Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Greetings from MINNESOTA!!!
4 February 2009
Greetings from Minnesota…the Land of 10,000 Lakes & Home of the Loonie Lady!!!
I’m home again—safe & suffering some jet lag. It was a LONG trip, but I was able to get some sleep along the way.
My plane left Bangalore about 2:30 am Tuesday morning (2 pm Monday afternoon MN time) & I landed in Minneapolis at 6 pm Tuesday evening. My nephew Aaron met me at the airport & we got back to DC about 7:45 pm. My cat, Frosty, set up residence on my lap & even submitted to being brushed quite happily to show his appreciation for my return home.
Yesterday I stayed up all day, unpacking, washing clothes, & straightening things up a bit while finalizing some blog entries & uploading them. I went to bed just after 9 pm (very early for me), but woke up about 3:30 am this morning & couldn’t go back to sleep.
Today I must get the house cleaned because I have company coming for supper & a small Bible study group will be meeting at my house tonight. Since I got up so early, I may need to take a nap later on today so I won’t fall asleep during the Bible study.
I have so many blessings here in the US that I take for granted!!! I MUST choose to thank God for the privileges I have & seek His direction as to how I can share His blessings with those who need my help. Actually, I NEED to help them more than they need my help…I need my priorities changed so I will learn the lessons of unselfishness & the true joy of sharing with others.
Blessings from MINNESOTA…a mission field in some ways more needy than India (because like the Laodicean Church of Revelation, we are satisfied with ourselves & are totally unaware of our abject poverty, blindness & nakedness)…where snow covers the ground & the weather is cold…but my heart is warmed by God’s amazing love & grace for me!!!!!!!!!!
Greetings from Minnesota…the Land of 10,000 Lakes & Home of the Loonie Lady!!!
I’m home again—safe & suffering some jet lag. It was a LONG trip, but I was able to get some sleep along the way.
My plane left Bangalore about 2:30 am Tuesday morning (2 pm Monday afternoon MN time) & I landed in Minneapolis at 6 pm Tuesday evening. My nephew Aaron met me at the airport & we got back to DC about 7:45 pm. My cat, Frosty, set up residence on my lap & even submitted to being brushed quite happily to show his appreciation for my return home.
Yesterday I stayed up all day, unpacking, washing clothes, & straightening things up a bit while finalizing some blog entries & uploading them. I went to bed just after 9 pm (very early for me), but woke up about 3:30 am this morning & couldn’t go back to sleep.
Today I must get the house cleaned because I have company coming for supper & a small Bible study group will be meeting at my house tonight. Since I got up so early, I may need to take a nap later on today so I won’t fall asleep during the Bible study.
I have so many blessings here in the US that I take for granted!!! I MUST choose to thank God for the privileges I have & seek His direction as to how I can share His blessings with those who need my help. Actually, I NEED to help them more than they need my help…I need my priorities changed so I will learn the lessons of unselfishness & the true joy of sharing with others.
Blessings from MINNESOTA…a mission field in some ways more needy than India (because like the Laodicean Church of Revelation, we are satisfied with ourselves & are totally unaware of our abject poverty, blindness & nakedness)…where snow covers the ground & the weather is cold…but my heart is warmed by God’s amazing love & grace for me!!!!!!!!!!
Monday 2 February 2009
Greetings from INDIA Monday 2 February 2009
It’s been a wonderful but sad day!!!
Joy & I couldn’t figure out to get hot water for showers this morning, so we didn’t dawdle around! We met Sue, Vilma & Kotesh for breakfast in the outdoor patio restaurant just after 8:30 am. Since I’m not very fond of Indian food, I ordered plain dosa & ate it without dipping it in the chutney & sauce served with it.
One of our big projects for today was to find one of the FIVE Staples office supply stores Mel had located on the internet for us before we left the school & purchase some plastic file boxes for the medical charts at the school & also some legal-size hanging file folders for Maranatha’s office at the school. We found Staples quickly, but we had to take a circuitous route to get to it because of all the one-way streets. It seemed so strange to see a Staples store in an Indian context. We went inside & started to search. It was fun exploring the store but…they didn’t have any legal size file folders OR file boxes! I had been positive we’d find them there—what a disappointment!!!
Nearby we’d seen a store called Big Bazaar & Sue wanted to get some things there, so we headed there. It was an unusual experience. There were signs outside saying something to the effect that anyone entering this store was accepting their policy of frisking people for security purposes! This store had had three floors & probably is the Indian version of K-Mart. As only God could have arranged things, we had only been inside the store a few seconds when I caught sight of plastic file boxes. Needless to say we were thrilled…and we bought all they had in stock for the school!!! It was a lot of fun exploring this store & checking out all the interesting merchandise for sale. It had a small grocery section with all the ingredients to make Indian food. Sue was delighted to find some canned peaches—a rare treat! In the refrigerated section I even found some small containers of chocolate Silk soymilk!!!
Next on our to-do list for today was to visit Lowry Adventist College. Founded in 1915 & located in the outskirts of Bangalore, the college stretches out over 50 acres of land & offers several Bachelor & Masters programs of study. Lowry Adventist College serves 2000 students. We ran into Sunny (the Head Master at Cuddapah School’s son) who is studying Computer Technology at Lowry. Kotesh took us to the office of the Vice President, Dr. T. Christian Raj, who gave us some refreshments & a tour of the campus. I really enjoyed visiting this institution that has had such an influence promoting Christianity in India.
When we left Lowry, it was time to head for the airport for Joy to catch her flight to Delhi. Before bidding her goodbye, we gathered around her & had prayer together for the last time.
We had been searching for a hardware store so we could buy some parts for the bunk beds & a stove at the school, but we had no success. As we were all watching the frontage roads for hardware stores, Sue saw an Italian Restaurant & A Chinese Restaurant. We hadn’t had much to eat since breakfast at the hotel, so we decided it was time to eat. Kotesh & the driver dropped us off & continued the hardware store search. The sun was going down behind some palm trees making a beautiful site.
After some discussion, we decided to check out the Italian Restaurant. It was located on the 2nd floor above the Chinese Restaurant. The tables were set with tablecloths & stemmed glassware. We looked at the menu to check prices & then decided to eat there. We happened to be the only customers, so we had wonderful service & the food was fantastic! I ordered vegetable lasagna, garlic bread with cheese, & soda at a cost of 490 rupees—about $10 US.
As we were eating, Kotesh called & I told him we were almost finished eating at the Italian restaurant above the Chinese one. He said he’d meet us there in about 15 minutes. We decided to wait in the comfort of the restaurant. Time passed & I tried to call Kotesh & couldn’t get him—his phone battery was dead. Finally we decided to go downstairs & stand outside while we waited for him to come & get us. In about 5 minutes or so, he appeared, asking us where we had been! It seems that he misunderstood what I had told him & thought I said something about “Italian furniture,” so he’d gone into all the nearby furniture stores asking them if they had seen three Caucasian ladies!!! We all had a good laugh about the miscommunication!!!
We were supposed to checkout of our hotel by 9 pm, but we got tangled up in a huge traffic jam—bumper-to-bumper stop & go travel for miles. Apparently there was some kind of special event going on that created major traffic congestion. Sue & Vilma had wanted to get some food supplies from a store called Nilgiris, located just a few blocks from our hotel, but it was closed when they got there. We didn’t get back to the hotel until about 10 pm & I still had to repack for the trip home! I wanted to pack my carryon suitcase inside a larger one so I’d have fewer pieces of luggage to deal with on the trip home & I needed to get my purchases from Bangalore in, too. I went straight to my room & started to pack feverishly. After the traffic problems getting back to the hotel, I was afraid that it might take more than two hours to drive to the airport.
The Lord really blessed me & I was able to consolidate my bags & still get everything in. Vilma & Sue only had small bags to pack since they’d only come for one night & were leaving directly for the school after dropping me off at the airport. Kotesh used my phone charger to charge his cell phone while he went to pay the hotel bill & as soon as Sue was out of her room she came to mine & pulled bags out to the car as soon as they were full. The driver & Kotesh really had an adventure packing the car, since the back door was jammed shut & wouldn’t open, & the car was already full of plastic file boxes for the school!!! Their persistence paid off, & we headed for the airport by 10:30 pm.
The driver took a different route to the airport, so the traffic wasn’t quite as bad & we arrived there about midnight. I said goodbye to everyone at the curb, so they wouldn’t have to find a place to park & could get on their way back to the school. It was very hard to say goodbye to such precious friends!!!
The Lord really blessed me again because I didn’t have to pay for overweight luggage, I didn’t have any problems going through security, & I found my gate without any difficulty. Kotesh called me to be sure everything went alright & I assured him that I had sailed through the process.
Sitting at the gate, waiting to board my flight to Paris, I reflected on all the blessings of this trip. Although I didn’t spend as much time visiting people in the villages & leading mini VBS programs during the medical clinics as I had anticipated, I had the privilege of presenting messages from Scripture in several churches—especially the AWESOME opportunity of worshipping with my brothers & sisters in the Chelekompalli Church—and also to leave a legacy of a medical record system for the school as well as a computer listing of all the students alphabetically & by standards (grade levels). I was given another glimpse of the great challenge of presenting the good news of Jesus’ love to people who live in superstition & darkness. One afternoon as I was working alone at the clinic, Mr. Principal (that is the polite way to address him) told me that a blind man had come with his twin sons, wanting to enroll them in the school & asked me to sponsor them. Mr. Principal sent me home with the request to try to find people to sponsor seven needy children at the school--$30/month or $360/year provides room, board & education for a student who would not have that opportunity otherwise. I had expected it to be easier to leave India & come home this time—especially because of my little grandson, Kayden—but in some ways it’s harder than ever to leave! This trip I’ve had a chance to see a little more what a commitment to stay overseas as a missionary costs on a personal level, but also what an incredible difference one person, completely committed to follow God’s leading, can make in the lives of others for eternity.
I pray the lessons I’ve learned will not be lost in the hustle & bustle of life back in the US, the vision will not dim, & my commitment to the Lord & willingness to follow His leading in my life will never waver. He is coming soon—MARANATHA!!!
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is changing lives for eternity—including mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s been a wonderful but sad day!!!
Joy & I couldn’t figure out to get hot water for showers this morning, so we didn’t dawdle around! We met Sue, Vilma & Kotesh for breakfast in the outdoor patio restaurant just after 8:30 am. Since I’m not very fond of Indian food, I ordered plain dosa & ate it without dipping it in the chutney & sauce served with it.
One of our big projects for today was to find one of the FIVE Staples office supply stores Mel had located on the internet for us before we left the school & purchase some plastic file boxes for the medical charts at the school & also some legal-size hanging file folders for Maranatha’s office at the school. We found Staples quickly, but we had to take a circuitous route to get to it because of all the one-way streets. It seemed so strange to see a Staples store in an Indian context. We went inside & started to search. It was fun exploring the store but…they didn’t have any legal size file folders OR file boxes! I had been positive we’d find them there—what a disappointment!!!
Nearby we’d seen a store called Big Bazaar & Sue wanted to get some things there, so we headed there. It was an unusual experience. There were signs outside saying something to the effect that anyone entering this store was accepting their policy of frisking people for security purposes! This store had had three floors & probably is the Indian version of K-Mart. As only God could have arranged things, we had only been inside the store a few seconds when I caught sight of plastic file boxes. Needless to say we were thrilled…and we bought all they had in stock for the school!!! It was a lot of fun exploring this store & checking out all the interesting merchandise for sale. It had a small grocery section with all the ingredients to make Indian food. Sue was delighted to find some canned peaches—a rare treat! In the refrigerated section I even found some small containers of chocolate Silk soymilk!!!
Next on our to-do list for today was to visit Lowry Adventist College. Founded in 1915 & located in the outskirts of Bangalore, the college stretches out over 50 acres of land & offers several Bachelor & Masters programs of study. Lowry Adventist College serves 2000 students. We ran into Sunny (the Head Master at Cuddapah School’s son) who is studying Computer Technology at Lowry. Kotesh took us to the office of the Vice President, Dr. T. Christian Raj, who gave us some refreshments & a tour of the campus. I really enjoyed visiting this institution that has had such an influence promoting Christianity in India.
When we left Lowry, it was time to head for the airport for Joy to catch her flight to Delhi. Before bidding her goodbye, we gathered around her & had prayer together for the last time.
We had been searching for a hardware store so we could buy some parts for the bunk beds & a stove at the school, but we had no success. As we were all watching the frontage roads for hardware stores, Sue saw an Italian Restaurant & A Chinese Restaurant. We hadn’t had much to eat since breakfast at the hotel, so we decided it was time to eat. Kotesh & the driver dropped us off & continued the hardware store search. The sun was going down behind some palm trees making a beautiful site.
After some discussion, we decided to check out the Italian Restaurant. It was located on the 2nd floor above the Chinese Restaurant. The tables were set with tablecloths & stemmed glassware. We looked at the menu to check prices & then decided to eat there. We happened to be the only customers, so we had wonderful service & the food was fantastic! I ordered vegetable lasagna, garlic bread with cheese, & soda at a cost of 490 rupees—about $10 US.
As we were eating, Kotesh called & I told him we were almost finished eating at the Italian restaurant above the Chinese one. He said he’d meet us there in about 15 minutes. We decided to wait in the comfort of the restaurant. Time passed & I tried to call Kotesh & couldn’t get him—his phone battery was dead. Finally we decided to go downstairs & stand outside while we waited for him to come & get us. In about 5 minutes or so, he appeared, asking us where we had been! It seems that he misunderstood what I had told him & thought I said something about “Italian furniture,” so he’d gone into all the nearby furniture stores asking them if they had seen three Caucasian ladies!!! We all had a good laugh about the miscommunication!!!
We were supposed to checkout of our hotel by 9 pm, but we got tangled up in a huge traffic jam—bumper-to-bumper stop & go travel for miles. Apparently there was some kind of special event going on that created major traffic congestion. Sue & Vilma had wanted to get some food supplies from a store called Nilgiris, located just a few blocks from our hotel, but it was closed when they got there. We didn’t get back to the hotel until about 10 pm & I still had to repack for the trip home! I wanted to pack my carryon suitcase inside a larger one so I’d have fewer pieces of luggage to deal with on the trip home & I needed to get my purchases from Bangalore in, too. I went straight to my room & started to pack feverishly. After the traffic problems getting back to the hotel, I was afraid that it might take more than two hours to drive to the airport.
The Lord really blessed me & I was able to consolidate my bags & still get everything in. Vilma & Sue only had small bags to pack since they’d only come for one night & were leaving directly for the school after dropping me off at the airport. Kotesh used my phone charger to charge his cell phone while he went to pay the hotel bill & as soon as Sue was out of her room she came to mine & pulled bags out to the car as soon as they were full. The driver & Kotesh really had an adventure packing the car, since the back door was jammed shut & wouldn’t open, & the car was already full of plastic file boxes for the school!!! Their persistence paid off, & we headed for the airport by 10:30 pm.
The driver took a different route to the airport, so the traffic wasn’t quite as bad & we arrived there about midnight. I said goodbye to everyone at the curb, so they wouldn’t have to find a place to park & could get on their way back to the school. It was very hard to say goodbye to such precious friends!!!
The Lord really blessed me again because I didn’t have to pay for overweight luggage, I didn’t have any problems going through security, & I found my gate without any difficulty. Kotesh called me to be sure everything went alright & I assured him that I had sailed through the process.
Sitting at the gate, waiting to board my flight to Paris, I reflected on all the blessings of this trip. Although I didn’t spend as much time visiting people in the villages & leading mini VBS programs during the medical clinics as I had anticipated, I had the privilege of presenting messages from Scripture in several churches—especially the AWESOME opportunity of worshipping with my brothers & sisters in the Chelekompalli Church—and also to leave a legacy of a medical record system for the school as well as a computer listing of all the students alphabetically & by standards (grade levels). I was given another glimpse of the great challenge of presenting the good news of Jesus’ love to people who live in superstition & darkness. One afternoon as I was working alone at the clinic, Mr. Principal (that is the polite way to address him) told me that a blind man had come with his twin sons, wanting to enroll them in the school & asked me to sponsor them. Mr. Principal sent me home with the request to try to find people to sponsor seven needy children at the school--$30/month or $360/year provides room, board & education for a student who would not have that opportunity otherwise. I had expected it to be easier to leave India & come home this time—especially because of my little grandson, Kayden—but in some ways it’s harder than ever to leave! This trip I’ve had a chance to see a little more what a commitment to stay overseas as a missionary costs on a personal level, but also what an incredible difference one person, completely committed to follow God’s leading, can make in the lives of others for eternity.
I pray the lessons I’ve learned will not be lost in the hustle & bustle of life back in the US, the vision will not dim, & my commitment to the Lord & willingness to follow His leading in my life will never waver. He is coming soon—MARANATHA!!!
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is changing lives for eternity—including mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sunday February 1, 2009
Blessings from INDIA!!! Sunday February 1, 2009
It was a short night!!! After I went to bed I laid awake thinking about the wonderful time I’ve had in India & wishing it didn’t have to end so soon! I’ve missed Isaac (my son), Kayden (my grandson), & the rest of my family & friends back home, but the needs here in India are so great & it has been such a blessing for me to have had the opportunity to meet some of those needs.
We all got up early to say goodbye to Sharla & Kevin. After they left, the rest of us ate breakfast together. Sunita had brought some dosa & samosa for supper last night while I was sleeping, so Vilma saved some for me to have for breakfast this morning. I like the dosa, but the samosa is too hot for me.
Joy & I visited the dorms & children’s homes to take photos & to say goodbye to the children. The kids were busy cleaning the dorms & also washing their clothes. We stopped up at the clinic for the last time & I took a picture of Sue & Mel in front of their house—located on the 2nd campus across the road from the school.
We left the school about 9:30 am. The early part of the trip we drove through lots of little villages & then we came to an area that consisted of switchbacks as we had to cross over some high bluffs. After we crossed the bluffs we drove through some flat lands with sandy ground, huge rock formations & very little vegetation. As we got closer to Bangalore, we came to lots of road construction & speed bumps. With all our luggage, 5 people + the driver, it was a pretty bouncy trip, but all the passengers except me were able to nap a little.
About 2 pm we reached the north side of Bangalore & stopped at a Café Coffee Day to have lunch. Kotesh contacted Lowry College & they didn’t have a place for us to stay. When Vilma & Paul had stayed in Bangalore they found a little hotel to stay in downtown that was inexpensive, so Kotesh contacted them & made reservations for us.
Bangalore is a huge city with lots of one-way streets & our driver had a little trouble finding the shopping district Sue had recommended, but we finally found it & miraculously found a parking spot very close to the stores. It was fun checking out the different shops. We went to two different Indian handicraft stores—one had very steep prices & the other was much more reasonable. We were looking for gifts to bring home & also just enjoying seeing all the different things available. The streets were filled with shoppers as well as peddlers of all kinds of stuff. The first street we shopped on had a KFC (with western toilets) & lots of large shops appealing to westerners’ tastes Then we went to another street that was lined with little shops with goods appealing more to the less affluent & more economical prices.
Everyone had a successful trip--Sue found some curtains & a rug for her house…I bought Isaac a Nehru shirt, Kayden a toy train & a little Indian outfit to wear to church, a stainless steel bowl, a bedspread made in Rajasthan (a state in northern India), & some shirt fabric to give to Kotesh as a thank you gift...Joy bought some neckties & Indian blouses…Velma bought a pair of shoes, a shirt for Paul, & an umbrella for Mrs. Principal. I’ve probably forgotten some things, but we had a lot of fun.
About 9 pm we checked into The Palms Residence—our hotel for the night. It was a no-frills place, but it was clean & both rooms had two beds at a cost of 805 rupees for each of us (approx $34 for 24 hrs/room). The odor of moth balls was very strong, but I’ve found that to be common in hotels in India. Joy & I had been roommates since she arrived, so we decided to continue that tradition for our last night in India.
After we got all our luggage & treasures from shopping into our room, we headed out for Pizza Hut for supper. We had to wait for about an hour to get a table—we had been told it would be 10 to 30 minutes! By the time our waiter came, I was just about brain dead. Fortunately, Sue was still together enough to order for us. Vilma wasn’t as hungry as the rest of us—she had eaten a couple of ears of roasted corn from a nearby street vendor.
It was after 11 pm when we got back to the hotel tonight & it’s time to get some shut eye!!!
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a short night!!! After I went to bed I laid awake thinking about the wonderful time I’ve had in India & wishing it didn’t have to end so soon! I’ve missed Isaac (my son), Kayden (my grandson), & the rest of my family & friends back home, but the needs here in India are so great & it has been such a blessing for me to have had the opportunity to meet some of those needs.
We all got up early to say goodbye to Sharla & Kevin. After they left, the rest of us ate breakfast together. Sunita had brought some dosa & samosa for supper last night while I was sleeping, so Vilma saved some for me to have for breakfast this morning. I like the dosa, but the samosa is too hot for me.
Joy & I visited the dorms & children’s homes to take photos & to say goodbye to the children. The kids were busy cleaning the dorms & also washing their clothes. We stopped up at the clinic for the last time & I took a picture of Sue & Mel in front of their house—located on the 2nd campus across the road from the school.
We left the school about 9:30 am. The early part of the trip we drove through lots of little villages & then we came to an area that consisted of switchbacks as we had to cross over some high bluffs. After we crossed the bluffs we drove through some flat lands with sandy ground, huge rock formations & very little vegetation. As we got closer to Bangalore, we came to lots of road construction & speed bumps. With all our luggage, 5 people + the driver, it was a pretty bouncy trip, but all the passengers except me were able to nap a little.
About 2 pm we reached the north side of Bangalore & stopped at a Café Coffee Day to have lunch. Kotesh contacted Lowry College & they didn’t have a place for us to stay. When Vilma & Paul had stayed in Bangalore they found a little hotel to stay in downtown that was inexpensive, so Kotesh contacted them & made reservations for us.
Bangalore is a huge city with lots of one-way streets & our driver had a little trouble finding the shopping district Sue had recommended, but we finally found it & miraculously found a parking spot very close to the stores. It was fun checking out the different shops. We went to two different Indian handicraft stores—one had very steep prices & the other was much more reasonable. We were looking for gifts to bring home & also just enjoying seeing all the different things available. The streets were filled with shoppers as well as peddlers of all kinds of stuff. The first street we shopped on had a KFC (with western toilets) & lots of large shops appealing to westerners’ tastes Then we went to another street that was lined with little shops with goods appealing more to the less affluent & more economical prices.
Everyone had a successful trip--Sue found some curtains & a rug for her house…I bought Isaac a Nehru shirt, Kayden a toy train & a little Indian outfit to wear to church, a stainless steel bowl, a bedspread made in Rajasthan (a state in northern India), & some shirt fabric to give to Kotesh as a thank you gift...Joy bought some neckties & Indian blouses…Velma bought a pair of shoes, a shirt for Paul, & an umbrella for Mrs. Principal. I’ve probably forgotten some things, but we had a lot of fun.
About 9 pm we checked into The Palms Residence—our hotel for the night. It was a no-frills place, but it was clean & both rooms had two beds at a cost of 805 rupees for each of us (approx $34 for 24 hrs/room). The odor of moth balls was very strong, but I’ve found that to be common in hotels in India. Joy & I had been roommates since she arrived, so we decided to continue that tradition for our last night in India.
After we got all our luggage & treasures from shopping into our room, we headed out for Pizza Hut for supper. We had to wait for about an hour to get a table—we had been told it would be 10 to 30 minutes! By the time our waiter came, I was just about brain dead. Fortunately, Sue was still together enough to order for us. Vilma wasn’t as hungry as the rest of us—she had eaten a couple of ears of roasted corn from a nearby street vendor.
It was after 11 pm when we got back to the hotel tonight & it’s time to get some shut eye!!!
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sabbath 31 January 2009
Greetings from INDIA!!! Sabbath 31 January 2009
I really slept well last night, so I’m ready for another busy day. It’s a beautiful Sabbath morning & I woke up to the sounds of happy children’s voices outside our house. Our team is in charge of Sabbath School & church today & I’m in the Kindergarten department. It will be interesting to see what their Sabbath School is like!
Later…
Sharla had to go to the village where she’s been treating a little girl with Cerebral Palsy. The girl’s family wanted to give her a sari to thank her for all she’s done for their daughter. She wasn’t back before it was time for us to go to Sabbath School, so we adapted our plans. Some of the girls led the singing & I had prayer. Joy sang a beautiful song followed by the mission story by Kevin. Kevin told the story out of the Mission Quarterly, & then he told a story that happened to his grandparents & father while they were serving as missionaries in China.
His grandfather was called away from where their family was stationed in central China, leaving his grandmother & two little children. The war was getting closer to them & so his grandfather contacted his wife & urged them to leave that area as soon as possible. She bought train tickets for them to leave a few days later.
On the day of their departure, they knelt as a family & prayed for God’s direction & protection. They got to the railroad station in plenty of time, but the train had already pulled out of the station & was a long ways down the track. When grandmother inquired about it, she was told that since the train was already full they decided to leave early! The ticket master offered to get them tickets to leave in a couple of weeks, but she told him that wouldn’t do. He rummaged around the office & finally found some tickets for the next day’s train, so they went home.
The next morning they got ready, had prayer together again, & headed for the station again—earlier than the day before. On the way to the station they heard a paper boy heralding the news that yesterday’s train had been attacked & destroyed by an air raid! The family was very sober the rest of the trip to the station. They boarded the train & started down the track. Some time later their attention was called to look out the window where they saw the wreckage of yesterday’s train still smoldering in the ditch beside the tracks. They hadn’t gone too much farther when the train suddenly stopped. They were told that the Japanese planes were coming again. There was a lake on one side of the train, a field on the other, & if they tried to go back they would be on a bridge—a prime target for the bombers. With no place to flee they just stayed on the train and prayed, recited Psalm 91 & sang hymns. Soon they saw the planes on the horizon & watched breathlessly as they circled the train several times before turning & going back the direction they had come from!!! God had delivered them…AGAIN!!!
When Kevin finished this story, it was time to separate into the different classes. I followed the girls’ dean to the classroom where the kindergarten children were meeting. The Sabbath School materials we were given were confusing to follow, so I decided to take some of the coloring book pages & crayons left over from children’s programs in the villages & use that for my part of the program. It was fun to hear the children sing some of the familiar Sabbath School songs I grew up with!!! After they colored their papers, they all brought them up to me to have me write my name on them.
Before church started, Sharla played several songs on her violin. She had to fill some extra time--Kevin was wearing a lungi (sort of a skirt) & he was worried that it might fall off, so he went back to the house to secure it with his belt.
My role for church was to tell the children’s story, so I told the story about the Christian in jail who was fed with the bread the jailer’s cat brought him. Joy gave an awesome message focusing on the story of David & Goliath. Kotesh was our translator.
I guess I haven’t mentioned before that while most of the children speak & understand English, some of the younger ones only understand Telegu. That’s why it was such a blessing to have Kotesh translate our messages to the children at the school.
After church we all posed for photos by the guest house in our Indian garb & then ate lunch together. I can’t remember if I told you that Sue & Mel have been eating all their meals with us because they have to get propane for the stove in their house & I think their stove has some other problems, too.
JesuDas (the pastor & boys’ dean) & Mel have discussed having Bible studies on Sabbath afternoons for the boarding students. Many of them come from Hindu backgrounds, & even tho’ they have Bible classes in school, it would be such a blessing to have something available for them to attend on Sabbath that would ground their faith & give them a better understanding of Scripture. As Mel & I were talking about this idea, all of a sudden I remembered that I have some Bible studies (Lifting Up Jesus by Karen Lewis & Parables of Jesus by Stephen Bohr) downloaded on my computer. Mel was delighted, & went over to his house to get a jump drive & his computer so he could get copies of what I have. While we were in the midst of this process, it was time for the team to leave for a church close by & do an afternoon medical clinic for them, so I stayed a the house & copied lessons for Mel. Put together, that gives him over a year’s worth of material.
I really enjoyed visiting with Sue & Mel as they shared how God led them to leave Alaska & come to India to be Maranatha volunteers, overseeing construction and maintenance things at the school as well as Sue teaching music & helping the principal as his secretary.
During the late afternoon I developed a severe migraine, so I took my meds & went to bed about 7 pm & slept until close to 9 pm. Consequently, I didn’t get over to the clinic to finish entering information on the computer for the students we saw on Friday. It was time to start packing. John (a photographer working for Maranatha) gave us each a cd of photos from our project & we exchanged contact information with each other.
Sharla & Kevin are scheduled to leave tomorrow morning for Tiraputti & then on to Bangalore to catch their plane to Frankfort shortly after midnight Monday morning. Their trip will take probably 12+ hours because of their stop at Tiraputti to visit a student they are sponsoring at a school.
Joy is going on an excursion to see the Taj Mahal & her plane leaves Bangalore for Delhi late Monday afternoon. My flight back to the US leaves Bangalore at 2:15 Tuesday morning. Joy & I had the option of staying at the school until Monday morning, but we’ve decided to go to Bangalore & do some site-seeing & shopping instead. The extra cost to hire a driver & vehicle to take us tomorrow is 2000 rupees—just under $40. Sue & Vilma have decided to go with us to do some shopping, too. Some foods like butter, peanut butter, soy milk, & canned vegetables & fruits aren’t available in Venpalli or Cuddapah—they have to be purchased in Bangalore when someone goes there. Things we take so much for granted, are much more complicated in India. Kotesh will be going with us. We are hoping to be able to stay at a guest house at Lowry SDA College, located on the outskirts of Bangalore tomorrow night.
I’m almost packed & it’s about 12:30 am Sunday morning—time to get a few hours of sleep before we leave!!!
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really slept well last night, so I’m ready for another busy day. It’s a beautiful Sabbath morning & I woke up to the sounds of happy children’s voices outside our house. Our team is in charge of Sabbath School & church today & I’m in the Kindergarten department. It will be interesting to see what their Sabbath School is like!
Later…
Sharla had to go to the village where she’s been treating a little girl with Cerebral Palsy. The girl’s family wanted to give her a sari to thank her for all she’s done for their daughter. She wasn’t back before it was time for us to go to Sabbath School, so we adapted our plans. Some of the girls led the singing & I had prayer. Joy sang a beautiful song followed by the mission story by Kevin. Kevin told the story out of the Mission Quarterly, & then he told a story that happened to his grandparents & father while they were serving as missionaries in China.
His grandfather was called away from where their family was stationed in central China, leaving his grandmother & two little children. The war was getting closer to them & so his grandfather contacted his wife & urged them to leave that area as soon as possible. She bought train tickets for them to leave a few days later.
On the day of their departure, they knelt as a family & prayed for God’s direction & protection. They got to the railroad station in plenty of time, but the train had already pulled out of the station & was a long ways down the track. When grandmother inquired about it, she was told that since the train was already full they decided to leave early! The ticket master offered to get them tickets to leave in a couple of weeks, but she told him that wouldn’t do. He rummaged around the office & finally found some tickets for the next day’s train, so they went home.
The next morning they got ready, had prayer together again, & headed for the station again—earlier than the day before. On the way to the station they heard a paper boy heralding the news that yesterday’s train had been attacked & destroyed by an air raid! The family was very sober the rest of the trip to the station. They boarded the train & started down the track. Some time later their attention was called to look out the window where they saw the wreckage of yesterday’s train still smoldering in the ditch beside the tracks. They hadn’t gone too much farther when the train suddenly stopped. They were told that the Japanese planes were coming again. There was a lake on one side of the train, a field on the other, & if they tried to go back they would be on a bridge—a prime target for the bombers. With no place to flee they just stayed on the train and prayed, recited Psalm 91 & sang hymns. Soon they saw the planes on the horizon & watched breathlessly as they circled the train several times before turning & going back the direction they had come from!!! God had delivered them…AGAIN!!!
When Kevin finished this story, it was time to separate into the different classes. I followed the girls’ dean to the classroom where the kindergarten children were meeting. The Sabbath School materials we were given were confusing to follow, so I decided to take some of the coloring book pages & crayons left over from children’s programs in the villages & use that for my part of the program. It was fun to hear the children sing some of the familiar Sabbath School songs I grew up with!!! After they colored their papers, they all brought them up to me to have me write my name on them.
Before church started, Sharla played several songs on her violin. She had to fill some extra time--Kevin was wearing a lungi (sort of a skirt) & he was worried that it might fall off, so he went back to the house to secure it with his belt.
My role for church was to tell the children’s story, so I told the story about the Christian in jail who was fed with the bread the jailer’s cat brought him. Joy gave an awesome message focusing on the story of David & Goliath. Kotesh was our translator.
I guess I haven’t mentioned before that while most of the children speak & understand English, some of the younger ones only understand Telegu. That’s why it was such a blessing to have Kotesh translate our messages to the children at the school.
After church we all posed for photos by the guest house in our Indian garb & then ate lunch together. I can’t remember if I told you that Sue & Mel have been eating all their meals with us because they have to get propane for the stove in their house & I think their stove has some other problems, too.
JesuDas (the pastor & boys’ dean) & Mel have discussed having Bible studies on Sabbath afternoons for the boarding students. Many of them come from Hindu backgrounds, & even tho’ they have Bible classes in school, it would be such a blessing to have something available for them to attend on Sabbath that would ground their faith & give them a better understanding of Scripture. As Mel & I were talking about this idea, all of a sudden I remembered that I have some Bible studies (Lifting Up Jesus by Karen Lewis & Parables of Jesus by Stephen Bohr) downloaded on my computer. Mel was delighted, & went over to his house to get a jump drive & his computer so he could get copies of what I have. While we were in the midst of this process, it was time for the team to leave for a church close by & do an afternoon medical clinic for them, so I stayed a the house & copied lessons for Mel. Put together, that gives him over a year’s worth of material.
I really enjoyed visiting with Sue & Mel as they shared how God led them to leave Alaska & come to India to be Maranatha volunteers, overseeing construction and maintenance things at the school as well as Sue teaching music & helping the principal as his secretary.
During the late afternoon I developed a severe migraine, so I took my meds & went to bed about 7 pm & slept until close to 9 pm. Consequently, I didn’t get over to the clinic to finish entering information on the computer for the students we saw on Friday. It was time to start packing. John (a photographer working for Maranatha) gave us each a cd of photos from our project & we exchanged contact information with each other.
Sharla & Kevin are scheduled to leave tomorrow morning for Tiraputti & then on to Bangalore to catch their plane to Frankfort shortly after midnight Monday morning. Their trip will take probably 12+ hours because of their stop at Tiraputti to visit a student they are sponsoring at a school.
Joy is going on an excursion to see the Taj Mahal & her plane leaves Bangalore for Delhi late Monday afternoon. My flight back to the US leaves Bangalore at 2:15 Tuesday morning. Joy & I had the option of staying at the school until Monday morning, but we’ve decided to go to Bangalore & do some site-seeing & shopping instead. The extra cost to hire a driver & vehicle to take us tomorrow is 2000 rupees—just under $40. Sue & Vilma have decided to go with us to do some shopping, too. Some foods like butter, peanut butter, soy milk, & canned vegetables & fruits aren’t available in Venpalli or Cuddapah—they have to be purchased in Bangalore when someone goes there. Things we take so much for granted, are much more complicated in India. Kotesh will be going with us. We are hoping to be able to stay at a guest house at Lowry SDA College, located on the outskirts of Bangalore tomorrow night.
I’m almost packed & it’s about 12:30 am Sunday morning—time to get a few hours of sleep before we leave!!!
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday ~ 30 January 2009
Greetings from India Friday ~ 30 January 2009
Another beautiful day at Cuddapah School! Because we were unable to see all the students during the three days last week we held medical clinics, we decided to hold another clinic at the school & try to see the children we missed before & also dispense the medications to the students that Dr. Naik ordered.
It was absolutely WILD at the clinic today!!! I don’t know for sure, but I think we saw over 100 students today—new ones & ones we’d seen before to dispense their meds. No matter how many times I’d already told them to line up in single fine by the door, within a matter of seconds they were pushing & trying to get to the front of the line so they could see everything that was happening to the persons in front of them. We needed more people than we had available to handle the registration of the new children & also to find the charts of the students previously seen.
I had the charts for the children with orders from Dr. Naik in order & a box of charts for the kids with vision problems, but due to a lack of boxes, the other charts of children previously seen were in a large box in random order. When those children came in with complaints, I had to search through all the boxes to find their name. Another complication was that there are many duplicate names.
During the initial registration, we were unable to get complete names and didn’t get birthdates for the children or their standards (grade in school), so the only way I had to differentiate the different children was by the height listed in their charts. I was also trying to go through the standard lists I had entered on the computer to identify the students we needed to call out of class to come & get their meds.
Joy & I were planning to go into Cuddapah this afternoon for an hour or so to look around, but because we were so busy at the clinic we canceled our plans & stayed at the school and worked. I really need to spend Saturday night entering all the new students we saw today on my computer spreadsheet, so those needing glasses will be listed all together.
I should mention that I’m sorry some of my blog entries are so late getting posted. Internet service here is dial-up & only available at the clinic. Some days I haven’t been able to get on at all. The electricity here in interesting, too—it usually goes off about 11 am for 15-45 minutes, & again at 6 pm for about the same length of time.
Surya went into Venpalli & picked up our clothes from the tailor late this afternoon, so we’ll all be dressed in our Indian clothes tomorrow for Sabbath School & church.
I had a little chance to relax tonight between clinic & supper & before vespers with the boarding students. Sharla played her violin & then we showed the Jesus DVD (in Telugu) for vespers & the children seemed to be very attentive. I slipped out of the meeting early because I am exhausted, so I’m signing off for tonight.
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another beautiful day at Cuddapah School! Because we were unable to see all the students during the three days last week we held medical clinics, we decided to hold another clinic at the school & try to see the children we missed before & also dispense the medications to the students that Dr. Naik ordered.
It was absolutely WILD at the clinic today!!! I don’t know for sure, but I think we saw over 100 students today—new ones & ones we’d seen before to dispense their meds. No matter how many times I’d already told them to line up in single fine by the door, within a matter of seconds they were pushing & trying to get to the front of the line so they could see everything that was happening to the persons in front of them. We needed more people than we had available to handle the registration of the new children & also to find the charts of the students previously seen.
I had the charts for the children with orders from Dr. Naik in order & a box of charts for the kids with vision problems, but due to a lack of boxes, the other charts of children previously seen were in a large box in random order. When those children came in with complaints, I had to search through all the boxes to find their name. Another complication was that there are many duplicate names.
During the initial registration, we were unable to get complete names and didn’t get birthdates for the children or their standards (grade in school), so the only way I had to differentiate the different children was by the height listed in their charts. I was also trying to go through the standard lists I had entered on the computer to identify the students we needed to call out of class to come & get their meds.
Joy & I were planning to go into Cuddapah this afternoon for an hour or so to look around, but because we were so busy at the clinic we canceled our plans & stayed at the school and worked. I really need to spend Saturday night entering all the new students we saw today on my computer spreadsheet, so those needing glasses will be listed all together.
I should mention that I’m sorry some of my blog entries are so late getting posted. Internet service here is dial-up & only available at the clinic. Some days I haven’t been able to get on at all. The electricity here in interesting, too—it usually goes off about 11 am for 15-45 minutes, & again at 6 pm for about the same length of time.
Surya went into Venpalli & picked up our clothes from the tailor late this afternoon, so we’ll all be dressed in our Indian clothes tomorrow for Sabbath School & church.
I had a little chance to relax tonight between clinic & supper & before vespers with the boarding students. Sharla played her violin & then we showed the Jesus DVD (in Telugu) for vespers & the children seemed to be very attentive. I slipped out of the meeting early because I am exhausted, so I’m signing off for tonight.
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday
Greetings From India Tuesday 27 January 2009
Yesterday was really hot, but today was a bit cooler. We had a larger group around the breakfast table this morning because John & Varinder ate with us. They had to leave today & go to Ongole where another school is going to be built.
Before he left, Varinder worked on coordinating the logistics of getting all of us to the airport in Bangalore to catch our respective flights next week—Sharla & Kevin leave early Monday morning, Joy leaves Monday afternoon, & I leave in the wee hours Tuesday morning. I think we’ll all be traveling to Bangalore on Sunday.
This morning Surya, Paul & Kevin took several children to Cuddapah for tests at the hospital & also purchased more medical supplies for the children at the school. Kotesh, Spandana, Sharla & Joy held a medical clinic in a nearby village, & I stayed back in the clinic office working on the medical record database for the students. It was rather challenging trying to read Dr. Naik’s handwriting, but by 6 pm this evening it was getting easier. We’re hoping to utilize this database when we dispense the meds purchased in Cuddapah today & it will make it easy to sort for different problems that need follow-up measures.
Early this afternoon a man came to show us some hand crocheted items he had for sale. He had bedspreads, tablecloths, doilies, and placemats all handmade at very reasonable prices. We all bought some of his wares to bring home with us.
This evening I spoke for the meeting at another church—“Stuck in the Mud.”
Wednesday ~ 28 January 2009
This morning at breakfast we met Mel & Susan, a couple from Homer, Alaska who are volunteers with Maranatha working here at the school. They went back to the US in November for a couple of months & now are back at the school for another year. They have to leave India every six months because they are here on tourist visas. During their time back in the States, they purchased a house in Battle Creek (near Susan’s parents) & moved their things down from Alaska. She is teaching the older students Music Theory & Mel manages the non-educational aspects of the school—maintenance, supervises new construction, etc.
This morning we had a special treat. Dr. Naik, the doctor who helped us with the children’s medical issues at the school, invited us to come to his little clinic & 15 bed hospital in a nearby town. He proudly showed us around his little facility. He has a lady who assists him & a pharmacy & pharmacist on site. He showed us a video (on his digital camera) of a procedure he did on a little boy who had a stone the size of a kidney bean in the end of his penis. The procedure was done without any anesthetic!
After we toured his hospital/clinic, he led the way for us to walk to his house (maybe 2 blocks US distance) where we met his in-laws & they treated us to some soda & some sweets. He showed us his wedding photo album—his wife was at Cuddapah in school so we didn’t get a chance to meet her. He was so delighted to have us come to his home.
I came back to the school to work on the computer & the medical team went out to a village. When the medical team finished, Kotesh called the driver at the school, Chitty, & had him take me to town so I could join the rest of the ladies for shopping. Spandana translated for us & negotiated the best price for us. I bought 1 new sari & 2 new Punjabis. We also bought sari pins & Henna for hand & foot designs. We stopped at the tailor, too. When we got back to the school & went back to the clinic to work on the computer.
I went back to the house for a fast supper, & then we headed out to the evening meeting. I gave the “Wedding Garment” message again & Joy did the music. Before the service the pastor was leading the singing with his tambourine & I decided to play the drum—no mallet, just with my hands! I did pretty good—by watching the pastor I was able to stop on the same beat he did!!!
When we arrived back at the house, Spandana came over to decorate out hands and/or feet with henna. I was first & it took a long time. After she finished with me, I fell asleep on the couch in the living room to give it a chance to dry before going to bed. It was about 1 am when I finally went to bed.
Thursday ~ 29 January 2009
This morning I was REALLY tired!!! When the henna stuff flaked off, my hands & arms looked so weird!!! I’ve never had this done before & this will be the last time!!!!!! As I was working on the computer today (instead of going to the village), I kept thinking that my hands were dirty.
I finally finished entering all the doctor’s orders—except for about 10 charts I had questions on. Then I started entering the names of all the students, so we could check our list against the student roster & maybe figure out who still needs to be seen at the school. I took a break for supper, & then I stayed at the house all evening still working on the computer. Kevin had the message in the village & I finished getting all the names entered about 10 pm.
No dilly-dallying about going to bed tonight—I’m pooped!!!
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday was really hot, but today was a bit cooler. We had a larger group around the breakfast table this morning because John & Varinder ate with us. They had to leave today & go to Ongole where another school is going to be built.
Before he left, Varinder worked on coordinating the logistics of getting all of us to the airport in Bangalore to catch our respective flights next week—Sharla & Kevin leave early Monday morning, Joy leaves Monday afternoon, & I leave in the wee hours Tuesday morning. I think we’ll all be traveling to Bangalore on Sunday.
This morning Surya, Paul & Kevin took several children to Cuddapah for tests at the hospital & also purchased more medical supplies for the children at the school. Kotesh, Spandana, Sharla & Joy held a medical clinic in a nearby village, & I stayed back in the clinic office working on the medical record database for the students. It was rather challenging trying to read Dr. Naik’s handwriting, but by 6 pm this evening it was getting easier. We’re hoping to utilize this database when we dispense the meds purchased in Cuddapah today & it will make it easy to sort for different problems that need follow-up measures.
Early this afternoon a man came to show us some hand crocheted items he had for sale. He had bedspreads, tablecloths, doilies, and placemats all handmade at very reasonable prices. We all bought some of his wares to bring home with us.
This evening I spoke for the meeting at another church—“Stuck in the Mud.”
Wednesday ~ 28 January 2009
This morning at breakfast we met Mel & Susan, a couple from Homer, Alaska who are volunteers with Maranatha working here at the school. They went back to the US in November for a couple of months & now are back at the school for another year. They have to leave India every six months because they are here on tourist visas. During their time back in the States, they purchased a house in Battle Creek (near Susan’s parents) & moved their things down from Alaska. She is teaching the older students Music Theory & Mel manages the non-educational aspects of the school—maintenance, supervises new construction, etc.
This morning we had a special treat. Dr. Naik, the doctor who helped us with the children’s medical issues at the school, invited us to come to his little clinic & 15 bed hospital in a nearby town. He proudly showed us around his little facility. He has a lady who assists him & a pharmacy & pharmacist on site. He showed us a video (on his digital camera) of a procedure he did on a little boy who had a stone the size of a kidney bean in the end of his penis. The procedure was done without any anesthetic!
After we toured his hospital/clinic, he led the way for us to walk to his house (maybe 2 blocks US distance) where we met his in-laws & they treated us to some soda & some sweets. He showed us his wedding photo album—his wife was at Cuddapah in school so we didn’t get a chance to meet her. He was so delighted to have us come to his home.
I came back to the school to work on the computer & the medical team went out to a village. When the medical team finished, Kotesh called the driver at the school, Chitty, & had him take me to town so I could join the rest of the ladies for shopping. Spandana translated for us & negotiated the best price for us. I bought 1 new sari & 2 new Punjabis. We also bought sari pins & Henna for hand & foot designs. We stopped at the tailor, too. When we got back to the school & went back to the clinic to work on the computer.
I went back to the house for a fast supper, & then we headed out to the evening meeting. I gave the “Wedding Garment” message again & Joy did the music. Before the service the pastor was leading the singing with his tambourine & I decided to play the drum—no mallet, just with my hands! I did pretty good—by watching the pastor I was able to stop on the same beat he did!!!
When we arrived back at the house, Spandana came over to decorate out hands and/or feet with henna. I was first & it took a long time. After she finished with me, I fell asleep on the couch in the living room to give it a chance to dry before going to bed. It was about 1 am when I finally went to bed.
Thursday ~ 29 January 2009
This morning I was REALLY tired!!! When the henna stuff flaked off, my hands & arms looked so weird!!! I’ve never had this done before & this will be the last time!!!!!! As I was working on the computer today (instead of going to the village), I kept thinking that my hands were dirty.
I finally finished entering all the doctor’s orders—except for about 10 charts I had questions on. Then I started entering the names of all the students, so we could check our list against the student roster & maybe figure out who still needs to be seen at the school. I took a break for supper, & then I stayed at the house all evening still working on the computer. Kevin had the message in the village & I finished getting all the names entered about 10 pm.
No dilly-dallying about going to bed tonight—I’m pooped!!!
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday - January 26, 2009
Greetings from India 26 January 2009
The weather is getting hotter! I am having a wonderful time & am in good health. It is very dry & dusty here. Only the fields of peanuts, sunflowers & rice paddies are green. Everything else is a sandy reddish color. There are some flowers planted in front of the guest house, which makes it the prettiest place on campus.
Today is Republic Day in India—a BIG holiday celebrating the end of British rule. It also is the day the students received their awards from the sports competitions. A government official from the Nellore District was the guest speaker for the celebration here at the school & he praised the school as well as the SDA educational system for the valuable contribution they make in the lives of the children who attend SDA schools. Some flower petals were folded in with the Indian flag & when it was raised, the petals floated to the ground making a beautiful site. The students in the upper grades were all dressed in white & marched in formation around the field. It was very impressive!!! Our team members were called on to help present some of the awards.
Before the ceremony was complete, Joy (a 4th year medical student from the US & the last member of our team) arrived from Bangalore with Varinder & John from the Dehli office of Maranatha. Varinder has been a member of the Maranatha team for six years, so we’ve worked on several projects together.
After welcoming Joy, we left her to get some rest, & headed out to a village to hold a medical clinic & VBS for the children. The principal’s daughter, Spandana, & Paul went with us. Kevin & I were in charge of the VBS with Kotesh as translator. We started by singing some songs—their favorite was “Bubblin’ Over.” We gave a demonstration of tooth brushing & then gave both children & adults toothbrushes & toothpaste. Kevin told the story of Jonah & then we handed out coloring sheets & a set of 4 crayons to each child.
After the Clinic, we went back to the school for supper & then to the village for the evening meeting. Kevin did the Health Talk on Colds, Flu & Coughs, Sharla played her violin, & I gave the message on Jesus’ parable about the man who came to the wedding feast without the wedding garment.
At the close of the meeting, I had prayer & then the people lined up in front of each of us for prayer.
It’s time to get some sleep so I’ll be ready for another busy day. I got a little sunburn today, but not bad.
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The weather is getting hotter! I am having a wonderful time & am in good health. It is very dry & dusty here. Only the fields of peanuts, sunflowers & rice paddies are green. Everything else is a sandy reddish color. There are some flowers planted in front of the guest house, which makes it the prettiest place on campus.
Today is Republic Day in India—a BIG holiday celebrating the end of British rule. It also is the day the students received their awards from the sports competitions. A government official from the Nellore District was the guest speaker for the celebration here at the school & he praised the school as well as the SDA educational system for the valuable contribution they make in the lives of the children who attend SDA schools. Some flower petals were folded in with the Indian flag & when it was raised, the petals floated to the ground making a beautiful site. The students in the upper grades were all dressed in white & marched in formation around the field. It was very impressive!!! Our team members were called on to help present some of the awards.
Before the ceremony was complete, Joy (a 4th year medical student from the US & the last member of our team) arrived from Bangalore with Varinder & John from the Dehli office of Maranatha. Varinder has been a member of the Maranatha team for six years, so we’ve worked on several projects together.
After welcoming Joy, we left her to get some rest, & headed out to a village to hold a medical clinic & VBS for the children. The principal’s daughter, Spandana, & Paul went with us. Kevin & I were in charge of the VBS with Kotesh as translator. We started by singing some songs—their favorite was “Bubblin’ Over.” We gave a demonstration of tooth brushing & then gave both children & adults toothbrushes & toothpaste. Kevin told the story of Jonah & then we handed out coloring sheets & a set of 4 crayons to each child.
After the Clinic, we went back to the school for supper & then to the village for the evening meeting. Kevin did the Health Talk on Colds, Flu & Coughs, Sharla played her violin, & I gave the message on Jesus’ parable about the man who came to the wedding feast without the wedding garment.
At the close of the meeting, I had prayer & then the people lined up in front of each of us for prayer.
It’s time to get some sleep so I’ll be ready for another busy day. I got a little sunburn today, but not bad.
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday - January 25, 2009
Greetings from India 25 January 2009
It’s been another beautiful day in India & a busy one, too!!! This morning we continued with the medical clinic here at the school. Dr. Naik couldn’t come, but the principal’s daughter is a 4th year nursing student & so she & Paul managed the coughs, headaches & other complaints. It was a continuation of their sports competitions, too—including some games for the staff.
I spent the day entering information on an Excel spreadsheet from the children’s records, mainly focusing on identifying the students whose vision was 20/40 or greater. I still need to process all the charts with orders for medications (that we didn’t have here), x-rays, etc. Some of the parents came to talk to Sharla about their children’s problems, too.
This evening we went to a nearby village, Gondi Palla, & had a meeting at the church. When we arrived at the church the electricity was out. (Normally the power goes off at least twice a day—11 am & 6 pm & is off for 15 minutes to an hour.) Sharla set up her Bose system & someone brought a flashlight, so she gave us a wonderful concert while we were waiting for the power to come on. Once the power came on, more people started coming. I was planning to speak about the Creator God, but as I watched the people come in, I was impressed to change the message to the parable of the 10 virgins. Kevin gave a health talk on the importance of water & then Sharla played special music followed by my message. After the closing prayer, the people came up to us for prayer.
We got home about 9 pm, tired, but thanking God for blessing us richly.
I better get to bed, so I’ll close for now. . Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s been another beautiful day in India & a busy one, too!!! This morning we continued with the medical clinic here at the school. Dr. Naik couldn’t come, but the principal’s daughter is a 4th year nursing student & so she & Paul managed the coughs, headaches & other complaints. It was a continuation of their sports competitions, too—including some games for the staff.
I spent the day entering information on an Excel spreadsheet from the children’s records, mainly focusing on identifying the students whose vision was 20/40 or greater. I still need to process all the charts with orders for medications (that we didn’t have here), x-rays, etc. Some of the parents came to talk to Sharla about their children’s problems, too.
This evening we went to a nearby village, Gondi Palla, & had a meeting at the church. When we arrived at the church the electricity was out. (Normally the power goes off at least twice a day—11 am & 6 pm & is off for 15 minutes to an hour.) Sharla set up her Bose system & someone brought a flashlight, so she gave us a wonderful concert while we were waiting for the power to come on. Once the power came on, more people started coming. I was planning to speak about the Creator God, but as I watched the people come in, I was impressed to change the message to the parable of the 10 virgins. Kevin gave a health talk on the importance of water & then Sharla played special music followed by my message. After the closing prayer, the people came up to us for prayer.
We got home about 9 pm, tired, but thanking God for blessing us richly.
I better get to bed, so I’ll close for now. . Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us richly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Church Dedication Day!!!
Church Dedication Day!!! 24 January 2009
I got up early this morning because I needed to prepare the message for the church dedication. The local church pastor & someone representing the local conference will handle the actual dedication service, but I will deliver the sermon for the day. I also will have the privilege of leading the congregation in singing my favorite Indian hymn “Gee Wha Nah Denee.”
The wife of the Boys’ Dean/Pastor of the school, Sunita, cooked us an Indian breakfast this morning. I don’t remember the name of everything we ate, but we had purri, coconut chutney (too hot for me!), dohsa, potatoes, rice & fresh fruit—grapes, papaya, & tangerine. After breakfast she dressed Sharla & me in our saris. Vilma had another lady help her with her sari.
About 10 am we took off for the church—7 of us plus a driver in one vehicle! The roads weren’t too bad, but there was a lot of animal traffic—very large flocks of sheep & goats, along with water buffalo, monkeys & oxen. The school is located in sort of a valley, with bluffs around the perimeter. There were many beautiful rock formations that bore evidence of the flood. Huge boulders arranged at random made the road very narrow in places. Part of the way we sang hymns together.
We came to a place where there was a dirt side road, & a man was on his motorcycle waiting for us to come by so he could lead us back to the village where the church is located. That road was filled with potholes. At the end of the road was the village.
Pastor K.R. Jones, the President of the Cuddapah Section Conference of Seventh-day Adventists greeted us & welcomed us to Chelekompalli. The church members had hired some drummers & a dancer to lead us in a procession walking to the church. We followed them, greeting townspeople & church members as we walked down the street. When we got to the end of the street, the church was set back on the left side of the street.
More of the church members were waiting there to greet us, including Pastor Sahadevudu, the pastor of the Chelekompalli Church & a number of other churches in this area. We had some pictures taken outside the church with the congregation & then Pastor Jones welcomed us again & had prayer. I had the awesome privilege of unveiling the plaque on the side of the church & then to cut the ribbon. We walked into a festively decorated little church.
When everyone was inside, the singing began with Pastor Sahadevudu playing the tambourine & leading the hymns—all sung in the local language of Telegu. All of us were called to be seated on the platform & then some of the young girls brought garlands of Jasmine & put them around our necks. Vilma read the Scripture reading, Sharla played her violin, Paul had prayer & Kevin shared a few remarks. Before the actual dedication ceremony, Pastor Jones asked me to share with the congregation the story of how the church came to be built. During the ceremony the members joined in some responsive vows.
Just before I was to give the sermon, I led the singing of “Gee Wha Nah Denee.” I preached about Jesus as the Light of the World & how we are all called by Him to reflect His light in this dark world. I told them that now my heart will have a home in India—in the Chelekompalli Church. I closed with an appeal to meet all of them in Heaven. Sharla played another solo while they took up the offering, & then I presented the church with the picture rolls I had brought them. I had the prayer for the offering & closing prayer combined. We took some more pictures & then prayed with the church members individually. When we finished, we went outside for a few last pictures & then it was time to head back to the school. Everyone had a wonderful time at the dedication & the ride back to campus passed quickly, even tho’ we stopped briefly several times to take photos.
As soon as we got back to the school, Sunita brought us dinner—more Indian dishes. One interesting dish she made had rice & some kind of leafy herb cooked with whole cloves. Another dish I enjoyed was dahl—a lentil-like bean cooked in a sauce. It was a little hot, but not too hot for me.
After lunch, I laid down on the couch in the living room & fell asleep. When I woke up, I was still tired, so I went to my room & laid down & slept a little more. Vilma called me about 5:30 pm to come out on front campus to have sundown vespers with the students. They did a lot of singing & then performed a skit for us. Afterward, I came back to the house & we watched some nature programming on TV.
It was a BIG day so I’ll sign off for now. Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven has provided a new church for His people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got up early this morning because I needed to prepare the message for the church dedication. The local church pastor & someone representing the local conference will handle the actual dedication service, but I will deliver the sermon for the day. I also will have the privilege of leading the congregation in singing my favorite Indian hymn “Gee Wha Nah Denee.”
The wife of the Boys’ Dean/Pastor of the school, Sunita, cooked us an Indian breakfast this morning. I don’t remember the name of everything we ate, but we had purri, coconut chutney (too hot for me!), dohsa, potatoes, rice & fresh fruit—grapes, papaya, & tangerine. After breakfast she dressed Sharla & me in our saris. Vilma had another lady help her with her sari.
About 10 am we took off for the church—7 of us plus a driver in one vehicle! The roads weren’t too bad, but there was a lot of animal traffic—very large flocks of sheep & goats, along with water buffalo, monkeys & oxen. The school is located in sort of a valley, with bluffs around the perimeter. There were many beautiful rock formations that bore evidence of the flood. Huge boulders arranged at random made the road very narrow in places. Part of the way we sang hymns together.
We came to a place where there was a dirt side road, & a man was on his motorcycle waiting for us to come by so he could lead us back to the village where the church is located. That road was filled with potholes. At the end of the road was the village.
Pastor K.R. Jones, the President of the Cuddapah Section Conference of Seventh-day Adventists greeted us & welcomed us to Chelekompalli. The church members had hired some drummers & a dancer to lead us in a procession walking to the church. We followed them, greeting townspeople & church members as we walked down the street. When we got to the end of the street, the church was set back on the left side of the street.
More of the church members were waiting there to greet us, including Pastor Sahadevudu, the pastor of the Chelekompalli Church & a number of other churches in this area. We had some pictures taken outside the church with the congregation & then Pastor Jones welcomed us again & had prayer. I had the awesome privilege of unveiling the plaque on the side of the church & then to cut the ribbon. We walked into a festively decorated little church.
When everyone was inside, the singing began with Pastor Sahadevudu playing the tambourine & leading the hymns—all sung in the local language of Telegu. All of us were called to be seated on the platform & then some of the young girls brought garlands of Jasmine & put them around our necks. Vilma read the Scripture reading, Sharla played her violin, Paul had prayer & Kevin shared a few remarks. Before the actual dedication ceremony, Pastor Jones asked me to share with the congregation the story of how the church came to be built. During the ceremony the members joined in some responsive vows.
Just before I was to give the sermon, I led the singing of “Gee Wha Nah Denee.” I preached about Jesus as the Light of the World & how we are all called by Him to reflect His light in this dark world. I told them that now my heart will have a home in India—in the Chelekompalli Church. I closed with an appeal to meet all of them in Heaven. Sharla played another solo while they took up the offering, & then I presented the church with the picture rolls I had brought them. I had the prayer for the offering & closing prayer combined. We took some more pictures & then prayed with the church members individually. When we finished, we went outside for a few last pictures & then it was time to head back to the school. Everyone had a wonderful time at the dedication & the ride back to campus passed quickly, even tho’ we stopped briefly several times to take photos.
As soon as we got back to the school, Sunita brought us dinner—more Indian dishes. One interesting dish she made had rice & some kind of leafy herb cooked with whole cloves. Another dish I enjoyed was dahl—a lentil-like bean cooked in a sauce. It was a little hot, but not too hot for me.
After lunch, I laid down on the couch in the living room & fell asleep. When I woke up, I was still tired, so I went to my room & laid down & slept a little more. Vilma called me about 5:30 pm to come out on front campus to have sundown vespers with the students. They did a lot of singing & then performed a skit for us. Afterward, I came back to the house & we watched some nature programming on TV.
It was a BIG day so I’ll sign off for now. Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven has provided a new church for His people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Greetings From India--2009-01-22 & 23
Greetings from India!!! 22 January 2009
I almost fell asleep last night while writing my “epistle.” India is 11 ½ hours ahead of Minnesota time—the ½ is because India doesn’t want to be in the same time zone as Pakistan! In spite of the huge time difference from MN, I’ve adjusted quickly.
Today was a BIG day at the Cuddapah School. It was their sports day, with all kinds of competitions between the children from different houses. They put up a tent & a platform. Some of the teachers were up until 2 am this morning marking the campus for the special events.
After breakfast & worship, we prepared to join the festivities. We were each given a special ribbon to wear in honor of the games.
The celebration began with some marching & assembling all the children in formation by their houses (Red, Blue, Green & Yellow) they held a flag raising ceremony where they raised the special flag for sports day. Some remarks from the principal followed along with the presentation of garlands to our team members & then opening prayer by Sharla. Paul read some Scripture verses from Psalms & Corinthians & then Kevin gave the address, followed by closing prayer by me. Paul & Sharla were called to the starting point to prepare for the opening race & I was as given the honor of blowing a whistle & clapping some boards together to signal the beginning of the games. Paul & Sharla ran down the track with three of the students in hot pursuit. I didn’t see who actually crossed the finish line first, but they all had a wonderful time.
Once the games began it was time for us to start the medical clinic. The students came to be examined between the events they were participating in. Part of the time the entry way to the clinic was wall-to-wall students, all talking at the same time & pushing to get to the front of the lines we’d set up for each station. It was very challenging for me to get charts ready for each student, complete with their name entered in three places. Most of the time there was no one available to help me understand the children as they tried to tell me how to spell their name for the chart. Thankfully, I did have a list of most of the occupants of each house, so I developed the system of having each child find their own name on the list & then I could copy their name from the list on to the chart.
We had to send some of the children away so we could have time for lunch, but they came back in force during the afternoon. Vilma had already made some of the charts, so I needed to check each child’s name with the completed charts, too.
Dr. Naik came to our house again for lunch again. Vilma prepared a very unusual and very tasty lasagna, serving it with a salad of cabbage, cucumber, onion, tomato. Dr. Naik told us about some tourist sites he recommended in Puttaparti—a city about 2 hours from the school. Tonight we’ll have a team powwow to see if we can fit a visit there into our VERY busy schedule.
The clinic was even busier this afternoon!!! I was so happy when Vilma arrived to help keep order. The children are so curious, they end up pushing & shoving so they can get a better view of everything that’s going on. When we closed up the clinic for the afternoon, I finally got a chance to post yesterday’s epistle on my blog.
Tonight Kevin had worship for the students & Sharla played special music on her violin. She had her accompaniment on her i-Pod & played it over a Bose amplifier/speaker system that operates on battery power. At the close of worship Sharla & I led the children in singing “Jesus’ Love Is Bubbling Over.” I wish you could have heard them singing with GREAT gusto!!! We had vegetable omelets for supper, prepared by Ajit—a young Indian man who sometimes helps Vilma with preparing our food. Paul, Kevin & Sharla went somewhere for the evening, so I stayed at the house with Vilma & we watched a program on TV about wolverines in Finland. They only get a handful of channels on TV here in the guesthouse, & the main channels seem to be BBC & CNN.
23 January 2009
Another beautiful day in India & the temperatures are rising. I haven’t seen any outdoor thermometer on campus, but the temperature in my bedroom usually runs in the 70s at night & 80s during the day.
The sports games are continuing today & the children seem to be having a wonderful time! I saw some girls with legs tied together practicing for the three legged race. After morning worship, our team spent a little time trying to make plans for Sabbath & the coming week. We will all be going to the church dedication tomorrow. Kotesh picked up my new sari blouse from the tailor—it cost 25 rupees. Things were very busy at the clinic again today, but after an hour or so, I got a new job assignment. I started an Excel file on the computer, entering the names of all the students we need to follow-up on—in other words the doctor wrote orders for them & we need to purchase medicine or schedule further test, etc. After I finished those, I started entering all the other names of students we’ve seen. Even tho’ we’ve put in long hours for the last three days, we haven’t seen all the children. With a master list, hopefully we can figure out who is missing, & try to get al least all the boarding students seen next week before we have to leave. At the end of the day the statistics were as follows: 384 students seen including 293 with doctor’s orders.
Tonight I was the speaker for Vespers & Sharla played a couple of violin solos & led the singing. The Scripture verses I used were Jeremiah 29:11-13 & Psalm 37:3-5. At the close I led them in singing “Bubblin’ Over.”
It’s getting late & I need to prepare some thoughts for the dedication service tomorrow, so I better sign off for now.
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us abundantly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I almost fell asleep last night while writing my “epistle.” India is 11 ½ hours ahead of Minnesota time—the ½ is because India doesn’t want to be in the same time zone as Pakistan! In spite of the huge time difference from MN, I’ve adjusted quickly.
Today was a BIG day at the Cuddapah School. It was their sports day, with all kinds of competitions between the children from different houses. They put up a tent & a platform. Some of the teachers were up until 2 am this morning marking the campus for the special events.
After breakfast & worship, we prepared to join the festivities. We were each given a special ribbon to wear in honor of the games.
The celebration began with some marching & assembling all the children in formation by their houses (Red, Blue, Green & Yellow) they held a flag raising ceremony where they raised the special flag for sports day. Some remarks from the principal followed along with the presentation of garlands to our team members & then opening prayer by Sharla. Paul read some Scripture verses from Psalms & Corinthians & then Kevin gave the address, followed by closing prayer by me. Paul & Sharla were called to the starting point to prepare for the opening race & I was as given the honor of blowing a whistle & clapping some boards together to signal the beginning of the games. Paul & Sharla ran down the track with three of the students in hot pursuit. I didn’t see who actually crossed the finish line first, but they all had a wonderful time.
Once the games began it was time for us to start the medical clinic. The students came to be examined between the events they were participating in. Part of the time the entry way to the clinic was wall-to-wall students, all talking at the same time & pushing to get to the front of the lines we’d set up for each station. It was very challenging for me to get charts ready for each student, complete with their name entered in three places. Most of the time there was no one available to help me understand the children as they tried to tell me how to spell their name for the chart. Thankfully, I did have a list of most of the occupants of each house, so I developed the system of having each child find their own name on the list & then I could copy their name from the list on to the chart.
We had to send some of the children away so we could have time for lunch, but they came back in force during the afternoon. Vilma had already made some of the charts, so I needed to check each child’s name with the completed charts, too.
Dr. Naik came to our house again for lunch again. Vilma prepared a very unusual and very tasty lasagna, serving it with a salad of cabbage, cucumber, onion, tomato. Dr. Naik told us about some tourist sites he recommended in Puttaparti—a city about 2 hours from the school. Tonight we’ll have a team powwow to see if we can fit a visit there into our VERY busy schedule.
The clinic was even busier this afternoon!!! I was so happy when Vilma arrived to help keep order. The children are so curious, they end up pushing & shoving so they can get a better view of everything that’s going on. When we closed up the clinic for the afternoon, I finally got a chance to post yesterday’s epistle on my blog.
Tonight Kevin had worship for the students & Sharla played special music on her violin. She had her accompaniment on her i-Pod & played it over a Bose amplifier/speaker system that operates on battery power. At the close of worship Sharla & I led the children in singing “Jesus’ Love Is Bubbling Over.” I wish you could have heard them singing with GREAT gusto!!! We had vegetable omelets for supper, prepared by Ajit—a young Indian man who sometimes helps Vilma with preparing our food. Paul, Kevin & Sharla went somewhere for the evening, so I stayed at the house with Vilma & we watched a program on TV about wolverines in Finland. They only get a handful of channels on TV here in the guesthouse, & the main channels seem to be BBC & CNN.
23 January 2009
Another beautiful day in India & the temperatures are rising. I haven’t seen any outdoor thermometer on campus, but the temperature in my bedroom usually runs in the 70s at night & 80s during the day.
The sports games are continuing today & the children seem to be having a wonderful time! I saw some girls with legs tied together practicing for the three legged race. After morning worship, our team spent a little time trying to make plans for Sabbath & the coming week. We will all be going to the church dedication tomorrow. Kotesh picked up my new sari blouse from the tailor—it cost 25 rupees. Things were very busy at the clinic again today, but after an hour or so, I got a new job assignment. I started an Excel file on the computer, entering the names of all the students we need to follow-up on—in other words the doctor wrote orders for them & we need to purchase medicine or schedule further test, etc. After I finished those, I started entering all the other names of students we’ve seen. Even tho’ we’ve put in long hours for the last three days, we haven’t seen all the children. With a master list, hopefully we can figure out who is missing, & try to get al least all the boarding students seen next week before we have to leave. At the end of the day the statistics were as follows: 384 students seen including 293 with doctor’s orders.
Tonight I was the speaker for Vespers & Sharla played a couple of violin solos & led the singing. The Scripture verses I used were Jeremiah 29:11-13 & Psalm 37:3-5. At the close I led them in singing “Bubblin’ Over.”
It’s getting late & I need to prepare some thoughts for the dedication service tomorrow, so I better sign off for now.
Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us abundantly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Greetings from India!!!
| Greetings from India!!! 21 January 2009 It was a long trip, but we arrived at Cuddapah SDA School about 7:30 am yesterday morning. We were greeted by all the children of the school (approx. 850), lined up with garlands & flower petals. Their smiling faces were beautiful as we walked between the lines of girls on the left & boys on the right, all saying “Welcome to India” and showering us with flower petals. Some of the boys were assigned to carry our luggage to the guest house on the school campus where we’ll be staying during out time here. It was so GREAT to see Kotesh again! He was the Maranatha Coordinator for my team the last time I was in Rajahmundry & one of the most delightful young men in the world! After shaking lots of hands & answering the questions, “What is your name” and “How are you” hundreds of times, we were greeted by our host & hostess at the guest house, Vilma & Paul—a couple from Australia who are volunteering here at the school for six months. They are a very gracious couple who are currently living in the guest house we’ll be staying in. Our team consists of Sharla (a physical therapist) & her husband, Kevin (a hospital administrator), Paul & Vilma (both nurses), & yours truly. Next week a fourth-year medical student named Joy will be arriving to join us. We had a few minutes to get a few things settled in our rooms & then Vilma served us breakfast of porridge, fresh fruit, toast & jam. Just as we finished Kotesh & Surya (our Maranatha Coordinators) stopped by & we made plans for the next two weeks. Vilma & Paul gave us a tour of the clinic here on campus & we planned how to arrange it to process the 850 students in the most efficient manner. Then we had time for a brief nap before lunch. Vilma made an delicious spaghetti sauce filled with vegetables—including okra!!! After lunch we headed off for Cuddapah—about an hour and a half away from the school. There we exchanged money (48.3 rupees/$1 us), purchased medical supplies for the clinic & toothpaste for our village work next week, & I bought a shawl (somehow I didn’t get mine with me & I was really cold from the air conditioning in our car during the 4+ hour ride from the airport in Bangalore here to the school), time for my India cell phone, fabric for a new blouse for my sari, & a basin for the iodine water I wash my hands in. I was really delighted when our driver parked our car under the trees filled with sleeping bats that I remembered from the last time I was in Cuddapah (2003) & we went shopping on the street I remembered so well!!! After we got home about 7:30 pm, I took a shower & crashed for the night. This week we’ll be holding medical clinics here at the school for the students—mornings & afternoons. Before the morning clinic we have worship with the children & also before their supper. The clinic this morning was a little crazy. Paul & Vilma thought the school should have medical records for the children, so they purchased some special folders. Then they got a sample medical history form from someone in the States & we had copies made to put in the folders. We had only maybe 200 folders ready when the children started coming & most of the prepared folders were for children in the upper grades. My role in the clinic was to register the children. The littlest children came first & I had a very difficult time with their names, so Surya would write the name the first time on the chart & then I would write it the next couple of times. After the first batch of children came through, we had to take a break to assemble more folders. Dr. Niak, a pediatrician from the closest town, is the doctor working with our team. He is a very caring young man & a tremendous asset to our medical work. He works for the government, but he has taken some of his vacation time to come & work with the children at the school. Part of the participation fee we each paid to come on this project went to buy medical supplies, get government permits, & pay the doctor to care for the children at the school. When we took a lunch break, he came back to our house & ate dinner with us. Vilma had prepared some yummy potato-vegetable patties & rice, along with raw tomatoes, cucumbers, & onions. As we were visiting during dinner, the conversation gave us ideas to incorporate in the health talks that we’ll be presenting in the nearby villages next week to make them very practical—addressing the rural health issues the villagers face on a daily basis. I spent this afternoon assembling the medical record folders & Vilma did most of the registration. Kevin checks the height & weight of each child & Paul checks their eyes (using an eye chart downloaded from the internet this morning.) Next Sharla checks each one for scoliosis, posture, & agility to determine if they could benefit from PT treatments. The last stop is the doctor & he does a simple physical exam & then Paul gets any medications needed from our dispensary (supplied from medications Sharla & Kevin brought with them or purchased in Cuddapah). After the medical clinic closed for the day, Sharla & Kevin went to a nearby village so she could treat a little girl she met when she (Sharla) was here at Cuddapah last year. I stayed at the school because tonight was my turn to present a worship talk to the children. I told them the story about the time I got stuck in the mud, comparing that experience with getting mired down with sin—emphasizing that God is always willing to rescue us when we pray, “Lord, save me.” Afterward I was surrounded with girls. They compared my white skin to their brown skin & were eager to tell me their names & then test me to see if I remembered them! Some of the names are very difficult to pronounce—to say nothing about remembering them!!! Blessings from INDIA…where the people are beautiful, the children are irresistible, & the GOD of Heaven is blessing us—PTL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Saturday, January 17, 2009
My Two Favorite Guys!!!
Since I'm new to blogging, I wanted to try to upload a photo...so, here are my two favorite guys!!!I'm really down to crunch time now! I still have packing to do & some loose ends to tie down before I head for the airport. Back to work I go!!!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
A week from today...
A week from today I will be leaving MN to go on my 6th trip to India. Upon my arrival in Bangalore on January 20th, I will join a medical team that will be holding clinics in villages around Cuddapah in Andhra Pradesh. During my stay in India, a church in the village of Chilekompalli will be dedicated to the memory of my parents & I will have the awesome privilege of being a part of that service. I had hoped that my brother, sister & one of my nephews could go to India with me for the dedication, but that didn't work out.
Right now I'm sitting in my chair with my grandson, Kayden, & my cat, Frosty, sleeping on my lap. Kayden is almost 23 months old & adds so much joy to my life!!! He loves to be read to as he snuggles on my lap. He is growing up fast & I'm trying to make the most of all the time I have with him.
It's a good thing I'm relaxing right now, because the next few days will be extremely busy as I get ready to go. It will be a challenge to have my luggage meet the weight restrictions, because I want to take lots of crayons & stickers with me to give to the children. My son, Isaac, helped me get some of my "India Stuff" out of storage si I can start the packing process tonight after Kayden goes back to his mom's.
Right now I'm sitting in my chair with my grandson, Kayden, & my cat, Frosty, sleeping on my lap. Kayden is almost 23 months old & adds so much joy to my life!!! He loves to be read to as he snuggles on my lap. He is growing up fast & I'm trying to make the most of all the time I have with him.
It's a good thing I'm relaxing right now, because the next few days will be extremely busy as I get ready to go. It will be a challenge to have my luggage meet the weight restrictions, because I want to take lots of crayons & stickers with me to give to the children. My son, Isaac, helped me get some of my "India Stuff" out of storage si I can start the packing process tonight after Kayden goes back to his mom's.
Welcome to my blog!!!
Welcome to my blog!!!
This is the beginning of a new adventure for me--my 1st blog!!! Please be patient with me as I try to figure it out.
This is the beginning of a new adventure for me--my 1st blog!!! Please be patient with me as I try to figure it out.
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