Give Thanks...

Give thanks, with a grateful heart

Give thanks, to the Holy One

Give thanks, because He's given 

Jesus Christ, His son

And now, let the weak say I am strong,

Let the poor say I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done, for us

Give thanks

We give thanks

We do give thanks.  We live in amazement for the good things we receive in the middle of deep challenges all around.  For God's patience with us despite things being less than what we would like many times.  For light in the midst of darkness, and courage to be honest with each other and hold each others hands.

All is not well.  But the King is coming.

We are grateful to have Mum and Dad here with us at Bethel Villa on the campus of the Harriet Benson Memorial Hospital in Lalitpur.

We are grateful to have a visit yesterday and today by Dr. Tony Bishwas - the medical superintendent and head of the palliative care work that HBM hospital does here (one of the very very few palliative care units in rural North India ... make that all of North India!  What a privilege to have a home visit!

We are so grateful that Vikram Singh (who everyone calls "Vicky") came down with us from Mussoorie.  He has over the years become such a deep part of the family - and would have cried buckets (his words) if he were not able to come with Mum and Dad and spend at least a few days with us in Lalitpur.  

Vicky's cheerful presence and kindness shines through beautifully.  We are so thankful to God for him.

We are grateful for all those who have been praying for us.  Your prayers are so very precious - they express you concern for us - and are heard and answered personally by our saviour Jesus.  What a glorious hope we have in Him!

We are grateful for my brother Rudy Gomez who has flown in from far off Hawaii to be with Dad and Mum for some time.  We last had a significant time together in 2005 when he was stuck with us in Thane for an extra week because of the great Mumbai monsoonal floods (the few hours in 2013 do not count).

And who should show up today but the indomitable Vasu Vittal.  What a joy to have him here too and we are grateful for his love for Dad and Mum - and for the fruitful discussions we are having about some of the anti-human trafficking work that we would like to do more intentionally here at the HBM Community Health and Development Programme.

At the end of the day the men were immersed in reading.

Sheba is at the Chhatarpur Christian Hospital for 3 days of training in Neo Natal Survival - and so we have a bit of an empty nest here - but we are so grateful that she is able to take this training.

Most of all, we are grateful to have Dad and Mum with us here.  These are challenging days.  Dad is working through the pain - and we are upping the doses to discover what the current sweet spot is.  At the same time, Dad does have breathing difficulties for which we are praying and which makes sleeping at night difficult.  Each day is a challenge - and each day a blessing to be able to share together.

We are grateful for the here and now - with all its messiness and complications.  And all its beauty and serendipity too!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!