I've been home for almost a month and almost all of me is back. I want to write just one more piece about my experiences.
Very early on, I met the assistant pastor of the English language church. He is a Korean missionary named Revered Kim and he came to Aizawl 20 years ago at the prompting of the Lord. He was planning to start a church. He not only didn't speak any Mizo; he didn't speak any English. He studied English at the college and says that after all these years, he know 'market' Mizo, in other words, not very much. His youngest daughter was born there and is thoroughly 'Mizo'ized.
Kim found Mizoram so evangelized that no more churches were needed. Everyone goes to church on Sunday, and some on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday as well. There is at least one church in every neighborhood and driving through town on Sunday is like driving through Jerusalem on Shabbat. Everyone is walking to or from church.
Kim looked around to see what was needed. He found drug addicts, alcoholics, single parent homes. He said that almost every family is effected by at least one of those societal ills. He began by going out into the streets and ministering to these lost ‘Christians’.
This was the first I heard of the problem. Later I was sitting in town waiting for the ride back to campus and I looked up and saw a sign "Association of Positive People". I asked Nutei what it was. She said it meant HIV positive. I asked if that was a problem and she said, yes, since people have started traveling more. All I could say was, it takes more than traveling to spread HIV.
Later in my stay, it was India Day and school was cancelled (again). The head of state made a speech which was later quoted by one of the faculty members at morning devotions. Mizoram has the highest percentage rate of cancer, drug abuse, tobacco use, and HIV in all of India. Everywhere I went I saw many people chewing betel nut. This in an area with a 90%+ literacy rate. You see, it takes more than education to prevent self-destructive behavior.
On one of my rides with Rami, I asked her if people were serious about their faith. She said she thought they were. I mentioned the disease rate, just even on campus, and the disconnect was obvious. I talked to several people about this, but please remember about the non-judgmental nature of the Mizo people.
It looks like there is a cultural Christianity which pervades this area, similar to the US. Yes, if you go to the market and give a large bill, you will always get the correct change. You could probably drop your wallet in the middle of the street and within a few hours, someone would have found it, figured out exactly where you were and returned it to you. However, cultural religion will not change your life or lead you to live your life differently than the rest of the world. If your dog has puppies in the garage, they aren't cars. One can feel the potential rebellion floating just below the surface of the city life of the young people. They are enamored of Korean culture, also a very "Christian" country but at the top of the pop culture of the world. Many people believe and many people pray, but without the teaching of holiness, eventually the ways of this world, which is dark and getting darker day by day, will swallow up the general goodness passed down for the past three generations.
I thank everyone who has followed these episodes and to all who wrote to encourage me. If you think of me, please remember to pray for the people of Mizoram, who are so close, and yet ignorant of so much of the economy of God.
Blessings to all and happy Passover.
-30-
Very early on, I met the assistant pastor of the English language church. He is a Korean missionary named Revered Kim and he came to Aizawl 20 years ago at the prompting of the Lord. He was planning to start a church. He not only didn't speak any Mizo; he didn't speak any English. He studied English at the college and says that after all these years, he know 'market' Mizo, in other words, not very much. His youngest daughter was born there and is thoroughly 'Mizo'ized.
Kim found Mizoram so evangelized that no more churches were needed. Everyone goes to church on Sunday, and some on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday as well. There is at least one church in every neighborhood and driving through town on Sunday is like driving through Jerusalem on Shabbat. Everyone is walking to or from church.
Kim looked around to see what was needed. He found drug addicts, alcoholics, single parent homes. He said that almost every family is effected by at least one of those societal ills. He began by going out into the streets and ministering to these lost ‘Christians’.
This was the first I heard of the problem. Later I was sitting in town waiting for the ride back to campus and I looked up and saw a sign "Association of Positive People". I asked Nutei what it was. She said it meant HIV positive. I asked if that was a problem and she said, yes, since people have started traveling more. All I could say was, it takes more than traveling to spread HIV.
Later in my stay, it was India Day and school was cancelled (again). The head of state made a speech which was later quoted by one of the faculty members at morning devotions. Mizoram has the highest percentage rate of cancer, drug abuse, tobacco use, and HIV in all of India. Everywhere I went I saw many people chewing betel nut. This in an area with a 90%+ literacy rate. You see, it takes more than education to prevent self-destructive behavior.
On one of my rides with Rami, I asked her if people were serious about their faith. She said she thought they were. I mentioned the disease rate, just even on campus, and the disconnect was obvious. I talked to several people about this, but please remember about the non-judgmental nature of the Mizo people.
It looks like there is a cultural Christianity which pervades this area, similar to the US. Yes, if you go to the market and give a large bill, you will always get the correct change. You could probably drop your wallet in the middle of the street and within a few hours, someone would have found it, figured out exactly where you were and returned it to you. However, cultural religion will not change your life or lead you to live your life differently than the rest of the world. If your dog has puppies in the garage, they aren't cars. One can feel the potential rebellion floating just below the surface of the city life of the young people. They are enamored of Korean culture, also a very "Christian" country but at the top of the pop culture of the world. Many people believe and many people pray, but without the teaching of holiness, eventually the ways of this world, which is dark and getting darker day by day, will swallow up the general goodness passed down for the past three generations.
I thank everyone who has followed these episodes and to all who wrote to encourage me. If you think of me, please remember to pray for the people of Mizoram, who are so close, and yet ignorant of so much of the economy of God.
Blessings to all and happy Passover.
-30-
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