Safe in the Arms of Jesus

In the wee hours of June 26th, Anut Sybil slipped into the arms of her Saviour Jesus. She was taken peacefully in her sleep.
Family, friends and church people were contacted and we had the funeral yesterday afternoon. As per our custom we have the funeral within 24 hours unless we have to wait for people to travel a great distance.
It has been a very heavy 36 hrs time period for us. But we had the love and support of God 's people and most of all the presence and comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you very much for your prayers.We need them all the more.

My Stress Busters

The following are my stress busters
Music
Reading
Cooking
Blogging and web surfing
Walking
Room fresheners and incense - aroma therapy.
Visiting with friends
My pets
Enjoying nature
When I was younger writing poetry was a way to release tension, but now I don 't write poems anymore.

What are your stress busters?
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This is a cool video I stole from a friend 's blog. Even though I am going through a tough time ,this song brought a smile.



Please keep praying for us. Aunt Sybil is in not doing well. She is not suffering or in pain but is very very weak and not eating much she can 't express herself very well.Each hour brings a fresh challenge.It is very hard.I don 't have words to describe it.I am feeling very lonely as my dear sisters are very far away, I can only talk to them on the phone.
God is giving us grace.He does not leave His people.
Even though I walk through the valley of death. Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.Psalm 23

Sunday Blessings - Family - Menagerie

It rained quite a bit but not during church time, so Mama could go..
The Lord came to our rescue so mercifully.Since the past 10 days Aunt S was having a health issue and I was trying all known treatments to no avail. The Lord answered my prayers on Sunday afternoon.
God tests our faith, sometimes the furnace is heated up to three times and when our testing is over He reaches out and rescues us.This process develops patience and endurance in us and enables us to comfort others who are in a similar situation.Although at that time it is not pleasant at all.
I 've been listening to my old 80s and 90s music tapes of The Imperials and Petra.Remember The Imperials anyone? I only have one tape of theirs which I copied from someone. This song is great. Altho like I the taped version.
I am also reading messages by Dr J Vernon McGee.I grew up on his radio program. Now he is with the Lord but his program still goes on.
I just the 'old time religion ' music and messages.
Mama and I relaxing in Dr Connie Buck 's home in the Himalayas.I was a High School student then.Those retro style frames are back in vogue now
Today, June 23rd, is Mama 's birthday - 77th. We are having a tea party with our Pastor 's family and Aunt Virginia. My other aunts want to come but because of the rains they are unable to.
Happy Birthday Mama!

The pictures below were taken several years ago.This is Namrita (L) and me sitting on our doorsteps with Jackie our Lab,Judy and Rambo our German Spitz , our pet parrot in a cage and our servant 's goat kid.All of our friends have gone to animal heaven.


Mr and Mrs Dove were our daily visitors.We gave them cereal to feed on.They came right inside the house and our dogs wouldn 't bother them.One day they flew away and did not come back.

The Last (S) nail in the Door

Thank you for your prayers dear friends.Coping with rapidly declining Aunt Sybil has been hard but because of your prayers and encouragement I am developing load bearing strategies.I have to be patient with myself , first of all ,as I severely lack the qualities of Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Fry.
Its been raining continually this week too.No sun at all. Brought the temperature down , but the dampness is not welcomed. And although the monsoon brings relief from the heat and drought it has its downside because we have to face problems regarding infrastructure, transport, water logging, monsoon diseases.Pretty good list eh? But Praise God we have been protected.
The rainy season brings a number of guests into our garden, like this little snail.And you know what he 's saying?
BE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR, KEEP AWAY FROM ME!

Well, that some snail talk.
Two days ago Mama spotted a peacock in the garden. By the time I could get my camera out it flew away into the trees and lost it.
I 've enjoyed reading and commenting on your blogs dear pals and also discovered new ones by westerners travelling in India.

Sunday Blessings - Family Men

Just can 't resist posting this picture of my Papa eating grapefruit with 4 or 5 year old Mahima (now going to be 16). This was a relaxing winter morning activity for both of them. Below is Prem with Ashish in the New Brunswick snow.

Its been raining since the past few days.Our monsoon has arrived early.The weather has cooled down a lot.To celebrate I made spicy stuffed fried bread called kachories, very popular in India.The photo is from the web, but mine looked similar.

Please pray for me. I am struggling with my elder care duties. Aunt Sybil 's pain is much less, but she can 't walk much, has to assisted in every way.Her mind also is slowing down rapidly. I have to do all her thinking and physical work. Causes a lot of strain and I just about fall pieces.Please pray for me.

I am reading "The Five Silent Years of Corrie Ten Boom" by Pamela Rosewell.This Englishwoman was Corrie Ten Boom 's constant companion in the last 5 years of her life. Its an inspiration for all those who are caring for the elderly and the handicapped.I must confess, sometimes the book kind of scares me but at the same time to encourages me to go on.

The book begins with Elc. 3;1 (Bible)

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven".

I firmly believe in this.

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By the way, Papa and Mahima used to like their grapefruit with sugar sprinkled on the top. I like mine that way and add a little salt and pepper too.How do you like yours?

Smiling Saturday

Above are aniseed flowers. They look so pretty.

Happy sunflower smiling for you.

These photos were taken earlier this year.

You Are My Hiding Place

I would like to wish all Dads Specially some great Dads which great blogs

Tony
PaPa Tom

Curious Servant

And my BIL Prem

God is our heavenly Father, originator of all feelings of fatherhood.

Whenever I think of a father, I think of a father being a Hiding Place for his children.

I have posted the following song about our Father God being our Hiding Place.

In God 's Clinic

My friend Terry who is very talented in composing photos did this for me. Thank you so Terry, you are a diamond and Felisol our Norwegian ruby.

These are flowers from our March garden.

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Since the past few weeks my feet had been very sore and I could hardly stay mobile. I was struggling a lot, changing shoes and slippers every few hours, but nothing helped. Two days ago I went to a homeopathic store and told the doctor about my pain and bone growth of the left toe, the soles of my feet are very sensitive. He gave me Calcarea Flour 6X and I got relief after just one dose. Praise God.

This afternoon Aunt Sybil had a fall, she just slipped, the bones of her feet are misshapen so she has trouble walking. Thank God no bones were broken but she has a lot of pain.I have given her a pain-killer and rubbed inflammation cream on her right side and back.Please pray for healing.

Please pray for Prem and Anju 's Shri Lankan friend who lives in New Brunswick.. Ruan 39 has been diagnosed with stomach and brain cancer.

Kumari is a school teacher.They have 3 very small children.He is going for radiation therapy in Moncton. Ruan has strong faith and believes God will heal him.

I was telling someone our bodies are not eternal but our souls are, and God knows what we need. We are all in God 's hands. let us lift each other before the throne of grace.

Luck?

This morning as I was having my Quiet Time my mother came to me saying last night she had seen the follwing story on a news channel and sure enough it was in my newspaper too . Obama turns to Lord Hanuman for blessing
It is surprising and unusual, but true. The Democratic Party's presidential nominee for the November elections in the US, Barack Obama, is seeking the blessings of Hindu God Hanuman in his battle for the White House
BARACK OBAMA, the 46-year-old Illinois senator, who emerged victorious in an epic 17-month long electoral battle for Democratic party nomination, by defeating his rival Hillary Clinton, carries a ’tiny monkey god’ with him for good luck. It apparently represents Lord Hanuman.
A recent photo posted on Time’s White House Photo of the Day collection shows that Obama carries with him a bracelet belonging to an American soldier deployed in Iraq, a gambler’s lucky chit, a tiny monkey god and a tiny Madonna and child.
According to the posting, "That tiny monkey god, of course, appears to be a statue of the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman. However it has not been identified by the editors and the photographer as such.
Obama’s father was a Kenyan and mother a white woman from Kansas. The initial days of his life were spent in Indonesia where Hinduism is a popular religion.

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The Bible says in Exodus 20,3,4
3You shall not have other gods besides me.
4You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth

These are the first two commandments.
Jesus said in John 4;24 "God is spirit and those who worship Him , must worship Him in spirit and in truth".
We cannot share faith in the God of the Bible with other gods and philosophies.Jesus is the ONLY way, truth and the life.
My friend (philosopher, writer and international speaker)and elder brother in Christ, Vishal Mangalwadi has wriiten several books about eastern religions and Christianity and Indian social issues.His CD series entilted Must the Sun Set On the West ? deals with the changes taking place in Western society. He is also making a film called The Book of the Millenium, showing how the Bible and Christianity have shaped history.
Please check out his website, I have linked it.

Sunday Blessings - Visitors

We had evening service , but all morning visitors dropped by. First, an Indian couple from Malaysia who lived there for many years and now have returned to teach at the Christian University.It was a time of reviving old memories of fellowship. Then came two young interns (girls)from the Medical College.Everybody had cookies, cake and orange squash.
I feel so humbled after reading your comments on my post entitled Mahima's Milestone.
I am a very weak person and fall short of the glory of God.Mahima must have seen me like this - and said," If Maasi can be a Christian, so can I".LOL.
Jesus can transform us into His workmanship for His namesake Right? We just have to come to Him the way we are.

I bought this cup many years ago and another one like it with balloons on it to give as a gift to my English friend Ruth.

Thank you Curious Servant of http://jobstale.blogspot.com/ for locating me on Google Earth. I rather significant after looking at the photo.

Just want to mention here a www friend of mine started a blog here please drop by and say hello for encouragment.

The Third Horse

I have been reading the Book of Revelation (last book of the Bible) for my Quiet Time and its been a time of reflection,worship, interpretation, learning and trembling awe.Seems so many events prophesied for the Last Days are taking place.This is not a theological discourse involving time-lines and dispensations etc, just my own musing..

In Chapter 6 the seven seals are opened and 4 horses released.As the entire world is suffering from the Global Food Crisis and increasing inflation I wondered if the 3rd horse is roaming on the earth.Maybe a trailer of what 's to come.

Revelation 6;5-6
"When he broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature cry out, "Come forward." I looked, and there was a black horse, and its rider held a scale in his hand.
I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures. It said, "A ration of wheat costs a day's pay, and three rations of barley cost a day's pay. But do not damage the olive oil or the wine" NAB

UN reports that people in Africa and Asia are suffering due to food shortages and inflation. We 've been hit too.Our petrol and cooking gas has gone up and all staples and food items.

In my opinion the world markets will not adapt to us, we have to change our life-style and adapt to them. I am trying to delete from my shopping list everything which can be avoided.

But then as life is short, we like to have dessert first, so I baked a chocolate marble cake ( sent some for Sonia 's husband) and got those very expensive apricots for Mama.Take a look.

Rain Dance

The weather cooled off this evening with a dust storm followed by rain.Really refreshed the body and soul.

Here is Abner performing a rocking rain dance. They are leaving early tomorrow morning.

The Lord knows we are in need of water. In the neighbouring villages the wells, ponds and canals have dried up.He sent us this respite.

Mahima 's Milestone

Last weekend my neice Mahima got baptised in her church.
Prem, my BIL called up and told us about it. In her testimony she said that she was led to the Lord by her Aunt Amrita.I was surprised as I did not remember leading her to the Lord.
When the kids were small and they used to visit India from Nigeria I used to tell them Bible stories and bed time stories. Maybe it was one of those occasions.But Praise God for it.
During our family prayers Mahima choose a couple of choruses and songs and she would say the first prayer sometimes lapsing into cute Nigerian pidgin English, which we loved to hear.In her childish way she used to repeat some prayer requests again and again and one of us used to interrupt and say,"Mahima you prayed about it before." But she wouldn 't stop unless she was sure the Lord had heard her.
Those were good family worship times.
God bless you Mahima. may you always walk with the Lord.
In the picture you can see her with her Korean friend.

Sunday Blessings - Abnerspeak

Abner watching telly Had church in the evening as the stand -in Pastor was free only in the evenings.
Its good to see how teaching in church and Sunday school creates an awareness in children.
A Hindu friend of ours came to see us.When the adults were not there Abner (Sonia 's 6 yr old son) had a talk with him
Abner: Are you a Hindu or a Christian?
Ravi (jokingly) : I am a Christian.
Abner: No you can 't be a Christian because you are wearing a temple thread on your wrist. Christians don 't wear that.
Ravi: I believe in Jesus, and I believe in all religions.
Abner: But you must only believe in Jesus.
The Bible says God will use little children to spread His truth.
Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.