What gives

These past few days have been strangely hectic. I have been trying to catch my breath in between cooking with the youngsters . I move to Lakhnadown next month.The Lord has been good ,helping me along the way with my umpteen questions. Was talking to a youngster even as I stirred my pot about life in general.Answering queries about my life and trying to understand hers and she came up with this statement..'Mam ,you are an institution in yourself.' Strange ,I thought.This was the second one this day. One of my colleagues way-laid me today and asked me about the move.Out of the blue he suddenly said,'I told my wife that your going to Lakhnadown was like an army going there.'I just smiled and laughed away what he said. It left me thoughtful about a lot of things. What do I anticipate in the move ?Another colleague way-laid me and asked me ,'Are you sure you want to go?'Why what's wrong with Herbertpur? I guess my anticipation is summarised in the answer ...

Reading Tozer inspires me a lot.I picked up this book in CMC the last time I was there.Tozer writes about the mystery of the Holy Spirit. I was absolutely touched by the illustration he makes from the Noah's ark about the raven and the dove being let out to test for the receding of waters. The water was the judgement of God on the earth.The raven when released ,thrives on the floating corpses,desolation and the civilisation that was built on the floating dead. Noah releases the Dove ,she could not stand the judgement of God which was everywhere,she came back,so Noah pulled her back in. When the water receded,Noah releases the dove and when she finds a dry land where she can light upon she does not come back . What is the judgement of God? Judgement of God is everything that the Holy spirit would find distasteful in our lives. Just how important is the role of repentance in our lives if we want a clean slate. Tozer distinguishes between the Holy spirit 'residing in a be...

A lot of things have happened in the past few days. I have been anticipating a move and now I understand I go to Lakhnadown.I don't know too much about the place apart from the few gossips that come in now and then. I am surprised at myself at the way I am not all curious about the place.I need to pick up my phone and dial a few numbers which I am too lazy to do.I am curiously neutral ,neither nervous nor excited just perturbed,praying and wondering why the Lord wants me there,for how long and why! I make it a point when I am in HCH to walk up to the map of India outside the HCH OPD put my hands over the land marked Lakhnadown and pray over it. In the mean time my cousin dear has contracted this deadly cancer. Squamous cell ca of the gullet.Fit as can be,keeping himself in the straight and narrow he thought he had everything under control ,he was exercising everyday for two hours till the radio and the chemotherapy started simultanaeously last week.God had other plans. We al...

I spent the evening with folks from Satbarwa. Senior nurses come away for six months ,difficult times to be away from the family. The eyes whelled up even as they saw me. I remembered so many times in my younger days I had been impatient with some of them hoping against hope that they could be more efficient.Now I see them almost after three years- older, tired ,lost,in a new situation and they look beautiful to me,every line in their face telling me stories. I drank tea and made some pan-cakes for them even as they up-dated me on the news of their family and old friends from Satbarwa. Jeevan had sent me NJH calenders and I was deeply touched to see the format,the verses,the pictures. All the saints engraving their signatures in the Book of life,some getting justification on earth and some faithfully giving their best in difficult circumstances for the Lord because human beings sell us short. Thank you Lord for the testimony of Navjivan,I take heart from it every now and th...

I travelled around the central India.I spent two full days behind my friend Grace's pallu in Champa. Years just fade away when one is with friends.We chatted and chatted and chatted .....reminiscing,remembering,laughing. These are friends who have seen me through literal rain and sun-shine. Met Mr Jone Wills who was our Christmas father in Satbarwa. Again laughed through the memories of  those learning days ... I travelled through the heat and dust to Jagdeeshpur..met some old friends there too. I did not travel to Lakhnadown although I wanted to meet Muani and was wondering what she was up to. I have been praying on this movement thing. Everytime I plan a move I get a clear leading from the Lord. This time my call is to 'faithfulness' and whenever I close my eyes I see the Lord asking me 'Do you trust me?'  

Pondicherry it is.I reach at six o'clock to a guest house owned by a French couple at six in the evening and am reassured to be greeted by a family with a little daughter. I have a splitting headache so I decide I want to eat a quick bite before I hit the sack. Little down the street I walk into a tibetain shop and gulp down a plate of badly made momos. The girl serves me in a traditionally sikkimese way,with that sign of respect which touches a chord. I do manage a quick walk to the beach after the lady behind the counter assures me that Pondi is safe.I understand why when I run into police cars,police bikes and personals every ten steps.The beach looks ferocious,and beautiful at night but is overcrowded to say the least.I see a few works of different handwork potraits of Rajnikant,MGR,and I don't know who.One of them is even made of paper roses. I walk briskly back to the hotel and hit  the sack. Next morning I get up early and walk to the ashram.The streets around the...

Strange to be back in the south after quite a long gap.My friend asks me ,'are you back from Dehradun?'We were together in Tamil Nadu more than a decade ago.Slightly confused I say ,'back to where?' I was born in Mangan,educated in Gangtok,graduated in Bengal,post-graduated in Tamil Nadu,worked in Satbarwa,Herbertpur,England,Herbertpur and now am ready for the next bout of adventure . Even as I reach Chennai I meet Sheba after a little over a year,her parents after a decade.Uncle says I have grown fatter. I hear Dr Manoj's familiar voice over the phone.....into CMC there is Dolly,Deepak,Beulah ,Alex,Emmanuel,Jayanti,Susheel,Shalom,Ashita,Deepak,Dr Hansdak,Judy,..then there are the Satbarwa folks...Sishir,Suman....and then more Oddanchattram...Abraham.,Meghala....and then even as Abraham dials the phone and hands the set to me I am greeted by intermittant stunned silence and giggle on the other side of the phone....seriously I,think Anand has forgotten ...