Thank you for offering yourself as a volunteer to come to Chennai and be linked with the activity of the Indian Gospel Mission (IGM). We believe that you will have a profitable time working in pair with us at IGM. Many volunteers have served in IGM over the years and it has been a life changing experience for most of them.
I want you to begin, thinking about even before you leave your country
1. Your culture: – You may have adopted things you do in a particular ways. Some folks are more flexible than others but as you embark on this trip I need to emphasize the importance of adjusting to the environment you are going to live in. It will be hot, heavily populated and polluted and has its own unique smells and customs. “IT’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE BECAUSE YOU ARE THERE”, therefore you need to be willing to adjust.
2. THE INDIAN GOSPEL MISSION-Here again IGM reflects unique cultures. IGM welcomes volunteers, while in IGM credit the people with intelligence; they sincerely and sacrificially care for the children. Always be willing to ask questions and have an open mind. Let your horizons be expanded, become a “word person”. Don’t allow differences to frustrate and get the better of you. People are not always as efficient as we want them to be, don’t keep time as we think it should be kept and have a different order of priorities. Be prepared.
As you are away from your country, it is essential that you follow the advice of local leaders. There are guidelines relating to dress, local customs(for example the church leaders will always be referred to as Rev.or Pastor when addressed or referred to in public), lifestyle- drinking alcohol is totally unacceptable amongst Christian in India(basically most people there drink to get drunk), arranged marriage- even Christians have arranged marriages, shoes are removed before entering a house or place of worship etc. Don’t rebel but participate, enjoy the experience and try to learn and understand the reasons behind these manners and customs.
I hope you find the following information useful as you prepare for your trip. It is comprehensive but not exhaustive. For medical matters please consult your General physician.
Tamil Nadu (in which Chennai is located) is one among the big states, with land borders with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. It is alongside the Bay Of Bengal Sea and Indian Ocean. Tamil is the native language with numerous dialects.
The major food of Tamil Nadu is Rice. Tamil Nadu is famous for idly, dosai, vadai, chutney and sambar. In Tamil Nadu you can find lot of Hindu’s. When St Thomas, a disciple of Jesus Christ came to Chennai, he did the missionary work and established Christianity.
There are therefore Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal and Full Gospel churches. The major customs of Tamilians are that men wear shirt and pant, women wear sari, but Chennai is undergoing a lot of modernization and so you can see people wear more Western style of dresses, women even wear jeans and T-shirt
Chennai is one of the major cities in India. There are lot of Industries, IT companies, factories, and multi-national companies. Chennai is a tourism centre with beach resorts. It has a wonderful beach (marina) and Mamallapuram and Kovalam. There are also hill stations – areas of natural beauty where the air is fresh.