Village Church
It took about an hour to drive the 20 kilometers to a small church in a nearby rural village. It was a visual feast as the images of India passed by- rice fields, water buffalo, statutes of hindu gods, and always- people everywhere.
I knew we were near the church when the sound of India worship blaring through loud speakers reached our ears. The contrast always strikes me as funny- a church meeting under a thatched roof, with the amplifier and speakers. The sound system is not for those gathered inside the church, but to broadcast into the community. As this picture shows, it was not a large congregation.
On our trip to this village Jeff P. suggested that we all chip in and present a gift to the pastor and the church. There we 8 of our team that were on the buss, and we collected about 4700 rupees- about $100 American dollars. I know from my previous times in these rural churches that $50 would be about a months salary for the pastor. As we presented the gift to him after the service, I thought about how quickly and easily I make decisions about spending $100, too often for something that I don;t really need- and here, we were helping to sustain a church for two months!
India always challenges me to think again about where my treasure is.
