so what are some other things that we have done here?

more random ramblings….

angel, marcella, and i stayed with a host family. one of the manav sadhna folks (suresh), his wife, his 1.5 year old son, and his mother live in a small apartment on the 4th floor of a building. they welcomed us into their home and immediately said, please make this your home. you are no longer guests, you are part of the family. they cooked for us, talked with us, showed us their wedding pictures. their little son, Satu, was so adorable. they’ve taught him to clench his fist and yell out a cute “YESSSS!”. anything we needed, they provided for us. it was overwhelming. they had relatively little, but gave everything with open arms.

there are many people who try to help and do service for others. we helped a couple of german fellows who were constructing a shelter out of bamboo for people either waiting to pick up their kids from school or who are just walking by.

some of the best things that i have seen is how everyone inspires each other. supun, angel, and i helped with the re-building of pravin’s house in the slums. we did fairly simple tasks, moving bricks and sand for mortar. but thru these small acts we were able to make a fairly large impression, i believe. when we needed to unload the bricks, it would have taken much longer to carry them person by person. instead, when neighbors saw what we were doing, they were inspired to help make a human chain that moved the bricks like a conveyor belt.

and the generosity from manav sadhna and nirali and everyone is just amazing. we haven’t payed a single rupee yet for our accommodations and almost all of our meals. they have taken care of a lot of the transportation. they have connected us with unbelievable opportunities for service. and at the same time, they have their own programs working this whole time, educating the children in the slums, providing food and health aid for them, etc. but they don’t make the children dependent on them. instead, they educate them and teach them usable skills for vocations.

on a random note, the music, song, and dance in india is amazing. everyone sings and dances, and they do it without hesitation or embarrassment. rather, it is done with pure joy and heart. i will never forget their voices and spirit.

albert