Updates fron India 56

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Is Christianity like a bar of soap?

Every one of us knows a Christian, but what is a Christian? The classic answer is someone who has accepted Jesus as their saviour. Ok, there are other definitions but for the purpose of this comment let’s just settle for that one.

One of the most frequent criticisms I hear from non-Christians is that they see no difference between Christian and non-Christians in their day to day life. Asking for an example of this I was told, ‘My boss is a Christian, he and his family go to a church every Sunday, sing and pray and praise Jesus’. On Monday he comes to work. He swears at us and is well known for sacking people who he doesn’t like. He cheats on his taxes and pays under the minimum wage. If we complain he makes us work late for no pay or lose our jobs. He is having an affair with his secretary, she is also afraid to complain for fear of losing her job’.

As you may have guessed this is a fictional boss, but how often does this really happen. A Christian on Sunday, forgotten on Monday.

Jesus calls us to embrace Christianity in our daily lives, to live as a Christian. To put our faith in Him. To try our very best to honour God and love all men as we love ourselves. But do we? Sadly so often the answer to that question is no. Lust, hate, envy, dishonesty, a desire for riches or fame all come between us and finding peace in our lives. If we truly take Jesus as our Saviour then we must apply His teaching to our daily lives.

Christianity is like soap. Kris told me a story, that’s what inspired this piece.

‘Two men were walking on a road discussing Christianity. A child playing in the dirt liberally covered in mud caught their eye. Feeling generous one man who happened to be a soap salesman gave the child a bar of his soap. The second man remarked ‘He won’t use it and will tomorrow be as dirty as he is now’ the salesman, a Christian replied ‘It’s the same as Christianity, he has been given the gift but if he doesn’t use it he will never be any different’.

It made me consider my own life and if I use the great gift Jesus has given me, or am I just a Sunday Christian? Do you use the gift you have been given?

The other great thing about soap is you can share it............

An apology for no blog last month. For the very first time since we came to India, we didn’t manage to get it done. However, we do have a great excuse! We moved houses on the 28^th.

That’s our third move in nearly five years. Not what we intended but it’s the way things worked out.

Our first home was beautiful and suited us well; however the landlord’s son came to look around one day before he left for a stay in the USA……..just out of interest. We were then told when our lease came up for renewal that he was moving us onto a monthly contract. That meant that we could be given thirty days’ notice at any time. For us this was unacceptable bearing in mind that when we first agreed to take the house we were assured of a long term let. We are not spring chickens and the lack of security bothered us both. Besides that we were planning to invest money in improving the house by fitting a bath and remodelling the kitchen. 
Because of this we decided to look for somewhere else.

We found a house on the same colony that the owner wanted to let long term as he was moving away. It was smaller than our first home and had less garden but it was ours if we wanted it on a renewable lease. Secluded at the end of a road and not having passing traffic it seemed ideal. We moved in and set about building a kitchen garden complete with monkey proof cage and a run for Kris’s chickens. It had three bedrooms, the largest we would use for the weights machine, office and a studio for Kris to paint. We settled in and all was well other than a few jobs that needed doing in the bathrooms. Then came the monsoon. Within days of it beginning we had water pouring down the walls of the main bedroom and flowing across the floor. All the rooms became badly damp and nothing could be kept dry. Kris contracted a lung infection from the mould and had to have a visit to the hospital for anti-biotics and for a while was quite ill. We contacted our landlord who promised to sort the leaks. This however would have to wait until dry weather, so we persevered with the leaks until the monsoon passed. Then true to his word the landlord sent a crew in to repair the roof, problem solved we thought. That was until the second monsoon. It seems the roof job was either improperly done or a very quick cheap job had been done, whatever, it leaked like a sieve still. Kris ended up in hospital again with another infection. For us that was the last straw. The house had other problems the main one other than the leaks was the levels of dust and rubbish that blew in from the adjacent open land. We still only had one bathroom we could use because of the general condition of the house so for us enough was enough and we started another house hunt. 
We both felt it was a shame as we had hoped to stay there long term but the problems that put Kris twice in hospital could not be ignored.

We had very little hope of being able to stay on ‘our’ colony as houses here are scarce, even scarcer are long term lets. Once again we put things in God’s hands and prayed for His help. We trusted in Him and waited always believing that He would guide us. This we hadn’t done when we moved to our second home, that was our decision taken in a hurry and we lived to regret it.

Most people here know us so the word went around that we were looking. We had several offers of monthly rental and one offer to purchase but no long term lets. A few weeks went by. Then a good friend came to see us. There was a house on our old street that was coming up for lease. The current tenants were leaving and the owner who we knew from our previous stay didn’t want short term rental. When he heard we were looking he offered it to us on condition we took it for at least three years. We knew the house well as we had lived opposite it when we first stayed here and had been friendly with the people who lived there.

Being a little more cautious now we looked over the house carefully, particularly the roof before we agreed anything. After a bit of negotiation we agreed a rent (fixed for three years) and what work would be done before we moved in. The landlord is very keen to keep his house in good condition so there were no problems getting any jobs that needed doing done. His brother at the moment lives next door, they are a great couple who we have known since we first arrived and they know what sort of people we are. They know we will look after the house and have been very helpful to us with any problems we have had, getting labourers or help to install things such as extra fittings. As we promised we have restored the other garden to its original condition, removing all we had done……..sad but necessary.

Our new home sits above the monsoon flood levels and is everything we ever wanted. It is better than our first home and that is really saying something. There is a ‘calm’ feeling about the house, it feels like home already. Kris and I both love it and have thanked God many times since we were offered it for His provision.

It has been fully decorated inside and out so it all looks so clean and fresh.

At the moment we still have boxes and bags to unpack but we are getting there.

At this point, I could go on and on describing it but we have decided to just take you on a tour.

This is part of the main downstairs room,
fully air conditioned and fly screens at every
window and outer door. The whole house has
screens at every window.

Looking from the lounge end towards the
front door. To the left is our office area and built
in cupboards, door to what will be Kris's studio.

The dining room area with the entrance to the
kitchen. We will put a door here

The whole room viewed from the stairs leading
to the second floor.

The kitchen, all built in cupboards and marble tops

The other side of the kitchen and door to the rear
of the house. A small yard we have adapted for
the chickens

Under stairs. This is where the fridge and
deep freeze will go when we get sockets in there

Same area, that is the inverter, the battery backup
for power failures. This will maintain power
for essentials for about 12hrs, lights, fans and of
course the freezer and fridge. It will not, however
support the air conditioners.

View of the door to what will be the studio

At the moment 'the store room' fully air con
studio for Kris

Built in wardrobes and door to dressing room
and bathroom

Dressing room with masses of
storage space

Bathroom 1, the shower is fantastic, best we
have seen since moving to India, the pressure
is like being hit with a hose.

The same bathroom

Main stairwell

Master bedroom, the door at the end leads to
the balcony, again fully air con

Two wardrobes we brought with us

View from the balcony end, built in cupboard.
The door to the right leads to the first landing
the door on the left is to the dressing room
and bathroom 2.

Master bedroom dressing room
again with masses of storage

Master bedroom bathroom

Same bathroom different view.

Guest bedroom fully a/con

Door to the private guest balcony with Bleu'
checking it out.

Built in wardrobes, door to dressing room

Guest dressing room and yet more storage

Guest bathroom

All fully equipped with sink, shower and toilet

View of the front door, painting still in progress

View down the side of the house showing
the door to the servants quarters, the wall to the
right has yet to be coated and painted.

The servants quarters, its about 20'x10'

This will become our workshop

Tool store and somewhere to build projects

Built in shelves will be very useful, first job
is going to be a massive sort and tidy!

Outside toilet, we are converting it into
a wash room so that Kris can keep
all the household cleaning kit and
the washing machine in here

The back yard showing the new chicken coop,
28'x8'

Hotel ANDA (egg in Hindi)

The girls, and Fred the cockerel. Sadly we
lost one of the girls due to shock during the move.

Our back door

Path that leads to the front garden from the rear
of the house

View of the front garden from the side path

The house from the front
The house appears to be overlooked by a block of 
flats, however, that is only at the back and has no 
bearing on privacy in the house or front garden.

Driveway and gates. The brown area has a tank
under it so will not grow grass.
BBQ coming I think.

The lawn again. The fountain doesn't work
and is falling apart. We don't know what to do with
it yet...awaiting inspiration.

This when fenced, will become our veg garden.
In addition to this, we will be growing on our roof
as we did at our first home. Roof melons again!

Looking up the drive.

Borders have been neglected and need work,
we are going to try for roses again.

Well' its now the 15^th. Painter is still at it, electricians have fitted a control unit to auto fill and stop the well pump to prevent waste of water. The usual way is to turn it off when it overflows. That wastes hundreds of litres of water, multiply that by the number of houses not having one on this colony alone and it soon adds up. 

Our inverter battery backup is now working so the internet now stays on as well as lights fridge freezer etc during the (daily) power cuts. Our chickens have settled in and are back to full lay. Sadly we lost one during the move due to shock. The next job is to build a chick house for the new arrivals Kris is planning to introduce soon. The washing machine is installed in the outside loo and if earning it's place again!

So' all in all we are getting there.

We had a visit from Chuck and Francois from the good old USA this week. We took them to BBQ nation for a meal to make a change from the vegetarian diet they will get most places they visit. A couple of days later they came here for lunch before they left to continue their travels in India. A great pair full of the love of Christ and putting their faith in His word. ‘There is no plan B’ only the path He sets you upon.

Well, it's Holi again

This festival celebrates the
triumph of good over evil
and is celebrated by all.

Salad with our own eggs........

Riding for a green India. Ravi Kiran.

This young man is riding his cycle around India to raise awareness of the growing ecological problems the country is facing.

We had the pleasure of hosting him at our home for two nights. While here he spoke at our college to the students and faculty about what ordinary people could do to help. He was invited by the students to plant three trees in a city park. It is amazing to think of the journey he has undertaken since he set off from South India in January. He sleeps where he can and travels each day. Because of people like him a young generation is being educated into a new way to live in harmony with nature.

Please note the map!

One man peddle power

Some of our students who came to see him off on
the next leg of his journey. 5:30am!

Good luck, we are truly grateful
to have met him.

To learn more about this remarkable young man
and his journey check out his facebook page.


Comments from Kris.

Well this month has been very busy with moving and unpacking as well as work and other projects. My  health has not been good, have spent most of the month recovering from a stomach infection and I suspect a small ulcer for which I have just completed my second lot of medication.

Chris has been superb husband, I could not have wished for more, he has looked after me and taken me on my many trips to the hospital. He even stayed with me whilst I had IV Fluids and antibiotics, then I went over on my ankle during one of my dizzy spells from the infection and badly twisted my ankle and managed to get a hairline fracture in there too.  So off to the hospital again for x rays and medication, Chris has done a great job with bandaging my foot and looking after me so well. I told the doctor and nurses I was going to change my address to the hospital I was spending so much time there. On a positive note since moving into our new home my Asthma and breathing has been so much better now I am out of the damp environment.

Because of my illness we missed attending our friends Manchirag and Sanyas wedding celebrations, We did get to some of the private meals and Manchirags home prior to the main events so I didn't miss everything. Chris got to the Bharat which looked amazing on the videos and it even made the newspapers as their about 20 + Royal Enfields with the groom on a horse to escort him to the wedding. Very loud with two bands and lots of crackers going off whilst bikers were revving their engines. Chris refused to leave me to attend the other events as he was worried about me, he is very caring. We will upload some photos next month. 

Next month we are due to go to Jaipur for a party with some of our IBRMC members from Udaipur, meeting up with Delhi chapter and the Jaipur chapter for a tri chapter meet, it looks like an amazing resort and will be about 1000Km there and back but we plan to take a few more days to explore Jaipur as we have never been there yet.

I think Chris has pretty much covered everything so I just want to say as we hit this major heat wave, look after your health everyone and be sensible, whether you’re here in India or in the colder climate of the west.

What you done mom?

Below is a small selection of photos from Archifest 2017, the colleges annual exhibition, the students worked very hard and produced some amazing work. Bamboo featured very much as most years have had workshops with Chris and I using this material. Its very versatile and the students have taken to using it in some amazing ways. We have a long blog so just including some of the photos from the work done in the well shafts which were over two floors, may add some of the bamboo photos next month if space permits.

The photos below show the students work which was entirely conceived and made by them for this amazing installation covering the two open well shafts.

Yes...... at last Chris got his coffee bean order from Delhi
It's his own blend of 75% Arabica and 25% Robusta

Hope you’ve enjoyed the blog, we love our new home and Bleu’,  Fred and the girls have settled in really well.

Take care and God Bless you all

From Kris and Chris in sweltering Udaipur, Rajasthan, India