Week 6 ends, Week 7 begins.
Hello everyone,
This week has been a week of preparation for the next three weeks. This week I was in communication with the CCV team that is coming. Giving them last minute preparation details before they left. I also finished up a lot of projects that I have been working on. I finalized the web content for both the Mid India website and also the majority of the content for the Media Production website. I also wrote an article on the Christian Fair I attended last weekend. David's brother Ajai is planning on sending it in to Christian Standard or another magazine to be published. I guess I will see if it will be published or not later. I also worked on a paper that I am writing about the movement. I still have several pages left to write but I will have it done in the next few days. I made final my final touches on the poster I created for the Oasis of Love school. I will hopefully have it printed this week so that I am able to give it to them next week. But that was the gist of what I have done throughout the week at the studio.
Wednesday evening I attended a rally that David took me to for the movement. The rally was in celebration of a Guru Ravidas Jayanti birthday which is actually tomorrow. Ravidas is a well-known and respected guru of the 14 century. Many of the Chamar caste study his teachings. The funny thing is that though many people have studied Ravidas' teachings they don't act or follow the teachings. Ravidas taught that the caste system was not right and that all people are equal and should have equal rights. He also believed that idol worship was wrong and that there is only one omnipresent and omnipotent god.
David was able to print about 2,000 copies of the religious books of the Chamar caste that Ravidas read and followed. He gave out about 40 copies of this book to people at this rally and read a few passages from the book and how the Chamar people need to read their own religious books and follow what it says instead of just reading it and not acting on it. It was good to be able to experience this rally. David told me that prior to the rally that many people didn't come to the rally because many people of the near village were saying not to attend this meeting because the Christians are heading it up. The village leaders didn't want the people to start separating themselves from the rest of the village people. The few that showed up were really excited that they had printed off their holy book and was teaching from it. Now these people will go back to the village and tell the others that it wasn't the Christians preaching the bible. When the next rally takes place there will be more people that come and hear what the leaders have to say.
Thursday was the actually birthday of Ravidas and there was a bigger rally that took plac e with over 2,000 people. David had me stay home because he didn't know how safe it would be since it would be in the middle of town. He then later called and said that there may be a chance you can drive by the rally and see for yourself what it looks like. Makson, Manee, and myself went to see if we could drive by and see it but David called when we almost arrived and said that there was no way to drive by cause there were road blocks on that street. So we went to Jabalpur and I was able to do some shopping. I bought two “cortes” which are a type of Indian shirt for males.
Today I was thinking that I have less than three weeks left here. It was sad to think that I am going to leave all these people that I have become such good friends with. Yeah I want to get back home to see my friends and family but it will be hard leaving this behind. I will definitely have to return and see everyone.
That has been my week. Thank you all so much for your comments and for your prayers. I would ask your prayers for the three guys from CCV that will be here tomorrow. We will be doing a lot traveling and a lot of teaching of media production and web design. Pray that it would be a productive week and that the guys will adjust well and stay healthy while they are here. Thanks you and have a wonderful week.
