Let's finish up Chennai. First, there's a great a diner in town called Sparky's.
Profound slogan there.
The interior was delightful! Every inch of table, wall and ceiling was covered in Americana. State license plates put crown molding to shame, and each table bore trinkets from a specific state. I was pleased with the Floridian representation:
As I sat down to dine with IJM Chennai interns, a waiter approached and asked if we'd like Arnold Palmers to drink. I was aghast to hear the term. "You mean you serve both tea and lemonade, and you've got a pitcher of the two combined in your hand right there?" He confirmed. We drank gallons. The food was excellent too. If you're ever in Chennai, check out Sparky's.
I spent one peaceful afternoon wandering the coast. The shore was lined with statues paying homage to Indian leaders. See two below.
Here's where things got interesting.
Just a few blocks from Chennai's shore sits the Cathedral Church of the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore, also known as San Thome Church. According to local lore St. Thomas, apostle of Christ, came to India in 52 AD and was martyred on the outskirts of Chennai. This cathedral was built atop his alleged grave. Pope Pius XII classified San Thome Church as a Minor Basilica in 1956.
It was pretty.
Just below the communion table, a viewing pane allows parishioners to look down upon the tomb. This guard took his job seriously.
After traversing a series of underground passageways I made it to the tomb. A few people were gathered to pray.
A life-size wax replica of St. Thomas encased in glass sits on top of the tomb, which is further underground. A glass panel below the replica allows visitors to look down at the dirt where St. Thomas's body allegedly rests. Valid history or not, this was a fascinating experience.
I passed this billboard on my way back to the IJM office.
A necessary message, perhaps, for such a tropical climate.
Chennai coffee shops were fantastic. Long before reaching town I'd heard of Amethyst, a boutique, cafe and flower shop all in one; a favorite spot for expats. One night I set up shop in the cafe pictured below. I browsed through the boutique upstairs until I realized that the prices were exorbitant. I'm always impacted by the relative luxury existing here alongside such abject poverty. This dichotomy exists in the States, to be sure, but most expats agree that it's just more blatant here.
IJM Chennai's work is different than that of the office where I've been. Ours and one other IJM India office focus on commercial sexual exploitation; the other two work against bonded labor. I was glad to spend time learning from IJM staff in a bonded labor office. Everything about their work is approached differently than ours. Community mobilization, for instance, is an entirely different animal because most people don't consider bonded labor to be wrong. (While promoting meaningful action may present challenges, convincing locals that eight- and nine-year old girls shouldn't be sexually exploited generally isn't a hard sale.)
While in Chennai I got to meet Pranitha, the woman who spoke on behalf of IJM at the The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa last year. I can't do justice to explaining IJM Chennai's work. Pranitha does in the following video.
While gathered, the congress produced the Cape Town Confession of Faith. I love the ten points of Part I (each of which is expounded upon in the full document):
1. We love because God first loved us
2. We love the living God
3. We love God the Father
4. We love God the Son
5. We love God the Holy Spirit
6. We love God's Word
7. We love God's world
8. We love the gospel of God
9. We love the people of God
10. We love the mission of God
Part I closes with these words:
"God commands us to reflect his own character through compassionate care for the needy, and to demonstrate the values and the power of the kingdom of God in striving for justice and peace and in caring for God’s creation.
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