When I walk into the Muslim Charity Hospital...

This is the site I am first met with.

This is a quiet morning, sometimes I have to use my briefcase to sort of plow a way through the people.

Not all these people are there to see me of course, few are. There are five to ten other doctors to see.

Plus, for this neighborhood, going to the Doctor or Hospital is a social occasion. One would never go to the Doctor without half a dozen friends or family members or children along. Sifting through to figure out who the patient actually is, can sometimes be time consuming.

I gotted roped into helping with the goat butchering

So do you want to see the more graphic photos?

Tell Me Your Name...

I am curious...
Who all reads this post?

Tell me your first name and which state or country you are from...

Nora Grace and her friend Zoya checking out the goats at the Goat Market

We went with some friends to the Goat Market, as they were to pick out half a dozen goats for Bukri Eid tomorrow. They had fun. But then, they generally do.

Their Hours are Numbered

Tomorrow is Bukri Eid, when Muslims honor God for providing a Ram for Abraham in place of his son.

To celebrate this, Muslims all over the world sacrifice goats, sheep, cows, camels, and water buffalo, giving part of the meat to the poor, and feasting on much of the rest. Tomorrow is the big day.

A local park gets turned into an goat market just before Bukri Eid, as goat is the local Muslims favorite meat option. Tens of thousands of goats change hands in a few days.

So these guys have only a few hours left...

Why Should Boys Have All the Fun?

India has a huge and expanding Middle Class. As these hundreds of millions of people begin to acquire assetts, they begin to look around for things to buy.

In India, for multiple reasons, buying a scooter makes a lot more sense for many people than buying a car. Scooters and Motorcycles outnumber cars by 40 to one. Thus far, most advertising has been directed toward men, especially young men.

But Honda has a new ad scheme trying to get females to buy a scooter, called, "Why Should Boys Have All the Fun?" One of the ads is above.

Nora Grace has been walking around the house singing this phrase.

As a friend pointed out, the unusual thing is not an ad campaign directed toward women, but that they would suggest a woman in Capri pants and a halter top could ride on a clean scooter through the streets of our fair city.

So, Where Do You Want Me To Go?

India currently has an advertising scheme called, "Incredible India".

It is kind of fun, with great photos and such like from all over this great land, encouraging people to travel and tour.

THe above poster is one such advertisement, encouraging people to visit the State of Mahdhya Pradesh.

The only thing I found odd, is that the background graphic is a map of the Carribbean. Hmmmm, what am I supposed to do with that?

Conspiracy Theories Abound

The events in Mumbai (nee Bombay) were tragic. Random killing of large groups of people is a travesty of justice. We may never know all of the details of what happened.

Quite a few policemen and anti-terror police also died in the events that happened. They are being mourned appropriately in this fair land.

But conspiracy theories abound…

There are mass bombings and mass killings on a regular basis in this land, each year will typically have two or three major terror attacks, usually bombs set in religious places or market places. Both mosques and temples have been victim.

A recent major bombing was being investigated by the ATS, or “Anti-Terrorism Squad” in Mumbai. Although the final verdict was not in, many signs were beginning to point to the idea that that this particular bombing had been done by Hindu Fundamentalists (not Muslims), possibly with the knowledge or even support of several leading politicians.

The lead ATS investigator and several other ATS personnel involved in the investigation were all killed in the line of duty in Mumbai, while fighting the terrorists who attacked there.

And Conspiracy theories abound…

They are killing Christians too...

There is a long history of animosity between Christians and Muslims, both in India and the rest of the world.

In the history of India, when tensions exist, Christians are usually on the side of the Hindus, against the Muslims. In the past, Christians have usually voted for Hindus over Muslims, interacted with Hindus more than Muslims, and learned the language of the Hindus rather than Muslims. When rioting and fighting exist, Christians are on the side of the Hindus and the Muslims usually stand alone.

Muslims in India often feel isolated and alone.

In recent months, Christians have been dying at the hands of non-Christians at a rate that is somewhat more than typical. It would seem that much of the most recent killing, Church burning, and threats, are coming from Hindus and not any other group.

Muslims have noticed.

Muslims have a long history of feeling persecuted in India, but have felt alone in their fate. Suddenly they are sitting up and noticing… Christians are also feeling the brunt of Fundamentalism from the majority community.

Several times in recent months, I have had Muslim friends point at a headline in the newspaper and say something to the effect of: “They are killing Christians too!”

Funny the things that bring sympathy for the Christian in the Muslim community here.

Miriam turns 4

Miriam is a bit smug about the fact she has turned four. Instead of Daddy being "the big 4 - 0", Miriam is "the big 4".

Here she gets a ride from Auntie Martha on the back of a bike.

Elijah...up close and personal

I guess this might be a good picture to show Elijah's girlfriends in about 20 years.

Safe here, Sad at what happened, cautiously looking forword to Thanksgiving

In the late night, early morning hours of Wednesday/Thursday night, multiple gunmen attacked at least four places in coordinated attacts in Mumbai (ne' Bombay), in western India, about 15oo miles from our fair city.

They attacked two up scale hotels, an upscale restaurant, and the train station. They seemed to be targeting places where Westerners hang out.

Details are still emerging...at least 80 dead... probably 7 to 15 hostages...

We mourn this.

In our fair city, the streets are a bit more tense, with a large increase in Police presence. But the city seems to be functioning normally, with business as usual (this is not a holiday weekend in India).

We are all safe here at the moment.

Today is American Thanksgiving, and the only holiday in our fair city that gets all the Westerners together... students, travelers, Americans or not, Christian or not, there is typically 150 to 200 folks get together for a huge pot luck and talent show. In careful consideration, we are continuing with this festival, though obviously with extra security and a more subdued tone.

Keeping you posted...

The Shirts at McDonalds are Very Expensive...

McDonalds is new to Varanasi, and is located in a new shopping mall (the first in the city).

The Fast Food Restaurant is so closely linked to the Mall, that the whole mall is often referred to as "McDonalds".

Hence, a friend had a conversation where the Mall came up, and someone said, "The shirts at McDonalds are very expensive."

Well, yes, I suppose that is true.

Proof we made it to the Taj Mahal

I have been in India for nine years now, and have never seen the Taj Mahal. Even though it is only 100 miles from New Delhi, where we go in and out on a regular basis.

So the visit with the Morgans seemed like a good time to rectify that... and here we are.

Trip down was interesting, with multiple children vomiting and multiple plastic bags of vomitus being tossed into the ditch as chugged along through the most polluted day New Delhi has had in ten years.

But we made it and a good time was had by all.

I didn't Understand everything but was happy about the 5000 rupees

Last tuesday morning early, I crept out into the dining room to do some email before everyone else woke up.

The room was dark as I turned on the computer (a laptop I had just set down on the table).

As I turned away to start on a cup of tea, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bright orange light flashing from the back of the computer, and then smelt smoke.

Well, that's no good.

After visiting the repair shop, and realizing the cost of repairing, I ended up buying a new computer.

Thanks to my good friend Lee, everything from the old computer was recovered, and I am slowly trying to get all the programs up and running on the new one.

I remain a Toshiba man.

Oh yeah, the 5000 rupees.

Lee and I were wandering around (wondering around? do both fit the description of what we were doing?) Nehru Place, finding stuff for an external harddrive, we found a computer salvaging shop. Expecting I would just give it to the guy, he offered me 5000 rupees for what remained (screen, DVD player, keyboard). I guess I should have bargained him up, but jumped at the chance, and went home happy.

The boys in his shop had the old one separated into parts in about 30 seconds.

Joy is 18 Hours on a Train to Delhi with seven kids in our Train Compartment

I am very serious about the "Joy" part. Joy is a choice.

The Morgans are heading back to the States, and we are seeing them off. As well as the Taj, LW.

My friend Abraham asked for a blog entry of less than 50 words. So here are 49.

Welcome to Martha!!

Martha Masih has come to help with our family, and we are so happy to have her here. Martha is kind and gentle, soft spoken and the children love her. Thanks be to God for Martha. Pray for her that our kids don't drive her mad!

Three Girls in Matching Shalwar Kamis

That would be Eliana in the middle.

So How Many Women and Children can you put in the Back seat?

I just like the Photo

Here is Sam.

His T-Shirt says, "Mr. Happy".

That pretty much says it all.

Proof the Morgans are here...

Miriam is very fond of Uncle James.

Here we are on the Ganges, for the prerequisite boat ride.

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"."

Running Errands With Dad

After Nora Grace finished breakfast on the morning of her Birthday, last Saturday, I asked her if she would like to go out with me while I went to run a few errands. She said, "Sure."

We ran a few errands, and then pulled up in front of the much talked about bicycle shop... as the autorickshaw came to a stop, she said, "Why are we stopping here?"

And then she started yelling.

So we came home with her first bicycle. She has been riding it in the hallway with Sahil.

This is Sam in one of his few somber moments.

Birthday Girl

Nora Grace celebrated her seventh birthday on September 20. So here she is at breakfast, happy with her presents.

She got to choose what we would eat during the day... so breakfast was Waffles (if we had electricity, it was to be Swedish Pancakes, if we did not).

Lunch was rice and lentils, always a favorite. Nora Grace eats her rice and lentils rolled up in a piece of flatbread, whatever works for you, kiddo.

Supper was mashed potatoes (that's my girl), grilled chicken, and then Lemon Marange Pie for dessert. She didn't want a cake. She wanted pie. Go figure.

(Yes, you are correct, that word right after "Lemon" is misspelled. So is that one.

If I can give them a name and age, perhaps I can give them a life, and at least have something more objective to mourn when they disappear.

I sometimes assist a local charity that helps the children who live on the train tracks at the Railway Station. The group goes to the station several times per week, handing out chai and sandwiches, dressing wounds, and so on. A number of kids have even been rescued from their life on the tracks, and have entered school (which the charity also runs).

I visit on Tuesdays (and with emergencies), and my job is to help with the illnesses and traumas to which they are particularly prone.

I am sometimes amazed at the stories I hear, kids shrugging and grinning as they tell of incredible harm inflicted on them by others.

Most of them do not have orthodox names, but go by one of several nicknames. None of them know their birthdates, and few even know how old they are. This makes things interesting for Medical Records, as I try to put on paper their stories and traumas, and keep track of who has received what treatments.

So when I see a child for the first time, I try to put down as many identifying things as I can: every name that gets used for them, any other names that they might remember (mother, father, brothers etc), where they are from and so on. When I write down the exam portion, I note any scars or identifying factors… anything that might help me tell them apart.

Sometimes, when I do this, it seems like I am forcing them to exist. Many of them have lived on the edge of existence for years, and, practically speaking, they do not exist.

When I say, “they do not exist”, I mean that if they die, no one would mourn them, no one would fill out a death certificate, and likely, no one would even know they had died.

So, by making sure they have a name and age and fathers name, maybe I can compel them to exist. And if they don’t show up for a few weeks, we can at least ask around and try to find out what happened to them.

To see if they still exist.

Lowell rants a bit about modern worship leaders leading hymns

(Lowell is going to be complaining in generalizations for a few lines. It might sound like he is whining. If this does not appeal to you, please bypass this post.)

I grew up singing hymns a cappelo. And the advantage to doing it a lot, is that you get good at it. And although we were a small Church, we were pretty good at it. No one at the Church I grew up in had any musical training… we just sang a lot. And we were good.

With that in mind, I get very frustrated at how modern worship leaders “lead” hymns.

For starters, their repertoire is extremely limited. The same twenty hymns get repeated over and over and over, all over the USA. (“Great is Thy Faithfulness” is a wonderful hymn, but what about the scores of other hymns about the faithfulness of God that we haven’t sung in years?) It is amusing to me that, in an age when everyone wants to learn new songs, no one will learn songs that are new to them (but were written awhile back).

And then there is timing…which part of “four-four” or “three-four” timing don’t you understand? The majority of all western songs (let alone hymns) are written in one of these two timings. If you can lead some of the complex rhythms that are sung in many modern worship tunes, surely you can handle leading a hymn in its correct timing.

And then there is tempo… goodness, I could fall asleep sometimes. Most hymns have an upbeat, buoyant tempo, not a funeral dirge. Why can we sing a modern song with a good tempo, but then when we switch to a hymn, all of a sudden everything sloooooows waaaaaay dooooown. Keep it moving there, buddy.

This concludes Lowell whining about modern worship leaders leading hymns. He readily admits that there are lots of exceptions to what he has said. He apologizes to anyone who may have been offended.

Knowledge is Power

Why do my Indian Medical colleagues not get along?

I was sitting with a group of International Christians who live in India, and we were discussing some of the many things we had learned over the years. Someone suggested we should put it all together, maybe in a website. That way, we could share our knowledge.

What a good idea, sharing what we have learned, so others after us don’t have to go through some of the hard knocks that we have to go through.

One of the gentlemen who was part of the group is from India, and he just smiled at us, and looked happy and amazed at the same time. After awhile, he suddenly could contain himself no longer and burst out, “This is such an anathema in India. We would never do this. To us, Knowledge is Power, and we would never willingly share our power freely with others.

Is that why my colleagues in Medicine in India don’t get along? When I go to Grand Rounds or other gatherings of local Varanasi doctors, I am constantly amazed at the sniping, back stabbing, cutting down etc that happens.

But maybe that is because Knowledge is Power. And one needs to hold onto that Power.

Could explain the lack of patient education also.

The Sun Shall Not Smite Thee by Day...

I memorized that Psalm as a child, and could never for the life of me understand what the writer was saying.... I mean, the sun is good and warm and pleasant and wonderful, right? Am I right?

I thought I was right till I moved to India. Wow. The Sun can be oppressive. Just like we have different words for snow and rain, they have different words for sunshine, and some of them are not pleasant. Dhoop is when the sun shines down on you in an oppressive fashion, which it does for months at a time here. Sometimes when riding in an autorickshaw, and I can't get my hand or foot inside because of the crowd, I will literally get a first degree burn. Not a sunburn, but a burn like I held it up to a candle, and got burned.

The Sun shall not smite me.

Maybe Sam is Actually Swedish??

A little background to this blog entry…

First, Sam is 23 months old, loves to jabber away, and most of what he says is incomprehensible, with occasional words we recognize thrown in.

Second, we have recently acquired the first season of “The Muppet Show”, which features The Swedish Chef, an unintelligible puppet chef who usually ends his skit by blowing up his kitchen. The kids are quite fond of the Swedish Chef, and The Muppets in general.

So the other morning at breakfast, we were talking about the Swedish Chef, and laughing about his latest antics. The girls said, “Sing his Swedish Song, Daddy, sing like he does in Swedish”.

I explained to them that what he spoke was NOT actually Swedish, but just nonsense words that someone made up.

“Hmmm,” said Nora Grace, making the next logical step in her mind, “Maybe Sam is Swedish.”

(With due apologies to the entire nation of Sweden.)

Funny how this makes sense to me...

Our usual AutoRickshaw driver said he would be g0ne for a few days, and would not be available to drive our family anywhere.

"Oh," I said, "what's happening?"

"My fathers elder brothers wife died fourty days ago," he replied.

"Oh, OK," I said, "See you when you get back."

Fourty days after a death, you are supposed to get together and read the Koran, and remember the dead person. But funny how I didn't need the explanation, since I knew that. Makes me feel weird.

In the meanwhile, Friday was meat day. About once a month, Amy will order a big pile of meat for processing. So Friday morning, we had eight pounds of water buffalo meat to deal with, plus a few pounds of sheep that Mr. B. had acquired for us earlier in the week.

First Amy went through and picked out all the bits of crushed bone and tendon portions, and then cut everything up into small, half inch pieces.

Then it was green papaya time. The meat we get is amazingly tough, so Amy grinds a green papaya and soaks the meat in that for an hour. This works pretty well as a tenderizer. (You don't want to leave it on too long or it turns into meat soup.) After the hour, Amy washed the meat, and the grinding process began.

Here was my chance to shine. We attached the manuel grinder to the kitchen counter, with a bowl underneath to catch all the blood and liquid that ran out. And we started grinding... and grinding.... and grinding. You have to stop every minute or two and pick out the bits of sinue and other things that would clog up the grinder.

When that was all done, we mixed the sheep and buffalo meat together. Some was mixed with sausage seasoning mix and formed into sausages. Most was mixed with a bit of egg and bread and a few other things, and made into Swedish Meat Balls.

Then everything went in the freezer, except for what we ate that night. And after that day, we had a pretty good appetite.

Wm Goodell, I Understand You...Priorities

This quote was written some 150 years ago by a guy living in Turkey. Wow, do I understand it. :)



"Some letters which I receive have constant reference to my family, as though I were especially deficient in my duty to them, and needed to devote more time and thought for them. Others have constant reference to my translations, as though I needed to be stirred up to the importance of prosecuting the work with vigor, and not suffer my translator or the press to stand idle through my neglect. Others leave everything else out of the question, as of no comparative importance, and urge it upon me to preach, preach, preach. Others, again, from the various ... stations, and from all parts of America, are calling for letters, and blaming me for not answering theirs. Many, many of my friends are offended with me, and some of them say badthings about me... Now what to do I know not. I would most gladly give my time to my friends; I would give it all to my family; I would devote it all to the great work of translating the word of God; and I would with all my heart spend it in publishing the goodnews. But to devote the whole of it to each one of these objects is an impossibility. Only a certain portion can be given to each, and as one may receive more, another must receive less. Now, if any one could tell me exactly how to proportion the amount to be given to each, I should be thankful. But, while everybody seems to feel that I am very deficient somewhere, nobody seems to agree with his neighbor as to where the deficiency lies; and I seem to myself to be like the poor man who tried to please everybody, and pleased nobody, and accomplished nothing for himself. I must try more to please my blessed Lord, and let the whole world go."

Sometimes you just need to take a nap...

Sometimes you just need to take a nap...

Even if it is right in the middle of lunch.

Visitors

Got a lot of visitors in the past couple of weeks, to see the new baby. That usually suits our socialite girls just fine.

With Ramzan starting, now it is our turn to go out visiting.

and more visitors

I Usually Try to Avoid the "Camps"

When Western Docs go overseas, a lot of time what they end up doing is a "Health Camp", where hundreds of people are seen in a brief period of time.

I usually try to avoid these, as I think they offer poor quality Health Care, with abyssmal standards of Quality Assurance. (I mean, give me a break, how high is a Doctors Standards if he spends less than sixty seconds with a patient?)

Anyways, occasionally, I do get roped into one, as I did this past weekend. I did insist on some Standards, such as asking more than a few questions, and doing a Physical Exam. Which made me slower than the other docs, but what to do? Now the patients know where I work, and can come back another day, if needbe.

Anyways, that was my long weekend. Too many hours dripping in sweat with dozens of people touching me and pulling on my shirt and elbows.

In the photo, I am explaining to a patient in full Burkha how to take a medication. Which brings up the interesting question of: How exactly does one do an Exam on a patient in a full Burka?

False Positives

As a Physician, I know a lot about the theory behind lab tests that we do. I know that all tests have the possibility of False Positives and False Negatives. (A "False Positive" means that the test says you have the disease when actually you don't. A "False Negative" means that the test says you do NOT have the disease, when actually you do.)

Our family had three False Positives this past summer, and speaking as a patient, it was stressful for us. In other words, on three different occasions we were told that an abnormality was present, and then on further testing, found out that actually it was normal.

I had the first one. I went in for my routine Chest X-Ray, that I get every year ever since I had TB (Tuberculosis) some years ago. After the X-Ray, I went back to the Doctor to get the results, and he said, "Hmmmm, your lungs look fine, but one of your vertebrae looks odd. You might have TB of the spine. We have to do more testing."

For me, the results just took a few hours, and it was determined that I do not have TB of the spine.

Then my wife was told she may have an abnormality of the cervix. Since she was almost due, there was nothing more to do until after delivery. So she had to wait two months to do the further testing, and be told that everything is normal.

And then Elijah failed his first hearing screening, which meant that he might be deaf. And it took four visits and lots more testing before someone finally said, "No, that test was false. Your son can hear."

So anyways, everything is fine, but I am disgusted with "False Positives".

As a Physician who routinely orders tests, and had to deal with the fallout of both False Positives and False Negatives, that has been a good "Learning Experience" on being humble and gracious and patient in explaining to patients what a test means.

“I was born and raised in Varanasi.” An Addendum to the Below Entry:

Nora Grace is of the habit of spouting out random sentences on occasion that may not have anything to do with what is going on at the time.

The other night at supper she said, “I was born and raised in Varanasi, wasn’t I?”

Well, yes, I suppose she was. I hadn’t thought of it before. At least thus far, Varanasi has been her home.

She has been telling us how much she misses her home in recent weeks while we were in Thailand. She misses her friends in Varanasi, and she misses her routine, she misses her bed, and all her books.

These things, in combination with the previous post, make for a confused Dad.

I am Angry at myself for being frustrated at how happy my children are…

Hmmm, there were a lot of emotions in that sentence. Let me start with the “happy” part.

We just got back from Thailand. In Thailand, (as opposed to where we live in India), there is green grass to run in, trees with green leaves, a lovely blue sky with puffy clouds floating along in it. Our kids were at places where there were lots of other kids whom they could play with. And they spent many of their days runny around, giggling, laughing, getting skinned knees and grass stained skirts, and in general, being like I think normal kids should be.

The reason I am frustrated, is that I know that that is not how they will be in Varanasi, that there are no places for them to run and play (other then their concrete room), and there skin will turn back to a grey color from the dust.

The reason I am angry with myself is twofold: one, our children are happy in Varanasi, even if they do not have things I wish they would have. And second, India is where we are supposed to be at this time, so why should I be frustrated at how happy my kids are when they are NOT there?

Anyways, a gamut of emotions.

Nora Grace had a LOT of fun with other girls to play with

Miriam Helping Out (Sorta) With Elijah

Sam, Doing What Sam Does...

A Synthesis of Current Information Regarding the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ...(from a six year old)

We were riding in a taxi recently, and to pass the time, Nora Grace turned to Miriam and said, "Let me tell you a story... I can tell you the story of how Jesus died on the Cross."

And so Nora Grace launched into a fairly accurate portrayal of what happened, according to the Gospels, including quoting the words from the Cross.

However, you should note, Nora Grace has also recently watched the movie, "Ben Hur", the old classic Charleton Heston flick taking place in the time of Christ. And further, I am teaching Nora Grace Ancient History, and we are currently working our way through the Roman Empire, complete with my bias regarding Latin etc.

And thus the otherwise scripturally accurate portrayal was filled with little comments that included:
"...and when Jesus was carrying the cross out of the city, He fell down and Ben Hur helped Him for a bit, and then Ben Hur's Mommy and Sister got better..."
"... Jesus walked up Calvary on a really good road, because the Romans built really good roads, and we can still drive on them today, but this is not a Roman road, because we are in Thailand..."
"... when Jesus said, "I thirst", they gave Him something to drink, because when Ben Hur was thirsty, Jesus also gave him something to drink..."
"...they were talking in Latin, because that is what the Romans spoke, and they were in charge, and made everyone speak Latin, but we have better nouns...

Anyways, the possible concerns regarding Home Schooling.

(Sorry if all the stories about the kids get a little old, they really do make for some of the best material.)

It is Hard to Ignore Leviticus...

“You tell me the truth,” he slowly stated, “Does it say in this book that eating Pork is forbidden?” He was a big guy, and he leaned in close with his face inches from mine.

The Bible in front of us was open; we had been free-ranging through various topics when this one came up. It’s hard to say. It IS there, you know, those verses that say you can’t eat pig. It is our Holy Book, and it DOES say it, and it is never specifically refuted in the New Testament. And yes, I know the reasons why pork is now permitted, but they are hard to say in a sound-bite, and a sound-bite is all I had in this fast paced discussion. (It seems that all my discussions are fast paced, couldn’t we just slow down and study for awhile?)

It is hard to find chapter and verse that specifically allows it to his satisfaction, and chapter and verse is what he wanted.

So we had found our way to Leviticus. I often ignore Leviticus, I have read it before and, while recognizing this as the Word of God, I much prefer more exciting topics. Well, I guess Leviticus got more exciting that day.

And we found those verses where God says, “Do not eat pig”.

He was (disappointingly?) impressed.

“I know that there are bad Muslims out there who eat pig and drink whiskey,” he philosophized, “But now I know that there are bad Christians out there who do not follow the words of their Book.”

He likes my Book. I am happy about that. He and his wife are reading it together; this is a good thing.

So while I talk about Grace and Law (though haltingly, goodness this stretches my language ability), I cannot deny that Leviticus is the Word of God. God did not write some parts of His book to be better than others. It is all inspired. Including those verses in Leviticus where God forbids His people to even touch a pig, let alone eat it.

I felt a little bit like I took a step backwards that day. But perhaps not. What I wanted was for him to study the Bible, and he is doing it. To see the Whole Book as a Unity is an achievement that takes some time. It is refreshing to put the burden on God to defend His Own Word.

Nice to be challenged to read my own Book.

But Whom Do You Sleep With?

(This is an old story, but well worth re-telling)

Our Fair City is an immensely crowded place. Many “homes” will have 100 to 200 individuals living in them, crammed into rooms as they continue to put more concrete layers on top of the current stories.

Every room in the building (“building” is probably a better word than “home”?) is used at night for sleeping. A husband and wife will have a private room, with perhaps a child or two under ten sleeping with them. Unmarried males will sleep many in one room, and unmarried females in another one. Roll up mattresses get pulled out at night onto the floor, and every couch can hold a person or two.

But the bottom line is, no one gets a private room to sleep in.

A friend of ours – a young, single woman then – lived in Varanasi for three years. She got a small apartment and lived happily.

Once she was out visiting, when the conversation came up of who was sleeping in which room. Her friends inquired where she lived, and she explained that she rented a room.

Her friends got a puzzled look on their faces, “But whom do you sleep with?” they asked.

They were unable to comprehend the concept of sleeping alone in a room. Indeed, it sounded rather scary to them.

We only have six in our room.

Why I Like Lord of the Rings, Part One

The books promote character qualities that are rarely found in modern literature.

The word “perseverance” is not – to my knowledge – mentioned even once in the books. But LOTR is 1000 pages of perseverance.

If you go to the dictionary, you can read a definition of “perseverance”. And, you have learned nothing. If you read LOTR, you read 1000 pages of perseverance, and when you are done, you have a better idea of what it means to keep on doing the right thing, even if the stars fall, even if you loose everything.

LOTR has lots of good words to inspire Christian Character, words that are seldom noted in today’s society, words like:
noble trust brooding wonder wander wrath glory honor dignity mirth courage contentedness loyalty merry gladness generous “truth is important” “astonished joy” savor valor delight wisdom friendship generous

Even the bad words only highlight what is good. Bad is truly bad: wretched sniveling sorrow malice treachery

Why I Like Lord of the Rings, Part Two

Because it has lots of great quotes, such as the following:

Number One:
“Why was I chosen?”
“Such questions cannot be answered; you may be sure it was not for any merit that others do not possess: not for power or wisdom at any rate. But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.”

Number Two:
“Courage is found in unlikely places.”

Number Three:
Between wonder, joy and fear, they stood and found no words to say.

Number Four:
“But you speak of him as a friend, I thought he was dangerous?”
“Dangerous!” came the reply, “And so am I, very dangerous, and so are your friends around you; and you yourself are dangerous in your own fashion. Certainly he is perilous, yet he is wise and kindly nonetheless.”

Number Five:
“His counsel was not founded on foreknowledge of safety, for himself or others. There are some things that are better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.”

Why I Like Lord of the Rings, Part Three

This is a bit of an obscure reason, but it is a dear reason to me nonetheless. I like LOTR because Tolkien uses few Latin based words, and makes a healthy and happy use of Anglo-Saxon based words.

The English language has two primary sources: Anglo Saxon (Germanic) from the settlers of the post-Roman times. And Latin based, I think mostly from the French of William the Conqueror in 1066 (or “William the B**" as he was more commonly called in his day).

Anglo Saxon tend to be simple, one-syllable words with clear visual images, while Latin based words just get longer and longer, and are often less precise.

A classic example of the difference between Latin based and Anglo Saxon based, is from an Essay by George Orwell, who quotes Ecclesiastes, and then “translates” it into modern Latin based vocabulary.

To quote Orwell:
“I am going to translate a passage of good English into modern English of the worst sort. Here is a well-known verse from Ecclesiastes:
“I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

Here it is in modern English:

“Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account.”

This is a parody, but not a very gross one…

End first quote. Orwell goes on to say:

“Now analyze these two sentences a little more closely. The first contains forty-nine words but only sixty syllables, and all its words are those of everyday life. The second contains thirty-eight words of ninety syllables: eighteen of those words are from Latin roots, and one from Greek. The first sentence contains six vivid images, and only one phrase (‘time and chance’) that could be called vague. The second contains not a single fresh, arresting phrase, and in spite of its ninety syllables it gives only a shortened version of the meaning contained in the first. Yet without a doubt it is the second kind of sentence that is gaining ground in modern English.”

End second quote.

So one of the reasons I like Tolkien is because he uses lots of good, clear, precise words such as:

bog fen dell moor heath glade hearth grange gorge glimmer rustle stride glisten strength churn helm toddle babble giggle dawdle wrath linger prattle

These are words that stir my heart and loosen my emotions.

(The Excerpts are from: “Politics and the English Language”, by George Orwell. This essay is probably, outside of the Bible, one of the most influential pieces of literature in my whole life.) This can be found at:

http://www.resort.com/~prime8/Orwell/patee.html

or

http://www.calvinvanhoek.com/articles/2007/04/politics-english-language/

Keeping Busy

Well, just to summarize the past few weeks...

1. Elijah's hearning...Two weeks after Elijah was born, the hospital called and said that he failed his original hearing screen, and it would have to be repeated. Long story short... four doctor visits later, it does appear that he can hear normally, and the first test was a "false positive". So we are glad of that, though had some frustrations for awhile with just not knowing.

2. Paperwork... Elijah is now the proud owner (well, actually, he is somewhat neutral about the whole affair) of a Thai Birth Certificate, US passport, US Birth Abroad Record, and Indian six month visa. Hooray. More paperwork revealed that he evidently does not need a visa for Thailand on this trip (since legally, he never entered Thailand), though one never knows what the airport may bring.

3. Retreating... so we just started a one week retreat up in the hills, and then next week have a couple more meetings and doctor visits, and then finally heading out soon.

4. Traveling...we train out of Chiang Mai for Bangkok on August 4, spend a few days in BKK, and then fly to New Delhi August 12, where we will stay with cousin Amos and Rowena (as Robert Frost said, "Home is that place that, when you go there, they have to take you in.") , and then get train tickets for our Fair city, hopefully arriving back before the 20th.

5. How are the kids? Great. We have childcare at the retreat center, so there is a several little packs of kids running around, including a pack of 6 to 8 year old girls. Nora Grace is ecstatic to have all contact with other children with a Christian world view. Miriam is ecstatic to have someone pay lots of attention to her, Sam is happy because Sam is just "Mr. Happy", and because he can run around and climb a lot, and Elijah is happy as long as lunch is on time.

6. How are Amy and Lowell? we are fine. Thanks for asking. Enjoying having someone else pour some energy into our children, enjoying having other like minded people to talk to, enjoying green grass, trees, running water, croaking frogs, blue sky with white clouds, and other things that I sometimes forget what they look and sound like.

“The Baby” in My Grandmothers Journal…

My paternal Grandmother (“Grossmummy”, for those who know her) was an Amish woman who bore seven children during the difficult years of the Great Depression.

It was my privilege to read her diary/notebook for the year 1932. Grossmummy preferred speaking Pennsylvania Dutch (my loss), but wrote in English, as that was the language of commerce, and most of the “diary” is actually more of a farm journal, telling about the various projects they had going on the farm and elsewhere to try and make ends meet.

The Journal was for the year 1932. My Dad was born in 1931, the sixth of what would be seven children (the two oldest boys – Alvin and Raymond, whom I never met -- had not yet died).

The Journal covered the time from when my Dad was 3 months old, to when he was 15 months old. Most of it tells of the day to day happenings of the farm, lots of details, including prices of wheat and corn and tomatoes etc. Lots of people are mentioned, which children did what, who visited, etc.

At no point does she mention my Dad by name. She only refers to him as “the baby.” She mentions all the other children and numerous other relatives, but there is no “Freddy”, only “the baby.”

Maybe I am reading too much into it, but it does make me wonder what that means. Why would a pre-vaccination, depression era woman not refer to her baby by name?

Maybe it was simply that there were too many of them. :) I have only four, and find myself going through a list of names before I get to the actual name of my fourth child.

It is odd how I don’t care for Pork as much any more.

Our house in India is “halal”. That is an Arabic word, similar to “kosher”. That means there are no pork products allowed in the house. This is for the sake of our Muslim friends, who are forbidden to eat pig meat. While we are free to eat as we please, if our Muslim friends found out that there had once been pig meat on the plates we serve them with, they would find that disgusting and rude.

(Handy hint when having Practicing Muslims over to your home: use paper plates.)

Our friends know we are allowed to eat pork, and are grateful that we have made this sacrifice on their behalf. They even tease us about it.

So when we are not in our home, such as visiting or traveling, there are no problems for us to eat pork, ham, and bacon. But none in our home in India.

After eight years of this, it is odd to me that I neither crave pork products, nor go out of my way to get them. Indeed, while here in Thailand, surrounded by some of the most incredibly luscious pork loins, bacon and ham that we have found, I have no desire to indulge. When it is served, I do eat it, and even enjoy it. But it is strange to me how I do not desire it anymore.

What will my Muslim friends think? If they teased me before, they will REALLY tease me now. :)

I humbly stand willing to be re-acculturated when we get back.

They Really Do Want To Understand Us…

The inscrutable Americans scattered around the world are generally tolerated, and often appreciated. The sheer size of our economy means that it is to the benefit of others to understand Americans.

The people of Thailand are no exception. With a booming economy, and one of the “Asian Tigers”, Thailand is a nation that would benefit a lot from understanding a bit more about this massive trading partner.

So one of the local English language newspapers offers this very helpful service: they print a popular comic strip (in this case, “Calvin and Hobbes”), and then have someone explain the humor in the strip. This is done as a service for those who do not speak English that well.

What a deal, maybe I will learn something myself!

To Clarify About Comments

For those who keep track, I promised at some point in the distant past that I would reply to comments. Well, ... I guess I am not doing that anymore. I do read them and appreciate them, and will often reply, but sorry I haven't replied to all.

"Sam, Would You Knock It Off..."

OK, so that is a direct quote from me, the Dad, to the number one son.

Who would have thought, years ago, that mild-mannered and good-natured Lowell would be using such strong language with his own child.

The funny thing is, I don't think I feel sorry. It really struck me as the most appropriate thing to say. I am trying to remember if my Dad ever said that (or the generational equivalent) to me? I am sure I probably deserved it on many occasions.

He really is a good kid, but, wow, he can be relentless. :)

An Impossible Task

We took Elijah to the US Embassy here in Bangkok this morning to apply for a passport and Social Security Number, and get his official Birth Abroad form. (Interestingly, the US Embassy here is surrounded by a moat. I am sure they would call it a "decorative pool" or something like that, but bottom line is a ditch of water the whole way around.)

In order to get a passport, one needs Passport Photos. The official requirements for the photo, are that the distance from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head must be between one inch and 1 and 3/8th inch. No more and no less. And you are also required to have the ears showing.

Now comes the Impossible part. Our darling child, now ten days old, has a very round head. If you make the face so it is the required height, then the ears stick out and don't show up in the photo. We had this same problem in India, but people are much more pleasant about our woes here.

So after double checking with several "higher ups", they finally made the decision to accept the photos, even if one of the ears doesn't show up.

Of the trials and tribulations of being ten days old and having very large cheeks. Even the government harrasses you.

Elijah

The Much Requested Photos of "The Boy"

Elijah Scott Frederick Stoltzfus, at three days of age. Note in one of the pictures is one of the reasons he has already earned the nickname "One Eyed Bart".

New Baby Arrival

Amy with Elijah, as we are leaving the Hospital. And Sam, being his usual helpful self.

The Big Sisters and Big Brother

Here is baby Elijah, with his siblings, when he is about 24 hours old. They were pretty keyed up. Elijah was hungry.

Sam is Relentlessly Determined to Take Care of this Baby

Sam is fascinated by this new wiggleling, squawking thing that has turned up in Mom's arms. Elijah is very much the object of Sam's affection and interest.

With relentless determination he circles Elijah, tossing him toys, shouting at him to drink juice, kissing him, patting his head, helpfully pointing out Elijah's nose and fingers.

Elijah will have to learn to survive all this affection.

Such a Heavy Decistion...

We brought Elijah home from the Hospital on Sunday (we will probably call him "Eli" for short). Amy busied herself in the apartment for a few minutes, and Eli started crying. I picked him up, and took a breath to begin singing to him before Amy would come and feed him.

Suddenly it struck me... this would be the first song that Eli would hear... it should be a good one!

My head started running through the many possibilities -- and there are so many to choose from -- but I kept coming back to hymns about the Church. Now there is a group of hymns that can easily bring tears to my eyes (who am I kidding? it doesn't take much to bring tears to my eyes, and most any hymn can do it in the right circumstances).

So I picked up my hymnal that I don't travel without (the red one, 1969 edition), and started in on Bealoth (I love Thy Kingdom, LORD), followed by "O Where are Kings and Empires Now?" (St. Anne), For All the Saints (Sine Nomine), Aurelia (The Church's One Foundation), and Austrian Hymn (Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken).

Elijah, however, wanted milk.

Elijah Scott Frederick Stoltzfus

Lowell and Amy are pleased to announce the birth of Elijah Scott Frederick Stoltzfus at 12:27PM local time on Friday, 20 June 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand. That was about an hour ago, as I type.

Mom and baby are doing well, as are the rest of the family.

Elijah came into the world at 3570 grams, with a head circumphrence of 36 cm, and a length of 54 cm.

Photos forthcoming, though I may not be on here for a few days.

By Way of Keeping you all up to date

Hello reading friends,

As I write, it is 7AM on Friday, June 20 local time here in Bangkok, Thailand (we are 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time).

Amy had a Doctors appointment yesterday, and was told that she is three centimeters, and that if she didn't have the baby by this morning, she was to come back and they would "use Means" (to coin a phrase).

So since no baby has been forthcoming overnight, we are off to the Hospital now for Amy to have her water broken. We will keep you all up to date as events transpire.

Is it dishonest to be late (barring unforeseen circumstances)?

A good friend and fine writer, AP, recently had a blog entry to this effect, with dozens of comments. (Hmmm, I need to figure out how to put in links to other blogs).


Many of the comments to AP's blog appealed to "culture", saying that in many cultures, being "late" was a cultural thing. Interestingly, those from the other cultures who wrote in, said it was not.

I have observed the following things about India, where "lateness" might be considered a "cultural" thing:

1. The movies start on time. If you want to see the beginning of a move, you show up on time.
2. The trains leave their point of origin on time (this is not about when they arrive, but when they leave). No one in India shows up at the train station late (or if they do, they usually expect to miss their train).
3. When a politician caused a commerical airplane flight to leave late (because the politician showed up late), it nearly caused rioting, and led to a quiet resolve among airline pilots to never wait for anyone, even (especially?) a politician.
4. When a specialized doctor gives you an appointment, you show up on time. (You still might wait, but you do show up on time).
5. If an official gives you an appointment time, you show up on time.


So something to think about.

Contact Information

For the next six weeks or so, here is our contact information:

Our phone number at our apartment:
country code: 066
city code: 02
phone number: 656.3535
then you hear something in Thai and dial 321
From the US, I think that would mean: 066.2.656.3535 (pause) 321
But I could be wrong.
We are 12 hours ahead of New York City, for time.

Emergency phone contact would be Tom and Candice at: 085.165.5517 or 02.758.0138.

Mailing address (this is good until middle of July, as we will LW leave the country on August 7)
Tom Mast
attn: Stoltzfus
419/216 Moo 5 Thippawan 1 Soi 12
T. Bang Muang Mai
A. Muang
Samut Prakan, 10270 THAILAND

Long time since I posted...

Hello all,

It has been a long time since I posted.

We made it safely to Bangkok last month, and are settled in waiting for the baby. We did make it "safely", but a bit tired, with two nights of very little sleep, since the only time we could travel was at night. Makes for intersting personalities in our children.

We got settled in, are enjoying cooler weather (a mere 90-100 degrees), daily showers (meaning rain falling from the sky. We also continue to try to keep up satisfactory hygiene).

We had our first conference, which was much enjoyed, took a three vacation days, and spent a lot of time at the hospital for various things for all members of the family, from shots to dentists to minor surgery to broken collarbones.

Our internet connection is a bit sketchy, so I am at a cafe, which is where we will be doing most of our email. I hope to write and post more in the coming weeks.

It has been ages since I have had so much fun with the Ten Commandments

I was studying Exodus 20 with this Muslim guy, when he came across the second commandment. To writ:

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God..."

He was really excited to read this, and called a bunch of his friends in to hear it also.

Muslims think that Christians worship idols. What with Catholic and other statuary and crucifixes and images on stained glass, they may have a point. It soothed him so much to realize that idols are actually forbidden in Christianity.

I am not so sure he caught the whole explanation I gave as to why many Christians do have images of God in their homes and meetinghouses, but it was nice to see him excited about the Bible.

I guess my own spiritual ancestors got in trouble for breaking up statuary in Catholic places, so what to do?

At Least He was the Guest Speaker

Visited a new Fellowship yesterday. The Sunday School was great and worship was a delight; but I was less than impressed with the Speaker.

I call him “the Speaker” and not “the Preacher”, because there was no actual preaching involved.

He started with a PowerPoint presentation with lots of well shot images and graphs. This was followed by a number of inspirational quotes and helpful aphorisms. He would connect these with thought provoking questions followed by long, serious pauses. He talked a bit about current events in the popular press, and it was fairly clear he spent a fair amount a time watching CNN. He tossed in a couple of more professional pictures on the screen, along with a couple of challenging video clips, and then closed with prayer.

The one time he mentioned the Bible, the verse was misquoted and taken out of context.

You can’t preach without the Bible, and you cannot call yourself a Preacher if you do not use the Bible.

Sunday morning should be reserved for the Bible, and a qualified man to exposit what it is saying to us in our times. A typical sermon should require many hours of Bible Study.

Granted, I get on a soapbox for lots of things, but getting up on Sunday morning and not using the Bible is one of the ways that really gets me miffed.

Anyways, I did enjoy everything else, and should be grateful for how God blesses us in so many ways.

Working My Way Systematically through The Christian Hymnery Really Seemed Like the Most Logical Thing to Do...

On most days in April in Varanasi, we get electicity for about 12 to 15 hours. So the people of Varanasi do just what you would do if you had electricity cuts for so many hours. Namely, they make Inverters for their homes, which are a series of huge batteries that can keep your fans and lights running when there is no electricity, and then recharge when the electricity returns. It is a system that works reasonably well.

However, yesterday, a huge transformer near our house blew up, leaving a small part of our neighborhood -- including the home of yours truly -- completely without electricity. But of course, our Inverter still worked for the time being. So our lights and fans still worked. For a time.

I first realized what had happened about 2AM (you really shouldn't need to ask why I would be up at 2AM), so I turned off everything except the fan where we were sleeping, in hopes of saving the Inverter.

This worked for quite awhile. All through the day, we limited our Inverter usage to one fan, so as to save the batteries. It worked for awhile, but eventually, without electricity to recharge its batteries, the Inverter began to die.

There is no more agonizing thing than sitting and watching the fan go slower and slower and slower, till finally it just dies. No electricity, no Inverter, and it is 115 degrees. What to do?

Anything requiring movement resulted in copious sweating, so that even writing couldn't happen. So eventually I pulled down a hymnal, and just sat and sang, hymn after hymn. As you can see, it really was the Logical Thing to do. :)

The girls all had their requests: Nora Grace likes "Arise My Soul, Arise" and "Oh Have You Not Heard of That Beautiful Stream", Miriam likes any Hymn that includes the word "Children" in it's title or somewhere in its words (Christopher Dock's "O Little Children, Gather" is probably her current fav). Sam attempted to dance to "Gott ist die Liebe" and "So nimm denn meine Hande".

And eventually the electricty was restored, and we went back to work. Everybody and everything is getting recharged.

Question: When making Kool-Aid, why is it important that we add the sugar first, BEFORE we add the Kool-Aid powder?

Answer: Well, the sugar usually has various non-sugar things in it. So we add the sugar first, so that we can filter out the non-sugar stuff that floats to the top, and then we add the Kool Aid powder and mix. :)

Breakfast Conversation

Having young children means that often we don't get to do much talking. There is too much talking going on already. The conversation at breakfast this morning went something like this...

Nora Grace: Daddy, we are made from dust. Miriam did you know that we are made of dust?

Miriam: Daddy, can you help me get some milk? Daddy are we made of dust?

Sam: JOOSE!! JOOSE!!

Nora Grace (now singing): Oh, yes... we are made of dust... we are made of dust... and to dust we shall we return.

Sam: MORE MORE MORE MORE!!!!

Nora Grace: I like Wheat Flakes. Daddy, am I your Wheat Flakes Girl? (giggles).

Miriam (angry): I LIKE WHEAT FLAKES TOO, I AM DADDY'S WHEAT FLAKES GIRL. Daddy, it's dusty. Are we made from dust?

Sam: JOOSE!! JOOSE!!

Nora Grace: Daddy, are wheat flakes made from dust like we are made from dust? Sam is made from dust.

Miriam: Sam is NOT made from dust, Sam is made from puppy dog tails.

Sam: MORE!! MORE!!

(Sam then throws up)

Amy: Hmmm. I wonder if Sam is not feeling well.

Sam: JOOSE!! MORE!! JOOSE!! MORE!!

Nora Grace: Sam is too made from dust, isn't he Daddy? Is throw up made from dust?

(Editors note: this portion of conversation took less than 30 seconds, and continued in this vein for 30 minutes straight.)

Brand Placement to a whole new level.

In the US, when a new movie comes out, they sell all kinds of cheap plastic stuff at fast food places, to advertise the movie.

Jodhaa Akbar is a recent Indian movie (quite a good one, I am told) starring some of the biggest names in Bollywood. It is the timeless historical story of a Muslim Emporer who marries a Hindu Princess -- for political reasons -- and then they find themselves falling in love. As with most Bollywood fair, it is three hours long and involves a fair amount of dancing.

The movie is fameous for many things in India, one of which is the incredible jewelery that the Princess wears, all of it is real.

So now in India, at the jewelery shops, you can buy Jodhaa Akbar themed jewelry, from "The Jodhaa Akbar Collection".

Guess is beats a cheap plastic toy from China.

Usual Week

So what is usual? Well, maybe there isn't one. :)

Clinic for me was the usual mishmash of illnesses, fevers, psychological problems, teaching of "Junior Doctors" and so on. Nobody too sick or scary this week. One kid with a fever of 104, of unclear origin, which of course can lead to much speculation as to the source.

Nora Grace reads amazingly well. She is already reading her Bible without too much problem (and I mean a real the English Standard Version, not some paraphrased children's version). But math is such a struggle for her. She still struggles with even basic addition and subtraction, though does seem to be making slow progress.

I talked about the Bible with some folks, and prayed for a lot more. I studied a bit more in Matthew and the Psalms in Urdu. I read some Urdu poems and went to a seminar about Urdu Novels. I attended a function celebrating a Free Eye Camp that I helped with.

I taught some Geography and Computer Skills to Nora Grace, took Miriam out on some errands one day, which totally made her week.

Hmmmm, I am rambling. It is a bit hot, though not too bad for April. I will, LW, lead worship tomorrow. I have a staph infection on my face that looks pretty ugly, but I think is finally starting to clear up.

These aren't April Fools, Just All the News that's Fit to Print

Enclosed are some newspaper clippings from this mornings' paper. Enjoy. :)

One talks about a "Pulse Polio Campaign", where various Health Care Personnel attempt to immunized all children of a certain age for polio on one particular day (We still have hundreds of cases of polio near us each year). Unfortunately, the villages took the team hostage, hoping to have some demands met (unclear what the demands are).

Another talks of a group of housewives who "Thrash" some criminals who had stolen the ladies gold chains, but interestingly the thrashing takes place inside the Police department.

And my personal favorite, the news that the "majority of women in the US are now opting to become surrogate mothers." To all those delightful women out their who took the time and effort to have their own children, perhaps you didn't know that actually most women in the US pay someone else to have their children for them. Ah, capitilism.

And yes, Lowell still cannot spell.

PS: these are NOT April Fools stories, these are typical stories I read in the paper every morning.

Holi 2008

Holi is a Hindu Festival of undetermined significance (well, if you ask five people, you get five answers) where they throw colored water and colored paste on each other. We did not actually partake this year, as we live in a neighborhood where no one plays, but I thought I would post a few photos. So below is a seven year old photo of my wife, plus some friends, plus one I found on the internet.

My Aunt Lydia is really good at Photo Manipulation

Last August, my Dad climbed Pikes Peak in Colorado, with my two sisters. This my Dad's sister got ahold of the photos.

And yes, I do have a canister of Raleigh's Medicated Ointment here with us in Varanasi, for emergencies.

Maybe I am getting ill...

I keep my phone on "vibrate" mode (in addition to ringing) because I often I cannot hear it ring when I am outside. And I store my phone in my front pocket.

Three times on my way home yesterday, I thought I was recieving a phone call, and picked my phone out of my pocket. Each time, I was wrong. In stead of the "vibrate" mode, it was just my stomach churning.

I wonder what that means for the future?

Confluence of Holiness

This weekend marks a lot of celebrations for a lot of communities in India.

As the Muslims follow the Lunar Calendar, the Hindus use a variety of astrological means for determining their holidays, and the Christians use the moon to tell when Easter is coming... all this adds up to all three of them having a holiday on Friday. Hasn't happened all at once in quite awhile.

So the Christians celebrated Good Friday on Friday (Easter is pretty much unknown to Hindus and Muslims, but Good Friday is known because it is a Bank and Government holiday). It also happened to be Mohammed's birthday. (The more "Protestant" types of Muslims don't celebrate this, but the more "Catholic" types of Muslims -- who are the majority-- celebrate with much fervour.) And then the Hindu festival (the unfortunately named) Holi is on Friday and Saturday. As the Hindu Holi festival is a bad time to be out on the streets, we took Friday and Saturday as "stay at home" days, and enjoyed the family together.

It's Friday... but Sunday's a'comin'...

Way to Use Your Head, Son

Nora Grace has had a loose tooth for about four months now. It is one of her front ones -- the other front one having fell out some months ago. Although we have encouraged her to wiggle it, it has stubbornly stayed in or she has stubbornly refused to wiggle or some combination of the above.

Until today.

Sam was in a wrestling mood (when is Sam not in a wrestling mood?) and tackled Nora Grace. With clever use of his head, he smacked himself into her mouth, thereby dislodging said tooth once and for all. As expected, there was blood everywhere.

Way to use your head, Sam, you did a good job.

So how many rupees does one get for a tooth under the pillow?

Prime Minister in Town

Varanasi has not had a visit from a sitting Prime Minister in over 20 years, so I guess it was time. But my oh my does it mess up traffic.
We only have half a dozen roads wider than ten feet for our two million people, so if one of those gets shut down, the whole city grinds to a halt.
The PM will be visiting a major temple in the center of the city, and to get there will need to drive on most of the main roads in the city. So all of those roads will be shut down for most of the day today.
There are probably 10,000 armed men of various sorts on the road today, mostly acting as traffic cops. As the typical "man on the street" in Varanasi pays no attention to Traffic Cops, when something important actually happens (such as today), the only way to get those "men on the streets" attention is to deploy large numbers of heavily armed men with very large sticks to beat and berate people into staying off the road.
So I am sitting in a chai shop, waiting for a lull so I can dash around to the next appointment I have.

Family Commotion

We often have a Family Devotions after supper, where we read a passage of scripture, sing a song or two, and pray.

We had not had a Family Devotions for several days, having been visiting, or otherwise detained. So the other night, when we finally had a quiet night at home, Nora Grace asked, "Can we have Family Commotion?"

Which we did.

Weather Change

I am always amazed at how quickly the temperature changes here. When it goes from hot season to cold season, or vice versa, there is very little "in-between" weather, just one or the other.

Two weeks ago we were wearing long johns, and couldn't get the house above 62 degrees. Today it was 100 degrees outside, and we can't get the house below 75. So we are packing up our winter clothes, and pulling out the short sleeved stuff.

Flag March

It being another Hindu festival (Shivratri, the details escape me), there is again some tension in the city, so there are troops all over the place. They all appear to be bored, so presumably that is a good thing.

They held a "Flag March" today. A Flag March is when they all get in their best uniforms, shine up their weapons real well, and walk or drive through any "problem neighborhoods" to just to show any potential malcontents that they are a real force to be reckoned with.

Problem being that the "problem neighborhoods" are the ones I go through every day. So I was stuck in traffic jams for close to two hours today. Good thing I brought my crossword puzzle and Teach Yourself Urdu book.