On Wednesday, March 3, Howard and I got to actually visit Christian English College, the school that Gabriel is the Business Manager of. I explained Christian English College in detail in my blog post describing Gabriel’s and Suzana’s ministry. We also got to visit Friends Church, which is the name of the church where Gabriel is a Bishop. The church and the hospital that Gabriel is involved with are part of the same mission association – Immanuel Hospital Association of North India. The association is headquartered in Delhi and includes more than 20 Christian hospitals. Seventy percent of the members of Friends Church also work at the hospital. While talking with Gabriel at the church, we learned that he is a Bishop of The Federation of Evangelical Churches of India, which has churches all over India. Friends Church is a member of The Federation, and since Gabriel is a Bishop with The Federation, he is a Bishop at Friends Church. Gabriel used to be the Director of The Federation of Evangelical Churches of India, but he retired in 1996 and was then consecrated as a Bishop.
In the afternoon, Gabriel and Abhishay (his grandson) took Howard and me to the city of Khajuraho, and while we were there we admired the Western Group of Temples. Gabriel and Abhishay explained that the temples were primarily built to honor Shiva, the fertility god. The temples were all carved out of stone, and whereas the designs are erotic, one can’t help but admire the intricate detail of these ancient structures.