NGOs In The Slums

"Slums" is the word Praveen used to describe where we went today. It is where many live in tents as pictured below and are in the lowest caste. Because their opportunities are practically nil, Praveen and others establish charitable organizations to fill some of the needs. The three we visited today are minute to what is needed. (I find getting the pictures I want very difficult as the taxi moves too fast and we pass the view I'm aiming for before the click records. Saw lots of animals but the only one I was fast enough to aim at was obscured by a motor scooter which zipped up beside me just as the camera clicked. The pic below is probably one of the finer views of shops along the way.) Dad was accosted by another street beggar at the intersection where we have stopped several times. Praveen said that all of the beggars are fake and in a sense like prostitutes in that they have "johns" or "sugar daddies" who expect a largesse and return a piddling amount for them to live.

Praveen, along with one of his associates, CH Malliswari, took us to the slums today (31st July) to learn of three of his pet projects which he would like the Church to support. We saw very little need as these two and the one mentioned below are very good at finding donors, which is how they make their living as well as support their charities which are all worthwhile. We will have to stretch our imaginations to determine how any one of them might fit into the Church's willingness to contribute according to its value system and their actual need. Praveen understands the Church requirements but he is hopeful that as new missionaries we can come up with a way to help. We might do something through an Area initiative (smaller and sometimes one-time things) but it appears the donors they've already secured are taking care of their needs.

Bikshapathi on left owns the Sri (means "honorable") Kanya Educational Society in the slums. Its decor is a lot Disney and is modern and attractive next to anything we have seen here. Currently, 47 children are enrolled, whom they keep from 8 to 4 and feed, all for free, so that their single mothers can work and provide some kind of living for them. Otherwise, they would all be at home and living off nothing and the children would have no opportunity to go to school because they would not be ready or qualified. They would like to expand the school to the upper story and need furniture.

The teacher kept urging them to say, "Good morning, madam," but they were shy. Only the little beauty, second from the right, kept smiling at me and responded. We were impressed that these three-year olds were sitting quietly and listening to their teacher who was sitting at their level. To the right is another small group. They all learn English as well as Hindi--part of the requirements for school and which they would not learn at home.

Malleswari owns this new home, also in the slums, for 30 abused women and sometimes children. They receive counseling, rehabilitation, and training in tailoring, computers, and embroidery in order to get jobs and be on their own. Only six were in the home when we visited. The others were looking for jobs. It was clean and neat but small for 30. They lay out mattresses or other bedding and sleep side by side, then stack everything to make space available during the day.

We're at a health clinic, manned by a doctor and these helpers and owned by CH Malleswari. (She told me she'd give me a sari to wear to her son's wedding sometime in the next 18 months. I told her I'd love a sari but not sure that I could wear it--they bare the middle.) People are treated and given medications for most ailments for free and then are referred to a hospital if necessary. Malleswari owns another larger clinic as well which sees about 60 patients per day. This one services about half that many because it closes at 2 p.m.

July 24th Celebrated Here Too

Was amazed to see how fully these people embrace their pioneer heritage. Sangeeta, who conducted the program for 4th Branch, Kaspers assignment, said at the end, "I hope we will all appreciate the sacrifices of the pioneers and the legacy they left us." Evidence that we are not just an American church.

Filled waiting time for food with contests and games. Young man on the left is an elder who was beating everyone until the young man in plaid took him on. He beat everyone, including Dad (felt terrible when I clicked the off button instead of the pic one and missed getting it), who said he was very strong. Dad's hand slipped or maybe he's just getting old--could it be? Above right is his last match with the Branch President which ended in a standoff. Food was ordered from a restaurant and each individual received a half gallon tub of already seasoned rice and chicken with various toppings to make it spicier or less so. Chicken was not in pieces but a combined leg and thigh. I liked the chicken but not too crazy about the rice. Dad wouldn't even try it. I don't think we're going to get into Indian food too much except when we go to the villages and there is nothing else to eat. Of course, Sister Lyerly always took a peanut butter sandwich and apple slices. It's a bit offensive not to eat with them though. Elder Elsby, our humanitarian country director, said to always take a coke to the villages to drink on our way home. It will kill whatever bugs we might pick up. Guess I'll have to give in.

Fourth branch meets below a store next to a real "Levis" store. Renni, who was in charge of games, kept reminding everyone when they got a little loud or rambunctious, "Let's remember church standards; we need to keep church standards." I am thoroughly impressed with how important the gospel and all it entails means to these child-like and happy people.

Kind of Nice, Huh!

Looking across the way from our apartment on the fourth floor and then down to street level. The stairs are open. We have balconies front and back. Most people hang their washed clothes on the back balcony. We hang ours inside. A lift is to the left of the stairs but we usually use the latter. No telling when the power will go out. It's actually an attractive building though not very clean despite the appearance in the pix.

This is part of living area taken from dining table side. Right is the office. Much biggerthan is showing. Mosquitoe nets cover all the windows velcroed on the inside so that we can lift them and open the windows.

Here's the front door of our apartment and the room we walk into though you can't see it all.

Full and Fascinating Friday

Sam Balasundaram (left) is the marketing administrator with LV Prasad Eye Institute with whom the church has already partnered and is anticipating another large long-term project for rural vision screening centers. LVPEI is an amazing place where they treat the rich and poor alike. Two suites are available for VIPs whose payments (they didn't sound very high to me) help to fund free care for those who have nothing. They deal with total care--screening through glasses, and/or surgery, and total follow up therapy and counseling to be sure that those with vision problems are able to function as normally as possible. They have a research lab and do cornea implants (they work at gathering corneas and have technicians who remove them from permission-giving people who have died) as well as remove cataracts. Whatever the problem (and there are a lot here in India), they work through the total process with each individual as if he were the only one when there are millions. You can't see here but Sam has his own vision problems, which no doubt led to his interest in LV Prasad EI where he plans to stay because he loves the work they do. (He has two siblings in America who are more Americanized profitwise than is Sam--we need those too but it is also wonderful when they are generous rather than after power control.) In pic at left we are inside the School of Optometry (4 yr course for 300 students at a time) at the small amphitheater. We drove for perhaps 45 minutes from the institute in Hyderabad to get to this beautiful place outside the city. We were uplifted by the beauty of the countryside. Students live here on campus and have no distractions from their studies.

Below left is inside the library and to the right is the landscape out front. Across the street is the training center (also beautiful surroundings) for the rural screening clinics. We had another unintelligble (but detailed) description of what they do by Vilas Kovai. LVPEI knows that rural people (in the 500,000+ populated villages) will never come to the city for eye care so they are taking eye clinics to them. They get someone to lead out and involve people in the building and donating of materials or already constructed building. They also train clinicans who then have jobs. The people buy into using it because they are a part of its development--what the Church is looking for. It has already partnered with LVPEI for several clinics by buying the necessary medical equipment for thorough eye examinations. These people are then fitted for very low-cost glasses or brought to the city for surgery if necessary and rehabilitated after. What LVPEI does illustrates their total commitment to improving the vision and ability to function of the Indian poor without thought for profit. Sam is instrumental in fund raising to support their efforts. It is a wonderful institute. I kept wondering if we have anything like it in the US. All that I am aware of is that people fill up the emergency rooms, often just for some topical care. There is no follow up. People's lives are not changed; they just exist until the next emergency (or what they consider an emergency). Sam says they do not involve the government at all because they do not want government regulations on what they do. They wouldn't be able to fulfill their vision of vision with government interference. We would be so much better off in America without the government interference but citizens there seem to be crying for government takeover. If they only knew that what they ask for they will get, and they won't like it a bit. My appreciation for those who are willing to truly help the poor--not keep them poor--is enhanced by the work of LVPEI. This is the way; government is not the way; government is the author of keeping people under its thumb in order to keep its power. What we need are champions like LV Prasad and Sam and Dr. Rao andVilas Kovai and others who are willing to use a free enterprise system to accomplish their godly desires. (Sorry for my soapbox.)



I don't know how to work this blog site so that pix stay where they are supposed to with appropriate captions. Hopefully you can make sense of this in the pix below. Everyone we dealt with on Friday was so smart, we felt all the dumber.

Library at LVPEI School of Optometry.

Coming back from the country I took this of military personnel (below) walking into their fort. The right is just to show traffic which is often worse. The little yellow vehicle is an auto and what we normally travel in. Its shades are down but ours have always been up.

It seems I need to tell the story backwards to place the pix appropriately. These two views should go underneath the next two. Anyway, they are scenes from Sundar's balcony in Hi-Tech City where the call and computer, etc., centers and other large companies are located. The middle building in left pic is Bill Gates Microsoft company where Madhu (will have an entry on him later) works. Gates has other buildings around there as well. The pic on the right is just a different view. This is definitely the more modern and clean part of the city.

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I think the pic above was taken thru the front window of a taxiwhen we were with Sam from LVPEI. Just wanted to show a different view from all the filth we live around. Not sure that I have gotten many pix which vividly portray the streets. Don't like to shoot when people are looking at me and appear to be one of those nosy American tourists. Since they are always everywhere I'm not getting pix I would like .

Praveen, who is on the left below, is a combination of an NGO and partner for us in our humanitarian work. He's only 23 but has an orphanage and lots of contacts or he did until he joined the Church three months ago and was abandoned by them. Sundar must be a recent potential partner/NGO to whom Praveen introduced us. We were told we wouldn't have to learn a foreign language but the English of some of these people is definitely foreign. We picked up only a word here and there but the jist we gleaned was that he viewed us as people with money bags for his pet projects which isn't how it works. Praveen got that pic and intervened for us somewhat. Praveen's not easy to understand either; we get about 60 percent, whereas we got about 2 from Sundar Vadaon (which means" beautiful face" according to him anyway). If I had understood better I might have gathered some tips for Snowflake Academy's fund raising efforts.

Above is the same cast with Roja who works with Praveen who has his own company and the Kaspers who have been doing their best to orient us to this strange city (They've been great life savers.). They met several humanitarian people with the Lyerlys who wanted to make the transition easier for us. Praveen will leave the country in six months for fund raising in the Netherlands, US, and somewhere else. His life is devoted to primarily helping the children. Sundar's building is about seven stories and we are at the top. It's beautiful but presently sits in the middle of a kind of slum field. The Hilton is to be built next door and by the time it's all developed he will be on prime property. Sundar reminded us of Peter Lorre combined with movie characters in a Tangiers setting. Hisinfectious and unusual laugh kept us chuckling despite our deciphering inability. That is a red dot in the center of his forehead.

Madhu

Yesterday (wrote this when we first came but wanted a pic before posting), Madhu rang our buzzer holding five long stemmed roses (three red and two yellow) for me. He couldn't have come at a better time. We were OK but discussing how overwhelmed we were when this handsome 21 yearold stepped into our lives and assured us in very good English that all was well and that he was available to help us any way that he could. I am sure that Heavenly Father sent him.

We called him this morning to help us find an ATM and a bank (two different places) to change large bills into smaller ones as autos and street vendors (only place to buy bananas) rarely give change. Stores don't like to either we've discovered.

Before setting off on our walking adventure, he fixed the gas tank on our stove so that we could cook and charged the battery in our camera (no, we didn't know how to do either).

Madhu then negotiated us across a number of streets through all the traffic with ease. We'd still be struggling if it weren't for his easy lesson--walk, don't run; stop (in the middle of a jillion vehicles) if necessary; if there's any space, hold out your hand and keep walking. (The first time we crossed a street we were with Kaspers and Bill didn't go. Elder Kasper had to go back and get him across. You'd understand if you were here.)

At home again, Bill and I were dripping wet inspite of Madhu's claim that we were lucky to have such good weather produced by a nice rain during the night, making the temperature cooler but the humidity certainly higher because we noticed no difference in our own wetness. (This was also the walk when we saw a camel, ridden by two young boys, walking down the street right along with every other vehicle but my camera was charging and I didn't get the picture.)

We visited for more than an hour. Telling us how much the Church had changed his life and why he loves the senior couples especially, he began choking up. We all got a little teary. He and two brothers (now 19 and 20) were baptized at about age 13--Madhu anyway. His Hindu parents wouldn't allow it earlier. "Without the Church, I would never have known God and that he loves me," he said. And then his association with the senior couple at the time, the Eldridges, gave him an understanding of the gospel. He came to this same apartment and the Eldridges would pay him 10 rupees to clean which he did about three times a week. Sister Eldridge would say, "Madhu, pay 1 rupee for your tithing and do with the rest as you wish and your life will be blessed." He discovered for himself how true that was. After some education, Madhu has a good job now as a computer engineer.

On another day he got our internet to work by discovering we had inadvertently turned off the router by clicking one of the many switches that decorate our walls. What a blessing he has been!

A Few First Impressions

The chapel is air-conditioned and near the Kaspers where we went today on our own. First Branch, one assignment, meets here. It is open all the time but does have a couple guards on duty. On the right is General Bazaar, narrow little alley between cramped stores (lots with fabric) but we still had to watch out for motor scooters. There's no peace anywhere. Kaspers took us all over Tuesday (four in an auto) to take care of some of the things we needed.

Pic below is Sunday in Bangalore when traffic is slower. Still this shows it much slower than it was for the most part. Electrical wires are exposed and twisted into all sorts of conglomerations--not so evident here. No wonder they have power problems.

Pic above is at photo shop near mission office where we had to get more passport photos to be used for our government registration in Hyderabad. Haven't done that yet but it's an all-day affair we hear. We walked here with a more seasoned couple and the little girl on the right tried to sell me her beads. As missionaries, we simply cannot respond to beggars or anyone similar because of various problems it has caused in the past. She was at least selling something but we have to ignore them. I talked too much to her and she waited outside to try again. We're told not to make eye contact and say "No" once and ignore them. This child was too wily and healthy looking to believe she was in the real poverty class. Still very sad. Beggars or street sellers are everywhere and go after Dad mostly. Guess they sense what a softie he is.

Cows are everywhere. I could have touched this one but didn't dare of course. Pic on the right shows the crowded street better than any I took. The autos are yellow and open. We took our first alone today--a 50 rupee ride or approx $1.25 depending on the exchange rate (about 15-20 minutes). The first driver said 150 rupees and we just said no and kept walking. He continued to lower his price but we weren't interested and climbed in another. Most have meters and a recent strike moved rates up 10 rupees so we add that to the meter. Mostly there are no traffic signs or lights (saw a couple but don't know why they exist as we flew through them). At larger intersections (no order to the streets; nothing so simple as going around the block) policemen will sometimes stop traffic to allow the opposite to flow. You tell drivers the areas and the landmarks and trust to luck they know. Our taxi from the airport (Kaspers picked us up) got lost and doubled the normal time.

Our Apartment

How pleasantly surprised we were with the apartment! High ceilings, marble floors (plentiful and inexpensive here--no creaking floors). Plenty of room--entry room with settees and exercise equipment, living and dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms (we will be hosting Church visitors), three baths (misnomer), and an office larger than mine at home. It's nicely furnished. Kitchen has a tabletop gas four-burner for cooking (haven't made it work yet) and a microwave sits on top of a small oven. Elder Kasper reminds us of how blessed we are to have Western toilets and hot showers in the missionary apartments. The Indian people squat over a hole or use urinals if they haven't already urinated on the streets (have seen plenty of men so engaged--pretty disgusting). I tipped the camera for the bathroom picture to try to get a bit of everything in. I missed the hot water heater which is a two-foot container on the wall. We click a switch about 10 minutes prior and turn it off after. The spray hose at the left is what East Indians use instead of toilet paper. The shower head is at the top left. As you can see it comes out of the wall and the water goes right to the floor. We use a squeegee afterward to sweep the water into a floor drain. (Camera's battery exhausted itself today and couldn't take more apartment pix or others I had hoped to because it was the official P-Day.)

The two pix at top are views from our balcony where we have a washing machine. We hang our clothes on a rack inside to dry. Just as I finished clicking, Elder came out and saw a woman staring suspiciously from one of the windows. She isn't in the pic and hope she isn't offended as she appeared very unhappy. We didn't have sense enough to wave and smile--just slipped quickly back inside. Took pic at right to show trash on the ground but this view is mild. Everything is so dirty and trashy. Sister Nichols said she has found members' homes to be clean but no one has any regard for the outside and they throw anything they have on the streets. Obviously, there are no litter laws and no city workers. It's really bad.

We climb four flights of 20 steps each or take the lift if we dare as it is powered by electricity. We have air conditioning units in our bedroom and the office. We turn them off at night and are comfortable with the fan--one in every room. We took our first alone trip to the Kaspers (only other missionary couple in Hyderabad) today for lunch (delicious dinner meal). I like their apartment better, though smaller, because it is so much lighter. This one is dark all day long. She thinks ours is nicer but she likes the light in hers also.

An interesting aspect of homes here is that some type of airshaft is built between apartments or condos. We see them through screens in the bathrooms which the Lyerlys (couple before us) covered with fabric. They enable us to hear conversations as well as all kinds of other noises as if they are right in our apartment. I am startled often by gasps, etc., which seem to be emitted from someone right next to me. The apartment next door is being renovated and we hear constant hammering all day. The Muslims chant their prayers at various times on a loud speaker. The sounds of baby cries and play will be a welcome relief.

Dilemmas

Let's see! Do we take Doxicyclene every day to prevent malaria and suffer the side effects or take our chances with the mosquitoes?
What's the best way to use our time between 2 and 6 p.m. when the electricity is off? And I thought the occasional two minute outages in Snowflake were bad!
Which of the 14 switches in each room (clustered on different walls) do we touch to turn on the light or ceiling fans (thank goodness for them except they run only when the power is on). No rhyme or reason to location and there are a dozen switches that seem not to affect anything.
How many times can we use the toilet before flushing because we won't be able to flush again until morning between 7 and 10? At least we have three to spread it around. Water is off the rest of the day. Kaspers just got a notice today that their drinking water will be available only 1/2 hour every other day. Only one faucet is connected to the filter which we turn on and then fill as many bottles as possible for the hour that we have--as of now. The rationing is spurred by current draught. Normally monsoons start in early or mid June. First rain of the season was the day we left Bangalore (21st of July) for Hyderabad. No rain since. So if you're praying for rain, include India, will you?
Can we really trust the bleach solution in which all vegetables and fruits, regardless of peelings, are soaked? Found some kind of creature and waste this morning in the cauliflower I had bought. Needless to say it found the trash.
Do we put mothballs in the drains and endure the smell or just hope the cockroaches will pick on someone else?
Should we walk for the exercise and risk lung problems from the pollution or death from the crazy drivers (there are no sidewalks; we're just another moving blob on the streets--lowest in the hierarchy) or take the autos which don't protect us from either? (Most distances are too far and we have to take the auto or taxi--the latter is more expensive and more scary actually.)
Should we go late to the weddings or be on time and furnish the music and talks. No joke! It happened to Kaspers the first month and we were warned by Sister Nichols.
Do we have FHE (two per week for two branches) at the church and worry about getting home at night (plenty of autos available but mosquitoes are out and despite what they tell us, the dark is worrisome) or have it at our apartment so that YSAs can come early and stay late or show up whenever they want in between destroying our privacy and using our humanitarian office time?
Temperatures are in the 90s with 75 percent humidity. Bill and I drip wherever we are. We don't have a choice on this one; it's just a fact.
Just thought I'd share!

We Lucked Out

These are the Eichelbergers. They've been out of country before and we were so grateful to have them with us. We honestly wonder if we would have found our way without them. Sky Harbor is a piece of cake. They are in the mission office in Bangalore in this pic. Dad said, "I'm about ready to pack up and go home (won't go into the reasons why) and she said, "Could I get in your suitcase?" Brother Eichelberger is in his late 40s and was a vet who sold his practice to serve this mission. We just learned that their 14-year-old son was killed in an automobile accident shortly before they did the paperwork.

If you have to fly, the Boeing Super 7 (at least I think that's what it was) is the only way to go. It's so big we felt we were in a house. Our seats from Chicago to London were upgraded coach with elbow and foot room (even a bar to put our feet on) and a delicious meal of salmon (Elder--Dad's new name--had chicken) penne pasta and green beans that were all delicious--not a TV dinner. We thought O'Hare Airport was bad with "go down there, turn left, take the elevator down, walk 100 yards and get on the train to Terminal 5"; but compared to London it was a snap. We took three bus rides and went through that many securities (seemed like a dozen before we finally got to Hyderabad). When we boarded the first bus, they announced it would be an 18 minute ride. We couldn't figure where they could possibly go for 18 minutes and it turned out just less than 15 because the driver was surely a former race car driver. We went through three l--o--n--g tunnels, wound back and forth like a snake, barely missed hitting oncoming trucks in our one-way, narrow lane. After all was said and done, we felt we had returned to our landing spot to take off for India. Couldn't see much. The ground was flat and grassy with an occasional tree, but the sky was a beautiful blue with the white fluffy clouds (some with rain stored) that we like so much in Arizona. The air was clear. At some point we (the other couple flying with us--see pic above) were taken to a room to get our boarding pass--no idea why we were singled out unless it was our badges). The Eichelbergers were given an upgrade to first class because of something or other. We asked for the same and let them know we were traveling together. They seemed interested in finding the upgrade but couldn't. She said to check at the gate. We still had to go through customs and there was the upgrade--in just minutes. I asked about Dad and his was there too so we had seats that reclined to beds when we moved them down to connect to the footstools. I probably slept that trip more than I did before or since--three or four hours. There were so many attendants to take care of us with food and drink--two several-course meals served on China all included and our upgrade didn't cost as it was listed as involuntary. Elder felt it wasn't right--wasn't comfortable with the pampering. Thought he should have been in coach. NOT ME! I was grateful for a wonderful blessing. It was nine and one-half hours (5 1/2 hour gain in time. We gained 1 to Chicago and 6 to London.). Those big planes are so much smoother. Hardly knew we were flying the entire time. Takeoff and landing were very smooth. We'll still be happy to never travel again though. What a hassel!

All our luggage arrived with us about 5 a.m. Sunday. Pres. Nichols said that happens only 30 to 40 percent of the time. He and Elder Linton (office, took the Eichelbergers) were there to meet us waving from the outside glass doors as non-passengers are not allowed inside any part of the terminal. We stayed with the Nichols at the mission home where they both did their best to orient us to this very different place and culture. The mission home is in a secured area and in one of many quite luxurious condos--for here anyway. We talked, did only Sacrament meeting, talked a little, took a short nap, ate with Lintons and Eichelbergers (Sister Nichols is a wonderful cook), talked a little more and went to bed. We woke up at 12:30 a.m. and talked to each other a while--about what we had gotten ourselves into and the noise and all that had transpired. Elder dozed off again, of course, while I remained awake the rest of the night.

Surely every person in Sacrament Meeting shook hands with us (100 probably) and the talks were better than some we get at home--so impressive. These people are believers!

We had learned previously that families (parents, children, and extended family) are very important but that marriages aren't. They are usually loveless as they are arranged, part of the reason being that the groom's parents want the dowry. The whole system keeps all the family members living together. The son takes his wife to his parents' home so that multiple families continue to live together with the oldest still making the rules and choices and determining the life styles. Women will usually be widows for possibly 20 years and want a son who can care for her. Her daughters are useless as they are living with their husbands' families. It's not a happy situation and yet family members will do anything in the world almost to help anyone who is related, including all the cousins. The Church, of course, believes that when you marry, you cleave unto your spouse so dating, love marriages and family relations are one of the big things to teach here. Brother Pinto, one of the first to buck tradition and enter into a love marriage, had his wedding pix at church and showed us the whole album. His wife, who was wearing a beautiful purple sari, stood shyly, though smiling, by his side. A Sister Kumula sat next to me and lamented her dismay over having two daughters and no sons. Couldn't help thinking she was in an arranged marriage but I found her husband very friendly and nice.

One of India's noticeable qualities is its extreme noise and it's noisy 24/7. Much of the noise is from the drivers who honk incessantly to say, "Watch out, I'm coming through." Streets are actually paved with broken and solid lines designating lanes but they have no meaning to the drivers. A two lane road will have six vehicles across--not orderly of course. They're all jammed together with an auto (three wheeled motor scooter with head cover but no sides) scooters, bikes, taxis (small vehicles like those in US) a few mini mini SUVs, trucks and buses all vying for the slightest piece of road. And I forgot the oxen pulling little hay wagons, cows--even elephants and camels (haven't seen camels yet but I did see the hind end of an elephant way ahead--and lots of dogs that all look alike--brown/white and lean. In and out they go, rarely braking, slipping into whatever opening they can see with an inch between vehicles and no more than that to dart back and forth. Dad was sitting in the front seat most of the time and flinching and making frightening "sssll-ing" sounds. That gives you an idea of what it's like to be on the road. President Nichols kept telling him not to look out the front window and assured us that his regular driver, Sampath (pot) who has worked for the Church since 1993 has never had an accident. (He did get a speeding ticket on our way to the airport for Hyderabad however; there are no police cars; policeman just stand by the side of the road and wave you down; some aren't honest enough to stop; Sampath was.) But there are lots of other noises too which we just can't identify. People are awake and out all night long and all day long. Kaspers told us there are 12 million in Hyderabad. In the chain of things, buses are at the top (so packed that you can lift your feet and be carried by the crowd) and pedestrians are at the bottom. There are no sidewalks so we take our chances and cross at the slightest opening figuring that the oncoming vehicles will swerve to miss us. I'm laughing as I write this. I have to laugh so I won't cry. (That's an exaggeration; we're not close to crying but THIS is REALLY different.)

(I've been getting into stuff I thought I'd write in the next blog because this latter stuff doesn't fit under the title "We Lucked Out." Actually, we really think this is going to be quite an adventure filled with so many opportunities to grow.)

Brother Sunday

We ran into Brother Sunday on a break for Humanitarian training while he was headed to small group for this week's group of senior missionaries. What a cute and talented young man! Too bad we can't see him and his tie better. But that wasn't the best of him anyway as we already mentioned. This guy can TEACH! Although we would both say that the only place and thing not out of our comfort zone during our time at the MTC was the cafeteria, the teaching and inspiration made all the hardness worth it.

The Wonderful World of Welfare

(This is a long post and perhaps on the surface not that interesting. But it's important so I hope you will read it.) Church Welfare Services is surely the best kept secret in the world. The way we operate welfare surpasses any other church or government as far as we are aware. The primary purpose of Humanitarian Services is to relieve suffering, to foster self-reliance for families of all nationalities and religions, and to provide opportunities for service. We help people but our main objective is to help people help themselves. The four main values in extending assistance are self-reliance, sustainability, leadership, and participation and work. We do not believe in or support idleness or the dole. When we look for a project or initiative that will help a large group of people, we get the people there to plan the project in a way to build self-reliance. It must be a project that can be sustained through the years. We look for a champion, one who is motivated and has some experience, to lead the charge with the idea of getting the people who will benefit from the project to do the work necessary to establish it. We also look for partners, non-governmental charitable organizations, community based organizations and sometimes the government to help with projects. The church then provides what the people are unable to provide for themselves. We are not in the business of training people so much as training trainers so that they can train people. That stretches our dollar and involves more people in the process. Our objective is to elevate people, to get them functioning on their own. As missionaries we are the field workers, looking for projects that the Church would be interested in supporting. We must do a lot of research and submit a well-documented initiative for approval. What is happening is unbelievable. People are actually improving their lives and although tons of money is spent, it is spent on the project and lifting the people as the missionaries are volunteers and paying their own way. Where else do you find anything as magnificent as this? Of course I'm just telling you it's so and haven't told you about any specific initiatives; there are just too many to write about now. I think about how Congress does so much talking about programs for the poor which are little more than doles and the means for keeping them poor. The Church is actually instrumental in turning lives around. We ate lunch today with Brother Reese who explained that the African people are willing to work hard but evil governments have kept them from having any means to prosper. Our eyes have been opened in so many ways. We are so blessed in this great country. We talk often how much for granted we take everything--we have no idea how much for granted our attitudes are. I have cried repeatedly because of the things I have seen and also because of the magnificent accomplishments of the Church. We don't broadcast our actions much because of the Savior's admonition to give alms in secret. But the Church explains when asked because we are to let our light shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.

The pictures below are of our humanitarian trainers who are just below the Presiding Bishopric in authority. Sharon Eubank is in charge of the wheelchair initiative and is an enthusiastic, fast-paced teacher who kept our attention all day Wednesday. She served a mission in Finland but probably before Demetria as she didn't know her. In our wisdom we decided she isn't married because few men could feel they could measure up to her with her tremendous knowledge and ability. Patrick Reese is in Welfare Services and did most of the training for two days. Nate Leishman is one of three employees (Gary Flake is the head) of emergency response. Miracles have happened in getting millions of supplies to people hit by disasters all over the world. In the United States, members often help in the cleanup or whatever else might be needed. (Not all our help requires the values. When people are in desperate situations, we go in to help.)

Wheelchairs are one of the four major initiatives. The other three are neonatal resuscitation, vision and water. A new one is the Benson Food Institute and a side effort is immunizations. That means that we look for ways to benefit the people in these areas. There's actually much more, however. The area leaders which are in Hong Kong can suggest all kinds of initiatives as well. We also have emergency response and try to fill other needs that meet the criteria or the values talked about above. The quote in the picture above shows that helping the poor and the needy has been a part of the church since its inception. Membership in the church does not matter. Willingness does. That is, except in some cases of desperate need, the Church tries to teach and involve recipients according to the values described above.

Pictures above are from the Bishop's Storehouse where they do almost everything necessary to sustain life. The only thing not produced by the church that is used for welfare orders is fresh produce which they buy from a wholesale vendor. On the left is where milk from the church owned dairy is processed. From the milk, they also make butter, cheese, ice cream, and chocolate milk. The picture on the right shows items (hard to see) put into kits and sent to disaster areas. The destination of the kits determines the ingredients. The Church has sent unbelievable numbers of these food kits to victims of Katrina, California fires, Iowa floods, as well as to foreign countries when disaster occurs. A film we watched even had Ted Kennedy commenting on the impressiveness of what we do. It also showed a Salt Lake Catholic priest who says that many hungry people come to his church wanting food and it is the Church that donates food for them. Also at the Bishop's storehouse are a cannery for both wet and dry pack items, a bakery (we sampled the delicious bread, jam and cheese), huge silos which store wheat, Employment Services. The Church also owns trucks and ships the food produced there to 38 Bishops' storehouses all over the western states. This enormous place where so much is done is completely spotless--cleaned by some of those who receive products. One of the most touching things we learned about was Atmit--a porridge like food, redeveloped by the Church, which can be digested by starving children. A picture of a six-year old African who was nothing more than a small skeleton covered with skin turned into a healthy picture within six months of eating the Atmit, all for the cost of $5.

The two pictures above center and right show displays of items sent to other countries by the Humanitarian Center by the hundreds of thousands. Top left are donated quilts. Mostly blankets are sent but they like quilts which not only keep bodies warm but also "warm the hearts." Top right are 1000 pound bales of clothes in a huge warehouse. About 15 per cent of clothes donated to Deseret Industries goes on the floor for sale there. The Church doesn't want to be in the business of selling second hand things except that the stores give those with special needs real jobs. The rest of the clothing is sent to Salt Lake where it is sorted for humanitarian purposes. Clothing which is dirty or without buttons, etc., is put aside and sold to vendors who deal with rags, etc. The people who do the sorting, 3800 pounds a day, are people without jobs, skills, or the language. Part of the requirement for the job is to work with Employment Services to learn English, acquire a trade, prepare resumes and learn to interview so that they can get a good job. They are paid above minimum wage at the center but do not receive benefits. About 25 percent of these people are placed in jobs. Many do not want to work hard enough and quit. Others who are lacking in skills return to get more training. Employment Services even works with CEOs, etc., who have been outsourced or whatever and gets them placed in $80,000 to $200,000 jobs. Impressive!

On the left in the bottom picture are items for newborn kits; next are school items for children whose circumstances keep them from attending school; on the right are items for hygiene kits. They have been sent also in huge quantities to the poor in third world countries. In addition, they have orphanage and health modules, much larger than kits. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent yearly on such projects. So think about donating to the humanitarian aid if you aren't already. If you consider that if every member donated $5 to $10 per month, we would have a tremendous amount to work with. Any donated money goes far because it is so carefully managed and neither these donations nor perpetual education nor fast offerings have any overhead. Donated labor is used in every situation possible and overhead is supported from other funds. It is the best charity in the world. It's unsolicited and it goes entirely to those it is for. Fast offerings are for members while humanitarian is mostly for non-members. Perpetual education funds are for members in third world countries to pay for their education after which they repay the loan so that others can benefit.

Lobby of Joseph Smith Memorial Building (used to be Hotel Utah) where we had a gourmet meal at noon on the 10th floor. We were seated with Dean Walker from Humanitarian Services who will be at the MTC Tuesday to teach. He said that a project is already started with the Presad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, which we will work on. So we won't have to start in the dark thankfully. Brother Rudd, 90 years old, who has been in welfare services all his life said he has fought for senior welfare couples to have the nice meal because they are going to places where food will not be as plentiful or reliable as it is here. This is the building where I had dinner with my dad following my BYU graduation.

Glorious Day

Lots of meetings today--all wonderful. The cafeteria this morning was a great example for honoring the Sabbath as there were no workers and only cereal and bagels with a small packet of cream cheese were offered. They were back to work for lunch and dinner. I suppose the student workers were given time for their own church meetings before coming to work.

We have listened to lots of good music by talented young missionaries. Several young elders were very accomplished on the piano and one played the cello--excellent. A sister with a very good voice sang and accompanied herself. Two trios of sisters, each of which are going to the same mission, were outstanding. Mary Ellen Edmunds, a noted and fun loving church speaker, spoke in our RS. At one point she shouted and repeated, "Sisters, DO NOT TOUCH THE ELDERS!" Then she added, "It's all right if you take note of the ones you want to touch later!"

Had some rather pointed instruction on our dress. I talked to Sister Boone (MTC President's wife) afterward. Turns out that Pres. Boone is a brother to Flake, George and John in Snowflake. Alyssa and Cameron know them I'm sure. Their mother was a Flake. Pres. Boone has a good sense of humor along with his inspiration. He kept us chuckling at our first meeting this week and again at the farewell meeting tonight for all missionaries who were having their last Sunday today. Only 222 are leaving, which he said is a small group, but they are headed to all parts of the world. The MTC administrator, Brother Heaton, talked at the fireside on repentance. It was unusually good and thought provoking. He used Alma 26 quite a bit and pictured it as a positive experience with blessings.

Just for me I'm sure, Pres. Boone told us we are to be strictly neutral on politics. Being shielded from the world here without thinking of my usual political concerns is a good feeling. We will soon go into the world, however, and among us, all deal with every situation imaginable. For now it's just nice to be uplifted.

A Little of Everything

(Guess you know what the statue is about. This is in back of the Wilford Woodruff building where most things go on for us--eating, learning in large groups, entrance to the MTC, the chapel where parents go one way and new missionaries go the other. Hate publishing pix of me. Dad says I'm not as heavy as the pic--isn't he sweet? I almost believe him because none of the women in the pic of our small group are as heavy as they look either. What I'm wearing really isn't missionary attire except for the black jacket. Some women have just what I was looking for and couldn't find while others are even more casual than I am here. I took the chance because it's P-Day.)


Enjoyed nearly a three-hour gathering this morning of welfare services missionaries. The stories, instruction, promises for us and our families, and testimonies (Brother Jensen called on one half of each couple--a man and a woman at a time; Dad was chosen.) were one more round of inspiration and uplift with quite a few tears flowing from me again. We will be in smaller groups next week.

We bought detergent, dryer sheets and a laundry bag at the bookstore and did our laundry in the afternoon where we talked to the Higleys who will be an office couple in Washington DC North. The elders there had their scriptures and practice material not wasting a minute while their clothes were being cleaned. Also walked around and sat on benches outside while waiting. One elder approached asking permission to practice his Spanish. He did really well for only two weeks. Saw another two sitting on a bench with their heads bowed in prayer. Wanted a picture but thought it irreverent to take it. These young people are so amazing with their commitment to the Lord.

We've read scriptures and from "Providing in the Lord's Way" in between good meals (we'll miss the food and having it prepared).

First and Ten, Do It Again, Harder, Harder

(Just trying to show a litle of the scenery which we enjoy daily. At the top is "Y" Mountain, which looks higher in person than in the picture. We were at the edge of the MTC to take it. We took all the pix today of the blogs posted through now except the one of our small group Friday. Hard to think of pictures when we are so busy with everything else.)

The title certainly describes one aspect of this week. The amazing thing is that we actually made the touchdown. Probably missed the extra point. Now that I can look back without so much stress, I see a spiritually inspiring, rather unbelievable week of intense but uplifting training. Whoever is in charge has conceived a master schedule of events. And these young trainers taught with such spirit, knowledge, conviction and super ability. We are already better than when we came just five days ago. My tears have flowed either because my heart was touched or because of painful trembling and shaking. The Spirit caused the former and healed the latter. It is an experience neither of us will forget.

Brother Sunday, our small group leader, took to Dad's tie the first day (Alyssa's Father's Day gift). He has 160 and considers himself a tie connoisseur. He liked the purplish one for Alyssa's wedding as well. We figure him to be 23 or 24 and he is getting married August 23. He said that if any of us suggested putting him in our pocket to take to our mission, he would consider he had failed us. When I left today, I said "I don't want to put you in my pocket because future senior missionaries would miss the benefit of your teaching. I'm so happy we were assigned to you."

One teacher in the large group was a very pretty Sister Andelin. Of course, we're related. Her uncle is Brian who worked in the financial office where Alyssa worked while at BYU so she would be about a third cousin, once removed to our kids. She is much more outgoing than many of the Andelins--takes after her mother she said.

Long ago the MTC was in a single building on the southeast side of campus. Now it seems a campus all its own sprinkled with trees, grass, shrubs and flowers amidst 19 buildings. The church and missionary work are growing because the Church is the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth today. However, we have been saddened to hear that missionaries will no longer go to Russia because Putin has limited Visas to six months. We look for a positive change in the government.