Final Thoughts

Just like last year, I am writing this final post while in the van leaving Good Shepherd. This trip is an adventure for me. I get to see a foreign land and meet new people. However, I have to always remember that it is real life for them. After I return to my sterile world in the U.S., these people will still be living a very hard life. Sometimes it takes a trip like this to remind you that we really do live in the Beverly Hills of the world. Of all of the people living all of the different lives around the globe, mine is pretty good. With such a life comes the responsibility to keep an eye out for your brother, whether he be across the street or across the world. I need to thank Julie for holding down the fort. (Talk about being a lucky man.) Thanks to Dean Mausolf for letting me tag along on this adventure. Thanks to everyone else who has been gracious enough to express an interest in the trip. See you soon.

Evening Dinner

Last night, we held a dinner for the children and staff members at the mission. We also had the opportunity to give them gifts of clothing and blankets. It was a big deal for them to get a meal of meat, as opposed to their normal rice diet. I also learned that we brought enough funds over with us to buy a water purification system for the mission. I wish all of you could personally see their gratitude for the help. Believe me, they don't take it for granted. While we are at it, let me thank all of those who gave a few bucks for me to bring over. I am grateful to have friends and family that are willing to help support a cause that is dear to me.

Good Shepherd Mission

The Good Shepherd Mission.

Hiking Indian Style

Some of you might have heard me talk about a strange rock formation overlooking the mission. We hiked it last year, and a few of us got up early to hike it again this year. Again, we had shoeless Indian escorts who insisted on leading us to the top while bringing us hot tea.

The Monkey Incident

India has wild monkeys. I knew that before coming over here. Westerners are amused by them, Indians are annoyed by them. I was in the amusement camp until today. The dining area for us is on the second floor. It is open-air, with one long table down the center. While having breakfast, a monkey came to the rail. Someone yelled at it and got up. Unfazed, the monkey then jumped over the rail, ran by the table and scurried through the living quarters. He ran quickly out the other side. Apparently, while we were at the medical camp, the monkey went and got the rest of his posse. When we returned, the dining room was a wreck. Chairs were overturned, the table cloth was ripped off, and trash was thrown about. So, if anyone sees the above-pictured monkey, please contact the Puttur Police Dept.

Tuesday

Today we held a medical clinic at a local motor vehicle inspection station. I thought it was some kind of joke, but here is the sign to prove it. Since it is evident that they don't do a lot of inspecting, they had plenty of room for us. As you can see from the pictures, we had another good crowd. There were over 125 kids that received shots. There were over 300 adults that received a doctor visit/medicine.

Look Closely

I hope you enjoy this photograph.

Bala

This is Bala, and he is our driver. He is 28 years old, and he was raised at Good Shepherd. Driving is his full time job. To give you an idea of his skills, you first need to know about the traffic. It is a madhouse. No one stays in their own lane, and everyone is constantly weaving around each other. The horns are in constant use. To add to the degree of difficulty, you can throw in a few hundred pedestrians along the edge, some potholes as deep as canyons, and a handful of stray cows. While driving, Bala is on full alert. I'm not kidding about this. He doesn't turn around, he doesn't use his phone, and he generally doesn't talk. His focus is the road. When he is not driving, I have learned that Bala is in an arranged marriage. He has two kids, ages 3 & 5. His wife is a nurse. Bala lives in a neighboring village. He has to walk a few kilometers to catch a bus, then take a 40 minute bus ride to get to Good Shepherd. It is too far to go home each night, so he spends several at the mission.

New Law Firm

In order to deduct my expenses for this trip, I had to open up an office in Puttur. Here is a picture of my 4 new law partners.

Stories From My Youth

I had a chance to tell the kids some stories about my youth. Here is a picture of their response.

Monday

Today we did a medical camp outside of Kolladam. It was held at a school. Kolladam is a very poor village several miles from Puttur.

The school was a one story cement building. The rooms were remarkably bare. The kids were excited and well behaved. They had a small computer lab with an electrical generator right in the room.

In honor of my ladyfriend, Julie, I took a number of pictures at the school. Enjoy.

New Year

Celebrating the New Year is a big deal in India! On New Year's Eve, they hosted a church service here at the mission. It started about 10:00 pm and included a lot of singing, a few guest speakers, and some holiday fires. There was no countdown, but around midnight, we got up and wished everyone a Happy New Year. After that, we sat down until the service ended at about 1:30. The next day, we went to a local church in Puttur. It was tough to follow because they generally spoke in the native language. The service was followed by a program where the church children sang and danced for us. A number of the kids have learned to say "Happy New Year" in English. It is a big deal to them, so they say it ALOT. Because of the holiday, we did not have a medical camp. We are back at it tomorrow.

Friday, December 31st

Today we did a medical camp at Karvetinagar. (Yes, I spelled it right.) When we arrived, we walked between two rows of school children. They had all learned to say "Happy New Year" in English. It was neat. Again, we provided hepatitis shots. We don't know the exact number, but my guess it is similar to yesterday. Here are a few pictures. As you can see, it can get crowded.

Breakfast

Staying with the food theme, I thought I would send a picture of breakfast. In the first picture, four of the children are hauling a pot of rice from the kitchen area to where the boys eat. As you can see from the second picture, the boys sit on the floor and eat their rice before going to school. After finishing, they wash out their pan/plate and take it to school with them.