Did I mention the food?
By Rhashell Hunter
Did you know that there are Presbyterian villages in Shillong, India? Presbyterians in the United States are not always aware that we have Presbyterian sisters and brothers of different races and cultures all around the world, who praise God and even lift us up in prayer.
During the Global Exchange, we visited Presbyterian villages in Shillong and learned of early mission work in northeast India by Welsh Presbyterians. What must it have been like for Welsh women and men mission workers, who left the comfort of their homes in the 1800s, immersing themselves in a culture vastly different from their own?
What must it have been like for those on the Welsh Presbyterian Mission Board, who were among early modern-era Christians who decided to grow Christ’s church in diversity? What must it have been like for the Khasi people of Shillong, who met sisters and brothers from afar and shared with them the gospel of Jesus Christ? Could it have been something like our Global Exchange experience, where we met some of the most hospitable and kind people we had ever met? Persons who were at first strangers soon became friends. They opened their homes to us, drew hot water for us to bathe, provided rooms for us to sleep, and gave us food, food, food.
Let me digress for one moment to share with you that our grandmothers, aunts and mothers have nothing on the Indian women in our host families, some of whom had only one or two American guests in their homes but prepared enough food to feed a family of five. At the end of the evening, when we were getting ready for bed, though some of us insisted that we were not hungry, we returned to our rooms to find a tray of apples, bananas, nuts and a beverage. At one point, I asked, “Do you think Americans eat a lot of food?” My hostess replied, “That’s just the Indian way.”
A group of us visited the Balang Presbyterian Mawkhar Church, which has over 10,000 members and as many as six worship services each Sunday. We attended the 11:15 am worship service and, after shaking hands with the ruling elders of the church (which was a long receiving line), we, as special guests, were seated in the choir loft. We sat facing approximately 2,000 Indian Presbyterians for a two-hour worship service, held mostly in the Khasi language. It was an amazing service.
Our visit with families in the Presbyterian Church of North India was among the best parts of the experience. On our last night in Shillong, we held a dinner with all of our host families. There was, again, an abundance of food. It was amazing to hear energetic conversations, see people taking pictures and witness teary goodbyes. It was as if we were saying goodbye to members of our family.
And indeed, that is what we were doing. As part of a global family of Presbyterians, we gathered together crossculturally, singing, praying, engaging in mission and eating together. Though some spoke English and others Khasi, when we sang and worshipped together, we understood each other and recognized the blessing of this global gathering. We are awed by and grateful for the hospitality, the prayers for us, and did I mention the food?
Rhashell traveled to India in October 2011 with Presbyterian Women’s Global Exchange.
Invite the participant from your synod to your next event to share more insights from this life-changing trip.
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