Dave’s Blog

Today was a quiet day…until evening. It started to snow. Just a light snow with no wind. It was just beautiful. I thought that I would drive to OKC for a meeting but when I got about 15 miles away I decided to return home. No sense in taking chances. When I got home, my renter was stuck in front of the drive.

I got out of my car and a man was trying to push him. I said that I was not pushing so I steered while they pushed. Let’s go back a couple of days to when he lost reverse in his old used car. He can only go forward. They pushed him backwards until I thought I could get it to go forward. The street is snow covered with ruts. I drove it down to the end of the street where I could turn in a great big circle and came back to the house and parked on the down hill part of the street.

I have forgotten how hard it is to get started in life. My renter just got out of prison and is trying to start over. He bought a car and did not have money for license and plates. His first pay check went for license and the next one was for plates. He was driving it because he had to. He got caught one day before he got paid and bought plates. I had forgotten about days like that. They just don’t happen to me any more.

On Christmas day he got stuck and in walking to get gas…he had run out because he had so little money, he fell and lost his cell phone. Not a big loss but it had all his numbers in it. He searched for it but never found it. He had been using mine some since I have so many minutes.

Life for me is so settled and staid. I know my car will get me where I am going. I fill the tank from my credit card with no problem. My tires are good and get me through the snow. I dont have to worry about falling while I am walking to get gas to loose my cell phone.

I am so blest. I am so happy to have someone to remind me of how life used to be. It reminds me of when we were raising kids and trying to make ends meet. Having a car I couldn’t trust and repairs on the house that could not be made. Wow am I happy that I can help someone who needs the help. I can loan money to get repairs or gas and to me it is such a little thing.

He had bought some groceries with his stamps and tonight shared with me. He fixed fried catfish. It was really good. We had a quiet dinner with potatoes from Christmas, corn and a salad. It was a great evening. I think God was in the decision not to go to the city. Since I didn’t go, I was able to help him get his car running and parked ready for morning. I was able to have a wonderful meal fixed by a friend. What more can one ask for?

Dave

Having an extra day to get ready, I made some more appetizers. They were out and ready when people started arriving. We sat around and snacked for an hour or so while everyone got here…well, almost everyone. Cheese balls, summer sausage, crackers, veggies and dips, hot meatballs, two kinds of home made candies, cream cheese with hot pepper jelly on it, deviled eggs and tiny dill pickles. Who needed dinner?

The ham was beautiful garnished with pineapple and cherries. All the fixings and everyone brought something. We had enough for the army. It was good and the 13 of us made short work of it. We then visited for a while before having any dessert.

Some had to leave but the rest of us played farkle. Food and fellowship go so well together with friends. It was a good day.

Dave

Well, the blizzard closed everything including all highways in the state. We postponed our Christmas dinner until tomorrow. As it turned out the roads did get better and people will be able to get here tomorrow. All but a couple that are snowed in on a country road and not going anywhere until the plow comes through.

My renter James, got his car stuck at his girlfriends and it has taken me three times out to help him. I think he has it under control. I got stuck one time this evening after things started to refreeze. Two nice men helped me. One even drove home to get a shovel and came back to help. I heard him on his cell phone tell his wife that he had this OLD man that was stuck and he was helping him. Puts me in my place.

James and I thawed some Sweedish meatballs and had fried potatoes. The ham baked all night and sure smells good but I will wait until tomorrow to finish garnishing it with pineapple and cherries and brown sugar and then present the whole thing to the gathered group. We must OOH for just a minute before it is cut.

I was sitting in my living area just enjoying the candels and warmth of home. All my kids called to check in. I am so blessed. I have always been. I got a phone call from a man who I helped with plane tickets to the US from Liberia for his family where he was a refugee. He is starting a new life here. I didn’t have to do that. God really has taken care of me. Family, friends, a home, a car, a bank account and food in the fridge and good health. What more could I ask for.

I didn’t ask but I did get the gift of grace. It was presented as a baby in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. God had it all planned and offered me that gift. All I had to do was accept it. Now I am just trying to pass on some of that love presented to me. May you experience that love. It is available for you.

Dave

I don’t know who prayed for a white Christmas but they sure did get it. We had a blizzard today. Power outages, traffic lights out and even WalMart was without power for 3 hours this morning. I, of course, had to make a last trip there to pick up some necessary items for Christmas Dinner.

We are waiting to decide whether to postpone the big dinner until Saturday or not. We will call that in the morning. We are not eating til 2pm and so we will see how tomorrow is. At the moment I have 20 coming but that is up in the air with the weather.

I have been cleaning and rearanging the house to be able to seat all those people. It looks very Christmasy and the main table is all ready for appetizers. We will have cheese balls, summer sausage, veggies and dip, cheese slices, three kinds of crackers and shrimp and dip. Who knows what someone else will bring. James, my renter, brought the box from Hickory Farms with an assortment of things in it.

James also brought a fresh pork leg. We are saving it til New Years Day. My tradition says that you have pork and sauercraut. For Christmas we are having a 20 pound whole ham. I am hungry for a nice thick slice of juicy ham. Those spiral cut slices that are thin and too sweet and dry just are not the same as a real cooked ham. Yes, we are having all the trimmings. Each person is bringing something that Christmas dinner would not be if they didn’t have it.

Some of the things coming are grean bean casserole, escalloped corn, creamed onions, cranberry jello salad, ripe olives and I don’t know what else. It will be a surprise. I am looking forward to sharing with my friends and church family. Oh, I did have to make Aunt Margurite’s peanut butter fudge.

I hope you all have someone to connect with and have a very blest Christmas. God sent his Son to connect with us in a personal way. May that love be passed on.

Dave

I am finally caught up with my sleep. I feel quite normal today. The swelling is down in my ankles and my lungs are getting back to normal after all the dust, smoke and pollution.

Yesterday I did my laundry and finished unpacking my backpack. I even got out my Christmas decorations and decorated the house a little. I don’t do a whole lot of decorating.

I did get my cell phone on Sunday evening in Moore. I had lost it in the van when I was unloading the luggage. It is amazing how lost I was for two days without it. I knew where it was but could not get to it. I don’t know anyone’s phone number any more. I did take time yesterday to memorize Lynna and Randy’s cell numbers yesterday in case of any emergency. I also plan to write more of them down where I can find them.

I went to the office and caught up on things there. Not much going on there but Lynna has shipped out a few things each day. I also made a booking for a school in January. And speaking of January, I contacted the team leader for my trip to central Mexico in January to make sure all the plans were the same and moving along.

Today I will pick up strings from Goodwill that they have been doing the last couple of weeks. We can then start to count them out in assorted color batches. It is kind of mindless work that is very relaxing and necessary.

A stop at the grocery and I am all cought up.

Dave

Up very early for a flight to Ahemdabad, the home of Gandhi. It was where he built the Ashram and lived for many years, leading his non violent protests. It was so inspiring to go to the memorial build around his life. They had samples of his writings and sayings. We spent a couple of hours just reading and learning or relearning about his great works.

I find that his 9 principles as I understand them are a powerful incentive. They seem to boil down to; Truth, Nonviolence, Vegetarinism, Spiritual Purity, Simplicity and the Value of the Individual. Do most of those sound like the teaching of Christ? To say “Yes but……” seems to me to go against most of what my spiritual teachers have been trying to say. It also showed me that I have a long way to go in trying to be the best person that I can be.

We then drove to Vadodara to finish packing for the trip home. A last visit with the girls and some final songs and a few tears and we thought we were on our way. The van came to pick us up but forgot a rope to tie the luggage on top. When they picked us up they had two vans and this time they only had one.

We ended up sending some of the luggage on with a couple of us to watch it at the airport, some coming in a car and the others taking a taxi but we all made it to the airport in time to check in. We were excited when they checked our luggage all the way through to Dallas. We thought we would have to claim it in Mumbi and re check it.

During the exit through immigration they noticed that I had been in Pakistan recently and pulled me out and went to an office where the immigration agent had a conversation with his superior. They ended up stamping my passport saying that I cannot return for two months. Anything different needs special permission. I was then released to go with the group. I was a little nervous for a while.

On the plane for the long trip home.

Dave

On Wednesday we visited sites in Dehli. We went to the Red Fort. Started in 1638 it was built to replace Agra as the capital of the Mughal rule. Walking around and seeing the splendor of the structure, I can just imagine when it was populated with the people wearing beautiful colors, carpets, flowers, pets and everything else.

We went to the India Gate which was a memorial to the Indian soldiers killed in WWI. As at all the other places there were many people trying to sell things. In your face trying to sell things. Not taking no for an answer. It was sometimes very anoying. I just have to remember that they see us as super wealthy…as we are by their standards, and they are just trying to make a living.

We also went to the Lotus Temple, a magnificant structure built by the Bahai faith. It reminds one of the oprera house in Sidney. 9 petals with 9 reflecting pools. It is a place of silence and contemplation. It was a very refreshing change from all the very old structures.

We drove around Dehli and saw the government houses and much more. Some more shopping topped of the day. We went to a leather shop in the evening that was down 3 or 4 streets too narrow for cars. It was where the locals shopped and many were out on the streets. Nice to see how the real people live and shop, not just the tourist places.

A couple of times during the day while everyone was shopping, I went outside where the drivers were standing around and did strings. It is amazing how it helps connect with people. In fact, each day I was able to teach our respective guides some figures.

At one stop I was doing strings and a man came out of the crowd and ask to use a string. He made a number of figures, Foot of the Peacock, Big Net, Small Net, Chicken’s Feet, and a slight of hand trick with string. A few other people knew one or two figures but he knew a lot of them.

The people of India are very spiritual and believe in God or gods and in divine power. I was able to talk about connecting with God and they said “Yes, that is so important.” Or I did one figure where I talk about how life is impossible without God but so good with Him and they all agreed. How they define God is as different as each of them were.

I was also comfortable in telling people that we were Christians from America in their country to help out in a girls hostel and just wanted to spread love and mutual understanding. They seemed to appreciate that and not put off by our religious affiliation. I was also comfortable asking the drivers or guides or others that I met if they were Hindu, Buddhist, Muslem or what. They all responded openly.

Dave

We got up early to be at the airport for a flight to Delhi. We went straight from the airport in Delhi to Agra and arrived there about 10:00 at night. We then had to eat supper. We were there for just one night so we didn’t settle in.

The next morning we got up at 5am to be at the Taj Mahal for sunrise. All I can say is WOW. Built 400 years ago and looks brand new. Clean and sparkeling. It is made of a white marble that does not absorb anything. Beautiful inlay of semi-precious gems.

Our guide took us to a Marble producing place and showroom. We saw how things were done in the past. This seemed to be a rip off with high prices. I think the guides get a kickback from the shops they take the tourists to.

We then went to a couple of other sights and then drove back to Delhi. We saw a lot of village life as we traveled along. Camel carts, ox carts, one elephant working and lots of hand carts. Much like life as I saw it in Pakistan.Caught in a traffic jam for 45 minutes at one point. We didn’t get into Delhi at the hotel until about 11:30 and then had to eat supper. Too long of a day.

Our other co/leader on the team wanted to show us all of India in two weeks and it cannot be done. Changes will be made for the next teams that travel there.

Dave

Breakfast of flat bread and they offered us eggs. Boy did we jump at that. They made individual omelets with onion and a few light spices. We brought a coffee pot with us. An old type percolater so we had coffee each morning for those of us addicted to it. It was so good.

After that we traveled to the compound that had the boy’s hostel and large high school. They had set up a canopy and about 1500 chairs, stage and sound system for a combined church service of all the Methodist churches in Vadodara. They has special chairs set up for us at the side near the stage. All the clergy from the area were on stage and took part in the service.

Tish Malloy, our co/team leader gave the sermon and benediction. It was interesting seeing a woman in robes with all the men. It was a very moving service. We also had communion with little cups and waffers. They kept running the used cups to the back where they were refilled for the rest of the people. I am glad we were first.

It seems that a big part of our mission here is to be representatives of the United Methodist Church of America. That seems to be a mark of prestige for them, to have so many distinguished guests at their Christmas programs or at their schools or hospitals. To us it is kind of embaressing but to them it is a big deal.

The District Superintendant took us out to dinner at that best hotel that we ate at on December 4th. Wow what a treat. We were treated royally and enjoyed every moment of it. The Indian food was beginning to get to me. It is so spicy and hot each meal, even breakfast. Everyone tried to cater to our needs but they just don’t realize how different our foods are.

We went back to the Hostel and then most of the group went shopping again. I stayed back and took a long nap. I needed it. We then packed to leave Vadodara. (If you can’t find it on your map you might look for Baroda, the English name.)

Dave

In the morning we spent some time with the girls. Then we went to another Methodist school that was part of the boy’s hostel that we visited earlier. They gave us the grand tour and then we had tea. It was an enormous school. Probably 1,500 students.

Before the evening program we went to the hostel area and dedicated the new toilets, bathing area and washing area. They had a nice brass plack on the wall with a red curtain in front if it. We had speaches and toured the new facilities. They had been done for a couple of days but the girls could not use them until they were dedicated.

The highlight of the day was the Christmas program and dinner at Webb Hostel. They also had rented a stage and lighting. The lighting kept going on and off. They had a sound system and strings of lights on the trees. The girls were selling Christmas cards to help pay for the program. They do things all year long to get money for this.

They had rented some dresses for the different ages and had a choir all in gold Indian dresses. They all looked so nice all dressed up. Again they had a row of chairs in the front for the honored guests…Us. There were about 300 chairs behind us for parents and friends. They had us up on stage and after speaches they gave us flowers.

Their singing and dancing was not as professional as the students at the Methodist Technical Institute but it was fun to be there. A seminary student that was there for a time worked with them and even had them singing parts for some of the songs. They were so proud to have us watching.

No fireworks this time…thank heaven. At the end of the program a very skinny Santa came on stage and they sang “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” as he through out candy. Then everyone got up on the stage or in front of it and danced. I lasted for a couple of them then sat down. A couple of the team members really thrilled them by dancing with each different one. Where they got the energy, I don’t know.

They had a buffet set up for all of us. Of course, we went first. It was rice, dal, the lentel soup to put over rice and curried vegetables with little pieces of chicken. (They take a chicken and sell the breast to the hotel. The rest they chop up with a cleaver into about 98 pieces. You don’t know when you will get a bone shard. One must eat carefully. They also had flat bread and a coconut and rice dessert.

Dave

Dave