Mysore Excursion with the Grundys--Oct 2016

Mysore is primarily a tourist destination located about 3 1/2 hours south of Bangalore.

We first saw the Sri Ranganatha-swamy
Hindu temple at the end of a street lined with vendors of souvenirs of all sorts.

Elder Grundy joins in song with a street singer...

This is the Dasara Festival. Buses are decorated as part of the festival to show people's thankfulness for transportation to Mysore.

We first visited the summer palace grounds.
The guide had a thick accent and we thought he said that the obelisk at the top right of this photo was a "Prison House". We thought it was a pretty small prison and that it might get hot inside. Then we realized he was saying "Pidgeon House" where the mail pigeons would gather an leave with the mail.
The palace is made primarily of teakwood. It is in remarkably good  condition after over 230 years.

Sister Pam Grundy and Sister Darla Newton

This is the access to the river at the back edge of the summer palace grounds.

Here is where people gathered to fetch water, wash clothes and bathe.

Then it was off to the Mysore Palace grounds.
A guy found us who had VIP tickets into the Palace Grounds Review Area. Such a deal! We could see some covered bleachers!!

We could imagine ourselves lounging in chairs in the shade... leisurely sipping cool water and waiting for the decorated elephants and a chance to see the Maharaja of Mysore.

Little did we realize that we would be in the hot sun with 5,000 of our best friends struggling to get a glimpse of an elephant or anything else except the back of the head of the person in front of us!

At last some movement...
elephants and a band began to play.

More elephants...



More police presence...

In a few minutes they were gone...

Then somebody important...we are not sure if it was the Maharaja, the Chief Minister of Communications, or who. The crowd goes wild!!

Then there is a drop or two of rain...nice.

It starts to cool down.

Then it starts to rain pretty steadily.

Not too bad. Still better than that steamy hot weather...

Now it is starting to get serious about dumping some REAL water...

People break out  the umbrellas...

Then the RAIN CAME IN HUGE BUCKETS---It rained "pitchforks and hammer handles" for about two hours!! People put their chairs on their heads to shield them from the onslaught of water!

Some people got pretty creative...

Like this policeman who used a sign tipped up to hold back the water...

Others just crawled under the bleachers and hid for a time.

By now I am sure the elephants are thinking to themselves... "Don't you guys know when to get in out of the rain? I could very well get chaffed here"

It rained and it rained...

I think I saw some guy named "Noah" head for the gate mumbling something about needing to tie down an ark...

The rain continued...

The parade mushed on...

and

We headed for the gate!

After a brief but poignant 
discussion with the police, who would not let us out of the gate, we found an auto and crammed five adults into it and found our van.

The drowned rats make it back to the hotel...

But not without a challenge getting on to the hotel grounds by foot because the van could not get there...

We had a lot of fun with Elder and Sister Grundy; we would have been lost in the crowd and drowned without them!!

It took three days to dry out our shoes.

Mysore palace and other sites at night...

A giant Ganesh statue along the road.






















The Maharaja 
and Queen of Rajahmundry...in exile at Mysore.

On the way home we stopped at a giant Banyan tree that covers three acres.

It is also called the Monkey Tree because so many monkey families live here.

Mandapeta Wheelchairs--Completed 30 Sep 2016

On 10 August 2016 we traveled about an hour by car from Rajahmundry to a village called Mandapeta to join Motivation India and Bishop Sinha and the Pastors Fellowship to assess about 50 people to receive wheelchairs. Thirty-seven are on track to receive chairs later this month.

The poorest of the poor people come from miles around to receive help.

The come any way they can get there.

They crawl through the dirt, gravel and mud.

<This man is counseled about what a new chair will mean for him and his family.



>This man is measured for his customized chair.

Both will receive new-found mobility they have never had.

Beneficiaries and their helpers wait patiently for their one-on-one interview.

A bongo band entertains throughout the day.

They are happy.

This young woman came to see what was going on...she didn't really need a chair. She had polio but can walk with her braces with a little balance help. She is a speech therapist and could use a tricycle wheelchair to get to work, but said "Give my chair to someone who needs it." She is fortunate.

This man pauses for a rest after his assessment.

It is hard work for most of these people.

This woman tells of the stroke she had three years ago.

Smiles tell it all!

On 30 September 2016 we returned to Mandapeta for a few people to be fitted to their chairs and to distribute 30 more.

At last the wheelchairs are ready to go to their new owners and families.

A man patiently waits alone for his long-awaited wheelchair... 

There were speeches by several people--including Brother Augustus, Elder Newton and Sister Newton. 

There was always someone to interpret what we said into Telugu.

Bishop Sinha expresses his appreciation for LDS Charities (top)...

Member of Legislative Assembly Jogeswarao (bottom left) expresses his appreciation on behalf of the citizens of his Mandal...


Johnson Rajasekar from Motivation India speaks of the teamwork between  LDSC, the Pastors Fellowship and Motivation India. (bottom right)

Leis, shawls, and something new...

Thank you photos framed for Elder and Sister Newton

Happy faces of some of the people who received their new-found freedom through mobility.

We cherish the time we spend with the people we can help.

A new wheelchair can strengthen the individual and the family.

Happy faces.

Happy families.


Notice the lone man in the picture above finally has his so much needed mobility! He looks comfortable in it!
<===

September 2016

We went to New Delhi and trained Elder and Sister Hubbard--from Sandy, UT. They were called as Public Relations missionaries and then also called to do humanitarian work when they arrived. 



Dr. Kamal Kumar (lower right) came to meet the Hubbards. He is our contact with officials in Delhi.

When it rains in Delhi, there is no place for the water to go...so it runs down the streets, slowing and stopping traffic.

So, if you are ever in Delhi and have a toothache, you can always go to your local street dentist and have it treated...open wide!!

In Bengaluru, we went to a craft fair and found a kurta dress for Darla a book on the history of India for Larry and some other craft stuff.

There were little children dressed up as Hindu Gods and dancing.

Families gathered to get pictures of their little ones on the stage.

Our friends, the Prathi Family, had a combined birthday party and baby shower.

Here Akshaya Prathi celebrates her 7th birthday with cake, candles and gifts.

Sister Prathi receives traditional blessings with flower petals, fruit, bangles on her arms (so the baby will recognize the jingling sounds of mother's bangles) and well wishes from family and friends.



She gave birth to a healthy baby boy the next morning!

Isaac and Newton at Whitefield Chapel

Larry enjoys the first cornbread muffin made from a mix sent in a Care Package from home!

Thank you, Laura and Michael!!

On Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016 the Rajahmundry District hosted a Couples Conference.

There were workshops on the importance of the Temple, family home evening, resolving conflicts and knowing your parental responsibilities.

Of course, there was food and fun games...
One of the games was to see how many red dots the wives could place on the face of their husbands in 30 seconds.

Sister Newton did a good job of placing 53 dots on Elder Newton's face and head!

We always know when it is Friday in Rajahmundry...
Rows of ambulances line up at the Hindu temples because large crowds come each Friday.

This week and last week is the Festival of Ganesh. Ganesh idols are displayed on the streets, in homes and in the temples. It culminates in dumping a very large Ganesh idol into the River at the end of the festival. Here is a parade in the rain just outside our apartment building.

Here is the large Ganesh idol--a human body with an elephant head.

Here is a collage of the loading of a very large Ganesh idol going onto a flatbed truck in the rain.

The boys with the drums are very enthusiastic!


They dance as well as make the noise!!

Our good friend, Luther Augustus, is shown here with his wife (yellow saree) and a friend of theirs and son from Saudi Arabia. We are at the Church rented facility above the bank in Rajahmundry.

We happened to see this mobile band playing on the street behind our apartment building. They had a really good sound...trumpets, Indian Horns, and an organ--real musicians--and VERY LOUD with the aid of several super-sized speakers and 1,000+ watt amplifiers! You can see that everything is rolling with either tri-cycles or a big tractor up front pulling it along the road with ropes and a large electrical cable between each unit.

We were walking back to our apartment from a visit with the Prathi family. President Prathi took this picture and labeled it "Family...where life begins and love never ends..."

We visited Shekar Alamury's family on 20 Sep 2016. This time both babies--Leona and Reynold--were awake at the same time and Darla was able to hold them both! They were fine so long as they did not look back at that white-faced grandma that was holding them and they could see momma and daddy!

When you can't get certain foods, it's a BIG DEAL when REAL Mayonnaise is smuggled into our apartment!!

We had tuna thanks to Amazon, but repeated attempts at getting mayo were thwarted each time.
Simple pleasures!


Thanks for the Best Foods Real Mayonnaise Michael and Laura!!

Its Sunday. We thawed out some ground beef. What to do with It?

Ahhh, Yes! Tacos--with the aid of smuggled-in taco seasoning, some sharp cheddar cheese from Bangalore, local cabbage (sorry, no lettuce) and tomatoes. And the final taste-pleaser: Old El Paso salsa from Amazon!! Oh, yes...the tacos themselves are actually roti bread. Very good!!!

Raju's birthday lunch at Dolphinn's--we had a great meal and with great company!

While in Mandapeta--about an hour from Rajahmundry--getting ready to distribute wheelchairs, we spotted this turkey; very rare in India. Looks like he hangs with the chickens.