While in Chittagong there was a large Hindu Puja (festival) going on. This involved setting up shrines, chairs, and loud speakers up all over the village where the Hindus gathered to sing, dance, eat and worship whatever the given idol of the shrine is. All day there was loud music coming from all directions as they were setting up and preparing the shrines for the evenings festivities. Before dinner, while it was still daylight, I took a walk with two of the older kids through the village to see what all the hullabaloo was about. We passed shrines with people singing, shops where people were cooking the evening's food, carpenters making furniture, along with all the usual village sights of rice paddies and their workers, with rickshaws and motorcycles cruising by, etc.
We got to a sizable Hindu temple and the monk invited us in for a tour. I was glad I had the kids with me who could speak Bangla and translate into broken English for me. We took off our shoes and he showed us some shrines, the prayer areas and also his room attached off to the side. After our tour we walked back to the orphanage.
For dinner the kids were cooking fish heads, so when presented with the option of eating with the missionaries I chose wisely. It was good to spend time with them and hear their stories of God's provision and guidance. As we ate and talked we could hear the Hindu's music from all directions. We had talked a lot about prayer and I felt moved to take a prayer walk through the village and pray for it as everyone was worshiping their idols. The missionaries said it was safe and that they wouldn't even mind me photographing the Puja. After a short prayer in my room I took a flashlight, and my camera and went for a walk.
Only a few hundred yards walk from the orphanage was the first shrine. I stood back a few yards behind a bright light hoping I wouldn't be too noticed. I prayed silently as I watched the dancing and singing. Around the human sized idol there were flowers and plants and wreaths; candles and incense were burning at its feet next to various offerings. My heart was heavy. I took a short video on my camera. I thought I would take a still photograph and be on my way. Bad idea! I thought I had changed the settings to be discreet as I took pictures but I neglected to double check the flash. I focused on the teenagers that were dancing, pushed the button and FLASH. I thought OOPS. The music stopped, everyone turned around and the dancers surrounded me instantly. They grabbed my arms and shirt and started pulling me, saying "come, come!! Come dance!!" and a few other things in Bangla that I didn't understand. I said I had to go and motioned to leave but they dragged/carried me to the area in front of the idol. The music and flashing lights started again and they were all dancing around me and I couldn't really move in any direction. I smiled and clapped my hands, not really sure what to do. They put a chair beside the DJ and motioned for me to sit...so I sat, very glad I was not being forced to dance anymore. The DJ changed tracks and the crowd got even more excited and invited me dance again. I clapped my hands and smiled some more as I slowly moved toward the edge of the crowd wondering if I would be able to simply walk away or if I would be drug back into the dance. Once I made it to the edge I stopped clapping and waved and said goodbye...and walked away unscathed.
I walked on and most all the shops I'd seen earlier in the day were closed. When I got to the next festival area with about 5 times more people, I decided to stay on the other side of the rice paddy and pray and not take any flash pictures.
All in all I think it was a good evening. Definitely an adventure to be remembered.
Posts
Wow is what I think as I have read through your blogs. I see now why God blessed me with an energetic boy!! When you were little you very active and fearless! Some days I wondered how I would survive raising you. I see now that God made you that way so that He could use you for His service in a place where most people would be too fearful to go. You have always been so loving,kind and accepting of others just the way they are. I can honestly say now - thank you God for all the many "minor" accidents Bryan had growing up: 13 stitches inside/outside the mouth after pulling a bird bath on top of his face; falling 8 feet over a brick wall on a bike; diving too deep at Lake Jocassee and sounding like you were full of helium for a week; racing shopping carts thru the Star Bucks shopping Center and splitting your shin open; and probably the most memorable was the time you had a toy gun strapped across your shoulders and then flipped over the trapeze bar on the jungle gym and somehow managing to strangle yourself with the strap on the gun - you couldn't even call for help - the phone "just happened" to ring and your dad looked out the kitchen window and saw you hanging and was able to reach you in time. I remember praying with you that night at bedtime and you told me you thought you were going to die. My response to you was God must have something very special for you to do because it is nothing short of a miracle that you didn't die. Time after time as you were growing up and seemed so accident prone, yet God spared your life, I knew He wanted to use you in a special way and all that He put us through was to prepare you to trust Him and us to realize that no matter how close we were to you, you could still get hurt, but yet He was in control and we had to give you to Him and trust Him with your life. Even your fearless, adventuresome nature is all part of His perfect plan for your life. He made you that way so that you would be willing to go anywhere to serve Him and be excited about the next "adventure" He has for you. Thank you for the Godly example you are to your siblings. I praise God and stand in awe, that in spite of your imperfect parents, especially me, whose "human nature" shines through more often than the "Godly nature" God expects of me, you have a heart and a love for God and a zeal to serve and please Him. I pray for you daily! Keep in His Word, continue to trust Him, and He will lead you to His perfect will and as you know, real joy. I love you and I'm proud to call you my son.
ReplyDeleteMom :)