In Mussourie

New email address for those that don't already have it: adamATclanblackDOTcoDOTuk or joATclanblackDOTcoDOTuk. You may receive emails from adamblackATdoctorsDOTorgDOTuk. All 3 of these accounts will send emails to the same place. Our aol account is closed as of today.

It was recently a 9 day festival here. Multiple shrines spring up all over the place with idols of a particular God, and people dance to loud music late into the night. At the end of the 9 days the idols (which cost about £6-700) are taken to a lake, and ceremonially immersed and allowed to sink to the bottom. I drove past the ceremony on my way home from work, and it really struck me how crazy it is for so many people to get so excited and worked up over what essentially to my eyes was the drowning of a particularly gaudily made-up mannequin with too many arms. I wondered if the worshipers really thought that such waste would help lift them out of poverty. Do they really believe that the wood and bright cloth in front of them is a God. I wonder. I think many of them simply enjoy the party atmosphere which helps them forget momentarily their hard lives. I expect Guy Fawkes night probably used to be a similar atmosphere in the UK, with everyone turning out to watch the burning of the Guy. Now everyone simply sits at home on the Play-Station, or watching TV. Are we more enlightened?

We are now in Mussourie for 4 weeks language learning. It is a lot cooler, which is ideal for Jo being heavily pregnant. There are amazing views of the Himalayas all around us. The family we are staying with are lovely. We found a great babysitter so that we can try to get as much studying in as possible. Alistair loves her, which is a real answer to prayer. (In the same vain, Andi and Sheba who run the HIV work have just lost their maid, who looked after their 2 small children during the week. This will make work very difficult for them if they do not find a replacement. This is particularly an issue with me also being away for the next 4 weeks. Please pray.)


Here are some unusual things about India;
1) It is a prerequisite that to drive an auto-rickshaw you must be a complete maniac and chew tobacco.
2) All kitchen worksurfaces are made of marble. This confuses me as it is a relatively expensive material in the UK. It must be much cheaper here, and I am thinking of starting an importing business to the UK (not seriously).
3) even horrifically poor slums with no running water or sanitation often contain 26" TV's
4) Brown bread is actually white bread dyed badly!
5) Oranges are Green.

God bless you all. Adam, Jo Alistair and bump.

Weight loss programme!

Hello all again,

Still not on line, so stil accessing web at work, so no photos for you yet I'm afraid.

It's official. I can confirm after our first bout of 'delhi belly' that diarrhoea CAN help aid weight loss as part of a calorie controlled diet! It was really sad for Ali to have the runs, because he didn't understand what was going on. We told people here that it was the first time he had been unwell, and they could not believe it!

We are all well now thankfully!

It was amazing the first day that I came to the AIDS project in the slums. The day I arrived I was told that the couple running the project had been praying for another doctor, and that they had given God a 3 week deadline. They were becoming really discouraged as the time was nearly up, when Dr. Stephen Alfred Phoned them to tell them that I was in India, and wanting to get involved. They were overjoyed, and feel that my presence here is a real answer to prayer. I was quite emotional when they told me this. God is so faithful.

The project operates almost exclusively in Hindi, and while I can work with a translator reasonably effectively on a professional level, I miss a lot of the conversations which is frustrating.

We have decided to go to a language school in the north of India. Amazingly (although not much surprises me any more!!) the parents of Andi Eicher who runs the HIV project lives in the same town as the best language school in all India, and is delighted to have us to stay, as Andi's mum had been really praying for another Doctor (she is a real prayer warrior apparently). Even more astounding, is that Jo's dad also knows them from his trips to India! It's encouraging to see God's hand weaving such an intricate patchwork.

I have started the training program at the hospital for the junior doctors. The first meeting seemed quite positive, and I am looking forward to getting to know them well. They are mostly not Christian.

We feel really at home now in our flat. It has a Lounge/Dining room, a kitchen, 2 good sized bedrooms, and 2 shower-rooms. Our room has an En-suite, which is exciting. There is room on 2 balconies for hanging washing, which is totally indespensable, as things get so dirty so quickly here. We have a Fridge/freezer, a washing machine, a microwave, a toastie machine, AND a blender!! So we're not slumming it too much ourselves. Maybe this will encourage some of you to visit? It really brings it home how blessed we are to have so many home comforts, when those around you have so little.

We have been to 2 Churches so far, but are planning to visit another 3 when we get back from the language school. Please pray for us to know God's will for where we should worship and have fellowship, and especially what would be best for Alistair.

Missing you all. Spread our love around back there! God bless, Adam, Jo, Alistair, and bump.