai.
It is definitely eye-opening when you travel to a different country. I know it made me realize how blessed I am here in America. I have shelter, food, clothing, heat, water...I could go on and on about my blessings. Mrs. Spurgeon was telling me one day about how she would give an extra saree to begger woman that would come to her door. She said she felt compassionate towards them because they couldn't change clothes because they owned only one saree. When she was telling that story to us, it made me realize again how much of an abundance we have here. It made me want to just go and give away most of my clothes.
The next day (after we arrived in Madurai, it would have been Friday the 18th), we went to a local college to give speeches about different topics that we had picked out. Mr. & Mrs. Spurgeon's daughter worked there as the head of the the department of Commerce (?). So when she heard we were coming to visit her parents...and she figured out that we would be here during a conference...she asked us to come and speak. It was a neat experience.
After we gave our speeches, Dr. Mrs. Jacqueline Gigi Vijayakumar, M.Com., M.Phil., Ph.D. (we called her Mrs. Gigi for short :) showed us around the campus. We walked into classrooms and the students showed us their work. We got to see almost all the College classes, but some of my favorites were the Home Economics class, Computer Science class, and the "Cooking" class (my unofficial name for this class). The students seemed very open to us intruding in their class time. :)
Needless to say, after we were finished our speeches at the college, we all felt like we had a huge weight the just fell off our back. So, after we finished lunch, Mr. & Mrs. Spurgeon and Mr. Viji (Mrs. Gigi's husband), took us for some sight seeing. The first place we "went near" (we weren't allowed into the temple because we were Christians, and because of our consiences, I'll explain more as we go on), was a Hindu Temple. As I write about this temple experience, it is a little painful for me. Being near this temple, really being in Madurai, I was hit straight on in the stomach with some spiritual oppression. This city is a very dark city. It is largely Hindu. Madurai is called the "Temple city" because of how many Hindu temples there are. The architecure of these temples, like the one here on the right, is quite amazing. It is very intricate and extremely colorful, but...this architecture is dedicated to the Hindu gods. It is dedicated to their gods out of fear and hate. You can clearly see that fear and hate in the pictures carved in these huge towers. Walking close to these temples, hearing the music and chanting, made me realize how terrible is the spiritual condition of this city...of these people. Even now, the music can be played back in my head, songs of evil and fear and sin. Even though that was hard, I am glad I went through it. I am glad that the Lord gave me those feelings which are hard to describe. I am glad that while I was going through this trial, the Lord was ever with me holding my hand. While I certainly didn't feel physically safe, I knew that I was safe in the Lord and that he would watch over me. When I think back to all that has happened, in preparation for the trip, the actaul trip, and now the recovery, it is amazing to me to see the work of the Lord in everything. If the Lord has taught me anything, and I know he has taught me a lot, he has shown me how not to worry. He has shown me how I need to put my whole and complete trust in Him. One of the things I learned through this trip, was how to start trusting in God.
In Him,
Kristin
"Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light."
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."-Proverbs 3:5-6
As we traveled the land started to change. Nagercoil had more trees and was much greener than Madurai. It was a lot like a desert, with just some low-lying shrubs on the ground. I knew Madurai was going to be a different experience, but not just in how it looked (grass, trees, etc.), but in several different areas. Areas like poverty, the spirituality of the city, and the condition of the people. I wasn't prepared for what I would experience on this short trip. 
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