More Bits and Pieces

Up close and personal right across from where we live which is up the little alleyway to the right of the building with the blue sign. We have to cross two directions of traffic (It's Sunday--today--and traffic is always a lot thinner), the one on the other side of the median, and then the road you can see. We looked to our left for traffic and right in the middle of the road came these two camels. I had Dad take my scriptures and I hurriedly got out my camera. When these boys saw me taking their pic, they headed toward us and as you can see on the right, they are right next to us. Dad was negotiating with a stopped auto and wanting me to get in because the camel didn't seem any too friendly and Dad was just a little worried about being trampled. The boys didn't smile and perhaps didn't like our taking their pix but we did and hopped into the auto and were off. Pretty cool!

I have long been interested in the scaffolding around the buildings under construction and finally got a picture of one (below). I am usually too intimidated by all the people to bring out my camera. It is made from the bamboo sticks in this closest picture--not anything I would want to climb or feel secure about. Sometimes the buildings are six or seven stories and the scaffolding surrounds the entire structure.

Note the women in sarees engaged in road construction. I see them dressed in even fancier sarees swinging pick axes in the rock quarries along the side of the road. Here the men are digging a very large hole in preparation for a flyover. The dirt is put into the wooden bowl/plate and passed from one woman to the next until the last one dumps it onto the pile at the left. Quite amazing. It will take a lot of digging for the flyover.

Entrance to a large indoor stadium where we went for a press conference for SMAAT's new filter that produces 2000 liters/hour to be used for flood and disaster relief. SMAAT is the RO filter provider for the villages we go to. This spot was an hour away by auto and Shekar left us to come back alone so that he could get a bus to his house. It was the most harrowing ride we have had. Dad said while riding, "No one would believe this if they weren't here." I worried too because we had to make so many turns in every direction to get home and had no idea where we were and no live cell to call should we get stranded. But just the ride was pretty unbelievable, narrowly missing so many pedestrians and other vehicles. The driver wasn't giving an inch to anybody and had an auto with a little more power than usual. When we finally turned on to Raj Bhavan Road and eventually saw KFC, we knew we were OK.

The elders loved my breakfast of banana walnut pancakes, scrambled eggs and fruit salad. From left Elder Leckington, AP (stayed over from zone conference to do splits since they can't do any in Bangalore anymore), Elder Mackay (high school wrestler from San Diego, new), Elder Moses (Utah, zone leader), Elder Hatch (Scottsdale, AP, related to Snowflake Hatches), Elder Nixon (football player from Washington, D.C., new), Elder Tyler (Wyoming, zone leader). They are all very impressive .

Sister Arza (India, new) Veronica (pronounced with a long "o" and just baptized), and Sister LeFevre (Utah, the one adopted in family of 14). These sisters are very shy with very small voices around most of us but are fireballs when it comes to teaching investigators.

Bits and Pieces

We're on the roof of LVPEI having lunch before joining them in a low vision conference. We've pictured Sam before (great guy), Beula is in charge of the project we had approved and Sarika is the head secretary for Sam. The views from the roof are of the city and the one with the close large building faces toward where we live about 10 minutes by auto away. (Autos don't go very fast usually--not enough oomph--but they can squeeze into little spaces!)

These young men showed up at FHE yesterday and we had a great time. Front row is Mahesh, Vasanth, Pavan, Ezra. Second row: Raj (non-member, non-English speaking friend of Vasanth), Israel, Kiren, Themsen. Back row: Elder Singh, Elder Singh II and their investigator Naryna. Both Singhs are from America, II is half Indian and brand new, both are like these young men here in that they are the only members in their families and were members one year before coming on their missions. It is so interesting to teach here because everyone looks at you with such rapt attention, nodding their heads. They love every word you say and they are so appreciative and so good. People here have such a different way of nodding their heads--sort of a "no" but it usually means yes although sometimes it means no. When the auto driver takes off without us we know his nod meant no but he uses the same nod when he wants us to get in. As Sister Kasper says, it means whatever you or they want it to mean--I don't know; maybe, etc. I'm trying to pick it up so I can demonstrate when we get home but it's not easy.

Views of the countryside while visiting villages. They vary from one minute to the next. The rice field below is one of many and where mostly women seem to work. Many village houses are built together and most are painted blue, which is a better house color in India than in America.

Shots of Old Hyderabad on the day we went to the police station to register, a requirement for all who wish to stay for a length of time. The elders said that this is where we can get pearls, as well as gold and silver jewelry, for a decent price. Hyderabad is apparently known for all these. You can't see all of the motorbike and woman sitting on it below but perhaps you can tell that she sits side saddle rather than stradling because she's in a saree. We saw a woman fall off one day. I don't know how they stay on because they don't usually seem to be hanging on to anything. Many times they are holding a baby.

Elder Tyler and Moses, zone leaders, went with us and President

John Gutty (1st Couns in District Presidency) to the police station. We had to have help for the translating. Rather interesting and lengthy experience which extended to the following Monday because the Hindus went for prayers before they could finish with us. Elder Moses is an Indian but is from Utah. Both are super along with all the missionaries here. (Had zone conference again today--what impressive young men and women (two). One of the Sisters is also an Indian who was adopted at the age of 7 by a couple in Bolder, Utah, who adopted 13 other children from India, South America, Mexico and raised them on a large ranch. Her birth mother died and her father didn't want her. She says that after coming back to India on this mission she is more grateful than ever to have grown up in America and been raised by her amazing parents. ) The two above live across from Spencers, one of the grocery stores we walk to--comforting to have someone close.

Working on Water

Rabai lives in one of the villages and also works with MV Foundation with whom we are partnering on the water project. The only English word she spoke was "Photo" at the end of our day and I had to ask Shekar to translate because I thought she was speaking Telugu. She wanted her pic with us and then it turns out her eyes are closed. She was a sweet lady and very helpful in getting us where we wanted to go and finding the Sarpanch, etc. She's also the one who directed us to the good restaurant that was so inexpensive (see earlier blog).
We have been seeing ceramic elephant heads galore along the roads whenever we have gone to visit NGOs. Then recently we saw them all painted. Last Wednesday was a big Hindu celebration for which Hindus purchased these creatures and then either put them into tents for worship or dunked them in the Tank Bund River/Lake. It's hard to see exactly what the image is in the pix but look hard for an elephant's head (two different villages). The fellow in dark glasses in front of one of the "gods" is Shekar, a member of the Church who travels with us and interprets for us, which is good except that we don't understand everything he says either but we're understanding more as time goes by. Shekar is great actually. He has helped us with so many things and the whole reason we will be able to do this water project (or try to do it).
The little girl in the village pic is one who cried everytime Dad looked at her and then hid her face in her mother's skirts. They were all getting a kick out of her reaction and so were we. She never would warm up to us.

When we walked into this building where they do weaving, Dad fell into a big hole in the floor which catches rain water from the big hole in the roof above. He said he was OK at the time but his leg has bothered him since. Other than that, the weaving was rather fascinating to watch. It takes five days to weave cloth for one saree and they get 200 Rs for it which is $5. The woman nimbly spins the thread onto the box. Couldn't really see why she has to do that but we couldn't understand the Sarpanch (who thought he spoke good English but didn't) well enough to ask plus I had sweat dripping from me like crazy and couldn't wait to get out of that building. The Sarpanch took us in his car to the building for the filter and then to their Hindu temple which they invited me to enter. I took my shoes off. It is where they go to pray--very small and very perfumy. Looks a little different from the ones pictured and is in a permanent building.

The children in this village belong to the same village that does fabric weaving (see above). When we arrived we happened to stop at the school just as the children were getting out and they followed us to the Sarpanch's house where we are taking the pix. At first they were very shy. They crowded around us because of their curiosity but were afraid to shake our hands which we offered to them. After at least 10 minutes some began to take our hands and then they didn't want to let go. The Sarpanch tried to shoo them away and I couldn't help but think of the Savior when He said to let the children come. As you can see, they are very precious. They loved seeing their pic in the camera.

Some of the water-problem villages we've been visiting have had reverse osmosis filters installed by a political party seeking votes. They used the building this village had built for us and the filter produces only about 5 liters per hour so it is basically useless. They said they would build another structure if we would give them a filter. Not sure what is going to happen. We're willing to do it but SMAAT who has the filters doesn't want to tread where a political party has been.

Best I Could Do

We saw a camel on our way to church this morning but I couldn't get my camera out in time to snap it. Then coming home we saw this one. I just barely got the camera on in time to get it's head. Then I stuck my head out of the auto to get the head-on shot. Sticking your head out of the auto on any other day could get it knocked off but as you can see the traffic is sparse--normal for Sunday. Posting just these two because I'm sure the kids will enjoy seeing it. Wish it were better--will keep trying. This is very close to our apartment. We could have gotten out and walked and I could have gotten more pix but Dad was too hungry.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I clicked the pix below while coming back to the city from visiting villages on two different days. The pix that follow are better because they show the beautiful day we had if you don't count how hot it was. Do you recognize the horses? We very seldom see these creatures.

Wish I had more specific info on the fort on top of the mountain behind this small town. You can hardly see the fort or the wall in the pix but it is all very detailed in person. We ate at a restaurant in this town and fed Indian food to five for under $4 including the tip.

These fern trees are everywhere and much prettier and lush than the pic. The terrain is very different. Parts are somewhat like Arizona with the rock formations but the ground is always covered with green here. Some areas are more like jungle.

Women here are washing their clothes by beating them on the rocks.

Just trying to picture a little scenery above. The sky was really beautiful on this trip with gorgeous clouds as you can see. We don't see this often as it is mostly overcast. The cows to the right and below were in a village as we were getting into the car.

These goats were being herded on the highway and we just drove right through them. There were hundreds in each herd and several herds.

Hard to get close enough to the cranes to see them in a picture but they are everywhere in the country and occasionally sitting on the back of one of the cows. Quite pretty birds.

Cows pulling wagons with some type of load is a very common sight on any road, city or country. I had the mistaken notion that because cows are sacred they wouldn't have to work but their sacredness just keeps them from being eaten.

These cows were in the road, also very common, before we totally left the city. Bill and I walked past some of these on the road near where we live which is very much city. I was a little nervous because we were close enough to touch them and they had horns but they all seem rather sluggish and oblivious to people or traffic.