Adventure in the mountains

It has been too long since I've written anything, but here I am again.

Happy and Lucky are growing and are starting to challenge Nadia and Anandi about who's really the boss. It is great fun to watch the competition. The dogs found an Indian tent water turtle in our yard. It is still a mystery where he came from. So now we have another pet named, Squirt. It was a bit of a problem trying to figure out what to feed it, until Stephan shot a fly into his bucket. Squirt took the bait immediately. So he is a carnivore and loves insects. You can imagine the fun the kids have with Stephan catching insects and the look of horror on my face whenever I accidentally look into the bucket at feeding time. Yes, the whole zoo came back this summer and we are fighting to keep them outside.

On Saturday we went to Kasauli. We know it is a risk traveling in India while pregnant, but we needed to get out of hot Chandigarh (above 40 each day). This time we discovered a trail we've never seen before, the Gilbert Nature Trail. The board did not tell us how long the trail is and if it will bring us back to Kasauli, but being adventurers, we started walking. It went on and on and so did we. It became very hot and we almost finished all the water we had. After about 3 km we realized there's no circle route, we had to go back the same way. But there was a thunderstorm brewing above us. Far below we saw a gravel road that went in the direction of Kasauli. In the mean time an old man, who probably lived his whole life in the mountains, caught up with us and warned us that the weather was very bad and threatened us with very big hailstones. He invited us to stay with him, but his house was also far away. Kasauli was about 6km away. There was a town in sight and we ask him if we could buy water or Coke there. No, they don't need bottled water or Coke there. So we had little choice but to get out under the trees, risk the steep, slippery road over the pine needles and go down to the gravel road heading back to Kasauli. In the mean time thunder was crashing around us and it started to rain. But it only lasted about 10 minutes. It did not solve our water problem though. The rain cooled down the temperature quite a bit, but we were thirsty. At the point I thought I couldn't give one more step, we saw a shop with a fridge and all the water we needed for the rest of the trip. We walked nearly 12km on Saturday.

God got all the honor for our safe arrival at the car. We had an interesting discussing, about how the events of the day convinced the kids that God is real. Most people I know belief God is real, but many of them struggle to believe that He cares about us and the problems we face each day. I belief He does, even the very small details. A day like Saturday, was the perfect reminder of that fact.

God: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." - Heb 13:5.

Happy and Lucky

Warning: This email should be read with discretion – check today’s date! No Afrikaans this time (I find it difficult to do wordplay in 2 languages on the same words).

We adopted two Chandigarh street dogs, which happily came waltzing through our gate one morning. We named them Happy and Lucky. Lucky felt at home immediately, but Happy needed at least two bowls of food to be happy with this arrangement. At some point Happy became very unhappy and didn’t feel so lucky anymore, but after more food rations, he was happy again. Lucky has never been lucky and always gets her paw into the food bowl, but she is always a happy dog.

The geckos are happy these days and should consider themselves very lucky. I’ve made my peace with them and decided to welcome them into my home. The children and I keep a keen eye on them while they eat all the mosquitoes and other awful insects that are not welcome yet. We already have 7 little friends staying in our home. It is just a bit risky to put on the fan. Murphy’s Law dictates that if there is a gecko on the fan it will fall on a person in the room.

The children and I are pushing on with the home schooling. It’s hard work, but we enjoy it! We are happy with this way of education and feel very lucky to be able to do it. I’m learning a lot too.

I discovered a way to get rid of unwanted gardeners. I just have to ask them to clean the paths in the garden and pick up the doggie pooh. They simply refuse – it’s too low a job to do – a practical application of the caste system. I liked the last gardener and I told him that I will do it from now on – so now Stephan is the lucky one who gets to do it – but he is not too happy either.

We are happy to announce that we became lucky and are hoping to extend our family by end of October. This happened right after deciding not to extend our family anymore. We are happy-go-lucky about this new event in our lives.

We were singing "Jesus, all for Jesus" in church on Sunday. Anandi tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "Why do you sing ‘Jesus, awful Jesus’?" Maybe it was the expression on our faces that gave her that in impression. Sometime we hide our joy so well. We are happy or unhappy according to our circumstances and if our circumstances change we say we are lucky or unlucky. But JOY found in Jesus lasts forever – through all circumstances - because we know God loves us and will never forsake us – no matter what the circumstances might be.

But the truth is: I'll never live in peace with the geckos - the rest is all true :-).

Jaipur

Before Stephan’s parents went back to SA we took them to Jaipur. It is one of those places about which I have mixed feelings. I love the detail, with which they decorate just about everything – from buildings to animals. I just hate the traffic, poverty and dirt.

A young boy, Aditya, taught us how to fly a kite – they grow in trees there :-). We saw people sleeping on the pavement – lots of them. All kinds of animals work and roam around like camels, elephants, donkeys, cows and pigs. We had to find our way in intertwining spirally roads. We visited old forts and castles. I’ve met a miniature-painting artist that showed me how he paints with a mountain stone and squirrel tail brush – yes, I tried it too and it didn’t work :-). I did some hard bargaining in Bapu Bazaar and got things for half the price offered.

Murderous look:
One day while visiting the fort on the hill in Jaipur I heard some fighting. I saw a small man being dragged by his neck by a huge angry man. It was obvious that the small man did something very wrong. But I could not believe how the offended and his friends treated him – they kicked him in the back, slapped him on his head and barely gave him space to breath while they strangled him. I could not watch this any longer and being the brave/stupid kind I shouted at the huge man in my loudest voice – “Kya hoa?!” (What’s going on?!) It was then that he gave me the murderous look. At that moment my courage failed and I just watched like everyone else as this man was being dragged away – I was certain to his grave. I prayed for his protection and took a snap just in case the police needed it.



Recently I’ve read the book “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga. It helped me to understand the complex Indian culture and society a bit more, maybe even explained what happened at the fort. I had to ask myself if I look at people the way society prescribes or like God, who loves each one of us equally and unconditionally. Another scary moment …



“My greatest challenge has been to change the mindset of people. Mindsets play strange tricks on us. We see things the way our minds have instructed our eyes to see.” - Muhammad Yunus

Time for feasting

We went to SA to renew our visas, but it was also a time of refreshing and renewal. I thoroughly enjoyed the clean big shopping centers, all kinds of food, walks along the beach breathing in fresh air, spending valuable time with my family, and seeing old friends again. I kept wondering why I should go back to India. Why should I miss out on the good things in life and miss my family and friends all the time?

In John 4:32-35 I found this conversation between Jesus and his disciples:

Jesus: I have food to eat that you know nothing about.

Disciples (among each other): Could someone have brought him food?

Jesus: My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

I enjoyed the time in SA, but that is the kind of food the world dish out for us. Everywhere I go I meet people enjoying the sweeties of life, but being deprived of a nourishing relationship with our living, loving Father in heaven. So this Christmas, will you feast with me on the Bread of Life, Jesus, our Savior.

All glory and honor to God who knows and satisfies our every need. Have a blessed Christmas!

Like grass

This was an exciting month. Anandi had a great birthday party and lots of friends came to celebrate, both the girls got chosen for a fashion advertisement and they were naturals, we welcomed a new member into our family - a puppy named Snuffels, we visited the zoo and explored new territory in Jagjit Nagar where the road actually stops.

This month I was anxious so many times over things out of my control. It is a vulnerable place to be at. At this point I was reminded that I am like grass (Psa 103:15 “As for man, his days are like grass”). It does not matter how things turn out. What matters is that God has given us his Son. In Him we have everything we need, like eternal life, forgiveness, love, etc. My own plans are nothing compared to what God has in store for me. And then something amazing happens; God steps in and changes a mess into a blessing. So we are coming to South Africa this month for a visit arranged by God. I look forward and desperately need to spend time with my family and friends.

A zoo update: Zoo life around the house changed completely. The bees flew away, the chameleons and cat-sized rats left, the geckos returned with their babies. We added a cat that keeps on eating normal sized rats in our yard; a scavenger eagle that keeps circling above our lawn hoping to catch Snuffels and miniature ants that you can only see with a magnifying glass or taste in your coffee.