Leap day

Here we are on a day we get once every 4 years - the proverbial leap day.
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Growing up this day was notorious for being the birth date of a venerable politician who managed to be India's first non-Congress prime minister - the one and only Morarji Desai. As kids we were dimly aware of his role in helping topple Indira Gandhi in 1977. The one thing we all knew was that his birthday was on Feb 29th - and that he was a proponent of 'auto-urine' therapy - a drink that we called 'Moraji Cola' amidst gales of boyish laughter.
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Later I found out that he had been living for years in an appartment in the posh Marine Drive part of south Mumbai - while paying a pittance of a rent because of the Rent Control act meant his land-lord was not able to increase the rent for tenants who had already taking the properties on rent. This is one of the reasons why vast parts of south Mumbai are decaying as the owners have stopped making any renovations decades ago - and the tenants continue to give the Rs. 40/ rent per month that their forefathers gave in 1940.
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All that to say that today we get the four-yearly benefit of that extra 6 hours the earth uses to circle the sun each year. Other than a few silly advertisements about 'leaping for joy' (at the wonderful prices of an airconditioners) today's papers have not shown any interest in the 29th.
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And that is how it should be. Other than the crucial fact that we have air to breathe, people to love, things to do, another day that God has given. Breathe deep, gentle reader. Will we see leap-day 2012? We have seen today and are glad.
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"Cherishing each God-given day"

Gratitude

On Monday Sheba took a huge step of faith and admitted a man who was very very sick.

So sick that his pulse could basically not be felt.

Over the last 3 days this man has been nursed back into life. His vomitting and diarrhoea have stopped. He has started eating. He is able to sit up. He went outside for a walk. He shaved off his beard. A new man.

On the outside at least.

Today he walked across the road. To smoke a bidi. His cough and weakness was not enough to keep him from getting his bit.

As he became more alive we realised that he was angry. Very angry.

When it came time to leave, he was a small sour and confused man. His main expression was regret that he had come. "I was told it would be free" he grumbled after his wife paid the small hospitalisation fee we asked from them. "I was this way before - I am not better."
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Our miracle walked out the door followed by his caring wife. "He is hot in the head" she apologised on behalf her husband.
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Miracles take place. Even now. Today.
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But how many times the recipients of the miraculous do not recognise them! How many times it has been me walking out surlyly - when actually my heart should have been filled - with gratitude.

Phone call

Sheba got a call yesterday evening.

She often does. Our patients know our number and call at various times for various reasons.

This call was from a young cousin of an 8 year old girl and a 10 year old boy.

The 10 year old cousin brother has HIV. Both parents have died. The children are being looked after by their widower Grandfather.

This girl called up to know if one of our JSK staff could take her cousin brother for his monthly visit to Sion Hospital on Saturday - to get his Anti-retroviral medicines.

Her uncle needs to be admitted to hospital - he is an alcoholic and her grandfather is the only person who can be with him.

"Its very important that my brother takes his medicine" this girl told Sheba.

The sound of the voice was that of a young girl - the depth came from the age which comes from suffering.

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Post script:

We got a call late this afternoon. Her uncle has died. Alcohol did him in. His father now has lost another son - to add to his son and daughter-in-law who died of AIDS.

Small world

Asha took her 'science' project to school today - Summer.

She made a small world to illustrate it.

One where people drink cool drinks and eat icecreams.

One where people go up to the hills - like the small hill-station of Matheran which generations of Mumbai-dwellers go to to cool off a bit. The Thane Eichers have not yet been to Matheran as a family, but we hope to rectify this omission! The charm of the place is that no cars are allowed, so you either walk or take a horse!

One of the best things about Matheran is getting there. There is a 100 year old toy train that chugs up the side of the hill - meandering its way up through forests full of monkeys.

Asha also reasoned that people go on picnics during summer. And wear funny straw hats. And go to the beach.

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All of this recreated in her own little world. Courtesy of Enoch and Asha's duplo set. And some artistic direction by Asha's Dad. Other than some cutting and a few of the gluing segments, however - all was done by Asha herself.

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How much our children are going to shape the world. Let see.

QE2

The Queen Elizabeth 2 is on her final journey. Many years of sailing the world are coming to an end. One of the passengers was a certain George Verwer who made a quick visit to Bombay in the early 80s to meet with Dad and other OM leaders.

In an age of the jet liner - the ocean liner seems an anachronism. Our anscestors sailed the sees on the Cunard and P&O lines. Usually the journey took weeks. Sometimes longer. When Dad was a boy it took him a good 7 months to sail from New York to Bombay (via Portugal and South Africa) during the 2nd world war.

There are still sailing ships that ply the sea. None more dear to our heart than the two (or is it three?) OM ships - the Doulos, the Logos 2 (on her final voyage to the caribbean) and the new Logos Hope. These ships have seen millions of people come on board at harbours across the world and leave with books and much hope! Mum and Dad had the privilege of praying the original Logos into being. We as a family had the privilege of spending a night on the Doulos in Vishakapatnam harbour in 2006! Happy sailing dear friends on OM ships - may you have a fair wind as you cross the seas for lasting hope!

Enoch Eicher, MD

Enoch Eicher, MD.

We have one Dr. Eicher so far. How many more? And when will the next one come about? What of the many years of study that Asha or Enoch (or Ashish) will have to put in to get trained in medicine?

Today it was a dress up day - Enoch's Jr. KG class celebrated 'grandparents' day and he was in a play showing the different 'helpers' - doctors fall into that category. He was dissappointed that his own grandparents weren't there - and we had to try and explain that Oma and Opa are in the US right now - while Ammama and Thatha are in Delhi. I wish we could have some 'adopted' grandparents for Asha and Enoch like we had when Stef, Premi and I were growing up.

But back to the white coat. The Yale Medicine magazine we get never fails to report on the ceremony when med students get to don the white coat. A powerful statement of belonging - jealously guarded by the med fraternity. Will one or two of the next gen Eichers follow Mummy's footsteps? Watch this space.

Stories that last

One of our staff who is HIV positive shared her story at the Church Member Training on Saturday.

When she talked about her husband dying she cried. It was the first time we have seen tears in her eyes - but there was a tremendous atmosphere of love in the room. She also shared how she had been started on anti-retroviral therapy - and had been very afraid to do so because of the many people she has seen suffering terribly from side-effects. She is so grateful that she has not only not had side effects - but that her CD4 count has gone up from 180 to 340 in just under 6 months! We are proud of her and know that God is doing His work in and through her.

One of the desires that we have at Jeevan Sahara is for God to unleash people with HIV to minister. Not only to receive physical and emotional and relational healing - but to also minister to others. Others with HIV as well as other circles of needy and broken people (place yourself in one of these - we all fit in at least one circle of brokeness).

We are heartened that God does not wait till we become perfect before using us.

The last 2 weeks have seen us joined by an HIV positive brother from the interior of Maharasthra. He has been sent by a church group as he has a great vision for reaching out to his community - as well as those with HIV. It has been wonderful to help train him up in basic home-care - and to see person after person touched when our brother tells them his story. God is using the weak to confound the wisdom of our very out-of-kilter world.

In the same week when with much fan-fare and razzmatazz the new India Professional League for cricketers announced absolutely mind-boggling pay packages for 44 days of work - we have been touched by two people with HIV who will never see their names and faces bandied about as eye-candy in the press. But what they do for God will be recorded for eternity. Yesterday's paper is already being stored to be sold to the old-paper-man. What is written on it is leaching out of my short-term memory. But what is done for the Kingdom will last - forever. Malachi 3.16.