Update 3

Well here I am again.
Christmas is just around the corner, the Sun is shining and it is a beautiful day, strange birds sing in the trees, the mist on the hills is burning off and there is a cow eating my lawn, an almost surreal scene. Kris is having a lay in this morning, she has been suffering from the dreaded 'delly belly' for a couple of days now, its funny but she wasn't impressed when I told her 'whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger' as she rushed by me heading for the loo. All of this got me thinking about the differences to our life here over what we have been used to in the UK. so here are a few things that have made me go mmmmm
Going shopping for a chicken, then looking it in the eye and saying 'that one' knowing you were ending its life, leaving five minutes later with it in a bag.

Making friends with a stray three legged dog that guards our side road from all other dogs, all the neighbours feed him as do we now, he hops about, loves kids and plays with them, quite a character.

Seeing my first dead person on the side of the road with people just walking past ignoring him.

Trying to find a garden fork here.................try Delhi I was told.

Discovering that a main through road is one lane when we went to visit Panawar and nobody gives way until the last second.

Coming home late one night and really seeing how many people live on the edge of the streets in groups or what looks like small colonies, sometimes grouped together around their occupation, brush makers, potters, fruit sellers an other time  I saw a small group alone on a road, why I have no idea, were they outcasts or had they chosen to be so far from others? Children play, grow up, marry, have children of their own, die having known only their patch of road, their life spent on the roadside in the fumes and the dust of passing traffic.

I thank God for being so fortunate to have a home and such a standard of living as I have, there is a saying that I keep remembering 'There but for the grace of God go I'.

Enough for now but I will keep you updated as they occur to me.

I have been working on a design for a home water purifier that PMF could sponsor for the local villages. I have bought plastic containers, looked all over for plastic taps without success, and generally struggled with making it simple to make and to use.
The problem is that nobody in the villages sees a need for one, diarrhoea is a normal part of children's life, as it seems is the lack of knowledge about water borne parasites and the dangers of dirty water, sometimes polluted with human or animal faeces.
3 AM this morning I had to get up and make notes and draw a diagram.....got it (I pray so anyway).
The problem is to get people to use it, the common design uses two bins one on top of the other with an internal ceramic filter, dirty water is poured into the top and drips through to the bottom via the filter where there is a tap to fill cups from. Just what you need you would think.
I was sat in a rickshaw watching local people drink in town from a water seller yesterday. At the time I thought nothing of it, however my grey matter was working on it.
Indians don't put cups to their mouths, they pour from an inch or two away, the water seller had a ladle that customers dipped into his clay water pot then lifted to their mouths and poured, at no time did they touch the ladle to their mouths.
I had been trying to design a water purifier for Westerners not Indians!
My design now uses a plastic 'bucket' with a lid with the ceramic filter on its side. A pipe (from the side low down) delivers water to a clay pot with a ladle. The bucket can be hung or stood on a surface and refilled as necessary  In this way the only change to the drinking routine is to pour the dirty water into the 'bucket' rather than the pot, drinking is done as normal from a (new) clay pot with a ladle  I want to put smiley faces on the new pot to re-enforce the connection between clean water and happiness/health and Kris will include it in her health teaching sessions. I also want to give one of these free to each of PMF's  cluster group leaders, in this way they become advocates of its use and people can see the benefits first hand and will hopefully also want to use one.

Home life.

John Parker was here for a visit and ate with us last week. It was great to see him and hear all the news from Durham. He passed on many many hello's so thank you all for that.  I bet Eddy Bussy is having a quieter life now we have gone, no one to argue with in the discovery group and the pub! Go on Eddy explain how the universe is the size it is in the time available. What was that? variable light speed? Ha got you, can't argue now can you. (I bet he will). I also miss those debates on many and varied subjects. Does the discovery group still continue in the pub on Mondays?

Our seeds are all growing well. It is really weird, this is mid winter, got to get a bit colder yet but no frost or anything remotely close to that and I have sweet peas, beans, various gourds and lots more all growing away. The chysanthamums in the garden are all in flower and the poinsettiers are looking great, I said it felt weird.

                                                                

                                                    

 


Kris is mastering her kitchen, gas hob,  and (now) a new combination grill/oven/microwave to play with. No cooker as such so no big oven. She is planning a semi English Christmas dinner as we have guests coming so it will be a buffet style of various dishes some 'spicy' some not...........NO sprouts!

As promised in my last blog a look around the house.

Kitchen with new cupboards, note the coffee machine, it made it to India. Back door leads to garden.
                                         
   

Here there is a space between the fridge freezer and the door (about six feet) we are going to put a long table/bench there to work on as there is very little bench space now, lots of under bench storage but we will fit screens of some sort. The main thing is Kris is happy with it and is looking forward to making it 'ours'.

    View of the main room from the stairway, the floors are all marble, the furniture is ours bought here instead of a car.

 From the dinning table end, under the covers (in the corner) is my tenor sax and Kris's clarinet.

 From the lounge area looking at the kitchen door and dining area, water cooler far right.

From the lounge end looking at the front door (first on left) and the stairs to the first floor. The door on the left by the stairs is Kris's studio. The door in the centre is the kitchen. There are 36 steps on those stairs, that's a good cardiac work out for anyone!

 

This is going to be Kris's studio, very light with two windows so it is ideal for her.

All the bedrooms have a changing room and an en-suit wet room, Kris's studio is intended as a downstairs bedroom, hence the wet room and changing room leading off it.

That's the downstairs other than a small under stair area we use for storage of garden tools. The first floor with two bedrooms and the roof I will show you in my next blog.

When Kris and I sold or gave away everything to charity and came here to work for God we didn't know where or how we were going to live. It says in the bible that God will reward you ten fold for what you give without thought of reward, we have received far more than that. Just look at the house He has given us, the people we have connected with since we came here, the friends we are making both Christian and Hindu. I cannot explain how it feels to just put your trust totally in the Lord, \I never thought I would do such a thing, commit in such a way. I suppose it is like a parachute,  when you jump you pray it will open but until it does all you have is faith, then comes the moment when you realise that you are being held, you are safe.Some reading this might think we are crazy, but that is the nature of faith isn't it, to just trust and go for it. We have been granted so much for doing what we feel was so little. God is wonderful, he is our light in the dark, our guide through the dangerous places and our friend and saviour.I saw a belt buckle while I was in America, it said 'Jesus rides with me' worn by a Biker I had met, one day I will find or make one that says 'Jesus, always at my side'.

As we have mentioned before we have spent the car fund because we have decided to go in for a scooter (maybe two). Every time we go anywhere we have to use the rickshaws, it will be SO good when we get our international licences for India. Kris's brother is sorting the England end for us, as soon as that is done the fun really starts, trying to wade through all the paperwork for the Indian government, oh joy.

Solar water heater has taken a back seat at the moment because the water filter has priority but I think I have given up on plastics, they are either ideal but not UV stable or UV stable and very poor heat transfer rate. Galvanised steel is plentiful here so that maybe the route I will go, that way it can still be made in the villages by anyone who can weld, yes I know it will rust eventually but I really cant think of anything else. Any idea's would be very welcome.
The idea isn't to make lots of them, my job is to make one that can A/ be made from local materials as cheaply as possible  B/Can set up as a small business using micro finance to get it under way for one or more people making and installing them. In this way we are helping raise the standard of living and making a real difference to lives. Remember the principle of 'give a man a fish'.

This is our Christmas tree, Kris worked on decorating it for hours but I think it was worth the effort.


Oh I have just heard from Debidutta of PMF, he wants me to go ahead and build the prototype clean water filter....yeah!I will see him at church today (now Sunday very AM) and get a filter so that I can get on with it. I will keep all of you updated on progress.

Oh yes, I just remembered, I have been dragged onto Facebook I am told it will make communication easier, we will see, as you may have guess I am not a great fan of it, I have seen too many children hurt by comments from others or by slurs about their lifestyle.In my darker days I knew people who would by gaining info from it know when a person was always out so they could break in and rob them, think how much you tell a friend of a friends friend that you have never met and dont know!


Well I think that's about it.

We pray you all have a wonderful Christmas and are blessed in all you do.

Chris

 

Ok so it only took her ten minutes!

Update 2

Hi all,
Before I get started on this update I thought I had better mention frequency of updates or more to the point the lack of. I will not be writing every week/ month or whatever, I will write when there is something to say. the upside is maybe more than you expected, the downside is maybe more than you expected!
I hope this will be fairly frequent but who knows. Also, this blog will contain items on our work here, our home life, visits to etc. we hope you will enjoy reading it.

Firstly, what was India doing on day two of the England / India test they just collapsed. Kris took me shopping, when I left they were 38 for no loss. when I got back they were 8 for I think about 160! English bowlers are good but not I thought that good......guess I was wrong.

England won, ho hum, the country has gone into mourning...........I kid you not!

Panawar.
Kris and I visited Panawar last week. For the first time we got to see where all your money from our sales and donations will be going. Kris was deeply upset by some of the living conditions the boys injure, especially one of the bunk rooms where they are packed in with no space even between the bunks.Sorry about the quality but I was shooting practicably in the dark at ISO 3200 as I couldn't use flash. No light enters here except from a very small window, no ventilation either. Can you imagine how hot that tin roof gets in summer and what it must be like to lay there.

 Here are a few more photo's of the day.

Hole in the wall lets the smoke out of the kitchen.

This is the bunk room, dinning room and kitchen in the one block. The roof has all but had it and I make no comment on the kitchen! Note the low level cooking facilities. From this 50 boys are fed, beats me how.

Some, not all of the boys. With a new building girls could be catered for as well.

                             One of the two toilet blocks                         

The church building, it raised a question for Kris and I, so much room and the boys are crammed into what are basic stables where they cook in the summer heat and have no personal space or privacy..... It has got us into trouble before but we asked ourselves 'What would Jesus have done' would he have left them suffering or not.............

I am unsure how to feel about this, part of me says use the space God will understand, room here foe about 50 bunks spaced better than they have ever known, the other part of me say's this space is important to them to worship in, all I can do is pray and put it in Gods hands, your comments would be most welcome.

Off to school. This started a conversation, why a crocodile why not an alligator? believe it or not there is a perfectively sensible answer, to be honest it wasn't me that figured it out. They keep this formation all the way, or until out of sight at least.

Dish washing after breakfast, this concerned Kris as she said, 'all it takes is for one to catch anything and without proper washing of plates they all get it' no available hot water.

It is rumoured that I like chi.

The main building, the car is our transport for the day, below a potato patch ready for planting with chips and bits of potato left hanging in the bag to produce shoots

                                                                                  I must put on some weight or get help

This really got to Kris, it was the only toy she saw, a small truck placed carefully above the light switch, a future dream of one of the boys perhaps?

Another look at the kitchen

When we began selling our possessions prior to coming here we had never visited Panawar, there is no doubt in our minds that this is where the money will do the most good, those who know us have heard us say many times 'It was not our choice to donate to Panawar we were told to'. We had never even seen the hostel but knew that God had told us to do it, just the same as he now leads us day by day and overcomes all in our path. That really is the story of our coming here to India, God spoke and we listened. Friends have asked 'How did you know' what can I say, have you ever experienced a compulsion, a need so great that it dominates all your thinking, you cant make plans or even go day to day without feeling it in your heart, it was like that for us from last November (2011) it never let up. Every obstacle to our coming here was removed, everything that we needed was provided, it was a year that will always amaze us, one day we must write about it but for now it will have to wait, far to much to do!

Nothing much will happen until January or February then we will have a meeting with all concerned and begin to make decisions as to what to do first etc. We will keep you all up to date as work begins.

I have been working on a design for a cheap solar water heater, not so easy in a country where copper pipe is all but impossible to find, I have found a plastic that is UV stable and should stand the heat but its heat transfer rate is less efficient than copper but I am hoping that the climate will compensate for the reduced efficiency  here we have to resort to that well known technique trial and error. Next step build one and see what happens...............I will keep you posted.

Kris is beginning to develop a simple guide to hygiene,  wound cleaning and care for the villages she hopes to laminate a small book in Hindi, English and pictogram s, that is where the free hot water comes into the plan. Each 'cluster group'would have a trained person in basic first aid and be able to give hygiene advice to the other villagers, showing them how to clean wounds or properly wash after giving birth. The introduction of simple basic hygiene knowledge could save so many wounds from becoming festered and septic and could contribute to saving babies lives. What we in the west take so easily for granted is in some places here unknown. Try this, turn off your electricity for a day maybe if you are really brave two, now wash and cook, what about clean water? try it without drinking any that you haven't boiled.............could you? I know being honest I would find it very difficult even for a few days, first thought what about the fridge? how do I send e-mails, do I have any candles, see what I mean! I am not criticising us for what we have, I would just like all to be as lucky. The Pragati Marg Foundation (PMF) is doing a wonderful job here. They believe in empowerment of the individual, not charity in the sense of 'Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day' but in 'Teach a man to fish and he will eat every day' By raising the standard of education in all area's, Hygiene, water conservation, finance, basic schooling, they are contributing to a general rise in the standard of living for all. It is hoped that by working in partnership with other organisations who are also here working towards the same goal in Rajasthan more can be achieved than any could achieve alone. I think the next year is going to be so exciting.

Home

Well we have cleared the 'garden' and have started to grow seeds ready for planting out. The soil here is 90% sand so compost is a must. On that subject, our compost heap we were building is now cancelled, too hot and dry so we are now trying a container where we can add soil and waste in layers and keep it damp, a stir every week or so should keep it aerated.

Tools here are very different, I bought a rake, at least that what its called here, its more like a large draw hoe with teeth!

I'm sorry but I have to: 

                                This is our seed bed!

 

The back garden area the kitchen door is left by the rake.

                                     

 Close up of rake.

                                                              

The side garden area, we have just put up the netting to grow sweet peas up. The sun gets there in the afternoons.

We are planning to grow quite a lot of food but the main use will be to learn what works here and what doesn't, Kris and I both also want to plant containers on the roof and erect a sun shade net up there so she can sit and paint or just relax.

Well I hope that has given you a flavour of how things are here, next time I will take you on a tour of the inside of the house and update you on the progress of our work with the PMF and of course anything else that occurs to me. Please feel free to comment I will try and reply to all.

God bless you all

Chris and Kris Hyde 

Update 1

Update No1 from Chris and Kris India

24^th November 2012

For those who don't know us or our story, briefly, Kris my wife and I are both born again Christians. We believe that God has put India in our hearts and has sent us to work here. We have sold or given away all our possessions to raise money for charity and come here in faith that He will provide.

Over the next few months we will tell our story of all the things that have happened to us since we came here and are yet to happen.

Kris is an artist and ex senior Nurse and Health visitor, 

I am an ex Engineer/Horticulturist/Teacher.

I have not always been a Christian, for many years I walked a different path, including drugs and violence. If you want to read my story about how I was saved I have written a book about life and my journey to Jesus, it is called 'A Long and Winding Road' and is available from Amazon ISBN number 978-178035-315-9. All proceeds from sales of this book go to charity.

I know that some people who read this blog will not agree with our views, sorry but that's life, they are our views and beliefs if you really want to know more please email me.

Where to begin, if I was to begin where this journey started for us it would be last November in a park in India with Andrew Westerman praying for guidance from God. We had visited Albania and seen where there could be work for us but there wasn't the compulsion we both felt we would feel when we found where we were He wanted us to go. We had also looked at working in the UK but nothing ‘fitted’, we prayed but no word other than ‘go where you will do the most good’ came to us until that day in Udaipur. Then we were truly answered.

I came home knowing that Udaipur for me was now where I had to be, it took Kris about three days to admit it ‘I want some time to think’ for three days she was subjected to India wherever she looked. On TV ‘Top Gear from India’ then ‘Truckers’ yes, from India. So it went on until a bus passed her ‘Visit amazing India’ emblazoned along its side. She held my hand looked up and said ‘Ok God I give in, I get it’! We were going to India.

To list all the times the path we have walked to get here was smoothed flat by God would take more than I could write but let me put it this way. In December of last year Kris and I knelt and prayed, we said the words, we gave our lives to Jesus to do with as he chose, and we would follow where he led no matter what the cost to us as individuals. There was no doubt in our hearts, no limits set, only a deep desire to serve Him as He commanded. We have told many people who have asked that this relocation isn’t our idea or plan but God’s, some understand and bless us for our faith others think we have gone mad. I clearly remember a neighbour remarking when he heard we were selling all of our possessions to give to the poor of India that ‘charity begins at home’ and we really must have cracked. I did my best to explain why, and maybe he understood a little better after that there is a higher purpose to this life than just getting all the money and possessions possible from it no matter the cost to your soul. When Jesus chose his disciples he didn't say ‘Go home and sort out your affairs so you will be secure in the future, put your possessions in store and fill up your bank account’ He simply said ‘Come, follow me’, and in complete faith they did. I tried to explain that to him, maybe I planted a seed there, and to this day I don’t know if he understood, I pray so.

In time we sold or gave away all we owned and the money raised from that, my book sales and the many many generous donations we received from individuals and churches raised the total far above our original target. It will go to Panawar Boys Hostel in India, and make a real lasting difference to their lives and to the lives of other boys who will pass through that hostel in future years. To all who gave we cannot say how much your gift has meant to us, but we assure you every penny will be used, none will be wasted.

Finally the day of our departure from England came; it had not come without pain and stress, even doubt but throughout God guided our way and stayed at our side. There was no ‘plan B’ we were then and are now in God’s hands. We have left friends and family behind, we will miss you all but the joy we both feel now and on that day overcomes all. We haven’t left; we have come at last to where we should be.

India, to those who have been here you will understand what I am trying to say, to all of you who haven’t yet visited all I can say is if you ever get the opportunity then take it and come, you will never regret it or forget the impact it will have on you.

It is said that India is an assault on the senses, I have to disagree, I have found it to be a huge expansion of your senses in the best way possible. You see more colour here, more smells (good and bad) more tastes, even the people are different from any I have ever met before. We are struggling to understand the caste system and how it moulds people’s lives from birth to death, and yes if you are of a particular caste it is so hard to be anything but of that caste. We take for granted our freedom to change jobs and careers, not so easy for an Indian. Indian people we have met from a High Court lawyer (QC) our landlord, to the woman who for 200Nr (£2.30p) a month sweeps our drive and takes away our rubbish have all been friendly and warm to us.  Some are at first reticent or perhaps shy would be a better choice of word but as they get to know us they relax and then you are privileged to be given a genuine smile and a greeting when you meet again. We are not the stereotyped English ex pats they seem used to, we never could be. Even the tut tut drivers are learning we won’t pay tourist rates ‘WE LIVE HERE’ amazes them and given a little English and our small Hindi we are slowly being accepted we will never be ‘locals’ but living away from the college is proving to be the right decision for us.

A quick word about the journey here: to ship three boxes of 30Kg each (all our worldly goods, including our Pc ‘The Beast’ (massive memory and super-fast) door to door we were quoted £900 by a Uk company. We did it ourselves for less than £400. It took us a while to sort out but it was certainly better than paying that much. Air flight and customs import charges weren’t too bad we used a local agent (met him as we were getting lost and asking directions) he gave a few well-placed presents to various officials and our boxes flew through customs with only a cursory glance and minimal import duties. Friends at ‘Tree of life church’ Mumbai arranged an overland journey for us to here, 13hrs by road packed into an SUV but it was so worth it. We saw country that we would never otherwise have seen, three major accidents and drank ‘chi’ at half a dozen different places, finally arriving at about 9pm (NEVER drive at night here, nobody dips and many vehicles have NO lights) we had to borrow 2000Rs (£23) from Finny to pay the last costs of the driver, finally I found time to kneel and thank God for our safe arrival and for always being with us throughout. We went to the flat provided for us (after hello to Janet) and slept. To be honest I don’t remember that night too well, but I remember the joy of the morning, waking to find it was real; we really had arrived at last.

Since then we have been out with Janet (who has been a star, helping us so much) and with Mark and Elana for meals, we have also been out with Debi from PMF who has also helped us so kindly even giving us some beautiful curtains for our new home. By the way he is now the proud father of a fine baby girl, a sister to his son; both mother and baby are doing well.

Before we left the UK I was in contact with several house agents here, one in particular has been fantastic throughout, not only helping us find a home but shops and suppliers we needed. He, Sumeet has become a friend. He charged a flat fee for his work as an agent but has gone far beyond that in helping us. We have met his family and were privileged to be invited to his home for a meal last week. He works with his brother and runs the business his father started and has all but passed on to them, he still takes an active interest but the brothers do the day to day work of running the company. They are a successful family, that we would regard as middle class having a large house and several cars and scooters but they are in no way arrogant about their good fortune, just grateful. We met Sumeets Mother, Grandmother, Wife, Sisters and a few I have no idea about!  The food was wonderful, course after course of ‘starters’  ‘try this, now this’ then the main course that all in all left us so full if there had been anything else we would have burst, wonderful hospitality indeed. Just think, Sumeets grandmother remembers when Britain ruled India; she has lived through her country under British rule then as an independent country, then through the pains of separation from Pakistan. She is 83, small and alert, if only I spoke Hindi what questions I would have for her, what stories she might tell.

We have as you may have guessed found a house here in Udaipur, it is a dream, detached three double bedrooms one downstairs that we shall use as Christine’s studio all en-suite, kitchen, a large lounge / diner, three story’s all in marble with white walls and cool rooms, garden front and rear (in need of work) two terraces from the upstairs bedrooms and a roof terrace that gives us a view of the surrounding hills. It is about 5 Kilometres outside Udaipur off the main road to Mumbai in what is known here as a colony, we would call it a private estate, quiet secure and off the beaten track. Just around the corner from us about 200yrds away is a ‘Resort’ (Country club) cheap to join it has swimming pools, bar, restaurant, gym, sauna etc.; our rent, less than it would cost in the UK for two weeks in a bedsit. We have truly been blessed. Kris and I have been shopping as it is unfurnished so it gives us a chance to live as we want to, we have bought sofa’s table chairs etc. and equipped one bedroom (ours) the guest room can wait a while. If you should be visiting Udaipur then we have a spare double en-suit room with its own balcony, if you just want a holiday we will be doing bed breakfast and evening meal at very reasonable rates. We are serious about this offer because should you want to come it will reduce your costs, hotel, guide, knowing where to eat, shop etc. you will also be staying in a Christian home where you can safely leave valuables without any worries, and it will help us finance our stay, and we get visitors from the UK so everyone wins.  We have bought a large fridge freezer and gas cooking (4) rings, Micro wave, plus all the usual stuff cups plates etc. etc.! It really has been fun to do. We had a budget for a car but have decided to buy two scooters instead, it may not sound like it from where you are but here it really makes sense, they are cheap to run and can get through the traffic much better than a car and in a country with very cheap transport in the form of ‘tut tuts’ (three wheeled powered rickshaws) and nine months of sun who wants to sit in a metal box in a traffic jam?

To everyone who hasn’t had a reply to an e-mail of late, sorry but until we get Wi-Fi our only internet access is at the college and now we are in our own home we don’t get there every day. As soon as we are either working or have our own internet connection things will as they say ‘return to normal service’.

I remember a mail from Janet before we came out here, she warned us that patience is a necessity…………she wasn’t kidding, try getting a phone! Read on.

We are at the moment struggling with the endless Indian red tape  where we have to give copies of all our documents, passport, work permit, proof of address and a photo and the phone number of a referee just to get a sim card for our phones. It has taken a week so far and they are still not switched on…..I must remember, ‘relax, breath in/out, ah, I am a tree, be calm breathe’ oh dear, next we will try to get wifi, I wonder what that holds in store for us!

Kris has started to look at things we see with an artist’s eye, planning paintings and sketches, I think she will develop her own style here, perhaps a cross between the formal and the vibrant, the colours are fantastic, who knows, no matter what it will I am sure be interesting. She has now unpacked her brushes, pencils and the few other materials she could bring, some water colour paints but very little else. She has bought some paper and has spoken to at least one local artist about the different way paint is worked here in this heat. I think the key moment was when she hung her painting apron on the back of her studio door!

It is now winter, daytime temperatures are about 20-23deg C, night time it falls to about 6-10 deg C, I’m told it will get even colder soon! I may have to start using socks again and wear a jumper in the evenings.

We visited a mall recently just outside Udaipur, very western, very commercial, all the usual shops, ‘Next’ ‘Subway’ even a ‘Walmart, McDonalds’ all within one building where we finally found some things we were looking for that aren’t easily available in Indian shops for our home. In some ways it was nice to sit and eat a sub again, all the Indian street venders sell either sweet and sticky or spicy and hot. I think this may become a treat for us, a trip to the mall.

Soon we hope to be able to start work with PMF and i-connect we are both looking forward to that. It seems to have taken so long to settle in even this much but when we consider it has only been 25days since we left the UK and 17 days since Mumbai then it feels better. We haven’t visited Panawar yet (maybe next week) so when we do we will send photos of the day. On that subject, sending photographs will be difficult from here so we have decided to have a Twitface account or whatever it’s called, look out for updates on this!

Today, Saturday, we have unpacked our shipping containers, during all that journey only one breakage (glass in a picture) and that is easily solved. Everything else came through unharmed, to those who have seen it………the beast lives again (Pc) we now have thousands of hours of music, films and all our important files and photographs here with us stored digitally. As I sit here writing this in the cool house outside the sun is shining, I sip my ice cold water, I listen to ‘The complete works of Chopin’ playing in the background, ah it’s a hard life in the colonies!

Our bibles are now with us again (that feels so good) as are all the Christian films I downloaded to the Pc to help in my teaching here. As I will be teaching young Christians Conversational English I thought it would be a good idea to have a ‘film night’ maybe twice a month and show stories they have heard from the Bible but in English to engage another sense to aid learning. Cinema is completely out of their reach so I hope this will be successful. I will use my laptop and an external memory for all the films, and a borrowed projector to show the films against a white painted wall in the college.

Ok this is where I start begging again. If you are reading this wishing you could help, well you can. I will need a projector that I can keep for film nights, less chance of it being damaged if it is not used by whomever needs it and then I could use it at Panawar as well. They are not cheap, especially the bigger ones here where electronics are expensive. I need someone to take on the task of raising some money for this. After you have all given so much already I feel almost as though I shouldn't ask for more but as you can see in faith I am asking, can you help?

Well on that note I must close this report from us. We are both mindful that without the help of so many we would not be here now and will always be grateful to all those people who so willingly gave of themselves to help us and our calling here, God bless you all,

Chris and Kris Hyde.