Dad and Sam

A friend of ours took this photo in Thailand this summer.

I like it.

How we live this week...

Our cozy flat continues to buzz right along. The Morgan family is staying with us for three weeks, their first time in Varanasi. They are so cool and amazing.

I keep trying to imagine what it is like to be here for the first time, and I can't remember very well. I wonder what is going through their minds sometimes?

Clinic has been slow this week, but some puzzling patients... Fever of Unknown Origin (high fevers for almost a month with no source), and severe neurologic symptoms in a young lady (well, she is my age, which is, as you know, quite young). And some weird rashes.

Have been trying to get kids out to run on a regular basis, harder than it sounds in our fair city.

THe phone company claims we will have internet access again by this evening.. we shall see. On the other hand, now two water taps have broken in the apartment, so we need a plumber.

Martha seems to be adjusting to our normal chaos with apl0mb, and has been smiling more.

Martha and the Morgans

Sorry we haven't written more sooner. Our internet connection is down, so limited stuff can happen.

The Morgans have safely arrived and are over jet lag and no one is ill. Thanks be to God.

Martha has also arrived to help with our children. Thanks be to God.

The 12 of us are all currently staying in our little flat, so we eat in shifts, but the kids seem to be having a good time. :)

I left last Thursday evening for New Delhi, arriving Friday morning. On Friday evening, I picked up the Morgans at the airport, and we went to a guesthouse to sleep. We left Saturday morning for a little shopping on the way to the train station, and caught the Train on Saturday afternoon, arriving in our fair city on Sunday morning, and they managed to leave an hour later for Church, what a family.

In Which I Translate John 1:14 from Urdu into English

And the Book (or the Words) became Human (or got into a body, or became completed), and stayed with us (or between us). And being full of truth and blessing, we saw his Splendid Wrath which was like the Splendid Wrath of His Dad.

Veranda Update

I have been talking about the Veranda underneath our dining room for a couple of days now.

First it was a goat pen, then an abattoir, and now a sleeping space.

There were, I believe, eight individuals sleeping on the Veranda last night.

It makes sense to use the space, if space is limited.

If you find the local habit of sleeping with a blanket over your head a bit disconcerting, so do I. Especially when they use a white sheet to take a nap by the side of the road during the day.

Goat Update

For those who wish to keep track of the goats, mentioned below, that appeared on the Veranda underneath our dining room window a few days ago... we have an update...
They are now a gleaming pile of raw meat on the same aformentioned Veranda.
No more bleating, and a different kind of smell.
Sam has been walking around the house bleating like a goat.

Sam turns two, and sings "Happy Birthday" to himself all day long.

Sam turned Two Years Old on October 12.

Here he is getting some birthday kisses from his sisters.

Looks like he is not so sure he wanted Birthday kisses.

Don't worry, he got other presents also.

My Dad and cousin Ron have birthdays tomorrow, the 13th, and Amy's brother Scott on the 14th. What a week.

I Woke Up One Morning...

Rolled out of bed the other morning, and was nursing a cup of Earl Grey as the morning sun shone over my shoulder on the newspaper in front of me......

When I heard a goat bleat.

Well. I hear lots of animal noises in this fair city, but this one seemed really close. I glanced out the window behind me.

We are on the third floor, and there is a balcony just below our dining room window, for the apartment just below us. Then it is two storeys down to the street.

There on the balcony were a couple of goats. Turns out the neighbors are having a wedding this coming week, and need the goats for the wedding.

Well, of course, as long as there is a logical explanation.

So this morning, while nursing my morning cup of Earl Grey, in addition to the fragrance of Bergamot, I had the heady aroma of, well, goat. If you know what I mean.

Should be a fun wedding. I think the food will be good.

They Were Asleep by the Third Verse of "How Firm a Foundation."

We have had a busy week.

I was off to New Delhi for two nights for a quick conference, and what with two nights on the train, that meant being away from home for four nights. We both went a little stir crazy, me from too much time in a tightly packed railway car, Amy from too much time without a break with four little kids.

I got back on Eid al Futr, the end of Ramadan, and one of the biggest holidays of the year. Good Muslims don't have many holidays, so they make good use of the ones they have. This one goes on for a week or more.

So we have been out visiting a lot.

Last night when we got home from being out with some other friends, Amy put the kids to bed while I had to see another patient. As she told me later, she got them into bed and started singing to them, and "they were asleep by the third verse of "How Firm a Foundation"."