Now and Then

We are more

the just aquantances...

it is as if we are cut

from the same fabric.

Even though we appear to be

sewn in a different pattern

we have a common thread

that won' t be broken-

by people, or years or distance.
Tigi and Alan , Christian Fellowship brothers from 15-20 plus years ago

came to vist us .

They were here to celebrate

the Centenary of SHIATS

the Christian University whee they studied.

Tigi worked there too.

Tigi, Mama and Alan.

These guys used to come to our place to relax and have fun, food an d fellowship.

They recalled how Allahabad was the turning point of their lives. They found Christ here and fellowship and teaching in our home..They said what we are today is because what we gained here. They are doing doing very well at their jobs. Tigi is into agricultural training an d planning. H e has a lovely German wife .Before they left for Germany they used to drop into our home frequently, and sometimes so hungry after their strenuous field work that they ate whatever was in the kitchen. We loved that.

Today also the first thing Tigi said was, ' Make us some coffee ' That ' s how he used to ' greet ' us. We loved that.

(Tigi, Mama and me)
But today the boys bought us lunch from a very nice place and dessert too. And placed a love gift in Mama' s hand before leaving. We were so touched.

(Alan showing Mama his photos)

He has a managerial post in a top company and travels the world over. He is involved in a widows ministry in Mumbai. They feed hundreds of widows in that city.

Tigi looking at some old photos from hi s student days. He scanned and save d the one s below.

We were all kid s in this one L-R Sonia,(sis) Namrita,(sis)Dolly, Anjali (sis),Tigi (16 yrs),me Thomas and I forgot the last guy' s name.

This a group photo from a summer camp in the hills.

Student 's camp- Bible study group.

Lunch time at the camp. Now these ladies are married an d have kids of their own.

Student' s camp at a Mission hospital. We all loaded up the OM truck.

This is the Siwait Student' s Camp. In a Mission an hour 's journey from the city. Many people found Christ there. Its our place of pilgrimage. (these photos are from th e 80 and 90s)

Yesterday I wrote about s conflict situation we are facing and how these people ridicule d me because of my disabilities and Mama of he r old age.

Friend sit hurts a lot. But God has given us grace to bear this hostility.

Thank you for your prayers and kind words.

I found Joni' s devotional so appropriate for today.

A "Kidney" Christian

On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpreventable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it.-- 1 Corinthians 12:22-24

Some time ago I forced myself to watch The Operation on the Learning Channel. They show real operations, with real blood and real sutures. I made myself watch because they were showing a kidney transplant, and I wanted to see what a good friend of mine, Mike Yuen, had to go through when he gave a kidney to his brother, Geoff. Mike made this big sacrifice because people can't survive without a kidney.You can live without your eyes, your ears, or use of your hands or legs. I know thousands of people who do. But here's the irony: While most of us are convinced we could never survive without these up-front, kind of showy body parts ("Oh, Lord,I could never survive without my eyesight!"), we never consider the pancreas, kidney,or liver. Because we don't see these hidden body parts, we quickly forget how critical they are to life.

There's a parallel here to the body of Christ. As 1 Corinthians 12 says, a church can't make it -- the church can't survive as the functioning body of Christ -- without that weaker person, that needy family, that man or woman who isn't up front. The church can't be what it's supposed to be without that individual. Hurting people give the rest of the body of Christ an opportunity to serve. And sacrificial service means there's no time for division, factions, or rivalry.You need your kidney. And your church needs a kidney kind of guy who may be homeless,helpless, handicapped or hurting.

Do you have needs you should express to the church?

Or should you meet the need of another member? Maybe you need to do both!

Sometimes, Father God, I get so caught up in the part I think I should play in the church that I don't stop long enough to ask if I understand correctly. I'm listening to You now.

John Wanamaker and India

Mary Wanamaker Girl 's School was established more than 100 years ago by a generous gift from a leading American businessman John Wanamaker.
Women education was almost unknown in India at that time. There were very few schools for girls . They were taught the skills of housekeeping and married off at an early age. Mission schools tutored Christian girls and those from progressive homes.
Now after more than a 100 years this school can boast of cultivating , rearing and training thousands of women of all religions, castes and economic backgrounds. Many of them are highly placed in society and have caused changes in their own spheres of life.
My mother graduated from this school and went on to pursue her Bachelor 's degree in the Isabella Thoborne College in Lucknow ( our state capital) IT College as it is known is a renowned Methodist institution of old. Princesses from royal estates studied with my mother. My mother finished her Master 's from the Allahabad University and returned to her Alma mater to teach for 37 years.

The above photograph is from the 1978-79 yearbook.In the front row my mother is seated 5th from the left. Aunt Sybil is seated 2nd , Aunt Marjorie 8th ,Aunt Virginia is seated 10th. And Aunt Maya is standing 6th in the first row. All these ladies mentioned belong to my family.Aunt Marjorie was the Headmistress of the Primary section , she was a dedicated and selfless social worker too.

This is a staff photo . The lower grade employees, clerks, cleaners, watchmen and ayahs are also included in the picture. I remember most of them from my childhood. The school was a big part of our lives although we studied in the Convent School.

Here are some pictures of the old part of the school.

My mother tells us that the Wanamaker stores used to send pencils to the students as Christmas gifts but not anymore.

It looks like an enchanted castle.

John (Nelson) Wanamaker (July 11, 1838 – December 12, 1922) was a United States merchant, religious leader, civic and political figure, considered by some to be the father of modern advertising. Wanamaker was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Wanamaker's "Grand Depot" at 13th & Market Sts.
He opened his first store in 1861, called "Oak Hall", at Sixth and Market Streets in Philadelphia, on the site of George Washington's Presidential home. Oak Hall grew substantially based on Wanamaker's then-revolutionary principle: "One price and goods returnable". In 1869, he opened his second store at 818 Chestnut Street and capitalizing on his own name (the untimely death of his brother-in-law), and growing reputation, renamed the company John Wanamaker & Co. In 1875 he purchased an abandoned railroad depot and converted it into a large store, called John Wanamaker & Co. "The Grand Depot". Wanamaker's is considered the first department store in Philadelphia.
In 1860 John Wanamaker married Mary Erringer Brown (1839–1920). They had six children (two of them died in childhood):

John Wanamaker an outstanding American businessman of the 19th century put together one of the most successful careers of his time. Whe asked what he considered the best investment he ever made, he replied"I have made large purchases of property in my lifetime involving millions of dollars. But when I was only 11 years old, I made my biggest purchase of all. From my teacher in a little mission Sunday school, I bought a small red leather Bible. It cost me $ 2.75. I paid in small installment

from my own money that I earned." John Wanamaker knew the value of the Bible and he lived by it.

The seed he sowed in India has become a large tree. You never know what great fruit your smallest act of kindness may yield.

Sunday Blessings- We are Family

I scanned some photos from the 80s to show you our family and friends. My sister Anju and I were in University and sis Namrita was in school. We lived in a small flat - 9 of us, space and privacy challenged, but we never missed it as we were all so happy together.

We were newly born again belonging to a traditional Christian family and being a part of God 's greater family gave us new life and energy.

Above L-R (front) Papa, Mama, Amrita, Grandmother, Anju, Uncle Kenneth (Papa 's elder brother) his wife Aunt Virginia

Back row- Namrita, our friends Alex and Korah, Aunt Sybil and Sonia

Here we are with our friends George and his sister Antima. George had Afro style hair. You can see my sitar at the back and my sister Anju 's batik painting of the horses.

Again one big happy family.

There some more people in this faded picture. We are celebrating Papa' s birthday- in the centre is the cake.

On the extreme left is Uncle Ariel (Papa 's younger brother) and Aunt Marjorie (Papa' s elder sister) both are with the Lord.

All of the elders are with the Lord now and my sisters are with their families , we miss them so much. Life feels incomplete without them.

Now its Generation Next.From tomorrow my niece Mahima is starting University. Here she is with her brother Ashish. God go with you Mahima.

The following devotional from Joni Eareckson Tada spoke to my heart , specially the questions are something to think about.

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Grow in Grace"

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory."--2 Corinthians 3:18

I received a letter from an old school friend the other day. After twenty-five years of friendship, it was good to read that she is still growing in the Lord. But I was especially touched with her closing salutation, "Grow in grace." It made me think: Just how have I grown in God's grace over the last year? Is this something that can be measured?

Bishop J.C. Ryle puts it this way: "When I speak of growth in grace, I mean an increase in the degree, size, strength, vigor, and power of the graces that the Spirit plants in our hearts. When I speak of a person growing in grace, I mean simply this-that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, and his spiritual-mindedness more marked. He feels more of the power of godliness in his heart. He manifests more of it in his life; He goes on from strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from grace to grace.

"Is your sense of sin deeper than it was last year?

Is your hope brighter?

Do you sense more of the power of godliness in your heart?

We can be transformed into His likeness; something fundamentally different can happen in our lives from year to year. Change is possible, and a new and improved you is within reach. This is how it happens: Behold the Lord's glory and you will grow in grace.

Lord Jesus, I behold You today in all of Your majesty and splendor, Your excellence and purity. Transform me into the person You want me to be as I grow in Your grace.

I have made an entry on the Scarf Sisters blog too- go if you Here wan t to see how I made a HOTWICH

Churn Churn

When I was growing up fridges were rare in middle class families and we only got ours when I was in High School. We stored water in earthen or clay water pots . I remember the cool, earth scented clean water which was so refreshing. On our train journeys we carried a small earthen water jar in a special wooden frame.

We only ate freshly cooked food. Left overs were given away to servants or poor people.Fresh purchases were made everyday to make sure nothing perished or spoiled.Winter time was no problem but in the summer fruit and vegetables were kept outside in the garden to keep cool and fresh in the softly falling dew.

I think we had a closer walk with nature than we have now. In this modern age we are slaves of technology to a great extent.

One happy childhood memory was making ice cream at home. It was an event we looked forward to eagerly. We could have huge bowls full of delicious ice cream with mango or musk melon.

We either borrowed or hired an ice cream maker. It was a wooden pail with steel container fitted with a churn and a handle. Lots of milk was bought and boiled before hand. (In India milk has to be thoroughly boiled to kill bacteria). It was mixed with ice cream powder and sugar. We bought lots of ice from the baraf wala- or ice man, who came around with slabs of ice wrapped in gunny sacks on a trolley.


The ice was carefully broken into small pieces and wrapped in burlap to prevent it from melting. That night we had a light meal. Close family and friends were invited for the ice cream party.The steel container was filled with the prepared ice cream mixture and place in the pail.Then it was packed with ice and a special salt called shora (I don 't know the English name maybe sea salt) The churning of turning of the handle came next. My Dad and uncles exerted themselves, while us kids waited in joyful anticipation for the delicious outcome of their labour. Oh I tell the taste of that home made ice cream cannot be compared with the store bought desserts we get today. It was flavored with love and togetherness, that 's what made the difference.
Sometimes churning produces good results doesn 't it- philosophically speaking.

What sweet childhood memory do you have - something old fashioned you did as a family.
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You know friends. I clicked on a wrong button somewhere and lost a whole lot of photos and graphics I was hoping to use in my on coming posts. Punishing technology.

The Needle Work Class

At the convent school where I studied we had needlework classes twice a week.
We started in Grade 4 right up to Grade 8 thereafter it was Home Ec.

The needle work nuns were all very stern, staid and strict. I remember Sister Maria Gouretti . She was kind. She gave me Cs when I deserved Fs.

Because of my poor eyesight to handle a needle and thread was a formidable and clumsy task . It frightened me , I felt inadequate and nervous in a midst of a roomful of clever and nimble fingered classmates. (I felt the same in the P.E. class - a headless squid)I did not fit into the classic, archetypal, regular, typical standard female mould. Remember in 'those days ' there were very few women rocket scientists. or Tomb Raiders. The epitome of femaleness were the abilities of sewing and cooking -the ones who possesed these charms were my goddesses.
The feminine skills of cooking, stitching, knitting and housekeeping etc. were expected to be inherent in the female DNA , chromosome or what have you. And if you lacked this charisma, people could either undermine you or pity you. Everyone had to fit into a prescribed box. The un-boxed ones were either weird or plain rebellious.Individuality was not encouraged. Disability was not acknowledged, specially the unseen ones.

So how did I survive in the jungle of needles and thread, paint brushes, pots , pans and laces? I plunged into the world of music,poetry and literature. I still wade into it occasionally.

God has handcrafted each one of us uniquely and has bestowed special gifts and talents to us all.It is ours to discover them and encourage others to develop their skills and abilities. This way we can help each other grow.

Psalm 139 says,

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Today the sky remained overcast, maybe a precursor of the approaching monsoons. The west coast is having heavy rainfall. We were sans electricity for 6 hours. My blogging is slow because of that and I also like to watch a bit of football- the beautiful game everyone is calling it that- Pele 's moniker. I don' t know why football is nicknamed the beautiful game -that 's a subject for another post.

PRAYER REQUEST

Please pray for my sister Namrita. She' s been having vertigo spells with some vomiting. She is confined to her bed and can hardly eat or even talk on the phone. Her school has closed for 2 weeks , so that is a relief, She has to mark test papers, but can hardly read as her head feels like a rock. Please pray for her healing and relief.

Ave Verum Corpus

Today, March 6th is my Dad 's 6th home going anniversary.

We had a prayer meeting in my home last night.

We miss Papa as we remember his life

and all the good times we had together.

Someone has said;

Death of a parent is the death of the past

Death of a husband or wife is the death of the present

Death of a child is the death of the future.

We miss Papa but not without hope,

because we know we will

be reunited at the throne of God.

I took a photo against the back drop of my Dad 's

meticulously handwritten sermon notes.

We all admired his neat and smooth flowing

handwriting.

Whenever he was asked to preach anywhere, he spent hours researching

and going over his notes

preparing himself thoroughly.

The photos are of him and my Mom

at a summer camp in the hills.
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Philippians 1:20-23According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better

.2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord (For we walk by faith, not by sight). We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

Finally Home

When alarmed by the fury of the restless sea,

Towering waves before you roll,

At the end of doubt and peril is eternity,

Though fear and conflict seize your soul

Just think of stepping on shore, and finding it heaven

Of touching a hand, and finding it God's

Of breathing new air, and finding it celestial

Of waking up in Glory, and finding it "Home"

When surrounded by the blackness of the darkest night,

Oh how lonely death can be,

At the end this long tunnel is a shinning light,

For death is swallowed-up in Victory,

(Victory!)Just think of stepping on shore,

and finding it heaven Of touching a hand, and finding it God's

Of breathing new air, and finding it celestial

Of waking up in Glory, and finding it "Home"

Finally Home! ...by Don Wyrtzen

Here is beautiful choral music by Mozart in the memory of my Dad.

I have sung this during Easter time.
Ave Verum Corpus

Ave, verum corpusnatum de Maria Virgine

Vere passum immolatumin Cruce pro homine,

Cujus latus perforatumunda* fluxit (et)* sanguine,

Esto nobis praegustatumin mortis examine.
Hail,true body born of the Virgin Mary,

Who truly suffered, sacrificed on the Cross for man,

Whose pierced side overflowed with water* and blood,

Be for us a foretaste**In the test of death.

I want to go back to the time when ---

Today Feb 13th is my Papa 's birthday.I was the only relative with him during his dying moments in

the hospital ICU when kidney and heart failure

was drained his life away. But he was so strong right till the end.

Both of us prayed and he gave me instructions

about church affairs.

I couldn 't believe he would slip away.

I thought I 'd bring him back home like before.

I suffer from PTSS because of it at times.My father was a strong and

passionate man. Thou roughly altruistic,

benefactor of many, a rescuer.

Thrifty and austere

he believed in using the Lord 's resources

very wisely.

Although he was a government employee,

he never backed out in serving the Lord full time.

He was very hospitable and took great pains to see his guests

comfortable and satisfied.

If you are watching us from above

we want to say that we all miss you Papa

The following piece I got in an email.

It reminds me of the good old times.

• Want To Go Back To The Time When INNOCENCE Was NATURAL, Not FAKE. When GETTING HIGH Meant On A SWING, Not PROMOTIONS. When DRINKING Meant RASNA ORANGE, Not BEERS/ WHISKEYS Or COFFEE/TEA. When DAD Was The Only HERO, Not DEPP Or TOM. When LOVE Was MOM’S HUG, Not The GIRL FRIENDS’ / BOY FRIENDS’. When DAD’S SHOULDER Was The HIGHEST PLACE On The Earth, Not Your DESIGNATION. When Your WORST ENEMIES Were Your SIBLINGS, Not Your MANAGER. When The Only Thing That Could HURT Were BLEEDING KNEES, Not The TEARS Falling Down Your Cheeks. When The Only Things BROKEN Were TOYS, Not The DYING HEARTS. And When GOOD-BYES Meant TILL TOMORROW, Not For YEARS & YEARS.

Finding Friends

Having a Face Book Account has its pros and cons.

But I am glad I got one,

because I am connecting with my long , out-of -touch friends.

One girl I knew 25 years ago.

I stole some of their photos and put them here

for all to see.

Below are saints from an mission fellowship

my family and I are a part of.

Its called Union of Evangelical Students of India,(UESI)

very similar to Inter Varsity Fellowship. Above - Parrot akka (sister) and Sahayam anna(brother).

Parrot akka taught in a women 's Bible School.

She was our mentor and conference speaker.

She served on the OM ship for a term, got married.

Both of them were on the staff of the UESI

for several years.

They have 2 college going children.

They are excellent counsellors

specially in the area of marriage.
For some years they were missionaries
in the Fiji Islands and now they are serving in Guyana (S. America)

Akka had beautiful long hair,
which reached down to her ankles.
******************
Below are Dr's Emmanuel and their fellowship group
in South India.
Brother is the head of a department in a College of Engineering
Dr Marjorie (his wife) works in a Leprosy hospital
started by the famous Dr Paul Brand.
They have 2 lovely daughters and 2 sweet grand kids.
Akka and Anna were based in my home town for several years.
They started their married life here.
They were the pillars of our fellowship.
Investing their home, resources and energy
for the kingdom.
They were like glue which cemented us together.
The more I talk about them is less.
Here in their home in South India
they are having a fellowship Birthday Feast.
Every one who had a birthday in August
got together with friends to celebrate.
(akka is serving the food)


(above Dr E and Dr M in front of the bookcase)
They had dinner and prayer

and worship.

Daughter Jerusha, an engineering student,

is playing the piano

Above are Sav and Den (short form of names) , a young couple

with their kids.

They were students in my hometown.

Now they are serving impoverished

and sick people in a neighbouring state.

Once Sonia and I were returning from a village wedding

about 50 miles from Alld.

We ran into Den. who was surprised to

see us in the middle of the village in

the blistering May heat.

He was there on a mission to sink a well

for peasants who were facing

shortage of water.

I am proud and blessed

to be a part of the family of God.

On March 6th

Five years ago, my father

entered his rest in the Lord.

It came as a huge shock to us as a few hours earlier he was planning the farewell of a church member, not knowing

he would be bidding goodbye to us.

I was the only family member near him.

I prayed with him

my mind swooning with disbelief.

Whenever he got sick I used to take him to the hospital

and bring him home safely.

Not this time.

The Lord took him home instead.

A lot of exciting things were going to happen in our church

and it took me a while to cope on that front too.

Mama and Papa in 1947

They got married 11 years later

Mama is holding me.
Papa is holding Anju.
I used to cry a lot because of my congenital eye disease.
Caused a lot of stress.

In the 80s at the Deodars Spiritual Life Center in Mussoorie (N. India)

My father was very fond of planting

roses.

Each winter he used to buy new plants.

We haven 't bought new plants since.

He would be so proud to see his roses blooming.

He has outsoared the shadow of our night;

Envy and calamity and hate and pain,

And that unrest which men miscall delight,

Can touch him not, and torture not again;

P B Shelley

From Adonias