Mumbai memories… November 29, 2008

Taj hotel

Sometimes I think when you try to link images you see with reality there’s always a disconnect.  And I’ve been feeling that so strongly as I watch footage of the Mumbai massacre – the city’s 9′11 – as it’s being dubbed…

Just over a month ago those images of the Taj Mahel Hotel were real-life images for me.  A group of us were doing some travelling in India, we spent time in Mumbai and dandered past the impressive landmark countless times on the way from our hotel to the city centre.  On one of the days we couldn’t resist a look inside the opulent building and even treated ourselves to drinks there.  I remember feeling slightly uneasy because you’re sitting in these swanky surroundings, in this plush building, and yet just outside is another world where poverty is often very visible among the heat, noise and craziness of the city.

I keep comparing my holiday photos to the burning images of the Taj hotel and I keep picturing the daily chaos of life that usually goes on in the area surrounding it.  The Indian Gate – a key landmark in Mumbai – is just opposite the hotel and it’s always teeming with people.  I just can’t image the confusing scenes that must have broken out in the wake of this week’s horrific attacks.

They’re saying Mumbai is like a ghost-town, which must be so surreal for its people who are so accustomed to its bustle, colour and vitality, but who are haunted now by images of terror.

A shift… November 19, 2008

‘Rumbling are more felt than heard and certainly never seen.  They come to you through the soles of your feet into the depth of your soul.  Only then do they open the eyes of your heart.  They speak of a shift that is about to take place.’

(Erwin McManus)

They were just four kids who’d come to a church service.  He was just a guy who was searching for something and who’d wandered in off the street.  But to me these people represent a shift that is happening, a change that is coming to pass.

I love watching these kids swig from their drink cartoons, munch their way through hideously coloured sweets and laugh out loud during the service.  I love seeing them dig deep in their pockets and call the guy back who’s collecting the offering because they’ve found 10p.  I love the way they come in and be themselves.  I love that one of them fixed the powerpoint.  I love that another of them called out to two older ladies as they left to wish them a good week.  I love the way they’re making this Church their own.

They were just four kids who’d come to a church service.  He was just a guy who was searching for something and who’d wandered in off the street.  But together they represent the seed from which a new concept of Church will grow in their area.

Changes November 1, 2008

So I’ve been totally pathetic at keeping anywhere up to date in the blog world…and it’s strange because my whole life has kinda shifted since I last wrote!

My time in India was full of so many amazing experiences.  I’m really drawn to the fact that it is such a colourful country where the unexpected nearly always interrupts your daily plans.  It made me realise how ordered we can be about things back home – and how spontaneity is such a cool gift.  We stayed in quite a few stunning places which threw up plenty of blissful moments - where you were sipping your pineapple juice while overlooking palm-tree lined beaches and sparkling ocean views.  In contrast to that then was the travelling  – the crowded overnight trains where you woke up to the sound of babies screaming and people all around you, the sweat-inducing journeys where you were bumped to death in the back of a taxi.  But it took all those experiences to make the trip so memorable.

Back home then but not a return to normality for me.  In the last couple of weeks I’ve started a new workplace and moved up to Woodvale – it’s been both exciting and very strange.  I think both shifts have been harder than I expected and especially in the last week I’ve really struggled to find myself in both new situations.  I’ve had my doubts and fears and tears.  And yet I see all this newness totally as a God thing but I guess no-one said it was going to be easy.  Think I’m starting to turn a corner with the house – especially when you get familiar faces at the door - and am starting to feel a few connections form in work.

So Im really glad to have made it to the weekend and am so excited about going to hear The Swell Season tonight with Rick and Sarah.  Aside from listening to the lovely Mr Hansard it’ll be cool to spend time with my little bro and soon to be new sister - who have created their own piece of amazing news this week!!