A Newsletter from the Thomas Family at Woodstock School in Northern India - August 2007
From Barb: After a trying year of school transitions and medical challenges, we took a much-needed vacation. This was our first non-family vacation – but I enjoyed my time with Cole in New York while Jeff and Chris traveled through northern India and Bhutan. I worried for a few days when we were out of communication, but seeing the photos of how remote Jeff and Chris were, I guess we were lucky to connect at all! Cole and his Woodstock School friend Sanskar were invaluable to me in mission interpretation visits to churches in the Hudson River Presbytery and civic groups in Ossining – hauling and setting up the sound system, dancing at the beginning of each presentation, answering questions. They also enjoyed their work at a performing arts camp – teaching Indian music and dance in exchange for dance and acting lessons. It was a delight to see dear friends again, and share news of our work. It was a humbling experience to promote our mission work and seek financial support to allow us to be long-term mission workers. I was physically exhausted, but emotionally lifted by the kindness and support of good friends. We loved New York!
From Coleman: This past summer vacation was an old, but new experience. I was able to see my home state of New York through the eyes of a complete foreigner, my classmate Sanskar Bhattacharya. I realized that I had to explain simple things like the ketchup pump at McDonalds. Or just the sheer size of everything: A small American sodawould be a large soda in India. Drinking water from the tap seemed amazing (even to me) after spending two years filtering or boiling water before it could be drunk, in order to avoid paratyphoid. Sanskar and I also noticed that almost everyone had a car and seemed to drive everywhere. Another new experience that both Sanskar and I shared was preparing and presenting to churches and civic groups about the place that both of us now call “home”. We really enjoyed being able to share our knowledge of India and Indian music and dance, too. It was good to see familiar faces and places!
From Jeff: Son Chris and I took our grand tour of northern India, with seemingly endless hours on trains and share-taxis. We visited some of my students at their homes in Sikkim and Bhutan, encountering several time-consuming but friendly bureaucratic passport and visa transactions. The proudly independent Bhutanese struggle to maintain their cultural integrity and environmental beauty, limiting tourism while also introducing democratic elections. I enjoyed the heady atmosphere of talk about political parties just now forming there. What a fertile field for study! The country is gearing up for a celebration next year of the monarchy’s centennial – road construction is endemic and dangerous, in a place where all freight transport is over a single narrow twisting two-lane fifty-mile mountain road. Yet Bhutan is also firmly a Buddhist kingdom. There are no church buildings. None. Bhutan is probably the only country in the world without a single church building. The few Bhutanese Christians – among them our students’ families – attend house-churches, and are quietly attempting to get permission to build an edifice. According to our contacts, some officials are blunt in their opposition to any Christian presence, but most officials simply cite ongoing “problems” with building permits and applications.
From Chris: Our trip east consisted largely of train travel; over 70 hours on the train total! We mainly visited 3 buddhist-dominated lands: Sikkim, Bhutan and Ladakh. Even though Sikkim and Ladakh are technically part of India, they seem far more like countries of their own. Sikkim seems less like any other part of India in terms of its cleanliness, organization, order, and a relatively low crime rate. Ladakh is a high altitude desert; it is possible to ride on camels through sand dunes, while viewing snow-capped peaks! In Bhutan, most people seemed to live simple lives, but were exceedingly happy. Most seemed unaffected by the material-dominated lifestyle of the west. In Bhutan, we went on a four-day trek with a group of college students from Vanguard and Azusa Pacific, in California. On our trek we visited the city of Punakha and climbed to 11,000 feet over a mountain pass. In Ladakh, we drove over the highest motorable road in the world, at 18,000 feet altitude. In the future I hope to return to climb Stok Kangri, with a summit at 20,000 feet! Even though we had a missing iPod charger, only occasional television, only occasional hot showers, and slow connections at internet cafes, we survived pretty well. Bhutan sells beef, so we enjoyed a real hamburger and fries there! I had a great time with my dad, and learned a lot about Buddhist religion and culture.
Updates on our work in Northern India
Thanks to the generosity of the churches we recently visited:
· We have been able to forward a contribution to the capital campaign for renovation of St. Paul’s CNI Church.
· We have been able to help Rakhi and Rajiv Maher with hospital bills, following a serious motorcycle accident. (Though they were hit by a drunk driver, there are no insurance companies involved, and it will take years to get anything through the courts here.)
· Youth bibles were purchased for a second year of Friday Morning Bible Study for tenth grade girls, led by Barb.
Prayer Requests
· We ask your prayers for the right balance between family and work, as Barb takes on new adminstrative duties as Head Teacher of Elementary School in addition to teaching, and Jeff adds an additional class on Global Issues to his teaching and technology coaching duties.
· Please pray that we would continue to be faithful to what God would have us do. We struggle with the decision to pursue more direct ties with the central denominational (PCUSA) mission board. The $48,000 amount we would need to raise seems daunting. We wonder whether it will be useful, or will interfere with our outreach work here.
Please consider a visit – mission groups and volunteers are always welcome at Woodstock School. Hitchcock Presbyterian Church is looking into a mission trip with their youth. The school has wonderful facilities for visiting groups of all sizes – and there is much meaningful work to do.
Jeff, Barb, Chris and Coleman Thomas
Woodstock School
Mussoorie UA
248179 India
Thomas India Mission Fund
Doris Kersten, Coordinator
Pleasantville Presbyterian Church
400 Bedford Rd.
Pleasantville, NY 10570