Well, I'm sorry, but it seems a whole week has gone by since I have been able to blog. Most I have just been busy and a couple of days internet problems.
One thing I may look forward to as I come back is to be able to lie in the mornings beyond 6.30 a.m.! that's also a luxury here up at 6.00 most days. Sunday 10th the service was at 7.00 a.m. here at St Michaels. This Sunday I was going to Asansol to preach there, it was an 8.30a.m. service so I had thought may be a small lie in - but no. I am informed that the car would be ready to leave to take me at 7.00 a.m.!! It is one of the local churches but it take an hour to get there and yesterday morning the heavens opened with terrential rain and thunderstorms and they lasted all day.
St Paul's at Asansol is very much an English Church - built as many in England by the Victorians in 1875. Many signs on the walls are of English people and the service I took part in is taken in English.The presbyter's home, opposite the church, where I had breakfast after the service, was also built then and the ceiling heights are typical Victorian high ceilings. I also forgot to take pictures yesterday, mainly due to the rain. I shall be there again Good Friday helping to lead the 3 hour service and doing three of the seven talks on the seven sayings Jesus said on the cross. Hopefully the weather will be better and I can get some then.
Obviously the electricity going off and on in the service is a regular feature too - nobody took any notice - as I read the Gospel reading I did move nearer a window though to see. No good standing a the lectern the mic wasn't working either.
I have planned out with the Bishop the next two to three years, spending more time here really building up a good music base. I shall return mid-April but return here in September, and then again at least another three times.
My next challenge with the children is to provide all the Easter music at the centre and church in Purulia where there is the Leprosy Mission. It is a 3 hour drive so we will stay overnight. The children are really looking forward to this and the chance to stay away. It is at present the only other centre that has a hostel. Eventually there will be hostels at all the centres.
This week is exam week for the younger children and the older ones next week. If they do not pass they do not go up a class but repeat the year - so each class has a variety of ages in and there are between 60 and 65 pupils in a class. So I have spent quite a lot of my time helping with revision - spelling tests, English language, history and geography - not the Hindi or Bengali though.Most of the younger children are in St Michaels School, just behind the compound here, which is an English Medium school, where the majority of teaching is in English. Without being able to speak, read and write English then they will not be able to get a good job. It is the one language spoken all over India.
So life goes on - the dustbin man comes most days
He cycles in a blows his whistle. Goes round to the different bins and the children bring the bins out of the hostel to empty.
These tricycles seem to carry anything and everything on them. Sometimes hard to see that they is someone there pedalling. Often have people plus goods on them. This one on site was very busy moving things around the site before the Thanksgiving weekend.
One thing I may look forward to as I come back is to be able to lie in the mornings beyond 6.30 a.m.! that's also a luxury here up at 6.00 most days. Sunday 10th the service was at 7.00 a.m. here at St Michaels. This Sunday I was going to Asansol to preach there, it was an 8.30a.m. service so I had thought may be a small lie in - but no. I am informed that the car would be ready to leave to take me at 7.00 a.m.!! It is one of the local churches but it take an hour to get there and yesterday morning the heavens opened with terrential rain and thunderstorms and they lasted all day.
St Paul's at Asansol is very much an English Church - built as many in England by the Victorians in 1875. Many signs on the walls are of English people and the service I took part in is taken in English.The presbyter's home, opposite the church, where I had breakfast after the service, was also built then and the ceiling heights are typical Victorian high ceilings. I also forgot to take pictures yesterday, mainly due to the rain. I shall be there again Good Friday helping to lead the 3 hour service and doing three of the seven talks on the seven sayings Jesus said on the cross. Hopefully the weather will be better and I can get some then.
Obviously the electricity going off and on in the service is a regular feature too - nobody took any notice - as I read the Gospel reading I did move nearer a window though to see. No good standing a the lectern the mic wasn't working either.
I have planned out with the Bishop the next two to three years, spending more time here really building up a good music base. I shall return mid-April but return here in September, and then again at least another three times.
My next challenge with the children is to provide all the Easter music at the centre and church in Purulia where there is the Leprosy Mission. It is a 3 hour drive so we will stay overnight. The children are really looking forward to this and the chance to stay away. It is at present the only other centre that has a hostel. Eventually there will be hostels at all the centres.
This week is exam week for the younger children and the older ones next week. If they do not pass they do not go up a class but repeat the year - so each class has a variety of ages in and there are between 60 and 65 pupils in a class. So I have spent quite a lot of my time helping with revision - spelling tests, English language, history and geography - not the Hindi or Bengali though.Most of the younger children are in St Michaels School, just behind the compound here, which is an English Medium school, where the majority of teaching is in English. Without being able to speak, read and write English then they will not be able to get a good job. It is the one language spoken all over India.
So life goes on - the dustbin man comes most days
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