ARRIVING IN HYDERABAD

POST #17

A JAUNT BECOMES A HARROWING ORDEAL. Today’s ride was supposed to be a short 40-kilometer/24-mile jaunt: 20 k to the outskirts of the city where a welcome ceremony would occur and then another 20 k thru Hyderabad (nicknamed "Cyberabad" for its computer technolgy development) to a retreat center just beyond the city’s north side. But as we have come to expect, plans change--sometimes not by our choice or to our liking. At the end of the day we’d logged 100 kilometers/62 miles, finishing in the dark at nearly 7:00 pm. The good news is we arrived safely if a bit frazzled at the retreat center and are looking forward to a few days of rest and rejuvenation.

PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS. Hyderabad is the administrative center for the three General Conferences of the Free Methodist Church in India. Indian bishops who office here planned an overwhelming welcome for us. We were escorted in a 1k-long parade—with drums, singing, dancing, and placards—to a meeting facility. We were showered with flower petals by supporters. In an afternoon meeting of about 400 people, we received garlands and shawls--a gracious Indian gesture of honor and goodwill. Each of us shared about our experience on the road thus far. There was singing, food, and encouragement all around. Congregations and individuals offered contributions for Umri Christian Hospital totaling about 35,000 rupees—this from people who really don’t have margin in their small incomes. This was a very encouraging moment for us. We are so grateful for this expression of care for the project to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital.

NIGHT RIDING—NOT FUN. Had our ride from that extended welcome meeting to our place of lodging at the retreat center been only 20 k as expected, we would have been okay. We left the celebration around 2:30 pm, but a guide led our driver around the city instead of thru it—adding 30 miles to our ride. The extra time put us beyond the 6:00 pm sunset and into 45 minutes of riding under increasingly darkening skies. Eighty percent of Indian traffic accidents occur after dark, so we were more than a bit concerned. Even with reflective vests and flashing lights on some of our bikes, riding bicycles in traffic—particularly Indian traffic—at night is nerve wracking. We’ll chalk this one up to experience and hope it doesn’t happen again.

THE WEEKEND AHEAD. For the record, after today’s ride from Shadnegar to the north side of Hyderabad we’ve ridden 1416 kilometers/878 miles in 14 days. We’ve each been invited to talk about our journey and the project to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital at various locations tomorrow. On Monday, Joe and John have been asked to facilitate some equipping workshops for local leaders. On Tuesday, while Joe works in an administrative capacity, Bob and John hope to explore the city. We resume our ride northward on Wednesday at 6:30 am—sharp.

COMPANIONS FOR PART OF THE JOURNEY. Today, David Goodnight of Seattle joined our team as a guest rider. He will ride with us from Hyderabad to Umri. He brought along his daughter, Audra. Marilyn James, Joe’s spouse, also met us today. She will be with us (riding in the Tata Victa) all the way to Nagpur. We welcome these traveling companions for this portion of the journey.

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