Even on posh buildings or skyscrapers, this is what the scaffolding looks like. Health and safety is not a major consideration here! 
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Scaffolding
Even on posh buildings or skyscrapers, this is what the scaffolding looks like. Health and safety is not a major consideration here!
Senior Citizen's Club
Jo's dad was 60 just before coming to India. We have been giving him a hard time about getting a senior citizens discount on the trains!
Meeting Gran & Pop
This is a photo that Jo's mum and dad took when they arrived at the airport, of us greeting them!
Alistair is holding a sign which says "welcome gran and pop to India"
Alistair is holding a sign which says "welcome gran and pop to India"
Big School-boy!
Alistair is going to 'Toddlers Academy' 3 times a week, and wears this uniform, which is sooooo cute! He loves it. He gets picked up in a small minibus. They call this "going to school" here, and even from 1 1/2 years old some places can be very strict and start teaching a curriculum!! Thankfully Toddlers academy is run by a lovely Christian lady, who is quite laid back, and actually quite positive about allowing small children to have fun! (which is quite a liberal view here)
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
TB,VCTC,Inpatient expansion
Here is a wee work update, as promised. There is a lot going on! Our patients often have TB, and at present they are referred to the government system for free treatment, which is great that there is that service, but means their care becomes more fragmented and complicated. Because of this Andi (who runs JSK) is keen to put a proposal forward for us to become a government funded centre for TB. This is still in embryonic stages, with not much on paper, but your prayers would be appreciated as to whether this is God's will. It would mean a rapid expansion, and sideways shift somewhat, as it would open our doors beyond HIV to the general public more.
Secondly, and related to the above, is the idea to also become a government recognised testing centre for HIV. We have positive feedback from one funding agency to help this move forward. If the first plan succeeds, and we stard treating for TB, then many of those people will need HIV testing, and it is a long way for people to go at present for testing. (It can be done locally, but is very expensive, so it is better resource management for people to go to the government centres).
The third thing we really need is more space, as already we have had to add another in-patient bed in our centre, which means I have lost my desk!!! I have drawn up plans for a first floor extension to the current premesis, and now we need planning permission. Please pray for this to go ahead quickly. We will get some of the current Lok Hospital premesis when we build the new Hospital, but our need is more urgent than that!
Secondly, and related to the above, is the idea to also become a government recognised testing centre for HIV. We have positive feedback from one funding agency to help this move forward. If the first plan succeeds, and we stard treating for TB, then many of those people will need HIV testing, and it is a long way for people to go at present for testing. (It can be done locally, but is very expensive, so it is better resource management for people to go to the government centres).
The third thing we really need is more space, as already we have had to add another in-patient bed in our centre, which means I have lost my desk!!! I have drawn up plans for a first floor extension to the current premesis, and now we need planning permission. Please pray for this to go ahead quickly. We will get some of the current Lok Hospital premesis when we build the new Hospital, but our need is more urgent than that!
Jo speaking!
I really miss my work (never thought I'd say that!). It's quite a shift for me to not have a role as such and not to be using my skills at all. Hopefully once the kids are a bit older I will be able to do a bit at the hospital.
We're doing ok here. It's hotting up now (not that it ever felt cool) which I find particularly difficult. It makes everything more tiring and it is harder to entertain Alistair in the heat. If you need a specific prayer point for me it would be this - that I would have the strength to cope with the heat on a daily basis and be able to find ways to entertain Alistair depsite it - he is so energetic! He is so lovely just now. Such a wee character - quite a comedian. He adores Freya which is such a blessing. Freya is doing really well. She is sleeping on my lap as I write this. We are so chuffed with her. Especially as we were convinced we were having a boy!
Our flat faces due South, and we have a powercut between 3-6pm, so we have no fans to keep us cool. Also we live 6 floors up, and the flat we are in doesn't have a generator for the lift, so it is very difficult to get out of the flat in the afternoons, so I feel a bit like a prisoner in an oven!Because of this we prayed 2 weeks ago about whether we should move, and the very next day were offered (out of the blue) a very large flat on the 11th floor. It is close to here and faces West with views over the hills. It's nice and cool and has a generator for the lift. It will cost a bit more than our current place, but has a communal swimming pool and a play park, which is ideal. It will also be better for visitors.
Our church in Glasgow is having a "global focus" weekend on Sunday and we are going to do a live video-link call over the internet to the whole church! We're really looking forward to it. We miss our church back home. The church we are going to here is very different from what we are used to, a brethren style church.
We are planning a visit back to the UK in June (10th - 3rd July approx). Would be great to be able to meet up with you all then. God bless. x
We're doing ok here. It's hotting up now (not that it ever felt cool) which I find particularly difficult. It makes everything more tiring and it is harder to entertain Alistair in the heat. If you need a specific prayer point for me it would be this - that I would have the strength to cope with the heat on a daily basis and be able to find ways to entertain Alistair depsite it - he is so energetic! He is so lovely just now. Such a wee character - quite a comedian. He adores Freya which is such a blessing. Freya is doing really well. She is sleeping on my lap as I write this. We are so chuffed with her. Especially as we were convinced we were having a boy!
Our flat faces due South, and we have a powercut between 3-6pm, so we have no fans to keep us cool. Also we live 6 floors up, and the flat we are in doesn't have a generator for the lift, so it is very difficult to get out of the flat in the afternoons, so I feel a bit like a prisoner in an oven!Because of this we prayed 2 weeks ago about whether we should move, and the very next day were offered (out of the blue) a very large flat on the 11th floor. It is close to here and faces West with views over the hills. It's nice and cool and has a generator for the lift. It will cost a bit more than our current place, but has a communal swimming pool and a play park, which is ideal. It will also be better for visitors.
Our church in Glasgow is having a "global focus" weekend on Sunday and we are going to do a live video-link call over the internet to the whole church! We're really looking forward to it. We miss our church back home. The church we are going to here is very different from what we are used to, a brethren style church.
We are planning a visit back to the UK in June (10th - 3rd July approx). Would be great to be able to meet up with you all then. God bless. x
Partnership
Last week Andi and I attended a meeting with some other Christian organisations to discuss the possibility of all starting to work in greater unity to combat the threat of HIV/AIDS. The prospect of us all becoming one large conglomerate with common strategies and protocols was discussed, which would give us more unity and cohesion. It would also make it possible to apply for larger sponshorship deals, from larger international organisations. We are still quite a way off that kind of thing, but have agreed to pray about it, and to seek greater unity, and see how God leads us. Please pray.
REAL NEED
One of the problems with working with those with AIDS is that their lifespan is limited. Tied to this, only 20% of Children contract the disease from positive mothers. This means that there are inevitably a lot of children left parentless.
In India there's not really a provision for these children, and so at JSK we try to help them. Our policy is to try to place children with their extended families where possible, as family is so important. Other than this JSK has historically referred Children to established Orphanages, run by the Catholic Church in the main. However these can also be quite large and impersonal.
Andi, who I work with, has been thinking that there is a need for us to start some work among orphans for some time, however I was not aware of this. Independantly I heard of someone who was wanting to start an orphanage in the North of India for children from HIV infected families. When I heard this I felt that it was such a great idea, and really felt enthused to do something similar. When I next spoke to Andi, (when we returned from Mussoorie), he told me that he was planning to have a meeting to discuss provision for orphans. That meeting was in November.
Shortly after that, there were 2 orphans who were placed with family, but there were already grandparents, parents, and children living in one room, and family said they just couldn't cope with 2 more children. We therefore arranged for the children to go to an orphanage, but they ran away twice. 2 weeks ago they moved into a room with a guardian who is another one of our patients, and it is going really well.
The latest is that 500 pounds was recently put into my bank account by someone in the UK, who my sister had spoken to, and who was keen for the money to be used in work with orphans!
This is just the start. We have 15 other Children who will be in a similar situation soon. It has been amazing what God has done so far in this area, and I look forward to the future with confidence. It is just great to see God working so much in all things. I've never experienced anything like it before in my life. I think I was probably just too self-reliant and comfortable in the UK. There isn't any REAL NEED in the same way in the UK(although I know there is need), and so you don't rely on God the same there (or maybe that was just me!!).
Anyway, I'm not saying all this to illustrate how wonderful I am. I'm not. (honestly). I have many faults. I really just want to communicate how great GOD is.
Thankyou for all your support. Lots of love, Adam
In India there's not really a provision for these children, and so at JSK we try to help them. Our policy is to try to place children with their extended families where possible, as family is so important. Other than this JSK has historically referred Children to established Orphanages, run by the Catholic Church in the main. However these can also be quite large and impersonal.
Andi, who I work with, has been thinking that there is a need for us to start some work among orphans for some time, however I was not aware of this. Independantly I heard of someone who was wanting to start an orphanage in the North of India for children from HIV infected families. When I heard this I felt that it was such a great idea, and really felt enthused to do something similar. When I next spoke to Andi, (when we returned from Mussoorie), he told me that he was planning to have a meeting to discuss provision for orphans. That meeting was in November.
Shortly after that, there were 2 orphans who were placed with family, but there were already grandparents, parents, and children living in one room, and family said they just couldn't cope with 2 more children. We therefore arranged for the children to go to an orphanage, but they ran away twice. 2 weeks ago they moved into a room with a guardian who is another one of our patients, and it is going really well.
The latest is that 500 pounds was recently put into my bank account by someone in the UK, who my sister had spoken to, and who was keen for the money to be used in work with orphans!
This is just the start. We have 15 other Children who will be in a similar situation soon. It has been amazing what God has done so far in this area, and I look forward to the future with confidence. It is just great to see God working so much in all things. I've never experienced anything like it before in my life. I think I was probably just too self-reliant and comfortable in the UK. There isn't any REAL NEED in the same way in the UK(although I know there is need), and so you don't rely on God the same there (or maybe that was just me!!).
Anyway, I'm not saying all this to illustrate how wonderful I am. I'm not. (honestly). I have many faults. I really just want to communicate how great GOD is.
Thankyou for all your support. Lots of love, Adam
Sunday, February 05, 2006
God's pulling the strings!
I have been back at work for a week, and have lots to say about that. there is enough really exciting stuff to talk about to fill several postings! So I think I will just write several postings on different topics over the next few weeks!
However, this is just a short note to tell you of an amazing co-incidence, or as I like to call it a 'God-incidence'.
Jo's parents arrived here on Saturday, and we all went to the airport to meet them. As we waited outside the airport I looked to the right, and was absentmindedly scanning the many A4 signs saying such things as "ACME TOURS WELCOMES MR. & MRS. N.E.BODY". Suddenly I did a double take, as I saw a sign saying simply "PAUL AND JEAN DOBBING". For those of you who Don't know, Paul and Jean are a couple from our home Church in Glasgow. Jean has lived in Nepal before, and had connections with a school there that Jo volunteered in for 6 months in 1997. Jo was actually in a prayer support group for Jean in Glasgow!
Anyway, Both Jo and I only knew Jean as "Jean Weir" which was her maiden name, but last week a friend from our Church sent me an Email saying that they had a service to say goodbye to Paul and Jean Dobbing who were going to Nepal! I emailed back saying that I wasn't sure that I knew who they were unless that was Jean Weir as was, and got a prompt reply saying this was the case.
Then amazingly it turns out that they arrived at Mumbai International airport 5 minutes after Jo's parents, and I happened to see the message for them being held up, and I only heard their new names a few days before, otherwise the sign would have meant nothing to me!!
It was sooo nice to wait and meet them. They are doing 2 months training in a Place called Pune which is only 3 hours from us by train. We're thinking of visiting them for a weekend, and they're planning to visit us for a few days at the end of March.
Here are some words from the start of an email that I recieved from them today:
" Hi Adam and Jo, it was really great to meet you at the airport on Saturday. We thought that was amazing and that it was such an encouragement to us. Thank you for waiting in the heat and sorry you had to wait a while. It really helped us though to come off the plane and see you all there. I thought God did that - it is a kind of assurance that He is going ahead of us - that is what we feel. "
That's also what Jo and I feel, as God is repeatedly sooo faithful to us here.
I'll be back in touch again soon, with more news about some interesting developments at work.
Lots of love, Adam
However, this is just a short note to tell you of an amazing co-incidence, or as I like to call it a 'God-incidence'.
Jo's parents arrived here on Saturday, and we all went to the airport to meet them. As we waited outside the airport I looked to the right, and was absentmindedly scanning the many A4 signs saying such things as "ACME TOURS WELCOMES MR. & MRS. N.E.BODY". Suddenly I did a double take, as I saw a sign saying simply "PAUL AND JEAN DOBBING". For those of you who Don't know, Paul and Jean are a couple from our home Church in Glasgow. Jean has lived in Nepal before, and had connections with a school there that Jo volunteered in for 6 months in 1997. Jo was actually in a prayer support group for Jean in Glasgow!
Anyway, Both Jo and I only knew Jean as "Jean Weir" which was her maiden name, but last week a friend from our Church sent me an Email saying that they had a service to say goodbye to Paul and Jean Dobbing who were going to Nepal! I emailed back saying that I wasn't sure that I knew who they were unless that was Jean Weir as was, and got a prompt reply saying this was the case.
Then amazingly it turns out that they arrived at Mumbai International airport 5 minutes after Jo's parents, and I happened to see the message for them being held up, and I only heard their new names a few days before, otherwise the sign would have meant nothing to me!!
It was sooo nice to wait and meet them. They are doing 2 months training in a Place called Pune which is only 3 hours from us by train. We're thinking of visiting them for a weekend, and they're planning to visit us for a few days at the end of March.
Here are some words from the start of an email that I recieved from them today:
" Hi Adam and Jo, it was really great to meet you at the airport on Saturday. We thought that was amazing and that it was such an encouragement to us. Thank you for waiting in the heat and sorry you had to wait a while. It really helped us though to come off the plane and see you all there. I thought God did that - it is a kind of assurance that He is going ahead of us - that is what we feel. "
That's also what Jo and I feel, as God is repeatedly sooo faithful to us here.
I'll be back in touch again soon, with more news about some interesting developments at work.
Lots of love, Adam
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