"Holy water"

This past weekend I traveled to Hardiswar- a Hindu city along the Ganges River. The three main gods in the Hindu religion are Brahmin, Vishnu, and Shiva. The Hindus believe that the Ganges River flows from Shiva’s hair; Shiva is the god of destruction. Therefore, the water in this river is believed to be holy and the Hindus make a pilgrimage to the Ganges to bathe in the water, bury the remains of their dead loved ones, and to collect the holy water and sprinkle it on their temples.

When we entered the city we encountered hundreds of men carrying apparatuses that looked like they belonged in a parade or a circus (pictures above!). Over their shoulders were these long brightly decorated rods that had objects hanging from each end and lots of streamers, garland, trinkets, etc. It turned out that each end had a decorated and covered bucket that contained water from the Ganges; these men were collecting water from the Ganges and walking days on end to reach their home temples and sprinkle the water on them.

We were lucky enough to stay at the home of a very nice Indian family we had met a few weeks ago. They cooked us delicious Indian food (yay!!) and they drove us around Haridswar and took us to the temples and the nightly celebration along the river. Two things struck me about the temples: one, they were almost gaudy with color and display, and two, men are making a lot of money off of them. Not only do people throw money onto all of the statues and altars, but there are tables set up all around the temples (sometimes practically inside them) selling souvenirs and Hindu objects of worship. The scenes reminded me of the time Jesus overturned the tables of the money-changers and drove the sellers out of the temple during Passover. How little people have changed over the centuries!

That evening we went to the Ganges River where there is a ceremony every night at 6:00 pm. There were thousands of Hindus there, many of whom were camped outside in tents and the backs of wagons and trucks after having made a lengthy pilgrimage to the city. Everywhere you looked were people selling prayer beads, statues, food, and decorative objects to use for making their rods and buckets (I wish I could remember what they are called!). At 6:00, after the crowds are assembled along the side of the river, people begin taking little boats made of a large leaf filled with flowers and light them on fire before releasing them into the Ganges to float down the river. It was such a spectacular sight.

As I was watching all of these people and festivities I felt such a mix of emotions. The colors, the people, and the celebrations were fascinating. But there was also a pervasive sense of darkness and sin that permeated everything. Haridswar is rampant with HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, child prostitution and sex trade. When I looked around me, I saw thousands of people who need Jesus. I wanted to shout out that there is a loving God who loves them regardless of caste and wants to rescue them from this life of darkness.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend!

Prayer Requests:
- There are so many patients with very little resources and inability to pay for extensive medications and investigations. The hospital itself is not equipped with a lot either. Please pray that the medical staff at the hospital would make wise decisions in how to treat and what to treat.

Praises:
- A new junior doctor (aka. Resident doctor) came yesterday. She just graduated from medical school and will be training here for at least 3 months. She seems very enthusiastic!
- God is continually teaching me what it means to trust in Him. Although it’s not always easy, I am so thankful for this experience. In learning to trust Him, I’m learning to not worry about what tomorrow might bring, and instead rest in knowing that when I need strength, faith, or courage, He will provide it at just the right time.