You know you’re in India when …
- Water buffalo and cows have as much reign of the land as the people do
- McDonald’s does not serve beef
- MC Hammer pants are in style
- You ask for a trash can and they simply throw it out on the street
- A pick up game of cricket is more common than a pick up game of basketball
- You are in the minority – as a Christian, as an American, as a woman.
After much travel we finally arrived in Ambala, India last week. Ambala is located northwest of Delhi in the northern region of India. Northern India is considered 0.3% Christian – so we are definitely in the minority here.
We arrived just in time for Holi – the festival of colors. People in the streets throw paint on each other – people of all ages. They color themselves with all different colors of paints. Many of the markets and shops closed for the festivities. I know very little of this holiday, but I do know that it does have some attachment to the Hindu religion. In an effort to protect us our contacts requested that we not leave the hotel premises on Holi day. When we asked our contacts why they didn’t participate in Holi they said it was because they had to look different as Christians – they had to provide a good witness.
While I was sitting on the lawn in the courtyard of our “hotel” I began to feel the oppression that so many people live with here. I was restricted to one area for a day – a day! Some of these people lived their life in a restricted state – all day, every day! Christians here in India are most definitely the minority and they operate with a faith that is greater than any I’ve seen before. India is a semi-closed country – it is not illegal to be a Christian here, but these people give up a lot when they accept Christ. Once becoming a Christian they walk with a new awareness of the things around them. They do not walk in fear, but they do walk with awareness. They make such a sacrifice on a daily basis!
