Church and Wedding in Lahore

ByDoug Dirks
Saeed Park, Lahore, Pakistan
On Sunday morning we walked across the street to attend church at St. John’s Baptist Church. Chaman Masih, the founder of Bunyaad, is the founding and lead pastor. We met the associate Pastor, George Gil, as well. During the service Doug Horst and I (Doug Dirks) were introduced as guests from the USA and asked to say a few words. After church we got together with a few people at the Chaman home to visit. We ended talking about our religious origins and beliefs – interesting stuff.

Entrance to St. John's Baptist Church and School in Saeed Park.
Entrance to St. John’s Baptist Church and School in Saeed Park.
Interior of St. John's Baptist Church where we attended on Sunday.
Interior of St. John’s Baptist Church where we attended on Sunday.

Street Food Delights

Street food is one of the delights of traveling anywhere in the world. On our way to Chistian yesterday we encountered this samosa and jalebi cart along the road. Absolutely delicious!

Samosa and jalebi vendor along the road to Chistian.
Samosa and jalebi vendor along the road to Chistian.

Relaxation and Wedding Reception

Sunday afternoon was a time for rest and relaxation before we went on a drive around the city with Yousaf and then attended a wedding reception at a local banquet hall. The reception was hosted by the bride’s family. The bride is the sister of Kiran who is Ehsan’s wife. All of the Chaman family attended plus many people from St. John’s church – a total of about 250 people.

When the groom came in he was attended by a band with bagpipes and drums. The bride came in with her attendants about a half hour later and then everyone enjoyed a meal of rice, chicken, salad, kheer (rice pudding) and rose water flavored ice cream. A fun evening. Tomorrow we’ll attend the reception hosted by the groom’s family.

Saeed Park street scene
Saeed Park street scene just outside the Chaman family home. The entrance to St. John’s Church and School is on the left.

Stay tuned for Doug’s next trip post

We’ll be keeping notes, recording our experiences and taking photos so that you can follow our adventures on the Bunyaad blog. We’ll come back from Pakistan with new friends, memorable experiences, tons of rug making knowledge and lots of new stories to tell.

Sign up to receive the next story in your inbox:

STAY IN THE LOOP: fair trade, rugs, sales & events.

Here is a link to the first post to get you started: Read Pakistan Learning Tour

Similar Posts

| |

The Dougs learn about Education and Washing Rugs

ByDoug Dirks

Students lined up for the beginning of the school day at St. John’s.

After a hearty breakfast at the Chaman home we walked across the street to visit St. John’s school. The school is on the same property as St. John’s church. The school has 168 students from Kindergarten to grade 10 and 13 teachers. Families that can afford to pay a small monthly tuition. Families that can’t afford to pay can send their children for free. The Principal, Ms. Mehrul Nisa, said that 60% of the students go on to college.

Nothing Like A Fresh Mango

ByBunyaad

It’s mango season here in Pakistan and there is nothing like a fresh mango. And nothing like a fresh mango lassi.

Fruit seller cart

Lassis are made with fresh yogurt, milk and mango. Sweet from the fruit and full of probiotics from the yogurt, a mango lassi is the go-to drink to cool off in Pakistan’s hot summers. As the world’s fourth largest producer of mangos, Pakistan has no shortage of mangos when they are in season.

| |

The Dougs travel from Lahore to Islamabad to Murree

ByDoug Dirks

20151118-pakistan-learning-tour-day7-2

In the morning we left Lahore and drove down the M2 Motorway towards Islamabad. The M2 Motorway between Lahore and Islamabad is a 6 lane divided highway, about 400 km long.

After about 2 hours of driving we stopped at Kallar Kahar, a lake near the Motorway. This is a stop for migratory birds from Siberia and a popular tourist spot for Pakistani people. We saw lots of school students out for the day on paddle boats, riding on the Ferris wheel and on a furry white camel. We took a motorboat ride and stopped to photograph some birds.

|

Hot Steaming Water Buffalo Milk served by Fauzia

ByHeike Martin

Fauzia steams milkWhen you come to any of our rug rooms and during all of our rug events across the US and Canada you get a glimpse into the world of rug making and see the artisans at work in the video “Introduction to Oriental Rugs” that is shown throughout the day. As staff I have watched this video hundreds of times. My work in the Bunyaad office also involves working with lots and lots of artisan photos. So when visiting Pakistan this year it felt almost surreal meeting these same artisans for the first time and yet feeling like I have known them for a long time.

It is with great pleasure that I get to introduce two of these young women to you who have both been rug knotters with Bunyaad for the past eight years. Fauzia and Sofia live with their parents in the small village of Halwan about two hours north of Lahore. After finishing their schooling, they both started knotting rugs as this allowed them a good income and the ability to stay home with their parents.

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *