Bringing us back to God

Life continues to be a blender of sorts. Lots of experiences. As I tap on the keyboard a real-life blender is being used by Sheba to make some delicious coconut-peanut chutney for the hot wadas she has just made for a small party we are having to celebrate Asha's 8 years!

The 'real birthday' was yesterday - but that was also Anil and Sandhya's wedding! Tomorrow is their blessing service and reception. And in the middle of all of this we held our first HIV Care training of the year.

It was very encouraging to see the 40 odd people who came for the "Love your Neighbour... with AIDS" training today. Encouraging because so many were young! Encouraging because you could really see on their faces that they were digging deep into the subject - and being challenged by the needs of people with HIV - and also by God's heart to work through His people the church!

It was also encouraging because we had at least 7 people with HIV present in the training itself.

As we mapped out the different areas where HIV affects people with HIV, one of our HIV positive participants made this comment: "HIV does not always lead to all of these things (i.e. depression, suicidal thoughts, rejection etc.) - many times it can be used to bring us back to reality - to be praying to God."

Crushed

Crushed.

That's what they ordered. The carts are to be crushed and left there.

Last night men from the Thane Municipal Corporation came and did just that to the hand-carts of the hawkers who line the street outside our housing complex.

Some of these men have been hawking vegetables and fruit for years at these locations. Rain and shine. They are there with their wares.

Not today.

"Someone in one of the housing societies said that they should not just take the carts away, but destroy them and leave them there" said the hawkers "in the past we would get our carts back after they were confiscated. Now this."

That someone must be pretty powerful to have the TMC staff do what they say.

The poor live in a web of legal illegality.

I asked one of the vendours about the 'daily tax' that the TMC collects.

"They take Rs. 15 from us every day" he said, showing me the stub of the receipt for the payment he made yesterday.

And yet the same municipal government which collects taxes from the vendours also authorises the destruction of their carts.

Ditto houses in the slum pockets.

Ditto small businesses.

Its a cruel world.

The irony is that India's big retail bubble is just about to burst.

The massive fraud at Satyam computer services - where a company kept sending its stock higher every year by posting fictitious profit figures (more than 10 times their actual profits) - and thus 'creating value' that never was - shows the absolute corruption of our system.

The trickle down will be felt later this week when a big retail super-market - which opened to much fanfare 2 years ago - will be shutting down.


The writing has been on the wall for our neighbourhood "Foodland" store for some months now. Each time we go in, there is less inventory, and less people. The contrast with their local competitor "D-mart" is stark. Foodland has become a gleaming and largely empty shell - while its competitor seems bursting at the seem with robust buyers waving their debit cards.

The irony is this - Foodland had enough clout and savvy to work through the various regulations governing its running. They didn't have the TMC come and destroy their operations. Their demise has to do strictly with the cold issue of cash - not enough coming in to justify them running the join.

The street vendours will be back. But in what form? And what does this do to the inner person? To the child of God who is sitting, staring numbly at the pile of twisted metal and splintered wood that was his hand-cart, his livelihood?

Crushed.

View from a train window

First there were two.

Boys that is. One with a sickly, peeling face. His index finger cocked back full-stretch as he aimed the marble. The other boy watching vaguely.

The station platform they were on was framed by the window of the slow-local to Karjat. From the inside I saw the first boy ping his marble at the target and then slouch-scamper to retrieve it. He held something in his pocket and put it to his mouth. Then picked up the marble and had another shot.

The second boy, whose clothes were not so tattered and who did not have the burnt out look of the first looked on.

Another shot - this time the marble riccocheted off the bench the second was sitting on and fell of the platform onto the tracks. The first boy stood for some time and again put his hand to his mouth, cupping something inside it.

The watching boy did the same.

What was in their hands? It looked like a cloth, a hankerchief of some sort. As the first boy retrieved his marble from what must be excrement stained tracks (this was out of the frame of the window I looked out of) I found myself rooted by these two vagrants. Off to the left a lady folded a cloth and lay down in the dust. Her pitiful body surrounded by a thin cloth. The boys continued sitting, watching, and repeatedly bringing their cloth-clutching hands to their mouths.

Now more boys joined them. First one. Clearly younger. Then another. Then two more. Six in all. Some pushing and shoving. Coming in and out of the frame. All of them holding the cloths and putting them to their mouths.

I called up Nitin on the mobile to ask him what was going on. Is it glue? Are they sniffing some paint distiller or something. As we talked the answer played itself infront of my eyes. The window framed one boy taking a small bottle out of his pocket.

The others gathered around. "Maybe somekind of white-out remover" said Nitin. As he was talking on the cell, the boy with the minute bottle seemed to pour out something on each other boy's cloths. They quickly put them back to their mouths. Some drifted away.

With a long-overdue lurch, the slow-local to Karjat started moving. The boys left the window-frame. Staying behind with their hand-to-mouth-motion-cloths on the platform of Kalyan station. Their images printed in my minds eye.

Blast from the past

2009 is a week old - and already we have had a number of hard knocks.

As we step forward in 2009, its good to remember some of God's goodness to us.

Our good friend Philip Tusing sent us these treasures from his visit to us in early 2004. Asha turns 8 this month and Enoch 6. What a long and wonderful trip its been - and what hope for this year too!

Positive Friends Thanksgiving time

Each year we spend some time thanking God for what He has done among our HIV positive friends. We do it near Christmas because it is near the end of the calendar year and allows us to look back – and also because of our joy in Emmanuel – God who is with us!

When we started our first time of thanksgiving in 2002 we met with 5 positive friends and their families who met with us at the Home of Faith Church in Subashnagar. A few months later we asked one of the children who had attended when they last ate an egg. They told us that it was at our Christmas meeting.

Amazingly, those children were with us this year. Their mother died in 2003, and they have now transitioned to their teenaged years being looked after by their grandparents.

We had over 200 of our friends, their family members and our JSK staff and volunteers together on the 17th of December. The event was kindly hosted by the Covenant Blessings Church. It was truly a time to thank God for the great things that He has done.

Fittingly, we started with some stirring worship. Bro. Trevor Ross took us into the throne room and was ably supported by Jairaj DeSouza on the drums. What a taste of heaven to see so many praising God!

Then there was talent to show. One of our SHGs acted out Abraham’s obedience to God in being willing to sacrifice of Isaac. We were reminded that at just the right time God provided a ram instead. At just the right time He has provided for each one of us in so many ways. At just the right time Jesus came into this world!

The children then shared their testimonies. Some gave a verse, others talked about what God had done for them and their parents. Varsha Mohite – our Child Care coordinator told all of us – that she has been blessed so many times by the prayers of the children. We saw the fruit of it in this time of thanksgiving.

The Jeevan Sahara Kendra staff put on an excellent drama – a ‘reality TV’ style expose of how two different families lived out the Christmas story (or did not). The ‘hidden cameras’ caught one family getting ready for the dance party – and another preparing to welcome a widow with HIV into their home. Lots of laughs – and the message hit home too!

We were blessed to have Bro. Oliver Ammana share the main message. It was simple and direct. We need to understand Jesus – but not just know about Him – but to experience Him, to think and dwell upon Him, to live Him out in our lives.

Oliver challenged young and old with a simple parable about a boy who bought an umbrella ('a magic water-protecting stick')- but found it to be of no use to him - until he learned how to use it correctly.

As we came to the time of testimonies, I had the privilege of looking out at the crowd and was so touched by what I saw. A sea of faces. Each person known at various levels. Each one touched by HIV in some way. Each one visited by our staff and church volunteers. Each prayed for by people near and far. So many of whom in which we see the amazing work of God having taken place.

The testimonies bore the theme of our meeting: Great is thy Faithfulness. We had Mrs. Laila, a lady who sells dry fish talk about how she had come to God in her time of need – and how He has never failed her. This year, after much prayer, her drunkard son has stopped drinking for which she praised God.

We had Mr. Shrishti, whose previous child had died just before it was to be born. This year he and his wife were bathed in prayer as the next child developed and was born. After birth the child did not cry – a deeply worrying sign. More prayers. The child started to breath normally. We were so glad to see the miracle child with us.

Then there was Mrs. Karla. A prostitute who has just come out of the trade she knew that she had HIV some years ago. But her brother told her that it was nothing to worry about. As she shared her story tears flowed freely. Sorrow at finding out that she had been lied to and that her body was now broken and worn out. Joy at knowing that people had cared for her enough to bring her out of the trade. There were many moist eyes as Sister Lata prayed for this dear sister of ours.

Of course, we cannot forget Mrs. Candy – multi-drug resistant TB patient. This year her son started school after being a vagabond. This year she was started on second-line TB treatment. Though her tale was long and rambling (we had to finally lovingly take the mike away!) the intent was clear – to give glory to God in her own way.

And so it went on – story after story – all telling of how good God has been to us all.

Though we wished we could just go on and on (a foretaste of heaven) we had to come to an end. We had a special thanks to all those who had come alongside JSK over the year and blessed people with HIV. As a special recognition, we gave a certificate of appreciation and a small gift for Mrs. Hoofriz Ross, who has so lovingly ministered to the children of people with HIV over the years – and whose presence has been such a blessing to us at JSK.

Then it was time for some snacks. The JSK staff and volunteers served the crowd and also gave a gift to each family. We were blessed this year to have the whole Thanksgiving time supported by gifts from local church members and a prayer partner from the gulf. What an encouragement to know that God’s people are there and want to keep blessing those with HIV.

And so we move into 2009 – thankful for what God has done – and hopeful for what He is going to do! Our meeting with our positive friends was a reminder – and a challenge as we know that God is going to continue to do His good work in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

Amma's cake

Since we talked about cake yesterday, I just couldn’t help putting this picture of Amma’s just-baked, still-warm pineapple upside down cake. I wish we could send the smell and texture over the internet too. Enjoy!

Cake

The internet is a great source for recipes. Here is a good example. Both image and recipe shamelessly fleeced of different sites.

The cake came out great here in Tumgalam as we celebrate Sheba's elder sister Daisy's birthday today and younger sister Sarah's B-day yesterday! (don't worry - there was a gap of 3 years between the 2 births - but Amma did have 4 kids in 5 years!)

Here are the ingredients for the cake:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk

And this is what to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.