Crazy as it's been nearly 5 months since landing back in India. It feels as though I have lived in India a long time as everything has become so familiar. Navigating our way around Delhi - whether in the car, metro, bus or auto rickshaw - is now a no brainer, although being packed in a bus with an Indian's face only 1 cm from my own still takes getting used to ( I mean living in a city of nearly 20 million people has some drawbacks!) We have also now taken to going for a quick feed at the local street food stalls for dinner...chow mein, momos freshly cut pineapple, plenty of hot chili sauce...all tastes fantastic and is really cheap, and the street atmosphere is always abuzz, as in India there are always plenty of people around.....
I am really loving the work, although at times it is really challenging - I have definitely been pulled out of my comfort zone plenty a time! Being responsible for the well-being and welfare of a community of over 180 people and growing - patients, staff and volunteers - can sometimes feel a little heavy and there is never a dull moment. Balancing the day to day community issues and working on the organization and it's new initiatives would not be possible without the awesome team that I have the privilege of working with. They come from all over the world - India, Germany, Switzerland, USA, Australia, Korea and even... New Zealand.
In fact we have a large contingent from NZ at the moment - or we did, as I dropped off the Woolstons to the airport at 2 am this morning, and they made up more than half of the New Zealanders with their 3 children. They all hail from Hamilton on the North Island and belong to an awesome church - Gateway Christian Centre. Having this many New Zealanders around has been great due to the natural camaraderie we Australians have with them and the fact that they were smashed in the Champions League 20/20 and Australia has 2 teams in the semi finals...go the Blues!
The Woolstons are a remarkable family. Scott is a carpenter by profession and makes incredible furniture and Shar is an ER nurse who has tremendous capacity to care for the sick. Both of them have a very natural way of communicating with people - although Shar probably a little louder than Scott! Their generosity is amazing and their ability to connect with people truly a gift. They both had a profound impact on the community, which was so evident on their last night at the Ashram before they came to spend the last couple of days with us at our home before flying home. There were many tears from fellow volunteers, staff and patients. The family has a tremendous calling on their lives which they are living out. I am reminded of the verse 2 Timothy 2:20-21 about the utensils that are made of gold and silver, that are special and for honorable use, ready for the Master to use for every good work. That is Scott and Shar. I truly thank God for the Woolstons, and yet they are only a couple of the people that we have had the awesome privilege of making friends with during this crazy adventure...
Bless ya heaps,
Ray
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