TICKET?
I was sitting very relaxed munching some very tasty mixture with plenty of nuts and plums from Ganga Sweets of Anna Nagar, Chennai, which was given to me the previous day during RHS Board meeting. The train sped on ........... I was seated on the side seat... Suddenly the curtain was lifted and a dark complexion, BIG male person asked in a commanding tone - "Ticket " I left the tasty mixture aside and drudged into my purse and produced the ticket. I realized that he was from the ticket checking squad. He stared at me and then at the ticket and with the same commanding voice said "Identification Card?"
I said "What Identification?"
He said: "Your Identification."
I said: "I do not have one with me now."
I was a little nervous by now and he poured question after question; "What is your age? What is your date of Birth?" .On and on... I promptly answered every question of his and then hesitantly said: "I am not travelling on any concession and I do not think any women will tell more than her actual age." With the same commanding tone he said: "Humm" and stared at me and walked away. To me it was a horrifying experience, for a few minute I sat stunned and then the whole episode hit me back and I smiled to myself -- "O.K. I don't look my age! Good and I thanked the Lord for keeping me well all these years."
The moral of this incident to all who are reading this news circular is: We are living in the days of rapidly changing computer world and before we all become numbers, let us faithfully carry our identification card or Voter's card with our age on it!
This month many new avenues of work opened up. I am selected by the Government of Orissa to be on the Judicial Board of Lok Adhalat [People's Court]. I have attended 2 Lok Adhalat so far and made many new contacts in the Government circle.
In this month, with the request from the Government from 2nd to 8th March, culminating on the International Women Day on 8th March, a series of Legal Awareness meetings were conducted in very interior villages by RHS staff. The report was well received by the Government. If any of you want to get the report please let me know.
I was invited for the planning meeting of the Government. It was a 7 hour-long meeting with a short break of 40 minutes for lunch. The District Collector and the Government Officials discussed Medical, Development and Educational issues of the district. The present collector is interested in making roads to all the "Cut Off" Areas and he said in the next 3 years all these areas will become "Connected" Areas. Moreover he was interested to know the reason behind the high drop out in schools here. RHS Staff are now doing a house-to-house survey of all our contact villages to find out why among tribal children age 5 to 8 years, there is 80% drop out. The report will be submitted to the Government on 15th of April 2005.
Our missionary Dilip Bagh had to survey villages and do village maps and examine each person in the villages and identify the dental needs of the people, as he has now been trained well by CMAI. To this day there is not even a single dentist in the entire district. So his services along with Sopon Hembrom trained by India Partners is a BIG asset to the people here, especially those who are in interior areas, as Dilip himself stays at Rabaguda, a Koya village that still has no approach road or electricity.
These projects did not deter RHS staff from presenting Jesus' Love and His Saving Grace. In fact even inside the prison and for the Bamboo Basket weaver community at Medhri Sahi, video shows were arranged, by using VCD on healing of the Blind man by Jesus, Good news and Barabas, which were got from IMS missionary Kennedy.
RHS chipped in this month where ever and whenever the need came up, keeping with the Ethos of RHS to "Reach the Unreached - Reach completely "
All these projects were not budgeted in the last financial year, as these needs of new work areas were not there then. We could not wait for the next financial year to start, as these are time bound projects.
God has helped me to be now on the College Board, the medical Board, ZSS, Judicial Board, Social and Welfare Board, Development Board and a few other meetings... as God has helped me to be here for the last 33 years, the Government makes use of RHS services but as this is a missionary organization, they cannot help us financially, But this is a big asset as we can go into interior villages on official capacity when the request is from the Government. All these projects led us this month to go into a financial crisis. Responding to my last request, some have given sacrificially. We at RHS are praying that the deficit would be soon met. So please pray much and chip in if you can.
Please pray for Mahender who is the brother's son of missionary Prakash, who sustained multiple fracture of his hand due to a fall from a tree last week. Mahender has been operated yesterday and a plate has been fixed in his hand, at AMG Hospital Vizag. The doctor expects complications. Please pray for a perfect cure and also we need to raise all the money needed for the treatment. This will be around Rs. 17,000/-, including the surgery, doctor's fees, expensive medicines and hospital stay.
Remember the Ticket episode and carry your identification card, more than that the Identification that you are a child of the Living God and radiate His Love to all whom you come across today.
Thanks a ton for your constant prayers and financial support.
Closing with Love and Prayers,
Yours in Christ,
Iris