No, it's not Saturday yet- don't worry! I am a day early this week because tomorrow Oasis are running a program in the SM Nagar community for World Aids Day. I am really looking forward to going back there again- it has been about a month since we last visited! But I'll write more about that next weekend.
We did indeed buy some pet fish last Saturday: two small sharks and a sucker catfish! And we bought EVERYTHING for 2 pounds 50 pence: tank, food, stones, net...bargain! But sadly the story does not end there. We moved our fish into their new home and christened the sharks Isaiah and Ezekiel and the catfish Sparky (in honour of our favourite restaurant). They were all doing great until Monday when we got home from work to find Sparky GONE and the net wet and filled with stones. Our fish had been fish-napped! The only person who had been there while we were out was our cook, so we checked to see if dinner was fish. It wasn't. We looked in the bin, we looked down the toilet- nowhere! Since then we have made numerous inquiries but to no avail. Our conclusion is that while the cook was cooking dinner, someone fish-napped Sparky. A sad tale to tell. And Ezekiel and Isaiah seem to have contracted a strange disease so we are anticipating two further losses. Perhaps getting fish was not such a good idea after all...
Anyway, things are going pretty well here. We do seem to be perpetually busy! On Sunday we went to watch Vijay play football and (I am ashamed to say) weren't even sure of the score at the end of the match! That is how carefully I watched. We also went to watch the production put on by the Sunday School of our supervisor (Becky's) church. It was really good, but also really long! In fact, things are getting quite Christmas-y here. We have started singing carols at the office in the mornings. It can be quite hilarious- singing about the winter weather in the blazing sun! And one of the staff has considerable trouble with the Fa la la s in Deck the Halls, and to the amusement of everyone else he insists on singing "Fluff fluff fluff." We now have a total of 9 advent calendars between the three of us and are considering getting up an hour earlier in the morning to make time to open them all! Not that I am complaining... And we have received a record number of parcels this week which adds to the Christmas feel! On Tuesday we had 4 in one day. It was great! And plenty of good tea now.
Monday was our second outing with the Balwadi. It was once again quite an experience! We were singled out as always and made to feel like royalty, being sat right at the front on the stage. I hate that kind of treatment, but I am learning to just enjoy the experience despite it. The girls who we brought to perform their dance looked stunning in their dresses! I will try to put up a photo. In fact, they did very little dancing, but they looked so cute that everyone loved them anyway. We were mortified to find that all the photos taken of us at the last event had been printed and put up on a display board! Embarrassing. But even worse, Sabrina and Helen were both wearing the same tops again. And in India, that is especially bad- appearance is important! It was fun, though. The girls who were dancing were amazing, so talented, and there were ENDLESS prizes to be awarded at the end. They just kept bringing more stuff out! Even the chairs there were prizes for someone or the other. I wondered if they might give away the stage they were standing on. On the way home we observed a new record for the number of people in one auto: 11 plus driver! Amazing. It is interesting that although Balwadi was the project we struggled with the most at the start, the Oasis staff reckon it has really improved since we have been here. So thank you for all of the prayers for it!
Jacob's Well teaching is going really well as usual. Maths is going more smoothly now, too. We did have a few problems with teaching estimating angles this week: I kept telling one girl to estimate a smaller number, but every time she would misunderstand me and write her current answer a little bit smaller on the page. It ended up that you could barely read her answers they were so small! Today we taught them Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer- good fun!
And Fun Station is also going pretty well. We are taking the boys and girls separately now to eliminate fighting, and it seems to be working well. They are such great kids. One girl, maybe 12 years old, always has to bring her baby sister with her, presumably because it is her job to look after her. She does such a great job, never complaining about it. Some of them really are old beyond their years. It is nice to be able to have some fun with them!
And our timetable is only going to be getting busier: next week we have language training starting for an hour every morning. I'm not quite sure how we will fit it in! We have also been sent out to try to sell more of the Oasis Christmas cards to the local shops- something I'd never imagined I'd be doing over here! It is good to be busy, though. I like to feel like we are being as useful as possible while we are here.
On the flat front, the termites have been sprayed, but we found they were all in the spare room, too, so that also had to be done. The flat still smells a bit weird, but hopefully that is the end of the termites! Becky did say that they were having some trouble with the landlord and were considering moving us to a different flat- I think she is keeping her eyes open in case anything becomes available.
Today was the monthly day of prayer and fasting and we spent the morning with the staff at the office. I am so impressed by all of the people who we work with. The focus really is always on God and working for His kingdom. I hope I will learn much from them!
So I reckon that is about it for this week. A few prayer points:
- Please pray that we will be able to sort out our timetable so that we can fit everything in. And also for energy and enough time to relax! Sunday is officially our planning-free day now.
- Thank God for how much Balwadi has improved and that he really is making His strength perfect in our weakness there. Please continue to pray for enthusiasm and ideas.
- Thank God for Jacob's Well lessons and the good relationship we have with the girls, and please pray that our teaching will be really effective. I really want them to learn!
- Please pray that the number of children at Fun Station will continue to increase and that we will get to know all of the new kids.
- Please pray for the World Aids Day program at SM Nagar tomorrow (if you read this before then!)
- That we will get on speedily with the Tamil lessons.
- That there will be sufficient funds to get the Vyasarpadi project up and running in the new year.
- For the whole flat situation, that God will guide us in what we should do.
- For our team as a whole, that we will continue to be willing to serve each other and that there will be no strain of constantly being together.
- Finally, for me as I am leading our team of three. I thought this would be a pretty easy task, but actually it can be quite draining having to always be the one to organise things and make phone calls and barter with the auto drivers etc etc. I sometimes just want a day off being in charge!
Thank you so much everyone, for praying for me and supporting me and to those who have sent letters and parcels this week. They are such an encouragement! I love to hear your news- keep on letting me know!
With love and prayers,
Kandace
"All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name." Psalm 86:9
"It's all about you, Jesus,
And all this is for you,
For your glory and your fame.
It's not about me
As if you should do things my way.
You alone are God
And I surrender to your ways."
"He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again." Psalm 78:39
