I want to first apologize for not keeping you more up to date. The last I posted was Calcutta and my beginning compassion for the broken place. Since then, I have gotten on an airplane 6 times, treked 4 days in the beautiful Himalayans, and seen an elephant walking in 5 o clock Delhi traffic. The last two weeks have been pretty exhausting, yet extremely adventurous. The team leaves tomorrow after another full day of travel to the Taj Mahal… then I’m off to Calcutta.
In the mountains, I was reminded of something very sweet… something i hope will continue to resonate in my mind and yours. i am constantly reminded of the word “community.” I feel as if it is easy to loosely use this term (as any other christian jargon) causing it to be devalued or misunderstood. A community (or so i think) is a group of tightly knit people overlapping resources and seeking the same goal. A community is a group of people who hope and believe. Although, my definition may sound a bit ambiguous.. I’m going somewhere with it, I promise. I have discovered a true sense of community, i feel, in the recent year or so with some very dear friends back home in the states. It is an extreme struggle for me when that community is removed. Whereas, i don’t feel as if it is merely the specific people (although, i like you guys very much) as much as i feel like it is the sense of collaboration. I hung out recently with a young couple who took us on our mountain trek. They brought us into houses (or barns, really) i never imagined someone’s home to look like. As the villagers invited our 10 man team in, we huddled closely on the pine needle dirt floor. (next to me was sitting a sweet calf and its momma.) We went in to simply share joy and hope. As we talked (translator present) they made each of us a cup of chai tea (which you can NEVER deny, even if you are blazing hot..its like the mortal sin of India) and some homemade unleavened bread. this might seem insignificant or small but it really taught me that even the most distant folks in the village need community. they need the fulfillment of sharing.. love, food, or even just stories. The feeling that there are those present that want to compassionately listen and extend grace resonates. May the communion you have be one of community and love. May you continually reach to those who have lost hope in community. When community is gone, the soul begins to lose purpose.
Political Affairs—
Brief history note before i begin this part of my post… The Kashmir (a place in northern India near the Pakistan border) Conflict refers to the territorial dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. The official stated stance of India is that Kashmir is an “integral part” of India, while the official stated stance of Pakistan is that Kashmir is a disputed territory whose final status can only be determined by the Kashmiri people. The Kashmiri government has become inactive and apathetic towards any conflict resolution. This causes an intense enviroment for the entire region of Kashmir. An armed soldier stands at every corner, a foreign customs form is mandatory when traveling to and from even though it is within India, and the borders have been shut until further notice. Driving into Kashmir, I began to feel the tension (maybe I’ve seen far too many movies with corrupt governments); however, i was excited to talk to some university students about the recent uprising. our team was escorted into a press room with microphones at every seat (I’m not going to lie.. i felt a little too important 
)we began the discussion with our individual introduction.. then one of the Kashmiri students(sidenote: these students were 100% Muslim) asked how peace could be attained and how we could innately achieve this ever present goal. The sterotypes often arise when even mentioning the Muslim religion but I’ve learned that something radical begins to happen when you put aside all your opinions, sterotypes, preconceived notions… the overflowing grace of God actually covers even the Muslim in the middle east. When the discussion was shifted on the American response.. immediately one of the Kashmiri students began to passionately explain his apologies for the 9/11 occurance. A calm sense of expressed emotion lingered in the room; a sense that although september 11th was a sad day for the famililes that lost loved ones, there were hurting, scared individuals that daily faced fear and conflict. they didnt understand war and death. they longed to be a free people; free to live and learn absent of fear. There needs to be a constant prayer for peace in our hearts. It was heartbreaking and challenging to talk to students in India that knew english better than i did but won’t have the same freedom or opportunities that i have. It is mere luck that we are born into a free country. There is no greater love or blessing that is given to us simply because of our American name. Peace is a collaborative effort apart from color or religion … it is a sharing community that needs to be revived.
Asaalam Aleikum (May the peace of God be with you)
