Happy new year!
Just as a warning- this will definitely be a long blog! I have two weeks to catch up for, not to mention Christmas and going on holiday.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break. Thank you so much for all of the cards, texts, letters, parcels and phone calls (Burnhamses!). We had a beautiful sunny Christmas day, with a nice breeze so it wasn't too hot. Our church held their usual Sunday morning service which was very good. I was getting pretty fed up of singing Christmas carols at every event we went to, full of ridiculous lyrics like "The ox and lamb kept time" (from Drummer Boy- how do an ox and lamb keep time?!) so it was refreshing to have a really good worship time with plenty of Delirious and Newsboys songs. Our church had also organized a lunch for people who were away from home, but we were invited back to Becky's house so we did that instead. We enjoyed a very good attempt at an English Christmas dinner there, and then (for our second course!) we had an Indian Christmas dinner. Thankfully not byriani but rather delicious coconut rice. Becky and her family made us feel so welcome- they also had a guest from Scotland visiting and Vijay came with us as he doesn't have family to spend Christmas day with. I was speaking to one of our neighbours yesterday who is a widow and told me that she didn't have anyone to spend Christmas day with, so she cooked a big meal and took it over to three of the slum houses that are closest to us. You meet so many people here who really do take the Bible seriously and live out the commandment to look after the poor. It is a challenge for me.
The evening of Christmas day we caught a 10 hour overnight train to Mettupalayam. We were all a bit apprehensive about travelling alone, especially when as soon as we got on the train we were approached by a eunuch asking for money. But it tuned out to be a good journey. We were sharing a section with a family going on holiday and it turned out that their cook is the mother of Sathya, one of the girls in my class at Jacob's Well! So we got to tell them all about Oasis and they seemed interested in funding the work. The overnight trains are very communal but reasonably clean and you do get sheets to sleep on and under. Once I had squeezed up into my bunk bed I slept for most of the journey. Definitely the best way to do long journeys.
Catching the hill train up into Ooty after that was more of an ordeal, as we discovered we hadn't reserved seats, but thank God someone had two spare seats which they gave to us and we squeezed in. It was a beautiful 5 hour ride up 6000+ feet into the Nilgiri hills. I spent quite a few hours talking to the Indian lady sitting next to me who was very friendly. She studied zoology and so I sat on this little hill train, sipping chai, watching the mountains go past and talking about penguins! The beauty of the place was breathtaking. I guess because we have been living in a city for so long that we really do appreciate the beauty of these places: rolling hills, mountain peaks, eucalyptus forests, pine trees, tea plantations, all dotted with colourful little villages. And the fresh air was so good! My cough had completely gone by the time we left.
Ooty itself is reasonably tourist-orientated as India goes, although this was actually quite nice as it meant we could go exploring and not get too many stares or draw too much attention to ourselves. Saying that, we still had a number of people keen to talk to us and ask us where we were from, quite often leaving us with their mobile number "just in case we need anything"! I will have quite a collection of random telephone numbers by the time I leave. We also had so many people asking to take our photos when we visited the Botanical Gardens. I felt a bit like a celebrity, always pleading, "No photos, please!".
In my opinion, the best part of our holiday was a day's trekking we did with a group of tourists from around the world and an Indian guide. We walked abut 18km through all the different terrain and in the afternoon climbed a small mountain with the most awesome view you can imagine. All that day I had the song, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, and all things were made for His glory!" going through my head. It reminded me of the indescribable DVD and how true it is that all of creation is set there to give glory to God. It also meant that I got the chance to talk to some of the other tourists- you meet some very interesting people!
We also did a 'tour' while we were there. This involved sitting on a crowded mini-bus all day and driving for about 2 hours, stopping at some obscure location for about 20 minutes, then driving for another 2 hours and so on. They took us on a 'wildlife jungle ride' during which I nearly fell asleep and saw a grand total of 2 bison and numerous trees that at first glance could possibly be animals if you use your imagination and have a major eye problem. The driver wanted to kill us all and drove far too quickly around the hairpin bends going up the mountain side. I kept thinking of those films where you see a bus hanging off a cliff! Thankfully, the worst that happened was a brush with a jeep that took our wing mirror with it. And to top it all off, the driver ASKED us for a TIP at the end of the day!
It was a lovely break, though. We got to catch up with the three girls in Bangalore while we were there. We did end up spending almost 2 hours scarf shopping and I was incredibly bored, but everyone else seems intent on taking home as many different scarves as they can fit in their bags. Meredith, I will try to force myself to buy one for you! Oh, and at the YWCA one evening they made roast dinner! It was like a mini- Christmas because Alannah from the other team had brought some Christmas crackers, so we had those with our roast and then played 'Uno Stacko' (our gift from the Bangalore girls) and watched Jurassic Park 3 on TV!
The weather in Ooty is ridiculous. In the day it is warm but there is a really scorching sun, so I got VERY sunburnt (hence the terrorist look the following day). I am still peeling although appear to have a bit of a suntan now! The nights, on the other hand, are FREEZING! We were so cold that after the first night, Helen and I bough an extra jumper, socks, and all three of us slept in one double bed to try to keep warm. I guess we are so used to the heat here in Chennai.
Our journey home was not too bad, although we had to stay the night in Coimbatore (where our train was going from the next morning) and we booked in to a pretty seedy hotel. It cost us a total of 4 pounds to stay there for one night, and the accommodation was what you would expect for that price! We asked for a double room with an extra bed and on the way up to our room I saw an old piece of mattress lying on some ant-infested steps and jokingly said that that would be our extra bed. Low and behold, what did they bring in 10 minutes later but that very mattress?! Once again, we all slept in one double bed.
We did get back to Chennai safely, though, feeling quite proud to have negotiated trains, buses and hotels on our own. Coming back to Chennai I was surprised to find how much like home it feels to me. I even like the weather now! And I also found how much I had missed our lovely little flat. The good news is that the new AC unit and window are in. The bad news is that I discovered a new termite infestation in the kitchen! I gave them a good spray of termite killer before I left this morning. Naomi had also returned to the UK now, and she left us some little gifts for when we arrived back on the 31st which was nice. We will miss her!
Our new year's eve was pretty uneventful- we were quite tired from traveling. We were invited to a party at Sparky's, but in the end we didn't go and ordered pizza instead. Sparky's parties are generally very expensive affairs! We had a church service at 11pm - 1am on new year's eve and it was held on the roof of the shopping mall we usually meet in. It was a great service, singing and watching the fireworks going off around us and then hearing various prophesies for the next year that were brought by the congregation. It seems strange that it is already 2008. What a year it has been!
This week we were back to work, officially on the 2nd, although we spent the 1st sorting out work stuff and doing planning. We don't start back in full force until Monday, so this week has involved quite a lot of planning, office work, typing up resources and report writing. It is easy to feel inadequate and overwhelmed by how much there is to do!
We were pleased to see the Jacob's Well girls again. We have another new addition to the group who is quite a bright girl and a great addition to the class. We are waiting to see if there are enough new girls to start the new group on Monday. Several churches have expressed an interest in sending some girls along, but we are waiting to see if they actually will. If this group does take off then we will be spending even more time teaching every day. Fun Station has also started up again. I am finding more and more of a problem with discipline as the kids get to know us better- sometimes with Jacob's Well, too. They can be so talkative and disruptive! So I am going to try out a couple of different ideas I have to encourage good behaviour- hopefully they will work. The other challenge I am finding with work is not to grow stagnant and just plod through the same old routine that I have developed. I want to be always looking for ways to improve what I am doing and introduce new, fresh ideas. I want to finish the work here even more enthusiastic than when I started.
The murder of Benazir Bhutto has been all over the papers for the last week or so. It has caused quite a stir here. The pictures that the papers printed over here were horrific- I wonder if you had the same over there?
Another thing that has struck me recently is the worthlessness and futility of the huge amount of idol worship that goes on here. In Ooty I noticed how every tiny village will have its own shrine or temple and how they sacrifice so much food and money on their gods. On the way to work we walk past countless Hindu temples and often see people praying the the gods. It is so sad. I can begin to understand why God was so angry with His people, particularly in the OT, when they gave up their pursuit of the Living God and went after worthless idols. All the glory that belongs to God they are giving to useless pieces of wood and stone.
What else is new? We had our three month in India anniversary this week, celebrated with a chappatti fight and foot pampering session (I was given lots of foot stuff for Christmas. I wonder if it is a hint...); we have a new sucker fish called Spurtank (the road that Sparky's is on); after going out and buying new cutlery when we first arrived here, we have now taken to eating with out fingers for almost every meal; Archibald hasn't been seen since I got back- I fear the worst; and we are coming up with some grand traveling plans for our two week holiday in March!
Prayer points:
- Thank God that we had a safe holiday and that he protected us as we traveled.
- Thank God for the rest we were able to have over Christmas and that we now feel refreshed and ready for work.
- Thank God that Christmas was a good day and none of us felt homesick.
- Pray that we will continue to be fresh and enthusiastic in our work, right up until we leave.
- Pray that we have wisdom for how to deal with the discipline problem in Fun Station and Jacob's Well.
- Pray that we do not get too busy or bogged down with work, but at the same time give it 100%.
- Pray for our holiday plans in March, that these come together and we are able to get good flights, train tickets and accommodation and that all six of us are healthy for it.
- Pray for the new Jacob's Well girls, that the two who have recently joined will quickly become a part of the group and that there will be enough girls to begin the new class.
- Pray for the work in Vyasarpadi that is set to start next week.
Thank you all again for the encouragement you have given me! Have a great start to 2008...
With love from Kandace
Psalm 115:1
Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Psalm 112:5-8
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
