Tag Archives: Jesus.

Apr24

Post 53. India- Second time round

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Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards in Delhi.  It was 1984.  Tony had left the ship and was travelling back to New Zealand via India with his Korean friend, Sebastian Kim.  He was in Ranchi, Bihar when it happened.   Riots broke out all over the country. There were over 3,000 Sikhs killed.  

Tony and Sebastian had to stay in their room until the riots were over.  When they were able to get out, three days later, they were shocked to see that every single Sikh shop and house had been razed to the ground.  Not one brick was left standing on another.  Mobs poured into Sikh neighbourhoods carrying clubs, kerosene and iron rods.  They killed any Sikh men or women they could find.  They were pulled off buses and trains and beaten or burnt alive.  

The guys were on a tight budget so they slept on floors and in all kinds of buildings.  After the riots they went onto the streets of Ranchi with picture story cards, sharing the story of Jesus.  Hundreds of people crowded around them in a matter of minutes. 

One morning, in Bangalore, Tony prayed that somehow he would be able to share his story with millions of people.  Later on that day, a man asked him for directions to the Far East Broadcasting Association.  Tony knew where it was and they got talking.  He was interested in Tony’s journey and invited him to do a radio interview at the studio.  He found out later that his story had been heard by millions all over India and South East Asia.  His prayer had been answered within 24 hours. 

Tony, Sebastian, a Cockney guy and a translator visited the infamous brothels of Grant Road, Mumbai.  200,000 sex workers lived in misery and squalor.  Most of them had been tricked into being there; promised the world and taken to “Bollywood.” Some girls were as young as 9 years old.  They were trapped until the brothel owner had earned enough, or they contracted a disease.  They were subjected to physical and mental torture and there was no way of escape.  

It took them a while to accept that Tony and his friends were not there to exploit them.   They sat and listened to Bible stories from Genesis to the resurrection of Jesus.  They listened so quietly; hungry for the freedom they were hearing about.  Many bought Bibles and wanted prayer.    

On this second trip, Tony was moved again by India and her people.  There was so much hunger for truth and peace.  Everywhere he went, there was need.    He wanted to help in some way but wasn’t sure exactly how.  He just knew he was going to be back.

Mar23

Post 27. No pork, no bacon

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I had NO idea what to do next.  I spent my “well deserved”  holiday a bit concerned.  I wasn’t qualified to go to college.  I didn’t want to anyway.  There was no way I wanted to work at the bank.   I was starting to wonder if I would end up in a supermarket, just as my maths teacher had said.

At the same time, there were three things I felt strongly about:   I had a feeling I wouldn’t marry a South African.  I had a feeling I would travel.  I had a feeling I would marry a pastor.

While I dated South African guys, I didn’t meet one  I wanted to marry.  Over the years there were a few serious proposals which I happily turned down.  Some were pastor-types.  Now they were interesting. One took me out for dinner. Forget about “should you kiss on your first date?”  He proposed to me all the way home and kept going at the gate.  He talked about a how I could help him in his ministry.  What an asset I would be to him.  He was desperate.  I was desperate too.  I couldn’t wait to get out of the car.  He became pretty famous- for doing the wrong thing.

Another one was a full on, “no pork, no bacon” type.  We had met at joint youth camps over the years.   He was the most eligible pastor’s son and in much demand among the young girls.  I needed a partner for a banquet so I plucked up all the courage I could find to call him.  He courteously told me he was dating someone but something could be arranged.   He called the next day to say he was available.  After lots of interrogation as to how it happened, I had a date.

He had a fancy sports car and Val made sure he got lots of avocado sandwiches.  He kept coming back.  He didn’t like that I wore earrings or make-up. He tried to convince me that eating bacon was the cause of my bad eyesight.  There were lots of rules and regulations except for the ones that really mattered.  We argued about everything and we didn’t last long.

A lot of time was spent getting them to keep their hands to themselves.  They didn’t make it easy for me to stick to my guns.  It wasn’t my  fault I was “so irresistible.”

I knew what I wanted, and it wasn’t that.

In our youth group, we were encouraged to write down the qualities that we wanted in a husband.  My list was long. It was a perfect description of Jesus; except he played a guitar.