The Musing of Seven Christmases

A Letter from Gary and Marlene Van Brocklin, serving as regional liaisons for South Asia

December 2020

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The wind came feathering from the hills this fall into my blood and breathing.
And at night the flutter of wings in me will sometimes swell into the
alarming fleshness of another.

At times I fear that in my ignorance, my earth-bound fluttering,
my flesh will give my wings to him, my flimsy girlish wings –
will his feathers be well knit when he must leave? . . .

I lift an unsettled heart to the darkening hills
(the silhouette trees are entrusted to the will of a feathery wind.)
I will sleep and trust in the child.
Frederick Tamminga

Dear friends,

Advent in 2020 has reminded us that God’s wondrous Grace often comes to us as an unsettling surprise. As we conclude our tenure as the regional liaisons for South Asia, we can appreciate our rich experiences in the last seven years through the lens of the Surprise of Advent.

Tamminga’s poem gives us insights into how God may come to us in disturbing ways. God’s surprises often challenge us to make a choice. A choice between ignoring the unnerving gift of Grace or accepting God’s surprise with humility and trust.

Here are some of our fondest memories:

What a delightful surprise it was to be greeted by a village celebration marked with gorgeous white flowers and communal dancing at the first Church of Bangladesh school we visited in northeast Bangladesh. That morning we had pushed through the horrendous traffic of downtown Dhaka with all its attendant discord of honking horns, aggressive driving and diesel fumes. The village was primarily composed of poor farmers who had survived the horrors of civil war less than 40 years ago and now were cultivating their own version of Kingdom values of peace, beauty and justice. We will always remember the calm dignity portrayed on the faces of the primary school children, gently swaying to the music of the indigenous tunes of their elders. We were treated to this remarkable picture of Christ’s incarnational presence because of the decades of the sacrificial love and professional excellence shown by Drs. Les and Cindy Morgan to these villagers and so many others. The Morgans continued to show us throughout our seven years in South Asia how accepting God’s surprise gift of grace also entails daily decisions to forego comfort, safety and self in order to truly embrace the gift of Christ’s presence.

The biblical books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy can be off-putting with their laborious ceremonial laws, obscure lists and endless desert wanderings. Yet these oft forgotten books of Scripture became delightful sources of joy, excitement and wisdom through four years of weekly study with our dear friends from our local neighborhood church in Colombo. Our friends were not deterred in their efforts to take all 66 books of the Christian Canon as a light unto their daily paths. It was a true inspiration to listen to a ninety-year old retired judge thoughtfully and earnestly apply his legal mind to mine the gems of Old Testament law. Such sustained Scriptural dialogue and discussion forged dear friendships and formed an edifying faith that continue to feed our souls up to this present Advent time.

When the government of Pakistan finally turned over the campus of Forman Christian College (FCC), it was in a shocking state of disrepair. Dr. Peter Armacost was called out of retirement to assume the FCC presidency and the uphill battle to bring some semblance of order and civility began. Dr. Armacost had to be escorted by brawny members of the local police wrestling team to ensure that the shouting, cursing crowd did not get out of hand. Seventeen years later, students have come to treasure the high level of trust and respect among their six thousand colleagues enjoying an aesthetically beautiful campus. Now buildings named for faithful Christian missionaries of years past stand side by side academic centers named for generous contemporary Muslim donors. In striking fashion Forman embodies its motto, “In love, serve one another.” It was a joy to serve on the board of trustees of this excellent institution.

Your generous gifts of kindness and financial solidarity over these past seven years have enabled us to deeply connect with Christ followers throughout South Asia who join us in celebrating the surprise gift of the Christ child. Christmas joy to one and all.

Gratefully yours,

Gary and Marlene Van Brocklin