Doctors' Meeting

Following the Master Physician's Heart: Excellence and Ethics in Medical Practice Today is a conference that we are helping to organise for the Evangelical Medical Fellowship of India.

Its taking place now! On our nation's 58th Republic Day celebrations. We are blessed to have wonderful speakers in Dr. MC Matthew from CMC Vellore and Dr. Ashok Chacko who helps lead the EMFI as well as our own Dr. Stephen Alfred from the Lok Hospital / Bethany Trust.

There are so many things that we hope this conference will do - but to start with we have two thoughts:

1) Christian Doctors in the greater Mumbai area need to meet with each other and fellowship together. It is so important for doctors to be able to share about their experiences and situations with others - and in turn to be blessed and challenged and encouraged to know that they are not alone - and that others are also working through similar issues.

2) We all need to be challenged to live our lives in the light of the the LIGHT. We are so steeped in the ways of convenince (and worse) that we forget our true inheritance. The challenge of ethics in medicine starts at the most basic level - do we even make the smallest of efforts to be ethical in our work? As followers of Christ we have no choice - our Master took the lonely, difficult path time and time again - and expects no less from us. The twist is that when we do so - though others may mock - His joy is there with us.

Though we hope that the time will be a joyous one - and that all the participants will really have a wonderful time - we know that the issues at hand are deadly serious.

On the phone yesterday Sheba talked to our dear friend Dr. Cherring at Nav Jivan Hospital. Another case of a ruptured uterus was operated on at the hospital - something that in Mumbai is unheard of. It still occurs in so many parts of the rural hinterland!

At the same time today we had the shocking news that a little 12 year old girl died of TB. We had seen her 2 days previously when a local church member brought her and her grandmother and brother since she was quite sick. We sent a staff member today to take her to the govt. TB treatment centre - but she had died - and died of familial neglect. Even that morning - when she was deadly sick and her family put her in a rickshaw to take her to a govt. hospital - her mother said 'no, anyway she will die there, might as well be here at home.'

So as the doctors meet tomorrow (or actually today as we have crossed the 12 AM line) pray that God will speak - and that his children will listen - and obey - and follow the Master Physician's Heart.

A jungle path prayer

Heard this morning:

Rahul, one of our JSK staff, was called last week by a partner organisation.

We had referred "Noreen" and her daughter "Ovi" to these dear folk for terminal care. They now called and said that they were not able to handle them - Noreen was too sick - and that we should take them back.

Rahul had picked up Noreen's husband 'Ram' from an AIDS hospice and went to the far-off rural site where the organisation was looking after Noreen.

As he went in to talk with the person in charge - the staff of the organisation already put Noreen into the auto-rickshaw. She had bad diarrhea and they told Rahul to take her and put her in a government hospital.

A phone call to us at the JSK centre - we said that we had sent her to the organisation for end-of-life care. To take her now to a hospital was pointless. We suggested that Rahul ask them to care for her some more in her last days.

Ram was crying.

Rahul just did not know what to do. The authorities were firm - you brought her to us - you take her away. Do whatever you have to do.

Rahul remembered Jesus. He told Ram to wait - and that something would work out. He then took a small walk along the jungle path next to the place. Noreen remained in the rickshaw. Rahul talked to God.

The idea came to try again at the hospice that Ram was staying at. They had previously looked after Noreen and discharged her because they could not cope with her psychiatric behaviour. We had previously enquired about whether they would be willing to take her back.

It seemed a long shot, but Rahul phoned up.

Yes. They were willing to take her back and care for her.

Out in the middle of now-where. With a woman suffering from uncontrollable diarrhea. With no apparent options in sight. God had opened a window of hope.

Rahul came back and told Ram that they were taking Noreen to where Ram had come from.

Portable Jesus?

Came across the title of a book today: "Jesus in a Nutshell".

Hmmm.

Another attempt to down-size the Alpha and the Omega. To make him bite-sized. Palatable. Convenient.

The absurdity of even talking about the Great I AM in such a pitifully confined and limited way.

Reminds me of a saying:

"God is looking for spiritual fruit - not religious nuts"

Nano

Nano. One-billionth.

For a country of 1 billion-plus, this is a dream come true.

A car that costs just double a motor-cycle. Rs. 1 lakh (100,000). About US$ 2500. The cheapest car on the planet - and with Euro 3 emission norms.

We are about to see a revolution in manufacturing in India. Tata wants to build a million of these little things immediately. They will all be sold. All of them.

The amazing thing is how tenacious Ratan Tata has been about this project. He wanted his car to be made - and he wanted it to be a 4 door - real car.

So what if it has only one windshield wiper and no place for a radio. It is one of those break-through events that define what our industry can do.

How much can be done if we are passionate about it. Our greatest enemy is lethargy. The old-fashioned vice of sloth is not talked about much these days - in fact it is quietly lionised in the media-consuming mass that we have become.

More than the Ambanis and their fabulous wealth - I admire Mr Tata's drive and ability to translate what seemed total folly to many into reality.

A couple of generations ago, a humble German car changed the way the country worked. Take a look:

Will Nano do something similar in India? Lets see.

Prayer

The power of prayer continues to astound.

We take is oh so for granted.

Last week our staff were with a lady whom we have known for years. We will call her Tanya.

Tanya is a widow. She came to us in a deeply depressed state near the beginning of the JSK work in Thane and we started her on anti-retroviral medications.

Though Tanya's physical health stabilised somewhat - we did not see much progress in her inner person over these years. She tolerated the home-visits by our staff - and after we were able to get her onto the free government ART treatment, she stopped coming to JSK totally.

On this day last week when our staff met Tanya she was most upset.

Tanya had sent her teenaged son to get her medications from the government - and he had taken the empty plastic pill bottle to exchange it for her monthly meds. The problem was that she had put about rupees 2000 in the bottle - without telling her son - and he had taken that empty bottle with him. She was sure that her money was going to be lost - and could not contact the boy as he had left and there was no way to contact him.

Our staff told Tanya that they would pray. God would give the money back.

When I heard our staff share this in our meeting the next day I was a bit angry inside. Why are we raising false hopes? Why be so categorical in stating that God would restore the money?

Today I take my place along with Didymus.

The staff visited Tanya yesterday and found her so happy! When the boy had given in the bottle for exchange, he had heard a sound of a coin. Curious to see what it was, he opened it up and found the money - and brought it back home.

In such barren soil (both in Mrs. Tanya's life - and in my own heart) God answers prayer. He is a good father who loves us very much. Lets talk to him.

God's Faithfulness to His Faithful People

40 years is a life time.

40 years can be several life-times.

We had the wonderful privilege of celebrating 40 years of God's faithfulness to Ray and Christa Eicher - Mum and Dad to us - on the 20th of Jan 08.

On Dec 23rd 1967 Raymond E. Eicher and Christa Roesli Fischer became Ray and Christa Eicher. Married on our grandparents - Elmore and Alice's mission station at Bodwad, Maharasthra, Mum and Dad chose a life of mutual love and cherishing - from which we have reaped blessing upon blessing.

And not only our direct family.

Mum and Dad have had very big hearts over the years. Our family is spread all across the globe. Many have said that they do not remember a word of what Dad spoke during the conferences but they do remember him sitting and praying with them - they do remember the cup of coffee or fried egg that Mum made for them.

Growing up Eicher meant that we were rarely if ever 'alone' - our nuclear family around the dining table.

Far more often than not there was a guest - or two or three. At times we would walk out of our room and find hippies in the living room. Other times it was someone who just needed a bit of quiet and a book to read. Or to hear Mum play some songs on the piano.

One of the surprises we were able to pull of for our thanksgiving time with Mum and Dad on the 20th was to put together a retrospective of their lives - covering the 4 decades they have pilgrimmed together. We were deeply moved to be able to briefly cover their lives - and to see time and time again how good God has been. Through the tears and dissappointments - as well as through the times of great joy - God has never let Mum and Dad down. And has left a rich legacy of people who they have touched through their love and care.

It was great to have some of their old friends present - and to hear them share about what Mum and Dad have meant to them. Of course, a number were linked with OM and the pioneering work that Mum and Dad did through the mid 60s and onwards. What came out time and time again though was not the big scale actions - but even more so the love and respect that they had for people. It was humbling to realise just how many have been blessed through them.

Mum and Dad also shared what was on their hearts - their vision for each other and for seeing people released into the healing and joy that Jesus has for them.

The power of forgiveness is something that they both take pains to share - and to freely admit to having been blessed by themselves.

It is so very clear that these are normal saints - ordinary folks who have listened to what God has told them - and obeyed. Their own lives bear testimony to the transforming power of God - and the rich legacy of lives that have been deeply touched through the lives of Mum and Dad goes on and on.

We had the wonderful privilege of giving them a final surprise. Unknown to them, we had managed to get a copy of their master address list a week before. We stripped it of all the non-email bearing names, and sent out a letter to every email address we could find (over 1300 if I recall correctly) - asking them to send memories, photos, words of encouragement, bible verses, songs etc. to eicher.40th.anniversary@gmail.com

The response was phenomenal.

We received almost 300 contributions by people all over the world - and from all eras of Mum and Dad's lives. Detailed write ups of early OM days were pasted into the memory book next to neighbours accounts from Mussoorie and along side Ellel colleagues best wishes. And so on - an amazing cloud of witnesses who wrote in and photos, poems, and memories galore.

Mum and Dad were deeply moved by the whole time and absolutely floored by the book. They were in a lovely state of shock the next day - repeating their gratitude over and over again for the love that people had expressed for them.

The good book says that anyone who loses his life for God's sake will receive 100 fold in this life and eternal life after death. We see this in Mum and Dad - they have thousands of homes all around the world, thousands of brothers and sisters in many lands - though both are single children. We are so proud of them and challenged to live a life of love and devotion to Jesus which we see so richly in them.

Thanks Mum and Dad. We want to be more like you - and allow Jesus to shine more clearly through us!

Perfect 7

A life is like a flower - unbloomed.

We really don't know how each person buds and blossoms - until we see it before our eyes.

Last week we celebrated 7 years since Asha was born. What a beautiful journey it has been. This evening we visited a dear elderly uncle in hospital - Asha was close to his head, stroking his hand lovingingly. The uncle noticed her deep love and was very touched.

On the 16th we had a real treat of a party - a fun group of girls (and 2 token boys - Enoch being 50% of that) - sprightly games - good food and a great cake - a word from the Lord through the story of the donkey who carried Jesus - and above all the real joy of celebrating with our darling Asha.

Having her beloved "Oma and Opa" there was an added treat. We are so blessed by grandparents (and so wish our parents were able to live with us the whole time instead of being so far away).

Asha had been thinking about this day for at least 2 months prior.

The countdown to Eicher birthdays seems to wind well into the previous year (shades of the US presidential election?).

But the wait is well worth it.

We prayed before this party - that God's peace and joy would be with us - and it was. It was lovely to have people from very differetn worlds meet up - our dear friends John and Nalini Gabriel from Borivali, talking to Thomas from Bhandup - Mum chatting with the mother of Vidisha - one of Asha's school friends - who is an customs officer - Dad talking to Naveen our businessman neighbour...

We are thrilled to see Asha blooming into a person worthy of her hope-bearing name. She is a very special girl and we are so privileged to be her parents and experience life with her.

Bloom well daughter - the world is an often ugly place (for now at least) - and we need all the hope of Jesus that we can get.