FAREWELL TO "THE CITY OF JOY"

These are the last photos from Kolkata, "the City of Joy." We fly inland to Nagpur on Wednesday. On Thusday and Friday, we ride!

Pedestrians cross the Howrah Bridge, the 3rd largest cantilever bridge in the world. 200,000 people cross this bridge each day. It spans the Hoogley River between Kolkata and Howrah.

Forty young people receive credentials at the Immanuel Free Methodist Annual Conference

The crypt of Mother Teresa of Calcutta at the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity

A typical Indian bicycle, the kind that is ridden in large numbers on the streets and roads of Kolkata. This is NOT the kind of bicycle we will be using when we make our 3,200 km trek from Nagercoil to New Delhi next year.

Typical intersection in Kolkata! At first it seems like one big game of chicken, but there really is some rational flow to it...I just haven't figured the rationality yet.

THOUGHTS AFTER A WEEK IN INDIA

BEHIND THE SCENES. I realize that I am being given a very privileged introduction to India. I am coming in not so much as a tourist staying in the finest resorts, being pampered with the best accommodations. I am coming in as one privileged to see and experience a more authentic India, its real side, perhaps. I know I am not seeing it completely, but what I have seen helps me begin to understand and appreciate this people.

TEACHING AND LEARNING. From Friday through Monday, Joe James and I participated in a conference and training retreat. We shared the teaching/training responsibilities for 200 rural workers from across India. I taught four sessions at the conference. Many participants had traveled 12-18 hours by train to participate.

HOWRAH BRIDGE WALK. We walked on the Howrah Bridge today. It’s the third longest cantilever bridge in the world, a massive structure that spans the nearly one-mile wide Hoogley River. 200,000 people cross between Kolkata and Howrah each day, perhaps half on foot. We walked on the bridge among this incredible mass of humanity. Many people carry large, heavy bundles on their heads.

MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY. We visited the mother house of the Missionaries of Charity and sat awhile by the crypt of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic order founded by Mother Teresa, have committed themselves to serve and love the poorest of the poor here and around the world. I came away with a sense of awe and thanksgiving for the depth, magnitude, joy, and simplicity of the Missionaries of Charity’s work.

FIRST WEEKEND UPDATE FROM KOLKATA

KOLKATA AT NIGHT. It is Monday night. Kolkata is smokey at night. It must come from the vehicles, small cooking fires beside the roads, incense being offered to gods, and lanterns that are used in the small shack shops along the roads. It's a heavy haze that smells like, well, all of the above (and a little bit more, given the lack of sewers in the makeshift dwellings).

CHILDREN ON THE STREETS. As I see school children, I miss my own children and the children at our home church. All the school children here wear uniforms. They are so cute. I saw two little boys rolling bicycle tires down the street, pushing them with sticks. Things seem ancient here. A man weighed my purchase with a hand-held scale with weights and measures. Also, I saw a man take up his sleeping mat and walk away.

CONFERENCE IN KOLKATA. We just finished three days of teaching at a conference that was held at a Catholic retreat center here in Kolkata. Some of the 200 participants will board trains this evening and travel between 12 and 18 hours to get back to their homes across India. I spoke this morning and taught four sessions over the previous two days. I spoke through a translator. Sometimes it was for Hindi and sometimes for Oriya. Very interesting.

SINGING BY ALL. You should hear these conference participants sing. No accompaniment other than a drum and tamborine. Imagine 200 men and two women singing Indian songs they love and know well in their own languages--clapping, some dancing. It is inspiring. Joe James and I sang as a duet to them on Sunday, the participants joined us for a well-known song in their respective languages.

TWO KOLKATAS. Kolkata is at least 14 million people. There's no way we will see it all before we leave for Nagpur early on Wednesday morning. We plan to visit Mother Teresa's mother house of the Missionaries of Charity on Tuesday. There are two Kolkatas. One is an up and coming, middle class, high-tech Kolkata. New buildings and office developments are rising on the city's edge. But this Kolkata exists side by side with people who have nothing but bikes, carts, and baskets. They literally live underneath the billboards announcing new condominium developments. A man pulls a cart laden with cabbage next to a sign advertizing Ford automobiles.

A FEW MORE PHOTOS FROM INDIA

Here are a few more photos I've taken. We continue to be fascinated by traffic and street life. This has got to be the most culturally diverse places on the globe.


I attended the Republic Day parade last week. January 26, 1930 is the day of India's "Declaration of Independence" from Britain. Actual independence would not come for 17 more years. The parade in Kolkata was very impressive.

A parade-goer watches the bridages of soldiers and drum & bagpipe corps march by for over two hours.

We visited the Victoria Memorial, an imposing monument in Kolkata. Completed in 1920, it houses English museum pieces as well as a historical museum of India.

Here's another parade-goer who played through much of the parade. Over 500,000 people viewed the parade. When it was over, people fanned out across massive fields in front of the Victoria Memorial for all kinds of festival activities.

ANOTHER DAY IN KOLKATA

Joe James and I have been in Kolkata since Tuesday and we are getting to know the "neighborhood" around our hotel in the heart of the city. Here are a few photos that say more than I can describe.

GREETINGS FROM INDIA

This is primarily a three-week teaching and administrative visit, but Joe James and I are also gathering information and taking in as much cultural and local input as we can in preparation for the 2,000-mile bike ride to raise funds to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital next year.

Thus far, we have participated in an Annual Conference, visited locations, and been in meetings. Joe James has been meeting with the three Indian church leaders. Yesterday it was my privilege to speak to this group. I have been preparing to teach in training sessions that begin on Saturday. In all, we will have six days of worker training. I will teach on Leadership, Stewardship, the the distinctive characteristics of our organization. This conference alone will have over 200 participants in attendance at these trainings.

One does not need to go sightseeing in Kolkata to be overwhelmed by the sights, smells, people, and the spirit of the place. Already one of the largest cities in the world, it is growing rapidly as villagers move to the urban area. Many live literally in tents along the highways or on the streets. A walk down six blocks and I see: numerous fruit stands and vendor shops, people bathing on the street corner, cows roaming wherever they want, goats tied up, monkeys on leashes, people begging, people busy trying to make a living any way they can, lots of humanity on the sidewalks (sometimes I am stepping over them). All this is beside busy streets jammed with trucks, cars, auto-rickshaws, rickshaws (Kolkata is the only city in the world were men pull rickshaws), bicycles, carts, pedestrians...and no street signs, no lane markings, no signals. Lots of honking...but no one gets upset. They just yield when they have to and honk and take advantage of another driver when they can. No one gets hurt. It's rather amazing.

PLANS GET UNDERWAY

Our North American team members recently met for planning. They are, left to right, Bishop Joe James, Bob Yardy, and John Hay, Jr. Joe James is from Canada; Bob and John are Midwesterners. These three avid cyclists will be joined by two riders in India, who have yet to be named. Together, this international team will cycle from the southern tip of India northward to New Delhi in six weeks beginning in January 2007. We ride for a clear purpose: to raise awareness and raise funds to rebuild Umri Christian Hospital.

HOME TO OVER 1 BILLION NEIGHBORS

India is home to 1,068,572,000 neighbors, second only to China in country population and growing at a rate of 16 million per year. Its area covers 1,269,221 square miles (3,287,270 sq km). Its religions range this way: 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2.4% Christian, 2% Sikh, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.5% Jains, 0.4% other. Life expectancy is 63, literacy rate is 60%, and the dominant language is Hindi. India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Source: National Geographic

RIDING WITH THE BLUE MOTH

Bishop Joseph James, one of our riding team members, recently recommended a book, Riding with the Blue Moth. It's the journal of Bill Hancock, a 50-year old NCAA official who undertakes a 36-day, ocean-to-ocean bicycle ride across the United States after the tragic death of his son in a plane crash that killed the entire Oklahoma State University men's basketball team in 2001. The ride covers 2,743 miles. I am looking forward to covering this book...and the 2,000 miles our team will cycle through India one year from now. We will not be riding in an attempt to overcome personal grief, but in the hopes of a hospital being rebuilt. We hope you'll be along for our ride.

Read a review of Riding with the Blue Moth.

Why ride for THIS Hospital?

Why ride--and raise funds--for this particular hospital? Umri Christian Hospital is the primary medical facility within in a 300-mile radius in central rural India. It serves residents who would be otherwise not be served medically. And the facility, built in the 1920's, is crumbling. After 54 years of 24/7 use, this 100-bed hospital needs to be rebuilt. We envision a cooperative international awareness and fundraising effort.

A RANGE OF CHARITABLE SERVICES. UCH provides services in primary medicine, obstetrics, surgery, pharmacy, radiology, and laboratory. Areas of special attention include tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria prevention and intervention. Other services developed around the hospital's core include:

• Community health service...reaching many small villages
• A nursing school...focused on assisting young women from poor families to acquire certification
• An on-campus school
• Jehoveh Jireh Home...a boarding home for underprivileged children

WHY RIDE?

Certainly there must be easier--and perhaps more sane--ways to raise support for rebuilding a hospital than riding a bicycle 2,000 miles. Our interest, however, is not only to raise funds but also to raise awareness of Umri Christian Hospital's unique and enobling mission, to gather support for its opportunities, and to bring North American and Indian participants together in a shared concern.

ADVENTURE & SERVICE. Why ride a bike to accomplish this? If you were an avid cyclist, you would understand what an energizing adventure this represents. It's a once-in-a-lifetime challenge for most cyclists. Our dream is to combine this personal challenge with an international, humanitarian service mission.

ENGAGE THE CHALLENGE. We invite you to engage our ride with the spirit of adventure and outreaching service that has captured our imaginations.

UMRI'S REACH

Umri Christian Hospital offers service to individuals and households as the primary medical care provider within a 300-mile rural area in central India. Operated under the auspices of Free Methodist World Missions with an international Board of Directors, UCH has faithfully served the neediest residents for over 50 years. Time has taken its toll on the main structure and nothing short of rebuilding will preserve Umri's reach to the people of this area. We invite you to join us in contributing to this rebuilding effort.

UMRI CHRISTIAN HOSPITAL - TODAY

This is a recent photo of Umri Christian Hospital in central rural India. Over 50 years of daily service to thousands of rural residents has taken its toll on this facility. The physical structure of the hospital has deteriorated to the point that major reconstruction is necessary. Through individual, group, and organizational gifts, we hope to raise $600,000 to rebuild this primary healthcare facility.

In addition to providing medical care for central India's rural residents, Umri Christian Hospital is also a primary support for other initiatives: Helen Rose School of Nursing, Jehoveh Jireh hostel for tribal boys, the Marathi school and hostel, and English elementary school, and TB and community health programs.

BICYCLE INDIA 2007 -- ONE YEAR AWAY

OUR GOAL. Approximately one year and one week from now, a small group of cyclists from Canada, USA, and India will begin a 2,000 mile bicycle ride from the southern tip of India to New Delhi in an effort to raise awareness and funds for Umri Christian Hospital. Our goal is to raise enough funds (approximately $600,000) to rebuild this small but vital hospital in rural India. It is a primary healthcare center for several hundred thousand people. We hope you will join us with your attention, your prayers, your gifts--and by information and appeal that you can share with your associates.

OUR TEAM. I am proud to be part of this effort that is the heart and brain child of Bob Yardy of Champaign, Illinois. We are both avid cyclists, riding in cross-country events, with local ride groups, and solo trips for years. Bob grew up in India. I am from Indianapolis, Indiana. I have never been to Iowa, much less India! We will be joined on this ride by Joe James, a native of Canada. We are all avid cyclists. We will be joined in India by riders as we pass through various regions of the country.

YOUR PARTICIPATION. Please tune in to this blog for frequent updates throughout out 2006. This is the official "journal" of our effort. We hope to upload daily updates and photos during our six-week ride that begins the last week of December 2006 and concludes early in February 2007. We also hope there will be a variety of ways you can participate and have input with us. Your comments are one way you can share your ideas, insights, contacts, etc. as we plan and prepare in 2006.

-- John Hay, Jr.