It has been a very long time since the last post and a lot to catch up on. I have been troubled about the upcoming trip this October, as a different opportunity was presented. And it has taken some time to come to terms with the change because of the commitment I made for a group trip in October 2010. I am now convinced that the change will benefit the group and the mission.
Jimmy Hulsey, the Pastor of my church, and I have been invited by the Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan, General Secretary of the Church of North India (CNI) to spend time in Delhi in October. I expect we would stay at the Bhavan, which is headquarters for administration and has housing for visitors. We would meet with staff of CNI and become more familiar with the Church mission and outreach. This opportunity is most important as Rev. Pradhan is retiring. During the time of transition, Presbyterian partners are welcome to maintain and build the relationship which has already been established.
We have contacted partners in Etah to determine the possibility of spending about a week there. Relationship building is critical to our ability to go forward with meaningful support of education for dalit children. The community in Etah is involved in other outreach such as
the Christian Hospital in Kasganj, and we would be able to visit there. Hopefully we will visit rural villages and learn firsthand the circumstances in which village folk live.
The third and final week of the trip will be to Darjeeling to visit Rev. Pradhan at his home. His retirement plans include vocational training, so we will become familiar with those efforts. Darjeeling is located in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a very beautiful and serene place. It will give us a chance to digest some of what we will have seen and learned.
We are in the process of seeking grant money from our church, and the Presbytery of Long Island. And we are partnering with another Presbyterian church in Baldwin. We have identified a group of 4 people representing both congregations to participate in this mission trip.
For those who planned to go to India this October, I hope you can adjust your plans to October of 2011. That trip will be all the more meaningful for the relationships to be developed this year. And you will still get to see the Taj and much, much more.
On a personal note, November through the present has been a good and interesting time for me and Gerard. We enjoyed a family vacation with our daughters, son in law and grandchildren in Cancun over an extended Thanksgiving vacation. While we enjoyed the sun, the first phase of kitchen renovation, demolition, was accomplished. We spent the next month confined to our small (but cozy) den. nevertheless Christmas cards were sent out, gifts wrapped and preparations made for guests to arrive on Christmas day. The job was 97% complete two days before Christmas, leaving time for clean up and minimalist decorating.
The following Monday Gerard and I drove to Bloomington, Illinois to visit the Jones family and new puppy Snoofie. We stayed a week and went up to Chicago to the Art Institute which neither of us had previously visited. We spent the day, saw much of the collection and were able to join two tours, one of Asian art and the other of Modern. Then homeward bound, staying one night in Indiana.
Now we are back in the bustle of lessons, meetings, choral groups and the like. We have joined a bridge group and did pretty well on our first time out. I am a member of Bread for the World and we are preparing for the annual Lenten soup supper. Gerard is now working for the Census, an eight week full time stint. He is enjoying going out to different group living to verify the presence of residents in preparation for the actual census. A cell phone is a job requirement, so believe it or not, he now has one.
As of yesterday, the kitchen was 100% complete, and the dining room which had collateral issues will be 100% again by tomorrow afternoon. After the back fence gets painted I will turn more focused attention to India. I want to be able to speak at least a little Hindi before we go.
And let's not forget the Rev. A. G. McGaw. Upcoming posts will share more of his story.
