An open letter from Jessie Lane

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy New Year and a belated Merry Christmas! I hope you are all doing fine and had a safe and wonderful holiday season with family and friends. I am just settling down from the festivities in India and now I am ready to focus on my studies! Please excuse me for not writing sooner. Believe it or not, this is the 5^th letter I have tried to write you since I’ve arrived here. Every time I sit down to write you a letter I either get confused about what to write, or I think of another topic that is more interesting and start over. I have to keep reminding myself that I can’t tell you about my whole life in one letter!

The first two months of my internship were extremely challenging. It felt as if my brain couldn’t work fast enough to process all of the new things I was seeing and experiencing. It has been probably the most disorienting experience I have ever had. I’m not saying that for you to feel sorry for me or to worry. I didn’t come to India because I though it was going to be easy. We grow and learn the most when we struggle, right? Thankfully, I am finally beginning to feel more comfortable in my new home. I now have a specific work plan that will help me achieve my goals from now until the end of my internship. I feel much more secure, and most of all – useful!

The Henry Martyn Institute is an International Center for Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation. The organization was originally founded as an evangelical organization back in the 1930’s but changed over time to become an organization for dialogue and understanding of others. The population of the city of Hyderabad is made up of 60% Muslims and 40% Hindus. In the past, there were a number of violent religious clashes between the two communities and the leaders of the Henry Martyn Institute decided to shift its focus away from evangelism to peace and reconciliation due to these clashes. Though the two communities are still somewhat divided, there have been no violent outbursts between them for a number of years.

There are three departments within HMI that assist in reaching the goal of understanding and reconciliation among diverse groups. One is the Academic department, which offers two post-graduate diplomas in Islam and Conflict Transformation. A select number of students come from all over the world where there are conflicts and learn tools, skills and theories which will help them to foster peace back in their home towns, cities and nations. Most of the students come from Christian backgrounds and are leaders in the church in their respective communities in different parts of Africa and India. Scholars come from all over the world to use HMI’s resources, knowledge and experience in interfaith relations. There are also language classes offered in Persian, Urdu (same as spoke Hindi – the national language of India) and Arabic.

The next department is Community Development (CD). This department works within the city of Hyderabad where there have been clashes between Muslims and Hindus. This department works to break down barriers, stereotypes and misunderstanding between these two communities by bringing them together in a safe environment to learn more about each other. One of the main projects is empowering women of different faiths through income generating projects. Hindu and Muslim women come together on a daily basis and learn a new trade such as tailoring or beautician skills. During this process, the women interact and create new relationships, memories and understandings of the opposite religion, thereby creating positive memories and relationships for the future. The women who join these centers have not had the opportunity to receive an education. Most of them do not know how to read or write; therefore, acquiring skills at the Henry Martyn Institute gives them the opportunity to provide for themselves as well as to grow socially and spiritually.

I work with these women twice a week and offer trainings on topics like, public speaking, organizational skills, goal setting, critical thinking, experiential learning, and reflecting on one’s own life experiences for learning. It is sometimes a struggle to come up with new and useful topics for the women to learn from. So, if any of you have any suggestions, I would be happy to hear from you. I am still in the beginning stages of working with these women and ask for your prayers that I my presence will somehow be useful and helpful for them. It is truly a challenge, but also an opportunity to make great relationships and most of all it’s an opportunity for great learning.

The last department is Conflict Transformation (CT). The members of this team come from all different parts of India. They are very skilled, experienced and knowledgeable of Conflict Transformation theories, skills and tools. They represent diverse religions, backgrounds, professions and languages but all work for the common goal of being a catalyst for peaceful chance. They are very unique in that they work in the most sensitive and complex areas of India such as Manipur, Kashmir, Assam, Gujarat and other areas  where conflicts have caused so many people to suffer. They have built strong relationship with local communities in these areas. They bring together community leaders, religious officials and sometimes even opposing groups in a safe environment to facilitate dialogue and offer tools to find solutions to conflict. The Conflict Transformation department is new and growing every year due to its skilled and resourceful team members who are committed to social movements to overcome conflict. The term “Conflict Transformation” may seem like some idealistic jargon, but it is actually a practice, a skill and a way of life. Those skilled in CT assist groups to make small steps toward a peaceful way out of a seemingly insurmountable problem.

Though I do not venture into any of these areas for security reasons, I am also working with this team by doing research and a lot of the “behind the scenes” preparation for their workshops and meetings. I assist them in writing proposals for future initiatives, designing programs and activities for their workshops that can engage the workshop participants in a deep and meaningful way and most of all add to their knowledge of Conflict Transformation by doing research and giving presentations about the resolutions of conflicts in the world, past and present.

All of these activities are sharpening my skills in program design and implementation, conflict transformation, self-analyses, facilitation, research and critical thinking skills. I am truly excited (and also a little overwhelmed!) about the work and experiences I have planned for me for the next few months. My experience in India is really starting to take shape and I thank you all for your prayers, patience and support. I am truly blessed. I ask that you continue to pray for my strength in the Lord. I pray that He will use me in a way that will bless the people around me, so that in turn, the Lord will be blessed.

In Christ,
Jessie