Number 104:  April 17, 2007

It started raining. In fact, it rained so hard that the road washed out so we couldn’t get to the house where we were supposed to stay that night. We ended up staying in “the ice palace” in the city of New Tehri. Old Tehri is under water. The Russians built a dam for the Indian province of Uttar Pradesh that flooded the city. The inhabitants were moved up the mountain to a new location that receives free power from the dam. It took 40 years to build, but is quite useful to the needs of the people in that area.

When we detoured into New Tehri, a delegation of Indian believers checked out all 7 of the hotels in the town. They negotiated the best price for two nights. When the manager realized there were Americans among the guests, he was not happy. Usually they can get 5 times more than what the locals were charged from foreign visitors.

India for most of the year is extremely hot so many places have no heaters. This hotel, “the ice palace,” had used marble extensively in its construction, which made for attractive surroundings, but without heat, it made for cold, cold, living conditions. The view from the veranda was especially breathtaking. We were up around 9000 feet overlooking the river and the mountain countryside with clouds hovering in the valley below us. In the distance we could see snow capped peaks, like Nanda Devi at 25,645 feet. The Himalayas are the highest mountain system in the world. They border China.

In the morning we drove to the village of Chopra for fellowship. Their hospitality was kind and friendly. They had an American toilet installed for the benefit of their visitors.

            Hebrews 13:1 and 2:

            Let brotherly love continue.

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Many participants were late arriving because of the washed out road. One saint in particular who ran a fellowship in the area I was eager to meet. I had read of a man who had been on a bus that had gone over the side of a cliff. He had cried out to God and between the second and third flip he found himself, his mother, his son and his luggage on a slope outside the bus. The bus continued down the side of the mountain killing everyone aboard. This man was at this fellowship and shared this incredible deliverance.

As soon as the fellowship ended it poured. We sought refuge inside the house where a number of adolescents stood outside peering in at us strange Americans. When the rain stopped, the teenage Americans taught a number of songs with hand motions to these youngsters. These poor Indian youths are probably still humming YMCA, hokey pokey, the Macarena, heads, shoulders, knees and toes, and other great American classics with no idea as to the meaning of the words.