Week 5...Check

This week I...

• Taught a lesson entitled "Think Right, Do Right, Feel Right" to my Junior Boys and Junior Girls dorm groups.  Taking the Genesis story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, we discussed the relationship between our minds (thinking), our bodies (doing) and our hearts (feeling).  We dissected the story together and brought out points about how, in most times, bad, evil or disobedient actions begin with a thought.  Here is where rationalization usually becomes the culprit.  Following the thought, comes the action.  If we have convinced ourselves that something is okay to do, then we will do it.  The problem, however, lies in the emotions or feelings which follow.  Just as Adam and Eve felt guilt and shame following their disobedient actions, our disobedience results in the same ending emotions.  Conclusion---be very careful and even picky what you allow to keep your attention and your company because it only takes the planting of a thought.
•  Did a lesson on female infanticide with my Senior Girls dorm group.  This was definitely a powerful discussion and caused me to leave that night with many thoughts and questions on my heart and mind.  God made both the man and the woman and said they were both good, but somewhere in history, somewhere down the line of creation, the woman became so devalued and even viewed as burdensome or worthless.  Female infanticide is a very relevant issue in India today and listening to these young girls discuss how those who participate in such an act are not just the uneducated and impoverished, but rather (and often times more so) the educated and well-off women population, truly made me stop and think.  "What do you say to that statistic?" questions one of the girls.  I respond, "we, as women, must look at ourselves.  If we cannot even value ourselves, then how will anyone else?  It begins with us."  From the "mean-girl" problem found amongst young girls (and sadly, sometimes even the older ones) to the self-devaluing beauty competition enforced by society and supported by women (whether consciously or unconsciously), the change, the fight against such a belittling and apathetic system toward women begins with us women.  I left this meeting with a stronger desire to move in the direction of teen girls/young women in reference to the focus of my MDiv/MSW ministry/profession.
•  fell under the attack of...dun dun dun (descending sound for dramatic effect)..."Traveller's Sickness."  For the sake of this being a public page, I will save you from the sharing of any details, but know that in addition to this very uncomfortable period of time, my toilet stopped functioning.  I will now end here and let your mind fill in the rest (hey, this is part of the experience as well, and I did not want to leave out any important details;).  

• helped with leading praise and worship on Sunday which is made up of and led by the church's young adults.  On the Saturday before service we prepare by choosing songs and practicing them.  However, such a practice is more than just that, more than just a practice.  Before any singing begins, before any song is selected, we pray as a group.  We give testimonies about how God has blessed us this week; prayer requests, sharing issues or difficulties we are having; and then a Bible lesson.  Praise and worship--not about a performance, not about perfect notes, but about our Lord and Savior.  I am so glad I was able to join in this portion of the service because it reminded me of the purpose and point of praise and worship, holding each member who desired to be a part of this special time of the service accountable for what they were doing.  Why are you leading, singing or participating in praise and worship? 

• took my first tourist trip.  I went to the city of Madurai by car which was an eight-hour ride (No "RITCS Anxiety" here...lol).  I witnessed some of India's countryside, its highways and most importantly, bathroom stops.  Details such as these are what make travelling interesting and unforgettable. 

Madurai is referred by some as the "Athens of the East" because of its rich cultural heritage and architectural splendor.  Famous for its world-acclaimed Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, I just had to go and witness this historical site for myself.  Taking off my shoes before entering the temple as required (and dismissing the smell of animal droppings and any disturbing thoughts of what my feet could possibly be touching to the back of my mind), I was able to appreciatively walk the floors of this mentioned-as-early-as 7th-century temple.  As a Hindu temple dedicated to the gods Shiva and Parvati, it housed many candle and flower altars, "Nandi" bull statues, and temple priests, as well as statues of Shiva and Parvati, to name just a few.  To walk along the floors of history, while witnessing the many devoted Hindus who came to worship and give thanks to their gods, it was quite an experience.

 

 

 

Black is Beautiful!!!

How many times have you heard this phrase?
     "Yeah, Yeah," I reply.  "Yes, I know. Black is beautiful." I nonchalantly respond not because I disagree or find no truth in such a statement, but rather just the opposite.  It is a truth or value that I hold, but until today, until my time in India, I was reminded how much I took it for granted.  Thankfully, I grew up with a mother who in addition to affirming the beauty of her brown-skinned black children, more importantly, always affirmed that beauty is more than skin deep.  My mother, a woman on the lighter side of the brown spectrum found amongst the African-American population, a woman classified as a "red-bone" to some, never fell victim to burdening her children with any false idea or value of beauty being found in the lighter-skinned woman, a plague that over the years I have come to learn as being not just a sickness found in the U.S., but in countries all over the world.  I did not grow up with any notion that lighter (or darker for that matter) was better.  It was the heart which mattered.  However, by living in a country where the color black is often times associated with nothing remotely close to what its society has been socialized to define beauty as, in recognizing this fault, my mother made sure to enforce the beauty found in the brown skin of her children.  And while my mother did not march around militantly chanting "BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL," "BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL," she nonetheless instilled the value found beneath such a phrase through every word and action she exemplified.  And today, I was reminded why such a phrase, such a recognition of beauty, is not only important, but very necessary.
    Today, while engaging in my morning duties with the athletics group, I greeted Prenita with my morning hello as usual.  Prenita is a pretty little eight-year old Indian girl with a little bit of sass.  With beautiful silky black hair and smooth dark-brown skin, this doll-baby faced little girl caught my attention from the first day I arrived.  Rolling the sound of my 'r', I announce, "Prrrretty Prrrrenita."  With all of the surrounding children giggling, Prenita bashfully moves her eyes away from me, but I repeat it again, "Prrrretty Prrrrenita."  Maybe it has something to do with the notion that she kind of reminds me of Aryianna in that she is witty and can sometimes put off a bit of an attitude in the choice of words she uses, but when her bite is returned, the sass-induced tough girl illusion quickly disassembles and her feelings are easily hurt--"sugar and spice", sensitivity and sassiness, is what is wrapped up with everything nice in this little girl.  So for the past eights weeks, I have enjoyed getting to know, running around on the track, and resolving little eight-year old girl disputes involving little Miss Prenita.  However, today, was different.  Today, Prenita reminded me of an important value. 
     I had noticed that Prenita would come to practice in the morning with a light whitish coat of lotion or cream on her face.  I went back and forth between the idea that it was sunscreen lotion that had not been fully rubbed in and some sort of religious ritual as she is Hindu and many Hindus in India have what looks like three painted vertically parallel white lines across the forehead.  However, what puzzled me was that the white residue found on Prenita's face was all over her face rather than in any specific design or order.  So out of curiosity I asked her what the white residue meant.  Expecting some sort of religiously-inspired historical answer, I was caught by surprise by her response. 
     "Prenita, you are Hindu, correct?"
     "Yes," she confirms.
     "What does the white residue on your face represent?"  Noticing the lowering of Prenita's head and the tightening of her lips, I move on to rephrase my question thinking that maybe I did not communicate my curiosity very well.  "I mean, is it related to your Hindu beliefs?" 
     Prenita's head again is lowered and she replies in almost a whisper, "it's a cream."  And immediately following this response, all of the pieces--past events and comments, and the present uncomfortable body language--came together.  After her response I immediately knew what the word "cream" really meant, what it really represented.  My "Prrrretty Prrrrenita" was using a skin-lightening cream on her face. Whether due to influence from Indian society, her family, friends, etc., I am not sure, but here was an eight-year old little girl worrying about the darkness of her skin.
     "Why are you using that?" I jestingly ask.  "You know that you are beautiful, right?  Do you tell yourself in the mirror each day that you are beautiful?  In the U.S., black is often said to not be beautiful as well, but that is a lie.  Look, I am black."  Trying to lighten up the mood and invoke a smile, I ask, "are you trying to say that I am not beautiful?"  Prenita smiles and chuckles at my question and we continue to talk for a few moments more.  I continue to affirm her beautiful dark brown skin a few moments more, but it was during these same moments that I was reminded how deep our societal values run in our communities and how deeply they affect even our children. 
     Prenita's nickname was given out of genuine affection, never realizing the possible effect that even such a simple nickname as this could actually have on this little girl.  The question, "do you really think Prenita is pretty," by one of the other eight-year old girls after hearing me shout "Prrrretty Prrrrenita" was more than just a question to further tease Prenita.  This question held roots in a deeply embedded societal value of beauty, a value which was disturbing the self-confidence of women as young as eight years old.  When an eight-year old child is using a skin-lightening cream on her face daily, WE have a problem.  WE, meaning you and me.  WE, meaning human beings.  I am so glad that when God made man and woman, he saw that it was good.  Not a light-skinned man and woman, not a white-skinned man and woman, just a man and woman.  U.S., India, Argentina, Philippines, Brazil, this issue of lighter is better is something that plagues people all over the world.  When will it stop?  When will we stand and question such a devaluing belief?  Black is beautiful, as much as is brown, white, yellow, orange and every other color, and I stand today reminded that this phrase or cliché, if you wish, is so much more than just a group of words, so much more deserving of a response greater than the nonchalant "I know" because the recognition of the truth of its words is needed in countries, needed by men and women, needed by little girls and boys all over the world.  Today, I stand reminded that "BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL!!!".