Sr. Rosemund (on the right) worked with our Palliative Care team for 10 years following retirement. An amazing nurse with a lot of practical experience. After 10 years she returned to Kerala and now lives in a Convent where they run several schools - she's 82, the eldest Sister there is 96 and still active around the house and in the chapel.
Our host for a day of touring is the mother of a CMC patient - who was successfully treated for bone cancer and is doing well, married with several children. This was her way of saying thanks! |
Our host and her daughter took us out for a nice lunch and a walk along the ocean.
Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, was the first European to travel to India, via the sea, in 1498. This is his tomb in a Kochi church.
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"I will make you fishers of people." That is not what you see here, this is net fishing from the shore - a bit more like what Jesus had in mind. A young man, with a black t-shirt and lime green backpack, walks through the scene. He rescued my cane after the wind knocked it down into a 12 ft ditch.
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This also is not what Jesus had in mind!
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Sadly, two of my CMC colleagues in Palliative Care lost a parent during this visit. The first was Dr. Shanti, who lost her father in the neighboring State of Andhra Pradesh. The day that I returned from Kerala, our chief nurse, Shakila, lost her mother. I attended the funeral service the next day and in India, clergy don't sit in the congregation, they participate in the service. I was asked to give a tribute for Shakila's mom. Both parents died unexpectedly.
My rheumatologist in India, Dr. John Mathew - at one point I had five rheumatologists - one in India, one in Kenya, one in Tanzania, one in MN and one in HI!
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A blast from the past - this was my first car (and my favorite one) in India. Purchased from a local politician. This is an Ambassador - one of two cars available in India in 2002. Any mechanic could work on it and body repair was done with a welding torch. It was built like a tank and I always felt safe in that car.
My driver of 20 years, Suren with the car I've spent many hours traveling around Vellore and Tamil Nadu with Suren. He keeps me safe and often translates for me - he learned English hanging around me all these years.
I visited the Cross School for the Deaf. The children of that school attended our English language service and they were a joy. We communicated despite the lack of a common language. I had an artist create a painting with the children and Jesus calling then to him and blessing them. Each child got a copy of the painting and one hangs in my study in the Vicarage.
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This is the new Christ Lutheran Church coming up, a congregation I served while in Vellore. The cost of this building project is projected to cost nearly one million USD dollars! That's a lot of money in India.
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