Updates from India 76

This month I start reminiscing, Geeta report, A good look at whats happening in the Garden, Chickens, Chilli and her epilepsy, Projects.

Reminiscing.

When we came to India seven years ago we had no idea what the future held for us. We came because the Lord spoke to us both independently, it was only when we talked about it that we both realised we were trying to say the same thing…….we have to go to India. Had it been just one of us then I’m not sure if we would have done it, He knew that, that’s why He spoke to both of us independently. This was not the first time He had spoken clearly to us so we were perhaps more receptive to the idea than we perhaps would have been, had it been the first time.

We were told to sell everything and give the money away and move to India.

How crazy is that!

We had cars, two homes all the furniture a wonderful 1100cc Moto guzzy motorbike that I loved dearly, masses of power tools (remember Kris and me came fully equipped) and books by the hundreds. We applied for a visa to come to India and in complete faith started selling all we owned. Weeks passed, friends said we were mad, even some of our church were advising against what we were doing. The ‘what if you don’t get a visa?’ comment was said to us more than once, our reply ‘We will get the visa’s, we have faith, there is no plan B’.

A week before we had to move out of our home the visa’s arrived (now empty home, we were more or less camping there). Great joy and thanks to our Lord for showing so many that His word can be believed in all things.

So, skipping the details we set off for India. We had contacted a house agent from England before we left to look at houses to rent when we got here.

At first we stayed with friends who gave us a roof over our heads and food in our bellies for which we will always be grateful. But we had to have a place of our own in the Indian community. We were determined to become part of our new society and not live apart in some ex pat colony.

We arrived in India with enough money to pay our rent and buy a cheap used car, three plastic boxes and two suit cases. We were both ecstatically happy.

The reason I am reminiscing this month is I am in awe of what God has done for us. I was praying in the garden and just looking about me at the life He has given us.

We have a nice home, garden and good food (some we grow). Friends and neighbours we get on well with, a motorcycle and Kris her scooter. We even have an old jeep we have restored ourselves. We work (unpaid) at an architectural college teaching young Indians of all faiths who are studying for their degree.

We are able to help many people every year through ‘Warm Aid’, an initiative we run. We collect money and buy blankets for the very poor each winter. Last year we helped over 180+ people. This year we intend to beat that! We support some 4 children with schooling costs and give what we can to the needy.

We only have a fixed pension from the UK and it is based on seven years ago so money can be tough at times but He has never asked more of us than we can give.

Now He has given us Geeta.

Our lives are wonderful, not always happy, we suffer as all couples do from the silly arguments and stress. Where will the money come from? God always provides. We miss some things about the UK, NOT the weather!

We have made a life here, we have family hear, this is our home.

When we left we sold all our belongings and donated the money to a cause here in India. God has repaid us many many times over.

Looking back on those first few months I am still amazed that two people just did what we did in complete faith, no plan b, just our belief that Jesus was our guide and saviour, He still is.

Thank you Lord for the life you have given us.


Geeta

Well we have been treating Geeta’s burnt arm for some time now and whilst the progress is slow we are having progress with new skin growth in areas. Yes still areas of concern where there is a lot of inflammation and raw areas and still some residual infection, still keeping an eye on the area around her wrist which needs major healing but I am very happy with her progress. Repeat blood tests are showing signs of Improvement, her haemoglobin levels have doubled but she remains anaemic. We are giving her a well-balanced diet, and supplements for her blood. Her appetite has improved vastly and she is trying new foods, which she previously disliked. I usually sit next to her and give her tastes from my plate which is why she is trying new foods because if Bhabhi (pronounced Barbie) likes it maybe its ok. We are awaiting swab results and when we get them we will take all the blood tests digital x-rays and swab results to the plastic surgeon for review.

Dressing of Geeta's arm in progress

Geeta is adamant she will not let anyone else dress her wound, she trusts me and knows whilst it may hurt a bit its better than her previous experiences. I am adamant that only I take down the dressing and redress it as I take all appropriate aseptic techniques to ensure no further damage is done when removing the old dressing. Geeta has experienced family, doctors and nurses just ripping the dressing off and not putting a non-adherent dressing on so creating further issues. I observed nurses whilst trying to be gentle were not and removed some of the new growth skin with the dressing. I ensure that does not happen, by using Jelonet dressings directly on the burn, its gauze impregnated with petroleum jelly to prevent sticking to wounds. Here in India it is expensive, as are most of the drugs and dressings I am using but it is proving to be worthwhile. I think had I used standard Indian burn techniques it would have led to amputation. Chris and I are also aware that the hygiene standards are sometimes lax in clinics and hospitals and their idea of aseptic technique baffles me. We are praying that the healing continues and that she may not require extensive skin grafts although she will require some surgery in the near future.

You can see new skin but still large raw areas

We are so grateful to those people who wish to remain anonymous who have helped us with the financing of Geeta’s treatment so far as there is no way we could pay for it all.

Geeta’s mother and aunt can’t believe the improvement in the last couple of months compared to deterioration she had over the previous year. Friends and neighbours can see an improvement also which is quite reassuring that were doing the right thing. Dloo Geeta’s mother and Amba her aunt thank me profusely as well as thanking God, we say it’s the Lord’s doing were just doing what he wants us to do.

Warning.....graphic images.

For comparison I have included the first three photos of Geeta, her arm and her mother taken in September with up to date photos so you can see the improvement in her condition.

Extensive oedema (swelling) with weeping
infection wound you just had to touch it
 and it bled profusely.

Exposed bone in her elbow and area of
concern at her wrist which is heavily infected.
Need to ensure it does not turn necrotic (dying
tissue) which would mean amputation

The slightest touch is so very painful, you can
see exposed bone in elbow, inflammation, swelling
and infection in her arm

Geeta with her mother
when she first arrived

Geeta and her mother now, looking healthier
and happier

So brave she has coped so well with all the pain you
can now see new skin growth over her elbow, upper arm
and wrist. It weeps very little now although we still have
an issue with some residual infection

Still time for a smile in the middle of having
dressing changed

Raising her arm so I can have a better look

All done till tomorrow

Dloo painting my nails and Geeta supervising

Yummy Papaya from our garden couldn't be fresher

Enjoying her fruit snack

No its not upside down taken this way by Chris during
during dressing change and still she smiles through the pain

Geeta making chocolate
Cornflake cakes

She may only have one
functional arm but it doesn't
stop her getting stuck in 

I introduced Geeta to the fun part of making cakes.
Yeah licking out the bowl of chocolate. She couldn't
believe I encouraged her to do this, I sneaked a little
myself, yummy dark chocolate

Mum, Dad and Geeta

Garden

Well it’s been a month now since we showed you the garden it is starting to grow well again. The temperature is falling every day now 30degC down to 12degC at night. To all of you in the UK that’s summer, but when you have acclimatised to 50degC summers your body really feels the cold! Don’t forget here we have seen hypothermia in street dwellers at not much cooler than this.

I have made one big mistake! I sowed the hot pepper seeds, got the date wrong should be sown in much warmer conditions. Ho hum.

Well Christmas is coming and I have been struggling trying to think of a present for Kris that she wouldn’t buy for herself.

We don’t buy things we don’t need as a general rule. She isn’t into fancy clothes or jewellery. Kitchen stuff we buy if we need it or as a treat so nothing there. Over the last eight years I have used up all my ideas. Smellies and bath foam are standard purchases and I really don’t want to buy her something she wouldn’t use so it’s been a struggle this year.

This year is even harder as we will be very short of money this December. We will not stop any of our payments to support some children going to school, Warm Aid or of course Geeta. Thankfully we are getting some help now with the medical costs, but that still leaves a lot to pay extra each month compared to our normal spending.

Kris has often told me stories of when she was growing up in a small mining village. Money was very short so her parents like everyone else recycled and mended clothes etc. Her garden was quite large at the back and full of vegetables. Her mother had always wanted a nice front flower garden; alas that was also veg country. The only concession was a couple of rose bushes under the front window and a hedge. Kris has always wanted a nice flower garden but she has never had one. Yey inspiration!

Flower plants in the market are really cheap now and there is a huge variety so a shopping trip later I had enough to do a proper job. I had Amber and Dloo (with Geeta) helping make new borders and plant up. Kris saw what was going on (it took two days) and got all weepy.

The result is below………Happy Christmas sweetpea xxx

The front garden before we got at it. Fruit trees are doing well

Ripped out all the edge bricks and rearranged into curved beds

The bricks still need setting level.
This bed is under the front window

Shade lovers for a corner that dosn't get much sun

Semi shade, Poinsettias, they grow outside here.

The majority of the beds are mixed annuals

After

The rest of the garden

Nobody understands why i want to grow this, its a savage
beast. Wonder how big it will get........i may move it to a big pot.

Seeds growing away
Cabbage, Tomatoes cherry and plum, more flowers including a
'you wont grow them here plant' Lupins.....
Lettuce, and a tray of unmarked seeds all looking good.

Small seedlings growing on.

Seedlings growing around the trees, we hope
to surround every tree with colour.

Pomegranate

My Pineapple plant

Its carrots................er, may have been
a bit of a mix up here... We also have
a lettuce patch around one of the trees instead of flowers.

Big cacti, got it as a small cutting four
years ago, still growing, not flowered yet.

Cacti in full flower

And small cacti

Hanging baskets almost ready

Turnips, purple top and yellow. Just about top of Kris's
veggie list she is missing.

The papaya crop has been fantastic this year, pounds and pounds of fruit.
whats really good is they ripen one or two at a time.
We have three trees like this one.

Potatoes in the back garden where the leeks
will be grown this year.

Winter Cabbage, nobody here seems to grow it

Swede seedlings, got to get thinning  soon

Mix of pumpkin, marrow, bottle gourd, cucumber and  anything
else that was in the bottom of the seed packet box!

We are training some climbers over a frame we have built by the entrance

Aloe vera, the only thing the cows and Buffalo wont eat

This is locally known as a 'Drumstick Tree', part edible fruit.
Amber knows which bits!

New arrivals, three Sweet Cherry and two
Pomelo fruit trees from an on line sale.

Chickens

The chickens have an interesting chicken run to stop them getting bored and make life more interesting. Happy chickens, yummy eggs.

Projects.

Several projects have had to go on ‘hold’ for a while, one being our sidecar. It may take us longer than planned but we will do it as soon as we can. We will update as we go on.

The stove (Fire) project we have thankfully finished. At 7kw it is amazing. We have only run it at about half that so far and it keeps the whole house warm.

During the day the balcony doors are open to air the rooms but in the evening we close them and leave the bedroom doors open. It makes a huge difference. We were able to afford all our winter fuel in one when we started this project so that is one worry we don’t have.

Kris’s pain levels have fallen from where they were beginning to climb because of the cold. This was the main reason for this job. I will not see her in pain if there is anything I can do about it. With this a lot of prayer and her solar powered bath tub we have managed to reduce her daily pain to where she can manage it. Praise God for His help achieving this.

We have some spare wood left over from the sidecar job. We were going to cover the marble floor in the garage to make it more comfortable to work on in the winter. Since this project is now on hold I am going to use it to make a second much needed bookcase. Smaller than the one we have but it will fit nicely into a space on the wall. We make lots of things that the Indians here dont. We built our office space, bathroom etc etc, its apparently weird but what can you expect from a couple of eccentric foreigners.

Our first home built bookcase

The new one will be here

Work-space

 for us both

Chilli.

Chilli is slowly improving now she is on medication. She still has the occasional small fit but nowhere near as bad as she was.

Our main problem now is getting them to be friends again.

Street dogs are one step from wild dogs. As such they have all the traits of the pack animal they are. They are not easy to train but are totally loyal to the pack, in this case us.

We have discussed the problem with both Animal aid and the vet.

Chilli was attacked by Bleu’ in the very beginning. She sensed a change in Chilli and to protect the pack tried to drive her off. Now Chilli gets really angry with Bleu’.

We have three options, as we have said option one and two, put her down or abandon her in a different area with the street dogs, just not happening.

Option three is to get them to accept each other again. We have to do it in stages.

1.     Put them together in such a way that they can’t fight. This will help them both see and smell each other without becoming aggressive. Food and water available. Allow one at a time out for toilet breaks and a little freedom. Change this to food twice a day after they get used to being confined.

2.     Remove them one at a time for training obedience every day. This will help our control.

3.     Use a training collar (Choke) and harness during training.

4.     Bring both out together for training when we have them under control.

5.     Take both for walks together with muzzles if necessary.

6.     Feed at one time of the day together, holding on leads if we have to.

It is going to be a long job, certainly months but we have to try. It sounds awful but it does make sense.

Stage one. They can see and smell each other but cant fight.
We let them out in turn and they sleep in separate rooms  in the house overnight.
After some fuss and growls over the last few days it seems
to be helping. They only growl now and again.

Well that's all from us for another month, hope you've enjoyed reading and God Bless you all from Chris and Kris in a cooler but sunny Udaipur, Rajasthan, India