Good Day,
 
Alongwith St. Andrews Bo’ness Mission Team I’m at Hephzibah Mission Field from 2nd Saturday. On 3rd Martha Medical Mission conducted a free camp from 14:00 Hrs to 18:30 Hrs. Senior Doctor from St.Joseph’s Hospital carried out a Medical inspection of about 75 persons and Medicines were given free of charge and Serious Cases recommended to hospitals.  Due to short of time about 20 persons were asked to visit again.  During the camp BP, Blood and Sugar test by Lab Technician was carried out at our mission.   I feel God’s divine guidance is with us.
 

According to our Auditor in Chennai, initial payment of Rs.20,000 was given to MARTHA MEDICAL MISSION- DINDIGUL.  This is to comply with Government Regulation to keep Account Cheque.
 
Please find enclosed the Expense Sheet for the initial payment for your guidance.
 
Next payment of another Rs.20,000 /= is also effected.
 
Immediate Equipment & Medical Requirements were bought for the use of Clinic.  Some were bought from Chennai and some locally.
 
The Clinic requires a Refrigerator for keeping injection-medicines and Oxygen Cylinder. We may have to buy these items at the earliest.
 

Since we have set the Clinic at a Convenent Area, response from public is excellent.
 
Our team visited Maraiyoor Tribal Area on 4th (Monday) and spent time with the Tribal Children.  Their current requirement is to complete the extension of the school building (20 by 40ft) which is an incomplete area.
 

    
We have visited the other English Medium School for Tribals (Evangel Public School) which approx 50 kms from Maraiyoor.  
 
These Missions are in Kerala State where the Government declared 100% Literacy in record ignoring these Tribal people which will bring down literacy status and therefore no Government support.  However in faith Sister.Jansi and Freeda are doing their best.  In due course Bo’ness Youth Mission Team will give details.

 
In Chennai also Mission team was very much occupied with our various mission work.
 
This is for your information and prayers,
 
With Love,
 
Capt. Alfred 

As we go around visiting the different projects it is interesting to hear how they are developing.

Christ the Rock Church.

Raj and Vanitha’s sewing classes have moved to a lovely new place, no longer are they cramped into a small room above a house.  They are in a nice tiled room with air conditioning 4 times the size of their old place. (The team who were here last year will be able to remember what size the old place was.)  It is lovely and cool.

Mount Zion Church

We were unable to visit the Fishing Village we visited last year because it is too dangerous.  Sebastian and his team have been stoned when visiting the village.  Which just really highlights the problems churches have over here trying to spread their faith.

John has started a small business selling computer equipment and crockery.  This is to fund his missionary work.  He was asking us to pray for him.

Mrs Sunder Raj had been in the hospital for three days before we arrived.  With high Blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.  She is looking really well now.

John’s middle brother is now married and expecting their first child.  John’s younger sister is engaged to be married.

Shanti’s Clinic

Shanti was able to buy new chairs and a motorbike with the money we left last year. 

She was telling us of a girl who attends the clinic and she is now going to college.  Shanti and the staff are extremely proud of her she is the first girl to go onto higher education. 

She was also telling us of another girl who was being used as a prostitute by her parents.  She went to Shanti for help but by the time Shanti notified the police and went to the house to take the girl her family had moved on.  Heartbreaking stories

Sangita Orphanage

The Orphanage is doing really well.  We went to see the new site for the orphanage it was interesting hearing the vision Paul and Grace have for the orphanage.  Seeing the building and the huge area of land they have for extending buildings was exciting.  The children will have so much more freedom.  The field is in a remote area so no one will be bothered by the noise of the children.  It will be safer for them to play outside.

Lilias and David

:o)

Hi everyone,

We are back on line after our adventures to the mountains.

Lilias

:o)

Just to let you know that they all arrived safefully in deepest darkest Dundigul, but unfortunately the internet access at the hotel is broken at the moment. So there will be a short hiatus in blog posts till they can access the internet super highway again.

James

Hey, sorry guys, I never seem to get round to doing this, and I’m afraid if I start typing I’ll never stop!

So much is going on, even on a bus journey there is so, so much to see!  I love looking out of the windows, every second there is something new to observe, and even though it is all much the same, it’s all very different.  I know I’m not making much sense but if you were here you would get it!  There are houses with the front missing, ditches and holes all over the place, piles of rubbish and rubble, and ‘hunners eh folk!’.  The people are just as fascinated with our wee bus of westerners as we are with them.  They like to smile and wave, all in all it’s a very friendly place!

Yesterday we went to collect our salwars; they are gorgeous! We had a bit of a misunderstanding with mine, I had ordered two and they had made one of mine to fit Lilias.  However, after a few alterations they were both Laura size and I could dance about like a right muppet! Haha lots of fun!  I love them very much, I’m sure you will see from the picture…  notice the jasmine in my hair, it smells so nice, cost about 12p. I mentioned to our driver that I wanted some so he made a special stop for it, very sweet!  Also I have conjunctivitis in my left eye, it’s no nice!  You may notice it’s a little bloodshot.

A couple of nights ago we had dinner at Pastor John’s house, it was such a fun night.  We started with a prayer and some songs then we had dinner, they made us a delicious (spicy!) korma.  We had a drink that tasted something like appletizer, John had been in Scotland and remembered we don’t drink much water so had bought it in specially! The people over here are amazing, so thoughtful!  There was a wee baba, Ben, he’s 6 months old, I’m sure those of you who know me can imagine how long it took for me to be stealing cuddles.  He was such a content wee thing, his Dad (John) told us he is a bit frightened of strangers, but he was okay with us because we smile, John reckons Indians don’t smile as much.

Yesterday we visited Shanthi’s clinic, where Laura found baby number two, she was also 6 months but very tiny!  She was beautiful! Of course, I had another cuddle and she was smiling at me lots.  Made me miss wee Fergus (my nephew).  There was a short service, it was very touching, and we were all a bit emotional.  The message was ‘Do you love me more than these?’ I found it very apt as I’m starting to feel a bit homesick and I must try to concentrate on the fact that God is here with us and we will be back with our family and friends very soon!  Besides, the family we have here are out of this world!

Yesterday afternoon we were back at the orphanage.  The kids were so pleased to see us, and this time we had balloons and paper n pens to play with.  There are a group of kids who sit at the side against the wall but yesterday they joined in, it was so good to see them taking part.  They are all so shy, they are a new intake so they are still sussing it all out - some of them are only 2 years old.  It’s heartbreaking.  There was one wee boy in particular I could honestly have brought home with me, he came over and was quite happy to sit on my lap or my hip the whole time.  I played this little piggy went to market with him and he smiled with the most gorgeous wee smile.  My heart is melting!!!!!!

Like I say I’m starting to feel a bit homesick so please keep your comments (click comments at the bottom of this blog entry and you will be able to leave one there), texts, e-mails and bebo’s a-coming!  They really are keeping me strong!

Lots of love to all my friends and family!  I can’t wait to get home and tell you all about my adventures in Chennai!  What’s even more exciting is I’m going to Dindigal this morning - which is going to be a completely different experience - I might burst! Hehe

Having the BEST time! 

Laura xxx

IS A LEGEND!

^_^

So we started today with an early rise to Shanthi’s clinic (yes – half 9 is early!) for one of Shanti’s services – full of singing, praise, and all of it in Tamil which was interesting.  However it was extremely hard to think about what was going on with the heat.  Iain and I already felt ill before leaving this morning (him more than me) and we ended up having to sit down half way through the second or third song because of it; of course it didn’t help that the ceiling fan was blowing hot air onto our aching heads.  As far as I’m concerned, today was the hottest day we’ve had so far in Chennai. 

Thereafter, Shanthi treated us to lunch at her rather huge house.

Despite the fact that there was a power cut – and hence no fans to help distract us from the intense heat – the food certainly made us feel like we were at home.  It was pizza – Domino’s pizza!

NOM NOM NOM!!! =]

After a few hours in Shanthi’s company, we moved on back to Sangita Orphanage to entertain the children again.  And this time we were prepared – the balloons and sweets went down a treat (no pun intended) and I was being cautious enough to prevent my hand from ripped open again!

Of course, none of us were really any good at making fancy things with the balloons, like giraffes or dogs… but the kids were overwhelmed with their (fairly simple) balloon hats!

Now we’re all pretty tired, especially iain…

… so we’ll probably get back to the YWCA for something to eat, pack up our bags for our 8 hour trip to Dundigal tomorrow morning, and just call it a day.

So, uh… g’night! =]

Owen x

Hello all, Stacey here.

We’re currently in the bus travelling to Shanthi’s clinic, which is run by a woman called Shanthi who works with street workers. The lovely woman who picked us up just asked us if pizza was okay for lunch. Everyone’s face just LIT UP. Pizza! A week ago I would never have gotten so excited after being offered a slice of pizza. At John’s last night he made us fish and chips as well, and as he brought it out Lilias actually shouted “CHIPS!”

A welcome break from the curry, as nice as it is. A couple of us are starting to suffer from dodgy tummies. Well at least we managed to make it about a week in. People are popping immodium like sweets. No one is too bad yet, thankfully. We’ve avoided the mangos, Jackie I think most people are starting to feel a bit rough. The week has flown in so quickly here because we’ve been constantly busy doing things and visiting places, and we haven’t really had time to dwell on anything. Yesterday was the first time we really got a chance to kick back and think for a bit so everything that’s happened has kind of caught up with us. It feels as if we’ve been here for ages because of the amount we’ve done. When I think that this time last week I was packing my case it seems like months ago! I’m still really enjoying myself though. It’s funny because before I came I thought I would find it really difficult and I thought I would miss home a lot. I do miss my family a fair bit, and some home comforts (I have never in my life been so thankful to see a western toilet somewhere.) but so far I haven’t been anywhere near as bad as I thought I would be. Some aspects of life here are really difficult and challenging, such as the heat, the bugs, and did I mention nearly all of the toilets in Chennai are holes in the ground? However, I can’t really say that there’s any place I would rather be than here just now. It’s such an experience getting to visit all these projects and meet all these amazing people like Raj, Sharon, Vanitha, John, Ben, Jessie, Paul, Grace, Captain, Sebastian, Shanthi and Mrs Sunderaj. They’ve all made us feel so welcome and went to such an effort to make us comfortable, even though we’re just a group of Bo’ness plebs. It’s difficult some times, being treated like royalty when there are people we’re driving past in the street who sleep under their stalls at night. It was especially difficult at the young girls’ payer service, where Laura, Kirsty, David, Lilias and I were sat on seats infront of the grieving family. Just because we come from a different place. That’s the only difference between us and the people we see in the slums. And how most of them are so content with their lives really makes you realise how trivial problems are at home.

 Going to Dundigal next week to work on my tan, ahem, I mean to go up into the mountains to visit some tribal people, meet the staff of the Hepzibah Mission Field, and see a tea plantation. It sounds really exciting. 8 hour train journey first thing tomorrow morning though. Quite looking forward to it. I’ll be good to just sit back and relax and talk amongst us for a bit. But for now, Onward to Shanthi’s and then to Sangita!

Stacey x x 

Wow - new dresses! 

Kirsty and John at Mt. Zion Church

So today started at Raj’s home, and from there went to a dress-tailoring studio.  Kirsty, Stacey and Laura were presented with their own Indian hand-made dresses, leaving us lads out the picture… literally!

Very swish!!!

So while they were looking all prettyful, Iain, Minty and I took photos and ate some Madeira cake and some mini doughnut-like snacks – which turned out to have bits of almond on top… but I’m still alive so it’s all gravy, baby! =]

Thereafter, Raj took us to a small restaurant in town for some lunch.  I stuck with my usual rice, while everyone else got stuck into some proper Indian cuisine, however i was sort of adventurous and had some soup, but it was unbelievably sweet.  I think it was made with condensed milk or something, but after half the bowl I couldn’t finish it without worrying I was going to throw up.  so Iain quite happily demolished the rest of it.  And the entertainers (or entertainer) even played some british music into the restaurant for us…Shame it was Aqua! >_<

So we followed that up with some ice cream from Baskin Robbins. YUMMY!

… And that was followed by shopping at a nearby supermarket for even more food – for the train trip to Dundigal on Saturday.  So we’re fairly stocked up for cola, Pringles, chocolate and such junk.

So now we’re on the bus to John’s crib… the gentleman we met last night from Mount Zion church.  He’s more than delighted to have us for dinner, even though we all seem pretty full, only having lunch a few hours ago.

And finally… I still don’t have a camcorder charger.  Eek!

So comments and love greatly appreciated.

Cheers m’dears,

Owen x            

Hello everyone. Life in India today was nothing short of mad.

Visited a sewing class today. It’s where salwars are made. It’s run by a woman called Venetha and the girls there really seem to enjoy it. Kirsty, Stacey and Laura picked up beautiful salwars and paraded around with them after they had changed. They looked very elegant. Stacey said hers was the best! Kirsty has gigantic parachute trousers but John said that they will shrink in the wash so hakuna matata.

We also had the chance to top up on supplies for our 8 hour journey to Dundigal. Getting the train early a.m. on Saturday morning. Can’t wait to go up into the mountains. We went for lunch at an Indian restaurant and I decided to be more adventurous than I usually am and ordered cream of tomato soup. But I did try a vegetarian Jalfrezi curry with vegetarian noodles. They were lovely but the jalfrezi was so spicy it was as if someone had a lighter to my tongue. I’ve hated curry dishes since I was a young boy due to my auntie and cousin constantly force feeding me it with a wheelbarrow and shovel. But today it tasted really nice. I still think I do better with milder food too. Stacey also enjoyed her food and OWEN ATE NUTS! And he IS still alive. He didn’t even notice he had eaten them and he had no allergic reaction at all.

Also had a trip to a Baskin Robbins for some well deserved ice cream. Stacey had a sherbet orange flavour and I had the mango. Once again it was scrumptious. We also made a donation to the sewing class today to help them buy a new machine.

I think a few of us as starting to feel a touch homesick as our ‘Scottishness’ is becoming more prominent. We’re only really missing our loved ones (and western toilets). Surprising what you realise you don’t need. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be on this trip. I already feel myself growing as a person. The others seem to be feeling very emotional about things too and I mean that in a good way. We probably don’t realise it just now, but this trip will have a significance on us that will affect us for the remainder of our lives. Meeting people with a completely different lifestyle here has been incredibly interesting.

We did spend all day with Raj and Sharon and Vanitha and they were fantastic company. Raj’s sense of humour rubs off on his family. Tonight we were invited to share dinner with John who is the son of Sunderaj. The food was lovely and they were making us feel like royalty. Stacey loved the fish. I got to play some guitar and we sang some songs as a group. The time flew by. That’s us just back at the hotel. More tomorrow.

Minty & Stacey