Would it be too trite to say that the last two weeks have been “very full”? The last couple days in Regina did not afford much sleep. The “up side” to that is that one is more apt to sleep on the plane. Autumn claimed that Papa slept all the way from Vancouver to Korea (11 hours). As usual, she exaggerated… considerably!
What a wonderful memory our church-family made for us on September 5! Some much careful thought went into the entire morning, lunch and afternoon program. Scott has blessed us with a delightful DVD of the day. Thank you over and over. The next morning at the airport was the usual emotional parting but wonderful for the four of us. Later in Vancouver, we were blessed with the company of more friends sending us prayerfully on our way.
And Korea. What a place! Extremely modern and so welcoming. Snowy’s family treated us to such royalty and a fascinating variety of experiences. Snowy’s father is director in a huge ship-building company in Ulsan (south-eastern Korea). They build 60+ ships per year. The countryside and the people are marvelous.
We had one restful night in Singapore. I got to meet Dave Hogan. That was a treat. His Dad, Gordon, visited us in Shillong back in the 60’s.
And Kolkata… late on Saturday night. Quite a contrast from Singapore and Korea. However, we were fortunate to engage a couple taxis to transport us and all our bags to the Host International Hotel, about 15 minutes from the airport. We had a decent sleep and enjoyed the next morning in a service with Swami and Violet Das. They are few in number. Swami has a Bible school in which he has 5 students. Monday morning we thought we were headed for Aizawl but, due to cloudy weather in Aizawl (not uncommon this time of year) the flight did not leave on Monday nor again on Tuesday. So, not wishing to return to downtown Kolkata (where the airlines put us up Monday night), we took the one-hour flight to Silchar… followed by a 12 hour (4 PM – 4 AM) bus ride up the mountain to Aizawl!
Aizawl was dark, dark, rainy, and (seemingly) deserted when the bus dropped us off (with eight large suitcases and 7 small ones) on the side of the street! Fortunately, another passenger went to his home and telephoned Lalkhama who sent a couple vehicles to rescue us and deposit us at the synod Guest House, where we have been for the last 10 days.
A usual day goes something like this:
Up at 6 AM. Breakfast of cornflakes and toast in our room. Picked up at 8 AM and arrive at Silver Oak School (70–mostly boarding--students, grade 1 -1 10) by 8:45. I teach classes till noon (Monday – Friday) at Silver Oak and Tuesday and Thursday afternoon at the Mizoram University (2nd year M.A. English). Ellen usually stays at the guest house (busy with washing clothes, writing letters, cleaning up the mess we leave). Autumn, Andrew and I take sandwiches for lunch. At 2:20 PM Autumn and Andrew finish their classes and the vehicle returns to take us back to the Guest House. The Guest House is located on the south (west) end of the city while the school is situated about 5 kilometers northeast of the city. At about 5 PM the vehicle picks us up again and we go to Fela & Muanpuii’s for supper. (Lakhama owns the school, but his son, Fela, seems to do most of the operating. Supper usual takes a couple hours.
Somewhere in there the kids try to do their homework (which is in good supply over here) and head for bed by 8:00-8:30.
We have been disappointed in our inability to access the internet. However, we are discovering some possibilities that may help our communication desires. Internet is all dial-up and, of course, takes time. If you wish to use the post office: c/o Silver Oak School, Durtlang Veng Thar, Aizawl, Mizoram 796 005. I hope to soon purchase a fax machine to use from the school. The school is preparing a four-room for us on campus. The heavy, persistent rains make it difficult for the carpenters to make noticeable progress.
We are happy to be here. We are blessed with some of the most majestic scenery on earth... and the people match the landscape. We love the Mizo people. Their singing causes me to suggest that they are part angel! At breakfast this week, Andrew suggested we build some kind of a bridge so that we could just go back and forth from Canada to Mizoram!
Blessings,
Ray, Ellen, Autumn & Andrew
