August 15,
2006 India’s Independence Day
Namaste from the Thomas Family!
While the western world is enjoying the last blast of summer and preparing for the opening of another school year, we here at Woodstock School in the Himalayas of India are well into the semester. School officially began in July, just as the monsoon rains started. Barb’s first and second graders have already dined at our house for Class Night (see photo), as Jeff’s advisor group of tenth graders will next week. We have already hosted several groups of middle school boarding students to “dinner and a movie” overnights, and Barb held her first FMBS (Friday Morning Bible Study) at the house, for our group of ninth grade girls – complete with breakfast at 6:30am! Chris and Cole have gotten into the rhythm of classes and study hall, after-school sports and weekend social and service activities. The fast pace will continue until we catch our breath at quarter break in early October.
Health continues to be a concern here. Barb will need to have gall bladder surgery soon. We ask for your prayers for a successful surgery and recovery, with as little disruption to her teaching responsibilities as possible. Christopher has been tested for typhoid and although preliminary tests came back normal, he still exhibits the symptoms. We pray for a quick healing so he does not get behind in his studies. At this writing, Cole is “under the weather” and during the monsoon, one can take that literally. It is damp and moldy on most days, then miraculously sunny and warm for a brief respite. Colds and flu-like illnesses abound. Also, “the Blues” can take hold of the spirit, and we pray for positive attitudes for us and for those around us during the three-month long rainy season.
Honestly, it has been hard to keep the faith this past year, as our hopes of being officially sponsored as Presbyterian Mission Workers have not been realized. The national church has had to admit it does not have, under the traditional organization, the money to fund new missionaries. We continue here because a small group of churches have felt God’s call to support us as they can, and for this we are more grateful than you know. While our salaries allow us to live within the Woodstock community, your support allows us to do outreach to the students, employees, and members of the greater Mussoorie community. Some needs we continue to have are:
- Family videos, DVDs and board games for use with students who visit our home.
- Craft supplies for the after-school Christian Friendship Club and for Sunday School at St. Pauls Church.
- Children’s books and audio tapes in English for the multi-lingual students in Barb’s 1st and 2nd grade class.
- Teen-age study bibles for the middle-school chapel we help lead, as well as for the high-school girls’ FMBS.
- Breakfast recipes to make the night before, for the early morning bible study group
- Prayers for positive spirits and healthy bodies.
- News from you and your church, so that we can be in prayer for you. We continue to hold you in our hearts and miss you when we don’t hear from you.
We want to better share the story of our small part of God’s work here in India, but until we can see you, our monthly newsletters, our weblog and a powerpoint presentation will have to suffice. We want to communicate with you, but to do that effectively, we need to hear from you. Please let us know if we can send you or your congregation any photos, or a short presentation, or if you have questions that we might answer in our newsletters. And let us know if your group would like to connect with some of the students here. Please feel free to contact us at the addresses below, or contact our stateside liaison Doris Kersten, at The Presbyterian Church, Pleasantville, New York 10570.
We are grateful for your love and friendship, your prayers and support. We couldn’t be here without you.
Blessings,
Jeffrey, Barbara, Chris, and Coleman Thomas
thomasindia.blogspot.com
Woodstock School
Mussoorie, U.A.
248179 India
(photo of us from Independence Day)