At the Taj...

I know it seems macarbe, but this is a photo of the Taj, and of us in the lobby of the Taj in Mumbai a couple of weeks ago... It's right next to the Gateway of India, a huge tourist attraction.











We are not near there now, but need to return to Mumbai in a few weeks... we'll keep you posted.

The House of Blessing, Mozambique

Hi all, the following newsletter came to us from Moz, and I thought I'd share it with you...

November 24, 2008

December 2nd 2003, House of Blessing became a recognized orphanage in Mozambique . This year we celebrate our 5 year anniversary. At the end of 2003 we had 10 children in our home. Now we have over 40 growing beautiful children.

When I began this great adventure I will admit that I was a bit dreamy and quite naive. I really had no idea how difficult and heart wrenching as well as rewarding it would be. The stories of human cruelty and suffering can crush the simple hearted and yet there is great hope and joy right along side keeping up the pace. I have often said that the greatest joy I have in mothering these orphans is watching their great Creator transform them from broken, sickly and sometimes wild animals into His delight and pleasure. That is what keeps me here.

When I first became aware for the need for mothers in Africa I had a grand vision. I could see this great land of Africa as an opportunity to raise up a generation of well cared for godly children. I assumed that I was only one of a whole army of mothers and fathers heading over here responding to the cry of God’s heart for the orphans. I was sadly mistaken and the need here is overwhelming. Sometimes I feel like I am literally laying down my life for these children.

Lately I have become aware of greater needs. Danny’s 2 little brothers ran away from an orphanage in Dondo. I know that the man in charge of it is sleeping with the young girls he is supposed to be caring for. The boys had been being beaten. One is deaf and the other is just darn cute. I will go to Social Services today to see what can be done for them.

Two months ago Social Services brought me a 12 year old boy named Claudio, a very quiet boy, until the other night when he began to talk about his sad and much abused life. His father’s brother brought him to Beira and left him at the bus station. We are sure after the stories we heard that the father asked his brother to do it to rid him of his son. Social Services told me that they would come back and get him in 15 days but I told Claudio that they would have to fight mama for him. He feels loved and safe for the first time in his life.

Davi and Rosa ’s father died last month. Getting involved with her family has added 2 more orphaned and abused girls to our home. They are cousins. I am not sure about keeping them but they can stay for a while during school holidays. Their auntie who had been caring for them just contacted Social Services because her husband does not want them.

Linda visited her little sister in another orphanage the other day and found her suffering with asthma and hungry. They had been bringing her to the witchdoctor. We visited them yesterday and found 36 girls, mostly little ones, their condition very needy, precious daughters of God. I will arrange with the nuns in charge that some of my girls could visit them once a week to encourage them. They can sing and play with them.

We already have some girls going to another orphanage that cares for 105 babies. They go every Saturday. I had to coax the caretakers to let my girls hold and play with the babies. They had been told not to hold or hug the babies because they cry when they leave. I told them the girls could put them to bed after being fed and bathed and then they wouldn’t notice that they had gone and won’t cry. My girls are bringing light and joy to that place. I am really proud of them.

I’ve been told, “Lee, You can’t save the world.” I know that, Jesus already did that but I can not turn my face away from the suffering. I have tried to harden my heart and just say no but it makes me like a crazy person. I look around me at the free and happy faces – I hear singing all day long. There is something good happening in the midst of all this suffering and confusion.

Some people think it’s because of this white lady who came from America . I know better. It could be anyone – any color – anyone who says yes to God's call. Anyone who hears Him crying for the orphans. I am so grateful for all the people who have partnered with me to bring quality care to the needy here. God is faithful but He needs faithful people too. We have never missed a meal and though we have been out on a limb sometimes it has never broken and we have always been well cared for. I am also so grateful that the Lord has sent laborers into this harvest.

My staff here is wonderful and very understanding of my struggles these past couple of years. They have come up to the plate and they never complain about having me gone so much. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty spending so much money on my travel expenses but I must. My health and sanity depend on it.

I leave here the day after Christmas for a 5 month stay in the states. I will have a couple of weeks in Georgia with my kids and grandkids there and then I head west for the birth of my oldest son’s first child. I am looking forward to seeing many of you.

Happy Thanksgiving!
God bless you all, Lee

Tall tales and true

Most men are wise when attacked by a mad dog;
fewer when pursued by a mad woman;
only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion.

It's a long road to Mahabaleshwar

It's even a long time to say Mahabaleshwar...

Jude, Bek and I braved the iconic Indian bus-ride through the winding hills to go shopping... yes mum, your christmas present was the root of all this.... You know those news reports you hear from India of a busload of innocents diving off the side of a cliff into a ravine and all on board are escorted to various heavens by innumerable gods... well, luckily today wasn't our day....

It was however like sitting inside a tin can with a handfull of nails - shaken, not stirred... You can't imagine the noise. Curiously, there was a public red phone attached to the wall behind the driver. Presumably, the reception from bottoms of ravines is pretty good in this part of India...

Anyway, we didn't die, and we have another experience to add to our already unwieldy list...

By the way, I also added some more photos to the previous album (I changed the cover pic to spur your interest).

Quiet Time

It’s Friday morning. 7am. Today I sit on the western side of the Prayer Room so I can watch the sun. Laden with orange lanterns she picks her way up through the palm fronds into free space above the horizon. The air was cool this morning. A little zephyr blew, and the palm fronds danced a merry little dance as it went by. They were long fingers whispering a familiar tune on an unseen keyboard.

A host of birds surround me, calling to each other. Probably about wind speeds, mass/velocity ratios and other mundane things, but an organic symphony nonetheless. The new light on the cane mats underfoot changes their colour. From a shadowy beige, on to gold through the spilled orange lantern-light.

I can hear the steady breathing of the two guys that flank me. One a christian from Kenya – I think of his story. The other a lanky, good humoured fellow from Tibet. A Buddhist. I can hear the chant of a group of hindus at their morning prayer. A call and response. Harmony there also.

My mind turns to my God. What is it about ritual that draws us – binds us – so strongly? Our slave-masters ‘achievement’ and ‘attainment’ drive us on a death march. A far too distant goal. Most slump down on the side of the road. Beaten. There is something beautiful about silence.

I think about my friend Terry now. Walking in the forest each morning with his dog Daisy. And he plays jazz drums. Surely both these things must be addressed by any journey into spirituality. And eating. And gardening. And your favourite chair. And being in the shower. And laughing with your children. God has to be there. In all those bits. The ‘un’ bits. Otherwise, I don’t want him.

The charge of irrelevance hangs in the still air like smoke-shot after cannon fire. I guess that’s why I’m sitting here. In a multi-faith prayer room. In India. With a Russian, a Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Aussie, an Indian. A Kenyan, Tibetan and Korean.

And as I’ve sat here, the sun has trudged her way up the sky. The orange lanterns are lost. Or bought. By people like me who rise to meet her. Shadows shorten. The light hardens. Day noises now jostle and elbow their way into my ears. My stomach grumbles. It’s 8am. Breakfast time. I smile. Jesus is already in the dining room serving up my scrambled eggs and toast.

It’s no longer Quiet Time. But it’s still spiritual.

Close to the Mahatma...

This place in India is truly remarkable. It is very peaceful and serene, a community of about 60 people, most of them students of about 20-30yos. Mahatma Ghandi's challenge 'be the change you want to see in the world' supplies the impetus for all discussions. Many of them are doing an 'Action for Life' course where they learn all kinds of skills that will prepare them to go back to their communities all over the.

It is a multi-ethnic, multi-faith group that in itself is quite a challenge. Hindus from India and Fiji, muslims from Sudan, Indonesia and India, budhists from Taiwan and Tibet, athiests from Russia and Vietnam, christians from Australia and Kenya and Uganda. There are more, but I haven't met them yet.

We are just pitching in with whatever needs doing, and for the first couple of weeks that we've been here we've been spending time with a group of 13 interns who are doing a 7 month live in kick-up-the-bum kind of course. They are quite inspiring to listen to. 3 mornings a week there is a group quiet time in a beautiful 3/4 round room that overlooks the botanic gardens and the valley below. 1 hour of silence and then discussion with a partner about what you 'heard' in your heart/head/from God. Then the group has a range of seminars on various topics related to leadership/family/service/charity/etc and more group time. Once a week there is a mult-faith prayer time that was very interesting. An intimate time where we heard a group of 3 Tibetan guys chant one of their meditations. 2 girls, both hindu, one from India and one from Fiji sang a song from their repertoire. And an australian couple here sang a spiritual song from our traditions.

Breakfast at 8am, morning tea at 10.30, lunch at 12.30pm, afternoon tea at 4pm and dinner at 7pm... seems like all we do is walk to the dining room. ha. The food is great, and quite varied. Lots of dahl and korma curries, chappaties and lots of rice, both plain and spiced. There is a bit of fruit, lots of water to drink. They make the most abyssmal coffee that I've ever tasted.... even worse than doctor's waiting room instant in a foam cup! Hard to believe.

There is a young aussie couple here with a 5 year old daughter who Zoe has taken to like a seagull after a sick prawn, and Aaron has found the space here really refreshing after the hubub of the orphanage. They are the only kids. Each day, Jude and I, and the other couple who are helping to run the Intern program take turns to look after the kids between trips to the dining room. Adam is an architect, and is working on some building reno's, and there are a couple of other projects, inc a hedged labyrinth that I've already been asked for some ideas about.

I am going to be doing a couple of design projects for them, a new design for their quarterly magazine, and a brochure about another of their courses. Jude is putting together some first aid info and going through the motions of getting a seminar together. W have been part of a panel [not our idea!] of 3 married couples being asked any question on earth, about marriage and family. It was interesting.

We have our own little apartment, tucked away in a corner of the property, with 2 bedrooms, a lounge and kitchenette, and our own bathroom with hot running water! There are two 3-story buildings here that accommodate the students and staff, as well as 2 large dining halls, huge catering kitchen, auditorium, library, sports facilities and lounges. The grounds are planted [coincidentally by australians] about 40 years ago, so there are lots of bottle brushes, silky oaks and gum trees around.

The conference centre is nestled up against the southern wall of a large plateau - evidently the largest plateau in all of Asia. The name Panchgani - where we are - means 5 hills, and refers to the 5 plateaus that make up the valley we are in. I think the next 5 weeks will fly by, and will be richly rewarding for Jude and me especially, as much of the time here is given to quiet time to reflect, pray and contemplate... and talk to people of all nations.

At the end of our time here, we'll only have 2 weeks before landing on aussie soil again... it still seems far off, but one thing I know from this trip... for good or for ill, the hour always comes.

Regarding your donations

Many of you may know that, about a year ago, Aaron and Zoe began collecting cans and bottles that allowed a refund, in order to raise money for the House of Blessing Orphanage where we lived in Mozambique. Well, together with the help of many friends, family and strangers, the kids raised about $1500 [Aust].

During our first week in Moz, Aaron presented the kids with the money, and told them of all the various ways it was raised.... cans, cartons and bottles with a 5c refund, restored & sold 2 bbqs, people made straight donations, we sold donated honey from Buzz Honey [that no doubt many of you were cajoled into buying....], one of my sister's donated kids and church got involved, and we also had the whole lot in a high interest account.

All the kids at the House of Blessing brainstormed about how the money could be spent - about 20,000 in the local currency! In the end, we bought and made a large new pole and a-frame swing set, a truck-tyre swing, purchased 3 new bicycles [inc a small one for the little kids to learn on], and allotted 5000 for portuguese and english reading books, and 5000 for new tools. After all of that, there was still about 1000 left over which will be used toward the list that the kids made.

It was so fantastic to see it go so far, and fortunate that we made our financial exchange at the beginning of our trip and not the end, as the aussie dollar devalued by almost 25% during the 6 week stay! We just would have not been able to get so much great gear!

So thanks to all who donated stuff for us to sell, and who bought copious amounts of honey, and who just thought it was a great idea to give money to! It was!

Some of the money the kids raised will be distributed here in India also, as we felt like we should split the money between Moz and India. So, we will let you know what our options are for donating the remaining funds while we're here in Panchgani.

Thanks again for all of you who felt like this was a worthy cause.

What a difference a day makes...

Ok, 2 days... Well, we can't quite believe that only a few days ago we were saying goodbye to our new children at the House of Blessing. Since our couple of days of Joburg, we had our initiation to India by arriving in Mumbai at midnight [don't they all], getting a taxi with 2 flat tyres, and then careening through the dark streets, teeming with all manner of people and finding our YMCA Hotel and getting to bed at around 2am.

Now, when you think of a 'taxi rank' at the airport, I can almost guarantee you've never seen anything like this... it looked like an overspill yard at a car manufacturing plant. A few hundred identical black and yellow Fiat rust buckets called 'Kali Peeli' lined up outside. The drivers are there longer than 24hours, and sleep in their cars as they wait their turn for the front of the queue. Our guy made $10.30 [australian]. Tough way to make a living!

The Kali Peeli cabs (KP) have been around since the beginning of time. The KP is supposed to have a working life of 10 years. Road worthiness is of course in the eye of the beholder and I assume that no KP ever gets a thumbs-down as long as some rupees change hands. Obviously, the majority of KPs are [much] older than 10 years. Evidently, the cabbies tell the authorities that they have unpaid loans on their 10 year old cabs and that if their cab are pulled off the streets, they will not only be unable to feed their families, they will default on their loans. Noone wants the cabbies to default on their loans - perhaps they think it will affect the Mumbai economy the way sub-prime loan defaults have affected the US.

Anyhow, Mumbai is an amazing city... as many people as the whole of Australia, and almost as many cars. The kids had a good initiation with third world conditions while we were in Moz, so many things weren't a surprise to them. Which was good. Cause it is quite something... Then a very interesting time on the 6hour bus trip to Panchgani, south of Mumbai... but more of that later...

I waited for India with a mixture of fear and excitement, and now that we've arrived at the Asia Plateau we feel really excited about being here...

There is an internet room with 6 machines online - at once! So, if any of you are actually still reading our blog after all this time then you'll have more to read in the next 6 weeks....