"I HAVE GOT A CHRISTMAS SONG!!!!!"

It has been a while since a blog admittedly but the internet here in Pagadupat has been rather poor the last few weeks. This blogs title is in reference to a volunteers dinner here on the compound. Simon and Sarah's oldest son and daughter came back from school on Thursday. They go to school 6 hours away so the new volunteers being, Hannah, Pippa and I have not met them before! They are really lovely but they have made dinner times rather lively. The other night we were all telling jokes over the dinner table, Simon and Sarah's children who have just returned were hogging the limelight with lots of long jokes they had heard at school. In an attempt to gain attention to him, the youngest of Simon and Sarah's kids, shouted at the top of his voice "I HAVE GOT A CHRISTMAS SONG!!!!!" to which in surprise everyone fell silent and he consequently sang a rather violent rendition of Jingle Bells.

Life here in Pagadupattu (Pagadupat or Pagers for short) is wonderful. School has started, rather hecticly if honest, and I am getting the chance to teach English to 9th Standard (year 9). I am absolutely loving teaching them, it can be challenging as their English is not always great and there is a large spread of ability but I am having fun! I am also teaching subjects to 6th and 7th standard.

The temperature here has cooled a bit which is nice, actually sometimes at night I wake up rather chilly. Yesterday us volunteers had the privelage of attending an Indian wedding. It was so much fun, not my idea of a perfect wedding due to: people talking all the way through, the pastor up the front reading a text whilst sticking his tongue out and the extremely out of tune fat Indian ladies singing at the reception. But I felt very fortunate to be able to view it as it is something that not everyone gets to see.

In terms of nature not much has changed around here. I had a ghecko run up my leg, Simon and Sarah's oldest son has caught a fair few lizards, Hannah had a taratula in her room which when they brought it out I saw and there is a new member to the family pets here, Orion, a horse which on Saturday escaped and ran across the Indian tribal villages. So actually in hindsight quite alot of nature has happened recently!

I have started to regularly lead prayers for the boys hostel. It has been good fun preparing things to talk about. I recently talked on God's plan, I was talking to them about things in my life that haven't gone to my plan, and I became so thankful to God for all he has done in my life, for all he has taken me through, for the strength he continues to give me. It made me really know that like Phillipians 4 v 13 says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It revealed to me that I can't do anything without him. God has so clearly planned this trip to Tamil Nadu and I feel he is guiding and growing me every day here. I am so thankful for that.

Blog Again Soon

James