Hi everyone!
I hope you are all well and are enjoying the nice cold weather! It is still pretty hot here, but I have somehow managed to contract a cold anyway. Most likely from being sneezed over by various children this week...
It has been a VERY busy week for us: several nights we were up until the early hours of the morning planning lessons and fun clubs. But the work we are doing is going well.
Balwadi seems to be improving every time we go there. The kids are getting more used to us now and aren't so hyper when we come! On Wednesday we had our Balwadi trip which was 'interesting'! We took about 7 of the older children from our group along to a late Children's Day celebration hosted by another nursery in the area. We went by auto and somehow managed to fit 7 people plus the driver in (autos are only supposed to seat 3!) And the nursery we went to was in the middle of a community that required driving across a field to reach it. At points I thought the auto was going to tip over because it was at such an acute angle to the ground! There were about 50 kids at the event and we were definitely the centre of attention, being the only white people there. They wanted us to sit on three chairs at the front of the room but we managed to persuade them that we would be fine on the floor like the rest of the people there. It was really nice to talk (or perhaps sign!) to some of the women there with the children. They are so friendly and open. I was just incredibly frustrated that I know so little Tamil. To speak their own language to them would be fantastic! There was much fascination over my pale hair and skin, and then my freckles. The kids participated in various competitions (counting, clay work, singing, races) and we were asked to judge one of them. The kids we brought did really well- Helen said she felt like a proud mother! There was also a photographer there who managed to get us into almost every shot he took. We are just waiting to find our photos on the front page of the local paper this week! It was very enjoyable, though, and one of the teachers of another group was VERY keen for us to visit her nursery, too- if only we had time! Oh yes, and we have seen an increase in numbers this week: we now have a maximum of about 40 kids. Fun!
The fun club we run every night has been going well. We have about 20 children coming now, thanks to the home visiting that was carried out in the slum community this week, but the increase in numbers has made it a lot more rowdy! We acted out David and Goliath with costumes this week and the kids loved it. I only wish I had taken photos! Yesterday we were on our own with the kids (no translator) which always makes for hard work, but it went surprisingly well. We do struggle with the discipline (the boys are often fighting each other) and the group are so noisy! We got into trouble yesterday with the neighbours because of the noise. It is good fun, though, and we are still hoping to see more children attending, although I'm not sure how many more we can fit into the tiny room we run it in!
Jacob's Well has gone really well this week. My English set are doing really well! It is quite slow progress, but I can definitely see the improvement at the end of every week which is an encouragement. One particular girl who normally seems very withdrawn and unwilling to participate in lessons has finally come out of her shell and seems to be enjoying the lessons. And there have been no more disagreements between the girls. Yesterday I was trying to teach them the difference between Kandace and Candles, but the result seems to be that they now think that Kandace is the plural of candle. I think I might just be Candles forever! Maths lessons are more of a struggle as the less able girls just aren't picking up what we are trying to teach, so we need to review where we are going with that. The best aspect of all, though, has just been getting to know them more and more and feeling increasingly accepted by them. I am already sad when I think of leaving! There are two girls (Gowri and Deepika) who have been pulled out of the course by their parents. Gowri told us that the reason for this is that she is engaged to be married to her cousin (she is 18). We asked her if she was happy about it and she replied that she was because her father was happy. Deepika we are not sure about, but I think her parents want her to work. Please pray that God makes a way for them to come back and changes the hearts and minds of their parents. It is such a shame for them to drop out now!
We have been asked to take over the English lessons that the Oasis staff receive as the previous teacher had to resign recently. We are not quite sure how we will have time for this but are trying to rearrange our timetable! As well as this I have been asked to design and paint some Christmas cards by the guy in charge of Jacob's Well, so that will keep me busy tonight.
We have spent a bit more time with the Oasis staff this week which was nice. One lady who we work with, Bensi, invited us to her daughter's 1st Birthday party this week. 1st Birthdays here are a VERY big thing- even more so than our 18th Birthdays. There were so many relatives there, friends, a huge cake, masses of food. It was fun! Very 'Indian'. We did find out that we made the mistake of eating the sweet pudding mixed with our rice (they put all the food on the same plate) but it tasted good anyway! We fitted squished 7 ADULTS into the auto on the way home and one of the teachers at Jacob's Well spent the night at our flat as her home was too far away to travel back to. It was really nice to talk to her, show her photos, find out about the previous teams and all that kind of thing. We were also showing photos to another Indian friend this week and he was fascinated with the picture of snow. People here have never seen it before! We also went out to dinner with all the staff plus some visitors from the UK and Zimbabwe. It was a good evening and we had a great time, helped by the fact we went to Sparky's!
Church last Sunday was a family service and guess what- we watched Veggie Tales! It was really well done, actually. After the video, a lady was speaking about being a living sacrifice and it was a challenge to me. God gave His only Son for me. If I just consider what Jesus has done for me, how can I complain about having to do the washing up for someone else or go to bed a bit later in order to help someone else finish off their work? "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." And "If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet."
As I am here for longer I am seeing and realising more and more of the reality of the poverty that some people live in. It seems like such a hopeless situation and it is easy to feel totally overwhelmed. On Wednesday I was feeling a bit inadequate and unable to make any difference. In the words of Delirious, "I have nothing to give- just a life to live. This mountain's high, too high for us." How do I fit into what God has planned for this city? How should my story intertwine with His? How can I be doing more to impact the lives of the people who I work with? And yet God doesn't NEED us to do anything for Him. He is quite capable to do all that He desires without me! All that he has called me to do right now is what I will pour my efforts into, even if some of the things seem small and insignificant to me. Little things can make a big impact. "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."
I really want to do more work in KK Pettai, SM Nagar and Vyasapardi, but right now it just isn't possible. We have had severe rains and the houses at KK Pettai have been demolished. Oasis are struggling with how they should help. There is still opposition and funding problems, so please continue to pray for those areas. I am especially excited about Vyasapardi. I spoke to one of the leaders of the church there yesterday and he says they are hoping to start work in January.
Anyway, prayer points:
- Wisdom and ideas for the Maths lessons at JW.
- For Gowri and Deepika to be able to return and finish the course.
- Thank God that the Balwadi trip went so well and that that area of our work has improved so much!
- Pray for the work in the slum communities, for funding and less opposition.
- Thank God for the increase in numbers at the fun station.
- The people at KK Pettai who have lost their homes.
- The planning sessions that Oasis are having at the beginning of next week- for ideas and inspiration, especially regarding Christmas plans.
- Please pray for Sabrina and her family as her Grandma died this week.
Thank you all!
Kandace
"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
