Asia_2011_India_Kerala_Log_of

______________________________________

On
this
page

Steve and Jose
INDIA 2011
July 2 - August 12, 2011

Home page of this site - Other Sheep Exec Site
Asia Trip 2009: NEPAL THAILAND SINGAPORE MALAYSIA
Asia Trip 2010: INDIA CHINA
Asia Trip 2011: INDIA SINGAPORE NEPAL
Other Sheep principal site - www.othersheep.org

Steve & Jose: Asia 2011: INDIA - SINGAPORE - NEPAL

Kerala, Log of Events
July 19 - 29, 2011

Note: "Happenings" in BOLD indicate Other Sheep meetings, appointments or general contact

Day
in
India

Date

Day and Place

Happenings

Jul 19

Tuesday

TRIVANDRUM
to
KOTTAYAM
by automobile

Up all night writing an eNews and blogs
Breakfast with the two Kerala University students who
organized the meeting; check-out of hotel; Ajith is there to
send us off; by hired car with driver to Kottayam, about 3
hours to 3 and 1/2 hours drive away (carrying around six
hundred books - mostly Malayalam and some English
We arrive at Ambassador Hotel in the afternoon
Leave hotel for a restaurant; purchase large envelopes to
create packets for distribution
Visit the local gym next to hotel;
Visit a Mar Toma church also next to hotel

A committee meeting in progress of leaders from
different churches
An "evangelist" - his title - meets us outside the
church, talks with us invites us to return with our
material
Return with packets of articles, papers, and books
and distribute to lay leaders and two priests

In the evening to Internet café; happen to meet two
priests - gave each a packets, one priest with the "Old
Seminary" and the second priest with CSI (Church of
South India)

Jul 20

Wednesday

KOTTAYAM

Steve up around 5:30AM; setting up room - (an extra table
provided) - computers, materials, etc.
Breakfast in room (very good and very inexpensive)
Jose to post office with TCAF English book for Burma
(our Thai-Burma contact requesting by email for
translation project); Steve putting packets together and
wrapping books by tens (one conservative leading
Bible educator in Kerala asking for more than 100
copies for distribution among gay Christians, undercover)
Steve and Jose take auto to "Old Seminary" - the
Orthodox Church

Announce ourselves at reception
Give two packets to two professors while waiting
Leave a packets with a student host for the
principal
Student host takes us to the library (our request) -
leave book and packets with head librarian who
gives us a short discourse on the fall and how sex is
NOT for pleasure (and, please don't confuse our
students)
Meet a pentecostal student who attends KUTS
(Kerala United Theological Seminary) and
Baptist female student from northern India. Old
Seminary has a consortium of three schools. Gave
book in Malayalam to pentecostal student (female
student does not speak/read Malayalam)

Back at hotel - sitting in the lobby area - a professor
asks to speak with us who notices Jose's school bag motto
on mediation; tells us he works for mediation and
inclusion; asks us to present next year (August 2012)

Jul 21

Thursday

KOTTAYAM
to
TIRUVALLA
to
KOTTAYAM
by auto-rickshaw

Steve is up at 5:30 and goes for walk
Steve stops in at Malayala Manorama newsprint and
was told to return at 9:00AM
Steve to hotel room - and leaves with books for the IPC
(Indian Pentecostal Church) Kottayam Theological
Seminary and meets Joy T. Sammuel who takes books
and info for faculty members
Steve returns to hotel around 8:00AM and has breakfast
in room for Jose.
Steve texts M. G. Radhakrishnan (India Today) to ask who
to meet at Malayalam Manorama; M. G. texts to ask for
Thomas Jacob - "top honcho" he texts
Steve and Jose go to Malayala Manorama newsprint;
Thomas Jacob receives Steve and Jose and offers to
publicize a notice in the paper on the new book release;
he recommends going to D.C. Books there in Kottayam
Steve and Jose return to hotel for books and to meet auto-
driver; leave for Tiruvalla (about an hour's drive by auto-
rickshaw)
First stop in Tiruvalla, CSS Bookshop. We meet with
Vijoy T. Oommen, manager, who knows David Joy (who
wrote the forward in the book); we leave 50 copies of the
book with CCS Bookshop; we purchase some books on
India and religion, and social concerns
Leave 10 books at CSS Bookshop for an area religious
leader - one of our contacts from last year (must remain
anonymous)
Go to two other religious bookstores - one is called
Bible Tower
Attempting to go to Believers' Church Seminary, we arrive
instead at Believers' Church TV station. (Steve thinking
it was a secular TV station enters with Jose with written
News Release and obtains a meeting with staff member
and doesn't learn until after presenting the book and news
release that it is Believers' Church TV station.) Staff
member leaves and returns asking for two copies of the
book in English.
We do go to the Believers' Church Seminary. Sign in
at gate for permission to enter the campus.

Have lunch at dining hall. Meet some theological
students.
Meet a priest from Bangladesh with Believers'
Church; he receives the book and takes us to the
library and gives us a tour of the library
Librarian receives copies of the book for the library

We go to New India Bible Seminary (Pentecostal) and
meet with Dr. Jaison Thomas, principal, who receives
copies of the book to share with faculty
We return to Kottayam, to DC Book distribution, and
leave a copy of the book with the marketing manager who
explained the book must be reviewed and recommended
Return to hotel
Steve goes to Malayala Manorama and writes a memo
to Thomas Jacob that CSS will sell the book (which info
he wanted for the notice on the books availability)
Jose and Steve visit (by appointment) a theologian
(lecturer) at an area seminary and leave books which he
will place in colleges; left copies with him for another
theologian (in Trivandrum)
Return to hotel on foot; stop at ATM; order food at hotel
restaurant and eat in our room; catch up work on our
laptops

Jul 22

Friday

KOTTAYAM
to
KUMARAKOM
(for houseboat)
by auto-rickshaw

Steve gets up around 6:00AM and goes to local Catholic
church and distributes books to several Sisters
coming out of the church after Mass crossing the street
with their students (young women) to their college.
One Sister, a psychologist, who speaks with Steve about
transgender and points to other Sisters who she wants
to receive the book; the Sister speaks to Steve about
possibly speaking to one of their classes after Steve
explains he and Jose are "husband and husband"
Steve and Jose take an auto-rickshaw to Kumarakom and
hire a houseboat for two nights.
Steve and Jose (from their houseboat) hand out books
and a news report (of the Trivandrum Young Christian Lay
Leaders Conference) in Malayalam to

About six Christians where the houseboat
stopped for lunch
An Associate Priest at the Roman Catholic
Church at Kudavechoor (St. Mary's Church -
goes back to 1463) - gave him three books
Pastor of the New India Bible Church (having
met three primary age children - ages 8 - 12 - who
having spoken with us using their English, pointed
to their pastor coming. Gave the pastor ten copies
of the book

Jul 23

Saturday

KUMARAKOM
(on houseboat)

Up around 6:00AM - at the houseboat - docked at
Kumarakom walk over bridge (same side road where the
CSI church is situated
Steve and Jose walk to the CSI church and meet the
pastor and his wife and their daughter (high school
age). Steve tells Jose and Steve's story as gay and
evangelical and now husband and husband. We give the
pastor two books and the news release in Malayalam.
The daughter shows as much interest in our story as her
father

Pastor is a student by extension with KUTS
(Kerala United Theological Seminary) and
knows faculty with whom we left books

Houseboat undocks at 9:45AM
Houseboat docks around 11:15AM to buy and clean fish
for lunch; continue to canal along rice paddies; rains hard
for a short time
Houseboat continues to "t" water-way crossing. Steve and
Jose walk a very short distance to a Catholic church;
boys inform us that the priest will be there at 5PM; with the
help of two men, Steve and Jose ask the neighboring
women who is a Christian to take the book and news
release in Malayalam and give it to the priest that
evening - she agrees
Houseboat docks for lunch; a Christian man from the
Catholic church walks by and we give him a book
We dock for the night at the same place as last night
around 5:00PM
Steve and Jose walk until dark and meet people

The boys from the New India Bible church take us to
their home to meet their parents
A Hindu college student takes us to his home to
meet his family; we get on Facebook on his home
computer - we give him the news release in
Malayalam
An area religious leader, who had read our
material earlier, meets us as we are returning to our
houseboat and lets us know that he himself is gay
(and is,of course) very happy to have seen and
read our material

Jul 24

Sunday

KUMARAKOM
(leave houseboat)
to
KOTTAYAM
by auto-rickshaw

Steve and Jose get up before sunrise and leave the
houseboat to walk the canals
Auto and driver pick us up at 9:00AM to return us to
Ambassador Hotel in Kottayam
On our way, stop briefly to leave two books and news
release in Malayalam at an Anglican church where a
Sunday service is in progress; the man who took the
material from Steve at the back of the door immediately
walked it up to the man in the pulpit who was leading the
congregation in singing; the man in the pulpit took the
material and waved at Steve
Arrive at our hotel at 10:00AM as scheduled to meet with,
by appointment, a Christian professor from a
denominated theological college (a leading school
within its denomination)

Meet in hotel room until after 3:00PM
Discuss plans for on-going/futur distribution of
Malayalam TCAF book
Leaves with 135 copies of TCAF (including about
20 in English)

In the afternoon, Jose goes to an Internet café for two
hours; Steve takes a nap
In the evening, Jose texts contacts to make plans for the
rest of the week; Jose retires to bed while Steve continues
with packing (wrapping books, etc)

Jul 25

Monday

KOTTAYAM
to
KANNUR
by train
to
TALIPARAMBA
by
auto-rickshaw

Steve is up at 5:30AM on the computer downloading
pictures; writing in the log of events; packing to leave - for
Kannur (keeping Kottayam as our base - will return for
computers, etc)
About a 7+ hour train ride (first class) from Kottayam to
Kannur in the north; train left Kottayam at 9:35 AM

Steve handed out a five page flyer on the
Malayalam book; contents of the flyer: Contact
persons; book text on Internet, Other Sheep in
Kerala, Title page, Copyright page, Forward by
David Joy, Acknowledgement, and Table of
Contents; at the following places/distribution:

Platform at Kottayam - a Kerala Indian
Christian from Columbus, OH - 20 years in
America - attends a Bible church; gave him
copies of the News Releases and book flyer
(spoke at length with him about Other Sheep)
On train between Kottayam and Ernakulum

Gave out flyers on the book to fellow
passengers in first class (one car)
Spoke with a Christian business
man, age 40+ - gave him a copy of the
book

Platform (train stop) at Ernakulum - gave out
about 20 flyers (hawking - holding new book;
offering free flyer on the new release)
On train from Ernakulum

First class compartments empty of
most Kottayam passengers; pick up
flyers left behind; one lady with family
reading the copy; one young
"liberal" on train from Ernakulum
takes English News Release (doesn't
speak Malayalam - not from Kerala)

At Aluvaye - Jose notes this is the stop to
"alight" to Faith Baptist Bible College - a
separatist, Baptist college modeled after the
same in the States
At around 12:15PM Jose gets a phone call
from a "Christian Assembly" pastor in
Trivandrum - attempting to verify that we exist
(so it appears)
At Trissur platform (about 3 hours out from
Kottayam) - Steve and Jose are eating lunch;
Steve steps out onto platform last few
minutes; approaches (hawking) people who it
turns out are from Talmil Nadu (neighbouring
state and do not speak Malayalam)
Next stop - 1:10PM - few people on the
platform
Shoranur Junction Platform (about 2:00PM) -
hand out flyers on the book (hawking) to
passengers in the two preceding cars -
through their windows (quiet a few flyers)
Steve speaks with a Muslim at length who is
very interested in the book (appears "open"
to hearing new ideas)
At Kuttipuram around 2:50PM
Steve "hawks" on platform at Tirur (around 3:
10PM)
On platform at Prapanangadi (3:30PM) Hand
out (hawking) about 7-10 flyers on the
Malayalam book

Jose's interaction with individuals (while on the train)

Spoke at length in the next car (while Steve
watched the stuff) with two men; one later
came to Jose and openly told Jose that he is
gay (in his 40s and Muslim)
Spoke with another man at length- a Hindu
married to a Christian - who was traveling
with his daughter; gave him a book - very
interested
At Calicut, two Muslim students - college
age - enter train and Jose speaks with them;
Steve showed them the book - the section on
Gen. 19

Arrive in Kannur - still light out
Take an auto-rickshaw to Taliparamba about 30 minutes
away where we meet K. C. Varghese, an activist; we stay
at Sealand Tourist Home; K C. returns to his home some
distance away

Two male college students in hotel - receive our
news release and that we are "husband-husband"
(see them later in restaurant with four other friends)
We find a restaurant, eat, leave news release with
restaurant attendees; return to hotel and retire

Jul 26

Tuesday

TALIPARAMBA
to
KANNUR
to (by sleeper car
- train - during
the night)
KOTTAYAM

Steve and Jose to same restaurant for breakfast
Make photo copies of news release in English (copier
receives copy of the news release, reminds us that he
had spoken to us the night before - getting directions in
the street)
Return to hotel; get glasses fixed; visit academy next to
hotel and leave material for administrator; speak with
attendees in a men's clothing store about our story
(next to hotel)
K. C. Varghese arrives around 11:00; we meet in our
room and he creates the "program" for us for the day,
having us travel in his jeep, using his driver to taxi us
We drop off books and news release/ meet people/ at
the following locations:

Visit Naturalist/doctor (Taliparamba)
(Stop at a copier to copy news release in
Malayalam)
Italian priest (age 96) and associate priest at
Roman Catholic church (Outside of Taliparamba)
News papers - leave book and news release
(Kannur)

Visit four newspaper bureaus; one (a
Catholic paper which we did not know at the
time) says come back at 5:00PM to meet the
editor (showed much interest); another
(major) paper, after reading the new release
in Malayalam, says the story will come out in
the paper in two days
Go to PRESS CLUB

At reception area meet press people;
fold and our English and Malayalam
news release in copies of the
Malayalam book; put books (with new
releases) in mail boxes of news
papers - between 40-50 sets in mail
boxers
Newspaper photographer takes
pictures of us, including a couple
pictures kissing - says photos will come
out in next day paper

Go to another newspaper bureau which
was recommended by one of the reporters at
the Press Club
Phone editor and return to (Catholic)
newspaper for appointment at 5:30 who
when he hears our story and news release
says he's sorry but it is a Catholic newspaper

We return to the railroad station in Kannur; Jose does
some shopping on the main street outside the station
(purchases saddles and two shirts); Steve sits in railroad
station restaurant and journals in Jose's notebook (a
writing notebook)
Board the train (sleeper car - economic, not first class)
and travel about 7 hours to Kottayam

Jul 27

Wednesday

KOTTAYAM

Arrive in Kottayam at 5:30AM; got info on tickets to travel
to Goa (by sleeper car) for next day (ticket office not open)
Return to Ambassador Hotel - Jose takes a nap; Steve
works in the room; breakfast in room
Jose to train station to purchase tickets to Goa; Steve to
copier and orders 30 to 100 copies of about five different
papers)

Kerala University student, having called us a few
days earlier (while we were on the houseboat),
planned a meeting for tonight for 20 students and
five professors (which had a no show)
Copies are also for Press Club mailboxes in
Kottayam and Ernakulum (next day)

Steve to Internet café (called "Chit Chat") to print out most
recent news release (from Other Sheep Blog) - on M.G.
Radhakrishnan's statement of the KU meeting in
Trivandrum
Jose returns to hotel room and is told the police were at
the hotel looking for us (a police officer left his name and
phone number for Jose to call him) while we were in
Kannur on Monday or Tuesday

Jose phones Steve at "Chit Chat" Internet Café and
reports that the police stopped at the hotel looking
for him by name
Steve returns to hotel (with print out of news
release)
At some point (after deciding it is best to call the
number left by the police), Jose phones the police
officer who left his phone number; Jose calls two or
three times - officer on the other end does not
speak English
Later in the day (once we had moved to a new
hotel), the KU student phoned the police officer and
in Malayalam the officer asked what is Jose's
nationality ("and his friend's") and when are they
leaving Kottayam; it appeared to us at this point that
the officer was acting on his own hoping to
intimidate us - he said nothing of filing a report or
that he was acting in an official capacity (the KU
student told the officer that he was only acting as a
translator and did not know the information the
officer was asking for, i.e, our nationality and when
we would leave Kottayam)

We decide to move to a new hotel (for just one night), not
having concluded yet (the above) that the office was
acting on his own, and unofficially
We pack; leave hotel for train station and tell hotel
management we are leaving for Bangalore; at the train
station we get a second auto-rickshaw and return to a
hotel just doors down from the first hotel - to Anjali Park
Hotel
At copier place, we 25 packets of materials for tonight's
meeting; return to hotel; (meeting is a no show)
At Angali Park Hotel - Steve creates news packets for
Press Club for Kottayam and Ernakulum

Steve up most the night - sick with diarrhea -
creating more than 50 packets for Press Club
Jose reaching a Catholic student by phone for
delivery of 10 copies of the book

Jul 28

Thursday

KOTTAYAM
to
Ernakulum
to (destination)
GOA

Steve up early, finishes packing suitcases (Steve very
sick; eats only toast; has taken medicine during the night;
feeling week)
Jose up a bit later - delivers ten books to contact
person of the Catholic student, takes an hour or more
round trip
Steve checks out of hotel; Jose returns to hotel; Steve to
train station with some luggage; Jose to train station with
rest of luggage via Pres Club and delivers more than 20
news packets (including copy of TCAF book in
Malayalam) to press club mail boxes
Steve purchases first class tickets to Ernakulum (North
Station) while waiting for Jose to arrive at station
Steve (still very sick) and Jose to Ernakulum by train (in
first class; give copy of Malayalam TCAF book to fellow
passenger who asked if he could purchase the book in a
bookstore - and tell our story)
At Ernakulum (to get connecting train - sleeper car - to
Goa)

Meet (for the first time) at Ernakulum North Station
platform a young gay Catholic man (by
appointment) who had connected with us through
Deepa; he is in a relationship with another gay man
(though they must live separately); he travels with
us to Press Club and to Ernakulum Junction Station;
give him two packets (including book in Malayalam)
To Ernakulum PRESS CLUB where we leave about
30 packets (includes a copy of the TCAF book in
Malayalam) in mail boxes of news media
Our 2010 Fort Kochi auto-rickshaw driver meets
us (by appointment) outside of Press Club and
accompanies us to Junction Station; give him two
books - one for him, and one for the staff at Koder
House, Fort Kochi, where we stayed in 2010
At Ernakulum Junction Station - Jose goes out to
find electro lites for Steve; Steve in a restaurant
(very sick) where a brother and sister - Muslims
- ask Steve questions including "Who is your
friend?" - conversation about "husband and
husband"

At 2:00PM board the train to Goa - a sleeper car; Steve
lays down immediately on top "bunk;" not well; but feeling
better to be laying down - and sleeps and sleeps; Jose is
chattering like a social butterfly with people below and in
the next section - an uproar of laughter coming from Jose
and the small group of people with whom he is
speaking;
Steve is laying on his back on the top bunk; on both sides
of his face, tear drops create a warm sensation against his
skin as they course from his eyes to his ears -- he cries
silently, partly from exhaustion, mostly from the police
scare, partly happy to know they will see their vacation
resort in Goa, partly out of gratitude: he prays, he gives
thanks - he thinks: always go toward the goal; open the
doors; he acknowledges God's care

Jul 29

Friday

Arrive in Goa

Around 3:00AM Steve wakes and gets down from his top
"bunk" (three sleepers on top of each other) to use the
toilet;
A small group of young men - about five - engage
Steve in conversation at the end of the car - Steve visits at
length - telling Jose and Steve's story - "husband and
husband" -
Steve returns to sleep more
Arrive at Margao Station in Goa at 6:15AM --- to begin our
two-week vacation
The small group of young men who Steve met on the
train help us with our luggage from the platform to a
transport vehicle -- the resort is not at all close by

This web page was created some what day by day over the period
of time shown above.

It was published from Baga, Goa, India, on August 9, 2011.

Visit to this page since August 9, 2011:

For our first 17 days in Kerala
(Trivandrum), click here

Steve & Jose's Other Sheep
Asia 2011 Ministry
with
India, Singapore and Nepal

Table of Index

R eport on Asia 2011 ministry , written for
the Other Sheep Board of Directors,
November 11, 2011

Media Coverage in India,
Singapore and Nepal

India (Index Page)
July 2 - August 12, 2011

Daily Logs:

Major Events:

Hot off the Press! The Malayalam
publication of The Children Are
Free

Full text in Malayalam for
downloading

Young Lay Leaders Conference

Photo Page
Day 1 -

Steve presents the
inclusive church
TCAF book is
unveiled

Day 2 - Jose presents
psychological dynamics of
church bias towards
sexual minorities
Day 3 - Future projects
considered

Narratives:

Singapore (Index Page)
August 13 -16, 2011

Daily Log:

Singapore Log of Events

Major Events:

Steve & Jose present "Is There
Such a Thing as 'Ex-gay'?"

Paper in English
Paper in Mandarin

Steve & Jose present a
Powerpoint on their India 2011
ministry

Narrative:

The evangelical, straight
Malaysian who surprised us

Analysis:

The Singapore Question: Why
are evangelicals stuck at rejecting
gays?

Interview:

Steve and Jose's interview with
Fridae.com

Rev. Oyoung:

Nepal (Index Page)
August 17 - September 1, 2011

Daily Logs:

Nepal Log of Events

Major Events:

Distribution of the paper Is There
Really Such a Thing as 'Ex-gay?'
in Nepali

Paper in Nepali

"Putting a Face on
Homosexuality" - Meeting with
area pastors

Narratives:

Ostracism in Nepal - The Long
Arm of evangelical Spiritual
Persecution Reaches Kathmandu
Jose Ortiz Comments on Other
Sheep's 2011 Visit to Nepal

Nepal Evaluation Report:

Our impressions of the current
situation and the potential
possibilities of the Christian
church in Nepal becoming, in
part, welcoming and affirming of
LGBT people

Resources:

Links to resources for Christians
in Nepal

________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Photos were added to this web page December 2011, the majority on
December 25, 2011, on the Amtrak from Pen Station to Williamsburg, Va.

Books and luggage - we hired a car
and driver to take us from Trivandrum
to Kottayam, Kerala

A Kottayam gay individual who took
interest in the Malayalam book
showing us the Genesis 19 text from
the Malayalam Bible