2 Temples, 4 trains, and a boat

My husband went on quite the adventure today.

In an effort to establish relationships, he asked a guy (college age) that he met in the village a month or so ago to help him learn the train and transportation system here.

So today was the day.

They met early and took off. I have to admit I was a little nervous. I know both of us feel good about this guy and he has already established his trust with us in some tangible ways, so that helped. But you never know.

They took 2 auto rickshaws to the train station.



Got to the train station (which is noted as one of the busiest train stations in the entire world) and noticed that it had an 'upper class' waiting room as they went to the platform. They stood in front of a door to get on the train ... and then the doors opened. He describes it as trying to get that extra yard on 4th & 1 in football. Everyone was pushing forward to get through the doors.

They didn't make it on that train. There were about 6 people hanging out the door as the train took off. So they got the next one came about 30-40 minutes later on a different track.

After the 45 minute train ride they got on another train and went to the temple on the north side of town.




There was a line of people more than a mile long going into the temple. All along the way, there were little shops selling things (flowers, vegetables, incense, etc...) to give to the idols. Everyone had something that they were bringing in, this made them full of hope and anticipation that something good would come of their visit.

The line was so long (think worse than an amusement park on July 4th weekend!) they didn't go into this temple, but as he was walking away a lady tried to put a red mark on his forehead to receive a blessing and then ask for money. He declined their effort to do this! It was hard for him to just not begin sharing about the true peace and joy that they are searching for! Out of respect for the friend that was taking him around, and to further their relationship, it was important that he was respectful of their customs. He knows the more he learns about what others do and why it will only help him build a bridge to help them understand the true source of peace!

They took a boat across the river to another temple on the other side.



There were some boats that were dredging the bottom of the river and bringing the soil to the temple to sell to the people to give as an offering. This river is considered a holy river.

He was able to go inside the temple (shoes off of course) on the other side of the river. There were a lot of people sitting with legs crossed, palms up, quietly meditating. Then a picture of a beloved guru was shown, whose devotees worship him, and the people that were meditating jumped up and went to the front and started giving money to the person that was collecting it. When this began they left to find a lunch spot.

Here is a picture of the restaurant:

the eating area



Many restaurants have a sink near the eating area for people to wash their hands after they finish eating since so many eat only with their hands! This is the sink area at this 'restaurant':



After lunch, they crossed back over the river and took the 2 trains and auto rickshaws back home again.

On the way home on the train my husband was standing in the door of the train looking out and his friend asked him what he thought about what he sees. He (the friend) was saying that India's main problem is lack of money. My husband replied that he sees good and bad things, there are many people in America that have money and aren't happy. That money doesn't bring happiness. He was able to explain that he doesn't worry, which his friend was surprised about, and about how our Father knows what we need before we even ask. Then he said that Jesus asked in the Bible what good does worrying do because it doesn't add one hour to your life. It was obvious that the friend was listening, and that he was interested. He valued these comments and the fact that my husband trusts God to take care of him, this was obviously a new idea to him. So this is just one small step in the journey with him!

So in an effort to learn the transportation system and develop a relationship, he was able to see 2 temples and travel across the entire city on local trains.

And then he came home to 3 hours of language study!

What a good day!