March 4-7th

Dear All,
A quick post whilst we have internet. Connection has been very iffy for some days. First, thanks for a series of comments. Our recent e-mail has obviously stung you into action. We are very grateful and will reply to particular queries raised by e-mail.
Since our last posting we have been in the operating theatres again watching reconstructive surgery done. This a means of re-connecting people's fingers, feet and eyelids with live tendons where their muscles have been paralysed by the effects of leprosy. We saw the world's most practised and profficient reconstructive surgeon, Dr Vijaya Kumar, in action. He is much decorated for his work. He was also a very nice chatty man, cheerfully talking to us whilst cutting and sewing away merrily. He set up some good photos of it all for us. We are not puttingthemon the blog -they are not for the squeamish. We will however post some unflattering ones of us in our surgical gowns etc (not for the squeamish either) and one of all the post-operative patients , some 70 of them, in a group photo with their plaster pots on. The whole place has been flooded with folks going about with arms, feet, elbows (sometimes the nerves in the elbow are attacked) and faces swathed inpot and/or bandaging.
Dr V proved to love cooking after his 12 hour stint in surgery and cooked us up fantastic dishes here in the guest house on two consecutive nights.It was all very convivial ; we were seven around the table and in contrast to the two of us in "hill station" mode.
I preached in Chapel yesterday to a full house congregation swelled by the patients. It was a moving address in that most of them had moved out before I'd finished. Some before I'd really got started. Perhaps it's that it was in English untranslated. Or that they are Hindus. Or that they have innate good sense. I'm to do a Lent Prayer Meeting on Wednesday. I bet they can't wait.
The work for this week otherwise will be to try and get some of the long-stay patients to tell us their stories and to lead a couple of workshops for the opthalmic students. Snake-hipped young ment these, aged about 20/21, immaculate in white uniforms and black belts. On Wednesday and maybe Friday too we will go out with a team led by Dr Steven Massey from here into some local villages. We are not entirely sure just what to do. We think it is screening and education work, encouraging people to disclose and seek treatment if they suspect they may have the disease. It will be good to get off campus agin and to taste local village life.
Advance warning that we may be nearing the end of the blogging season. A week today we leave Kothara to go to Delhi and there join a group of TLM UK supporters on a 10 day tour of TLM India installations in the Delhi triangle area, plus a bit of tourism. We shall be seeing the Taj Mahal for instance. We are looking forward to it. We can't guarantee internet access and suspect the days may involve a lot of early starts and travelling. However we will do our best.
And finally..... we suddenly realised this morning that Elizabeth's back has given no trouble at all for three weeks. So, we praise God and thank you for your prayers. Funny how one takes good things for granted. We'll try and post the photos above mentioned this afternoon. Leeds United continue to slide in League One. One bloggee refused point blank to pray for them -what kind of support is that?