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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
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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