India talkie 4

I am sitting in an Internet cafe/room in the centre of a monsooned Kottayam in Kerala. We travelled down here over night from Bangalore on an 15 hour train journey. Before that we had come some 4 hours from Mysore, where we got to ride on an elephant in the Mysore palace and then came a few feet from a crocodile on a lake in a nature reserve. You will have to see the pictures to believe it. Our train journey was fine and it was great to experience seeing India from a train and getting numerous glances from everyone as they passed our carriage. On the train we were all split up so Jonny and I went for a Wonder. We passed a group of about 20 people singing Hindu praise songs to a mini cymbal. We then brushed by a group all dressed in orange saw a man reading a Koran and a group of blue nuns in the distance. A Hindu temple, Mosque and a church all on one train. It was good to arrive in Kerala. The pace of life here seems slower and the climate is much more humid. After a brief rest we were ushered to the Bishops residence for high tea. It all felt very formal and we sat in a row facing one another waiting for the Bishop to appear. Jonny and Irfana of course had position of prominence on his left and his right. We talked about the churches history and CMS's hand in setting it up. It seemed that the missionaries had originally gone to work with the Syrian Orthodox church but after some 60 years after a disagreement split away and so the Anglican church became established. The Bishop was proud to tell us that he was the 11th since that time but was a little sad that his links with CMS have all but dried up. Apparently he doesn't even get a YES magazine even though he has asked for one! Both Irfana and myself sat with him and his wife for tea and it was great to chat with him more. He and his wife were very warm and opened their house to us any time. He also spoke of a desperate need for English teachers and renewed links with CMS! We mentioned Cathy Pinsents imminent arrival and said we would let his request be known. Well I am off now to find some food. Check Jonny's blog for photos and updates too.