Screens

We met a new positive friend today. Lets call him Rajiv. But perhaps we need to wait before calling him our friend. For now at least.

Rajiv was admitted at one of the better hospitals in Thane. They found out he had HIV. He knew all along

Rajiv has been on anti-retroviral therapy. From the government clinic in town.

He is very sick.

When he started his medications he started to get diarrhoea. Rajiv is sure its the meds that did it. He can hardly breathe now because he feels so weak.

Rajiv knew about his HIV for some years. His family did not until today.

The hospital ordered a battery of tests. He is sullen and alone. His father and other brothers found out that Rajiv's wife is also HIV positive.

Rajiv does not want to live any more. He says he does not want treatment. He just wants an end.

One of our JSK staff - who has HIV himself - went to meet Rajiv this afternoon. They talked in the general ward Rajiv was admitted in. A screen was brought in to bring some privacy. It didn't seem to do much good. Rajiv is finding it hard to talk at all.

We are all a bit like Rajiv. There are things in us that we do not want others to see. To have it ripped off and our un-mentionables become public...

When will we get over our denial?

It struck me that actually the church is to be the place where we let it all hang out. Where we should be able to gather the courage to tell what is deep inside - and allow the healing touch to renew us from within.

That's one of the functions of taking part in the Lord's supper. To examine ourselves. To speak up and confess. To allow truth and justice to sweep out the rubbish we hold on to - or tell ourselves we will clean up later - but which lingers on.

We just met Rajiv. We hope he will allow us to become his friends. We hope he will survive - besides his crushed spirit - he seems to be suffering from TB and pneumonia as well as the persistent diarrhoea. He is a precious man.

Deep breath

For some reason, we seem to have just had an almost painfully slow start to getting our Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre operational.

But take a deep breath folks - this week should see our first friends counselled and tested at JSK itself.

Its been a long haul to get here, and we still have some way to go - but we have been praying about the whole challenge - and know God allows us to move forward at the right time.

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More prayers always gladly accepted.

Cleft palate

Mrs. Maninder has two children. Her older one had a cleft palate.

We first got to know the family through her brother. Her husband had brought her brother to us for treatment. Her brother had HIV and TB. We treated him. He got better and went back to Africa where he had been working previously.

The next time we saw him he was back from Africa and very sick. This time Mrs. Maninder and her husband were not in Thane having gone back to their home in another city.

Mrs. Maninder's brother died alone. His money and his rooms that he owned were taken over by his friend.

Sadly a few months later we found out that Mrs. Maninder's husband had also died. Of HIV.

It was only when she came back to Thane with her new-born child that we realised the full extent of the damage in her family. Her husband was dead. Her other brother a drunkard. She was living next to a garbage dump in a small shack in the rain.

Her older daughter had a cleft lip.

It looked totally hopeless.

By God's grace we were able to win her trust and have her accepted at a wonderful rehabilitation home for women and children infected and affected by a dear colleagues of ours.

The idea was to stabilise her daughter till she could have her surgery for her cleft lip.

A small grace was that her daughter did not breast feed due to her cleft lip. When we tested her she was HIV negative.

Over the past 2 years Mrs. Maninder has been in the rehabilitation institution.

She is now ready to come back. Her daughters lip and palate has been surgically improved. The three are healthy.

Now its her time to come back.

To what?

Her in-laws want nothing to do with her. Mrs. Maninder's brother is untraceable. Her parents are long-since dead. We don't know of other relations.

Beneath the surface is another cleft - one that is not visible on the outside, but just as ugly.

Before her husband died he was working with the Public Works Department. He was suspended for some issue - and forced to move out of his quarters. Instead the family broke open the lock of another quarters and squatted there.

Mrs. Maninder has hopes of getting her husband's pension. She even hopes to get his job on compassionate grounds.

We need much wisdom for the next steps. How to rebuild a life with so many deep fissures?

We are glad for our colleagues and the wonderful work they have done for Mrs. Maninder over these past 2 years. It is a joy to see the smile on Mrs. Maninder's daughter's face. The scar is still there - but it is so much better than what it was previously.

Now the next step. A step of faith to find a church willing to support this brave lady - with the many clefts - mainly unseen.

UBS Interns

We are privileged to have a new crop of interns at JSK from Union Biblical Seminary in Pune.

This is the fourth year we are hosting the 7 month internship at Jeevan Sahara. Including the present batch, we have now had 9 young men - from 9 different states of our country (Chhatisgarh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura!).

It is a real pleasure to have fresh blood aboard. This year we have (l. to r. in the pic) Leroy Varghese from Kerala, R.P. Silvanus from Tamil Nadu and Akshaydeep Kakade as our own son-of-the-soil from Maharashtra.

The internship programme has been sponsored by Tearfund as part of their effort to get seminarians out on the street, working with the poor. The interns who come to us certainly get plenty of exposure to the cruel situations so many are in. Working along with our staff, they visit homes and minister to families with HIV - while at the same time learning about what hands on work with the poor is all about.

Seven months may seem a long time - but it just seems to dissappear in a flash. We have already finished 2 months of their time with us, and have grown to love these fine young men.

Besides the nitty-gritty of working with people who have HIV, the interns also get valuable lessons in life. During their time they have already had to move from one appartment to another - had a mini-break-in at their room - have had to learn to cook together and manage their finances. As JSK staff, we benefit too from friendly smiles and the camaradery that the lads bring with them - as well as their more formal sharing of the word of God when it is their turn in the staff devotions.

The bottom line: lives are changed. We see three lives who are being groomed for leadership in the church - and know that they will never be the same. We also know that the people they have touched here are transformed too.

Fire

We were having our morning prayers before setting out for the day's visits when we smelled the burning plastic.

"I wonder who is burning garbage outside now? " I thought.

The smoke continued and filled the room - so we closed the windows and continued the prayer.

Then we heard a small explosion and the lights went off.

A look outside and we could see the cause - a bakery which specialises in 'hot chips' (spicy deepfried plantains etc) had caught fire. The explosion was from one of the gas cylinders going off (another went off later).

The first fire engine on the scene had only 1/2 a tank of water. Later 3 tankers came and the fire was doused. No loss of life or limb, but at least 3 showrooms gutted.

And a grand spectacle for all and sundry.

it only takes a spark, to get a fire going...

Daniel Award

This just in from the good folks at Mustard Seed:

We are happy to inform you that from this year onwards Mustard Seed Foundation is introducing a new program for India "The Daniel Award".

This Award provides financial support and personal encouragement to Christian post graduate students who desire to impact Indian society by pursuing advanced studies at a premier Indian institution (typically those recognizedto be among the "top five" programs in the specific discipline).

Our goal is to empower students who show exceptional talent and evidence of a passionate vision for serving Christ in India in their field or discipline. Proof of admission into a top program must accompany one¹s application for this Award. The most competitive applicants are those whose fields are of critical importance to Indian society and are in need of greater Christian involvement. The fields that we are targeting at this time are Law, Social Sciences and Humanities (university level research and teaching), Engineering, Business, Journalism, Media & Film.

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Vocations we do not consider a priority for this Award include: theological education, education through the twelfth standard, medicine, counseling, psychology, social work, or other fields that have tended to attract ahigher percentage of Christian young people. This award does not apply to post-doctoral or non-degree programs.

STIPEND: Each Fellow is awarded an annual stipend of approximately IndianRs.1,40,000/-

Complete applications must arrive in our office by July 31st 2008.

Mustard Seed Foundation

P.O. Box 9450, Chakkala,

MIDC Andheri (E),

Mumbai 400 093

Telefax:91-22-28217690

E-mail:info@danielawards.org

For additional information and an application form please visit our website: www.danielawards.org

This award is only 30 days away! Do think of someone whom you feel would qualify and contact them now!

A small new site for Jeevan Sahara Kendra

Hi!

We have just put up a small site specifically for Jeevan Sahara Kendra. It is designed to give a simple overview of what we are up to and allow people to contact us if they are interested.

Do take a look at http://www.jeevansahara.wordpress.com/ and tell us what you think!