Suddenly I fancy a Bacon Sandwich....

...I don't know why - I'm not driven by food (I hope I'm not pregnant!!!). Its around 7.30 am local time, I've just had some muesli with Soya milk and for some reason the thought of a bacon sandwich came into my head - ANN, GET THE GRILL ON AND SOME THICK BREAD ON 15TH MARCH!

I'm being fairly cautious about food - waiting to see how other westerners around me fare with places they  food from - yesterday for instance I was working with some World Racers and at lunchtime they went to a local eatery they'd been to before so I joined in and had a perreta (?) - a sort of broken up pancake with a tasty sauce and after making myself understood for a take out - took away a 35p 3 types of rice and 3 bags of sauces in a palm leaf (in a plastic bag). I had that at teatime but could only eat just over half - too full - so I've saved it for the local chickens who need 'chubbing up' - and no, they will not be on my menu later on!

2 Portions of 'Perreta = 49p (I couldn't manage to finish the palm leaf!)

If I'd wanted to, I could have eaten snake.
Yep, killed my first one yesterday - he kept sticking his tongue out at me and nobody does that when I have a shovel in my hand!
Actually I feel quite bad about it - I hate to see things killed unnecessarily and I may have done so. I was working with 3 of the World Race Team girls demolishing an outside toilet and clearing an area for the Indian ladies to use as a washing area when I heard the ladies and the boys screaming. So I ran over to where they were and there was a snake - about 4 foot long slithering across the courtyard amongst them. Cue SuperDave - our hero rushed into action, cornered the 20 foot python and, after what seemed hours of tussling, with the advantage changing from protagonist to protagonist (during which time I bravely stared death in the face - and laughed at ti) - strength, truth and justice reigned supreme and the 60 foot man eating, world's deadliest anaconda was no more.

Actually, I cornered it and sliced it with the shovel and then whacked it.

Like I said, I still feel bad - I don't know if it was dangerous or not so I had to do something because of the panic and if I'd let it get away, it would still be around and might be a problem - and anyway - it did stick it's tongue out at me like so many of my previous clients who'd imagined that an old copper wouldn't catch them either - good job for them I wasn't equipped with a shovel as well as a truncheon!

So - where was I before I started talking about bacon....?

Well, since arriving here late last Thursday and having to clean out the bathroom straight away - I've been trying to get a spade - a pick axe and a sledge hammer. It's taken Monday to get a shovel (no spades) and a sledge hammer and a pick axe head (no handles)!

After much deliberating on Friday and Saturday - my helper Sukumar told me on Saturday that he would meet me the next day at 10.30.

Sunday morning came and went, while waiting I was invited in to the church - it was lovely but I didn't understand a word

 - so did much of the afternoon. I walked to the supermarket and Sukumar came past on his motorbike and told me that he'd forgotten that it was Sunday and he would see me tomorrow!!!! (I'm getting used to India - gradually).

Monday - I was given 2 of the Race Walker girls (see previous blog re these wonderful teams of young people) to help me demolish a toilet and dig up a growing plot at Victory Home - so we were taken to Victory to look at what we'd already previously looked at (for no obvious reason), one of the girls felt ill so I took them to the supermarket to get some food for her and then went back to wait for the afternoon when I was given 3 other girls (that is the plan for the week). This time - progress - we went to a store, chose gate hinges, screws,  a door handle repair rod - great, something to work with - NOT.

When Sukumar came out of the shop he hadn't got the things because they couldn't provide a cash receipt!! So we had to go to another one where we went through the same process - this time successfully. Then on to another shop where we got the half tools that I can't use until they get handles fixed to them - tomorrow morning I'm promised........AAAAAAAAARGH!

That was the day AGAIN - but - I did get the internal rod for a door handle, undid 4 screws on a door handle, inserted the rod - the handle works again on both sides and they are amazed. So 3 days and 2 minutes and I have apparently achieved wonders - something that had been a real problem for ages!

This brings us to yesterday - 3 girls again, and me, and Sukumar. This time went to the local place to get handles.

When we arrived I thought that those green bamboo poles were for some sort of 12 foot flute (he was carving regular square holes along the length - I never even took notice of the ladders behind him! ('Stupid English').
(The pick axe handle was cut down to size by the way).

THEN  - the action began. Here is our project for a couple of days - demolish an outside toilet and make ready for it to be concreted over to provide outside washing slabs for the resident ladies.

Here were the girl teams:

And here is the men's team:

My 2 friends are resident boys who we had to keep a close eye on - but they seemed to have a great time helping.

And here was the end result:

 Took my first ride in an 'Auto' yesterday (Tuk-tuk) and here's the picture to prove it:

 The locals seem to be able to get 10 fat people 'in' or up to around 15 skinny people (In being loosely applied).

And finally, a picture and news of what it is all about here:

First is a photo of Kenneth when he came to Sarah's Covenant Homes back in November 2013. He was seizing so frequently that it was causing him to aspirate all his food and he had to have a G-tube placed. Nest is a photo of Kenneth today; seizures controlled and being the true boy he is, he LOVES to eat by mouth (g-tube sill used for supplement feedings.) He has beautiful chubby cheeks and is built like a line backer. Anna, his foster home mother says,"I love this sweet boy so much and am so thankful God let us keep him." So - on my 42nd wedding anniversary (Ann I love you more than ever) - my back is aching, I'm covered in dust and I'm now off to get a shower.

Home Thoughts From Abroad

                   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVXIicgSM-g
 Oh, to be in England,
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England - now!
And after April, when May follows,
And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows -
Hark! where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops - at the bent spray’s edge -
That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,
Lest you should think he never could recapture
The first fine careless rapture!
And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children’s dower,
- Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

A maudlin opening - no reason, just seemed appropriate. I will be there in April though - Spring, my favourite time of year. But NOT February - Worcestershire weather 6.6°c high and river floods! Ongole weather - 29°c high - (feel like 31°c).

I'm posting this specifically on 2nd February - the day before my son Jon's 37th birthday and 3 days before mine and Ann's 42nd Wedding Anniversary. And, before you ask - flowers have been ordered (but don't tell her in advance). 
Without their support, help and encouragement (they kept pushing to get rid of me!) - I wouldn't be out here. So please feel free to pester them concerning their dates. 
How do I plan to celebrate our big day? Digging up concrete and demolishing a smelly old outside toilet with the mosquitoes - planning to turn it into a washing and planted area.
By the way - if you hadn't noticed - I am currently in Ongole - situated in the Bay of Bengal. 
I've got a room in an apartment with 3 American young men on the World Race Team (same as the girls in Hyderabad that I'd previously mentioned). They're part of a group made up of more young women and they'll be here for a month before going on to Nepal. The plan is that over maybe 3 days, some of the girls will be able to help me. This will be at Victory Home which is where the older boys and young men live.
I travelled to Ongole with Sarah and her mother-in-law who told me quite a bit about local plants and trees - she's quite an authority and I plan to get her into my team for the buying and planning operations when we start 'planting' - I'll try to get a photo of her in action. The trip was about 10 hours long by car - much of it toll motorway. They're not a bit like UK motorways - there was so little traffic that you could choice any of the 4 lanes you want to stay in (unless someone else is coming to wards you on the same lane (!) which happened quite frequently (remember - NO RULES). 'Overtaking' was on any side that you want and if you want to 'ask' someone to let you in as you force your way through - remember to politely honk your horn.

Here in Ongole - there are a number of homes for the children each with a foster Mom. As well as Sarah - these are the ones who I stand in awe of - young, lovely American women who clearly love the children in their care. Just at random I took a couple of photos of 2 of them - they were dancing with some of their kids and weren't posing for the pictures. Meet Nikki and Marla:

And when Sarah walks into the rooms - this is her reception:

She clearly loves them all and they adore her. Sarah is a remarkable lady - she knows the intimate details of each child and would fight like a mother lion protecting her cubs for each one of them - Mother Teresa MkII

While I was here I met up with Christopher - a lad whose education Ann and I have been sponsoring. He read from a book for me various details about Indian states and their capitals - then I put my hand over the list and he recited them exactly again - the little cheat! So - I got hin to read a different section of the book (in English) and he read it perfectly! Fantastic.

There are still quite a number of such needs at Sarah's Covenant Homes - particularly at present the need of 2 specialized wheelchairs for 2 older boys who are pretty immobile and spend a lot of time lying on their backs because they cannot be supported. Such items would make a tremendous difference to their lives.

http://www.schindia.com/Special-Projects/wheelchairs-for-29-kids/

్రీటింగ్స్ ఫ్రొం Hyderabad

Just in case you were worried - I'm still alive.
For those of you disappointed by that news - I'm happy to disappoint you.

The title of this blog reads '్రీటింగ్స్ ఫ్రొం Hyderabad' - today's test is for you to look it up to understand. The language is in Telegu - which I haven't quite mastered yet although I can wave my hand dismissively and wobble my head a bit which seems to get me by.

So - what has he done so far and why hasn't he posted a blog for a while to brighten up our days.
Well, I have dismantled hand-made cots and re-assembled them:

That wasn't easy- they were made with the bases too high up nailed to the 'poles' and I had to squeeze a saw blade between the poles and the side of the base to cut the nails, to turn the poles, to tease the nail stubs out of the poles with pliers, remove the other half of the nails from the base, send for some new nails - they came back too long so I had to rescue as many of the old bent nails as I could and improvise with the too long ones when I had no more 'refurbished' nails I sank the too long ones not full in and bent the last small bit over - purfick!
Why do I tell you this? Because I've invented a new word 'INDIANUITY' derived from the English word 'INGENUITY'.
Why bother putting 3 screws in the bracket with 3 holes when one will do? Why bother putting a plug on your power drill &c when you can stick the 2 bare ends of cable into the holes in the wall using a screwdriver in the top hole to enable you to insert the 2 ends? Why bother with a drain rod when you can use a bendy piece of garden hose which might not have the necessary rigidity to push, but if you keep at it for over an hour and run water through the hose - you usually get it done in the end.In fact - as a 'skilled craftsman'(???), why bother turning up for days to finish what you started - oh, sorry, that's a worldwide builders skill.
So Mrs Benfield - all of those old, used, slightly bent nails, screws, used spark plugs, bits of wire, old plugs &c &c stored somewhere in my garage using my own Biblical filing system (Seek and Ye shall find - eventually) - DO have a potential purpose and shouldn't be thrown away - so cancel that skip that you threatened to book while I'm away!

On the cosmetic front - I have less bite marks and lumps than I did within the first days - the mosquitoes seem to be fewer generally, although whilst chiselling out cement to a waste drain cover and adding a pipe to waste water to run into the drain during late evening, the did seem to want to eat again!
It's a strange society where people seem content to sit around all day/ all night - contemplating nothing (I used to work with a few people like that though in the police). They do just sit and stare or look at their mobile phone - for hours. They don't seem to read even newspapers - certainly not books and I have found this very strange because it is such a place of extreme contrasts with very rich living and moving around very, very poor people; those at the bottom end don't seem to want to improve their situations by learning to do other things - very fatalistic it seems. I was told that they are educated by rote learning and never are tasked with problem solving or inquiring, working out things - so that's the way they stay.
This sort of makes me feel a bit of a fraud because, I came here to do whatever I might be able to help with, Sarah told the foster carers/house mothers that I was skilled in construction (!!!!!) and yet the tasks generally are so simple that even I am able to do them.

Here's a shed that I made:

Only joking - mine wouldn't be THAT good!

Then there's the drivers! The rule of the road is that there is no rule. Sounding your horn is considered courteous. This picture almost shows that they actually want it (the writing on the back reads 'Please Sound Your Horn'). They sometimes also have written on the back 'Proceed and Stop' (???):

And believe me - these drivers are very courteous - they take courteousy seriously - that's why they blast each other constantly. Someone described the traffic flow to me as 2 shoals of fish heading directly towards each other and then just merging together in one flowing movement - and it sort of is that way, albeit not so smoothly.
Driving at night is hazardous - one light coming towards you could be a motorcycle - or a car with one light - or a motorcycle/car with one light closely followed by a lorry with no lights. 2 lights coming towards you could be 2 motorcycles - one mortcycle alongside a car with one headlight working.... No lights ahead of you could mean that there is nothing, or that it is any combination of those other examples. 
Not that lights are necessarily used at night, many just don't bother!
Oh - and on a 4 lane motorway - don't be surprised if there is any sort of vehicle heading in the opposite direction for those lanes.
*********************************************
Anyway - enough about all that - the important part about the reason that I came, Sarah and her children. 
The home that I've been in is newly acquired on a 3 year lease and is specifically for children generally up to about 2 years old who are very ill. There are now about 8 there at present and as soon as the refurbishing and decor is sorted, Sarah will be taking about 20 further ill babies from the government institution where they are currently. They will be nursed and nurtured until they are old and well enough to go on to the homes where they will be with 'foster mothers' who oversee their groups in Ongole (Bay of Bengal about 10 hours drive away) - my next port of call.
One of these babys is Ruby:

The first picture shows her when Sarah received her - very malnourished and covered in boils on her head - the others show her a couple of months later having come home - 2.4kgs in weight with an arm hardly thicker than my finger! Restored to health and now in need of 'chubbing up' as Anna her foster Mom says!

 The next blog will be much sooner - I have the news already in my head, ready to go - but that'll be for the next time.
Meanwhile, from sunny Hyderabad, here is the weather for the UK:

ుడ్బై ఫ్రొం Hyderabad

It's Like Being At Home

I can get Mars Bars......

.......from 'The Spar'

This is where I'm staying at the moment - it's in the area where the film stars and government officials live'

Our House

Also where herds of goats go down the road, street dogs live and in occasional places people who live in large blue tents made out of tarpaulins, branches, rocks and goodness knows what else. 

It is a relatively posh house which will be the home for the little sick babies who will be arriving into SCH as soon as it is fully kitted out to enable her to be given them. There are a handful here at the moment and herein lies the tragedy on my first day. I'll copy and paste the sadness from the wonderful young American nurse Anna who will be the matriach:

http://www.schindia.com/2014/01/17/rosemary/

Please take the time to read it - it shows the love and dedication of those who I've previously referred to as 'Giants' that do this type of work with love, compassion and total dedication. It is sad - it was on my very first morning but 'Rosemary' is now free from pain and suffering and in The Place that is promised to us.

Simona, Sarah's incredible eldest daughter painted this flower in memory of 'Rosemary'

Fortunately - so far - apart from the vagaries of travelling and being awake for a day - my stomach is still intact (albeit getting smaller). I haven't quite gotten used to breakfast - a sort of cold Saffron type rice:

After almost a week, I've ventured to a couple of shops and bought some provisions and today had boiled eggs and toast (picture not really necessary!)

This was my first task:

And this was my second:

They have water pumped up to the roof from the basement - three storeys - and there is a large plastic barrel on the roof which feeds a concrete 'tank' underneath it. the whole thing was operated by turning the pump on manually, the barrel overfilled and usually twice a day, they flooded the roof which drained down through concrete outlets onto the driveway below and into the road. This caused problems for the Indian ladies who work here and with the neighbours who suspected that it might contain sewage. I became Suddakah's hero by explaining to him that we needed a ballcock fitted. 
That's when the puzzled look and confusion started - however, the plan was for me to sort out the solution and for them to get the plumber to come and actually do it - it's a good job that the plumber knew what a ballcock was without any gesturings - and brought his own.
Problem solved, I'm now Suddakah's hero and we're slowly working through lesser problems together - rather like The Lone Ranger and Tonto (he's Tonto!)

And with that - I think that I'll ride of into the sunset with a 'Hi ho Silver - Away!'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxIuIxqo2So

P.S.Just an update concerning the two little ladies in my previous blog who were having cleft operations, have now had their lip operations (just) and here they are - their palettes will be done later :

The other poorly new addition - Ruby, also pictured in that blog has an update (is good although I'm not sure of the shorthand medical stuff):

From Nurse Anna: "PTL! Ruby's skin is much better! Added vancomycin. No o2. no aspiration. Derm to see tom. Needs 11days iv abx"

 C. S. Lewis "We are deceived by looking on the outside of things." ~The Problem of Pain

The Eagle Has Landed!

I am writing this several days after the actual event - 00.30hrs Sunday 19th January to be exact. The reason being that upon my arrival, I was exalted as an international hero and have been feted by dignitaries and national icon figures had have been fully occupied ever since.

Oh - sorry - jet lag does strange things. Actually, the delay in announcing my arrival has been due to very limited internet access grabbed briefly at locations other than where I'm currently based - until today (well yesterday now because it's past midnight).
Friday a man came to drill a hole for the internet cable - and today a man came to fill it with cable and a router. We have made contact with the outside world and I feel like:

So - backtracking a little - I'll complete this entry up to my arrival and then shortly will add another entry to bring events up to speed.

In the event, the flights were smooth but tiring - didn't dare go to the toilet on the first plane in case I needed to leave a window open and when I got to Dubai - I thought I'd have a try - until I saw that they were squat ones! I decided to leave it and only had a number one instead and hoped for the best. 
I don't know what I'd fussed about really - getting on the right plane was easy both times - just a long wait at Dubai and nothing really to do. The pictures of it had looked nice but I wasn't very impressed with it. I watched the film 'The Lone Ranger' on the first flight - highly recommended bit of fun - on the second I watched an older Robert De Niro one - it helped to pass the time. 

What was very impressive was approaching India, we flew towards the sunrise and to see the amazing crimson and orange colours rise in a line across the dark horizon was spectacular.
On arrival at Hyderabad, they actually let me into the country and surprisingly my suitcase was there too. Having collected it - my big concern was whether the person sent to meet me would actually be there. 
As I emerged onto the street, at the back of the crowd waiting to greet my arrival (!?) was my new best friend Suddakah holding a scruffy piece of paper with 'Dave Benfield' written on it.

Suddakah is Sarah's assistant and I am his new hero (see next blog - but he's easily impressed). His English is better than my 'Indian' but we do still struggle at times (for example try explaining a ballcock to someone who looks strangely at you when you do so - again see next blog) and he wobbles his head in various directions when you talk to him (but they all do that). He bundled me into the car with the driver who takes us everywhere and we were off'

That picture will give you an idea of where he was going and where I have arrived.
To be continued shortly...........

5 days and counting....(tablets & temperatures!)

Went shopping and my haul was 2 small footballs to take, a shirt, 4 pairs of boxer shorts to sleep in and a pile of pills for 'acute' diahorrea (I've never actually thought of it as cute!?).
It's difficult to know what to take in terms of clothing - as I might have said before, my intention is to take only a few items for myself to make room for other stuff for the kids and to buy things out there. But what is available for me? My choices might be limited.

                    Wonder how I'd manage at Customs like this.

In my preparations so far - I've been robbed at needlepoint and swamped with pills for my little trip - the picture below is my medicine 'cabinet' for the 2 months (but the majority are tablets to - hopefully - prevent malaria). I'm not a hypochondriac - HONEST

Thought I'd check comparative weather forecasts for where I'll be and where I won't be:

• Weather Hyderabad
• 
  

• Jan 14
  

  Sunny and pleasant 30°Lo 14°

• Jan 15

  Mostly sunny and pleasant 29°Lo 15°
• 
  

  Thu

  
  

  Jan 16

  
  

  Sunny 29°Lo 14°

  And so on......

  Weather in Worcestershire  for the next 6 days:
  

  min 1.8° / max 9.5° min 3.3° / max 8.0° min -1.0° / max 6.8° min 3.1° / max 4.9° min 0.6° / max 6.0° min 0.9° / max 3.9°

  and so on.....
  
  Well really, does the question need asking!? 
  
  OK - the answer is that I'm really going because of these:
  

  

  
  Baby Ruby joined us a few days ago. She is so ill; her scalp and body are covered in boils. Can't imagine how horrible she feels, and yet she has little strength to cry. We got MRSA culture done for her and have isolated her and our nurses and baby-cuddlers are ministering to her with love, prayer, antibiotics, careful feeding and monitoring. Believing she'll pull through.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUfRfC3Y4JY 
  
  
  
  

“I'm not lost for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

                                       7 days and counting!!!!!
Was I frightened about the whole thing? NO
Was I nervous about the whole thing?  NO
That was when I first talked about it and right up to a few days ago.
Am now I frightened about the whole thing?  NO
Am I now nervous about the whole thing?  YOU BET !!!!

People ask me have I prepared myself - WHAT!? 
How do you 'prepare'? I'll have some packing to do the night before obviously - but I can't start that yet. I've watched plenty of documentary programmes about India over the years and worked in  a couple of UK suburbs heavily populated with Asian residents and have had dealings with them - but how else do you prepare? 
(I did have an Indian vegetable curry tonight).

There's so much of the unknown for me and I have asked loads of probably very silly questions to Sarah and some of her colleagues - they probably are now expecting a real 'Geriatric Idiot Abroad'!

Today I rang the Emirates airline booking company and discovered that I can book the airplane seats for free at any time - so with the young ladies patience and help - did so.
Seat C19 on the Boeing 777 for the Birmingham - Dubai and return
Seats B22 & B21 on the Type 345 Airbus for the Dubai / Hyderabad journeys.

I think that the only other thing still to do of importance is to buy some industrial strength Imodium and super strong Izal toilet paper (children of the '50s will know what that is!).

So - last Tuesday before take-off, tomorrow is the last Wednesday before......
Oh, it's so much easier to do nothing!!!!!

HOWEVER, I am strengthened by the encouragement from Ann and my children and their spouses - I'll be away for Jon's birthday, my 42nd wedding anniversary and Valentine's Day - so there's a lot of expense spared already!!!!!

I am further strengthened by the various news from Sarah's Covenant Homes with the achievements that these heroes do and I post a selection below so that you can see more of what has brought me to 7 days and counting:


Sarah's Covenant Homes, India

2013 was a wonderful year for SCH! Each year we draw a New Year's Bible promise out of a box; a year ago I drew this promise for SCH from Haggai 2:19: "...from this day on I will bless you." The whole year was about breakthroughs in areas where before we had struggled to see fruit (see first part of that verse). Best things that happened were the long-desired transition to foster apartments and finding a building for our critical care home in Hyderabad. What does 2014 hold? I don't know, but I do know Who holds these kids.

 And this shows what IS achieved:

Sarah's Covenant Homes, India

Check out this blog post about the transformation of one of our littlest children, Alicia! She has truly turned a corner and is looking so healthy and happy!
http://www.schindia.com/2014/01/06/amazing-alicia/

 Zahra and Caroline will have cleft lip surgery tomorrow. Please be prayin'! (7/1/14)