First, I guess I need to apologize for not writing last
week. So, here is my ‘I’m sorry’. Hopefully this post will make up for it in
some small way, but you will have to be the judge of that.
In any case, last-last week was pretty typical. I had class every day, and I have officially
learned the three main puja’s of Devipuram.
I am enjoying class more and more lately, because as I gain an
understanding of the basic tenants and rites in DP, I am now able to ask better
questions, questions that mean something more than just “what was the next step
in that ritual again?” I am slowly but
surely beginning to understand the revolutionary role DP has the potential to
play in Hinduism, if it ever gains enough momentum, as well as how it does
seamlessly fit into the rest of the Hindu tapestry. One thing I am becoming increasingly aware of
is how important community is in the empowerment of the self. Community is something that Hinduism
essentially lacks, as there is no central leadership or even religious services
designated for one specific day. But, if
one is committed to following a specific Guru, as DP people are, then all the
sudden there is a unit, and something for these women to belong to, and that
gives them strength. Even if the
strength is simply knowing they can go to Soujanya or Mani to talk through
their problems, that option is there, that support is there. My puja teacher, as it were, doesn’t even
worship the goddess Devi on a regular basis, at least not in the ways that
Guruji teaches us to, but he LOVES Guruji, and says that he can talk to the
guru about things he won’t even discuss with his parents. I think that is what keeps him in it: having
a community linked to a compassionate guru.
Anyways, there is some thoughts on that.
In other news about community, yesterday we went to Primary
again, and they told us, Ashley and I, to do singing time for 20 minutes, and
then they would teach a lesson. So, we
go and are singing and all is well, and then, right about the time we are
supposed to end our portion of primary, all of the leaders leave, as well as
half of the children. They all had to go
take the sacrament with the members of the second branch, as only about ¼ of
the ward makes it to church on time to take our sacrament. So, we keep teaching songs, but there are no
leaders there and the kids are squirrely and they keep hitting each other and a
girl can only restrain so many little boys by holding them on her lap. So, thirty minutes later, the sacrament must
have been passed, because all the kids who had left come back, as does ONE
LEADER. Only one. We ask if she is going to do a lesson, and
she says that the manual is lost so she can’t teach a lesson. Well, as much as I love teaching primary
kids, when only two of the kids you are teaching speak English, there is a
problem waiting to happen. It was at
this point that we taught the kids the hokey pokey, and then how to play Simon
Says. Singing time has its limit, and if
that was the only lesson prepared, well, there it is. Let me tell you, the church is different
here. Also, some things I have learned
over the pulpit in this ward: you need to be 12 to get baptized, some
contemporary story about a family that wanted to be sealed, and so they chose
to be sealed in the Kirtland Temple, and finally a story told about a woman who
was 14 months pregnant and began having complications (well, I’ll say!). Yep, church certainly is a bit different
here. And yet, here in India, the gospel
is still true, there is still great power when Primary children sing, and
families are forever.
Speaking of that last bit, I just want to say that the
Supreme Court broke my heart this last week.
I cannot say that I was surprised by any means, but I was sad. I know this blog is not necessarily the place
for it, though there is no reason it shouldn’t be, but I just want to say how
grateful I am for families. I am
grateful for two parents who are proud every day of the right and privilege
they have to be parents first, and then employees, community members, friends,
etc. second. I am grateful that from the
moment I entered into this earth, I was blessed to belong to a home that was
and is a sacred place. I am grateful for
my many siblings who now are following this example and created homes and
families of their own, with great humility and great hope for the future. I am grateful to know that I will be sealed
to a great Elder in Israel within the walls of a Temple of the Living God, even
if I have not met him yet. I am grateful
to know that I will be blessed with the privilege of bringing children into
this world, and that together this family will have great joy. I want all people to be happy and to have a
fullness of joy in their lives, but I know this can only happen when we are
obeying the commandments of the Lord.
One of His very first commandments, and one which has never been revoked
by Him no matter how unpopular it may be to the eyes of the world, is the Law
of Chastity. Exodus 20 says “thou shalt
not commit adultery”, and I promise you that our Heavenly Father has not
changed His mind on the topic. This
means that to have sexual intercourse of any kind outside of the bounds of a
legally wedding couple made up of a male and a female is a sin, one which shows
utter disregard for the sacred gift of a physical body that has the power to
create life which our Heavenly Father has given us. The good news is that Christ always says
“come unto me”, and He means it so sincerely!
Anyone who wants to be close to Him has that right through the gift of
repentance and faith on him, whether their sin is of a sexual nature or
not. All of us can have a fullness of
joy by coming unto Christ. We simply
have to have the courage to reach out and grab it! I am, again, so grateful for the promise that
those who come unto Christ can be with their families forever, and I am
grateful for my family, present and future.
And now, back to India.
So then this last week there was a vacation, in which Dr.
Krishnayya took Ben, Ashley, and I down to the city he grew up in. It was one of the most odd vacations I have
ever been on, and I LOVED it! There were
so many things to laugh at, all along the way.
Also, there was a beautiful gift of a showerhead that produced HOT WATER
in the hotel we were staying in. I am
telling you, if you want to be happy, live in the third world, in third world
conditions. I appreciate every small joy
I am given here more than I ever appreciate all the plenty that is found in the
US of A. And maybe that is just a me
thing, but I like third world me better than I like first world me – she
complains significantly less here. Plus,
there is so much beauty all around, and because life is just so much less
complicated and fast-paced, well, I am able to appreciate it more. I love being up on a rooftop, passing a
bright green door against a white-washed wall, and seeing the brilliance of a completely
sincere smile set against brown skin.
Plus, there are some beautiful men here.
Confession time: There is an
elder serving in the branch that meets after mine, and he is Indian, born in
Dehli but raised in England, tall and strong jawed and one of the most
beautiful people I have ever EVER seen.
If he weren’t a missionary and probably 5 years younger than me, well, I
think I would fancy myself in love, haha.
But seriously, there is something about me and Indian men, and when they
are beautiful, they are seriously beautiful!
Anyways, enough of that, I was talking about our trip. So, besides a hot shower, another beautiful
thing was that we went to this textile place, where like the whole city was
devoted to textile production, from making dye and fabric to producing a
finished project, and it was so SO cool!
The way they make their products is they take white fabric and they take
these stamp sets that are hand-carved out of wood and they go, square by
square, stamping dye onto the fabric.
Then they let it dry, get the next stamp in the set, and do the same
thing over again with a second color, let it dry, and do it again one or two
more times, until the entire design has been stamped on the fabric, be it a bag
or a bedsheet or a Sari, all of the product put together by hand. It was INCREDIBLE! And Ben, who I really like so don’t think I
don’t, but he was all ‘don’t they know there are machines that can do this
stuff now-a-days’. And one, guess what
labor is cheaper than machines here, so yes they know, they just choose to do
their work in their way, but also, and more importantly to me, the process is
beautiful. The process of starting from
a basket of cotton and taking it all the way to a finished product all in one
place, the steps taken in stages all throughout one village, well that is
pretty cool. And we in America have
sacrificed and given up on that type of beauty for the sake of the
machine.
Now, here are two funny things about our trip. First, after we went to the textile place, we
went to visit this historic fort. We
were given a tour by this man who is a member of the Indian Archeology Society,
which was kinda cool, except his English was pretty rough. Anyway, the tour consisted of
1.
Going into a small room in the corner of the
fort, and being told “this is where they would hang people”, being shown the
door they used to carry out the dead bodies, and then leaving that room.
2.
Being escorted out of a hallway quickly because
the tour guide was afraid the ceiling might fall on us, and then being led from
there to stand on the roof (aka the collapsing ceiling).
3.
Being told the fort was destroyed by a tidal
wave, and then all three of us Americans looking up from the roof and not one
of us are able to see the ocean.
Anyways, that was the funniest, most understated tour I have
EVER been on. At the very least, India
is always good for a laugh!
The second funny thing that I will share is that Dr. K scheduled
for us to go on a boat trip on the Godavari River (which is, by the way,
filthy, and I am so excited to take a holy dip in it next month! And then to shower RIGHT AFTER!). The boat ride was a total of eight hours with
plastic chairs crowded on the top deck for people to sit on, and the
destination was this tribal village but the really funny thing was that after
being on a boat for 5 hours, and knowing we would have a 3 hour ride back down
the river, the trip was such that passengers were given 20 minutes to be in the
village. Who travels for 8 hours to
visit some place for 20 minutes!!! I could not even believe it, it was so SO
funny. Oh well. Later we asked Dr. K what his favorite part
of the boat ride was (because he had been trying to get us pumped up for this
trip since the day I landed here), and he said “the river”. Okay then…
But, on the ride back there was music playing so Ashley and I taught
like 7 or 8 little kids the Macarena, and that was actually super fun. I don’t know the last time I had done that
dance, but it came back pretty easily, and it was fun to do it with all of
those kids. And, let me tell you, their
parents loved it. Because there are not
many white people in this part of India (aka, there are NONE), people just love
us. I feel like I know how Princess
Diana felt, what with people always wanting to hold your hand, know your name,
ask where you are from (I often tell them Slovakia, to which they reply by
becoming rather confused), take your picture, and have you hold their
baby. Well, it can be annoying, but it
can also be super fun, and sometimes people give us free stuff just because
they can J
Okay, so that is a hodge-podge of thoughts. Hope you enjoyed them! That is India to me lately. Also, if you want any kind of souvenir, speak
now or hold your peace. As much as I
love gift giving, I am too poor to buy things unless I know that people
actually want them. So, if you are
needing some elephant pillow cases or a Sari or gloves from Nepal, let me
know. Otherwise, I will just see you in
America. Okay, I send this off with so
much love,
Emilee
PS. On Saturday I climbed 1218 steps up a smallish mountain
to see a temple. If you don’t think that
is impressive, well it was. But the view
was worth it. I will hopefully have
photos forthcoming.
some cows
a Sri Chakra: This is the most sacred yantra built in Devipuram
Me visiting a temple with the house staff :) I love these ladies!
My brothers!!! They left for their village this week :(
A view of Vizag from a beautiful rooftop. Man, I love hanging out on rooftops!
Ashley, Ben, and I at this old temple for Shiva.
Us at the train station
Dr. Krishnayya on the train.
Us on the train. In case you don't know this, I LOVE trains!!!
A temple on the banks of the Godavari River
These just happen to be beautiful Indian children!
Some boats on the river
a village home
inside the village home
Us sitting outside the village home
Some beautiful women in the village
The beautiful village
Some goats
A cool temple
The steps to the temple
The Church!
