Life: India and the Dalit's

You may have read a recent blog post about the Dalits, who are the lowest in Indian’s caste system. I seem to not be able to get these people off my heart or mind.  I picked up a book the other day to read called “No longer a Slumdog” by K.P Yohannon, which I knew was about India but didn’t realise it was specifically about the Dalits.

This book was a very interesting read, because not only does it inform but it also included stories from the Dalits.  These stories from the suffering Children of Asia showed the anguish they live with but also sees them rejoice in their triumphs.

“No longer a Slumdog” is also about an organisation called Gospel of Asia who have sent up Bridge of Hope Centres in India which is their way of reaching out to the Indian children and offering them Hope.

GFA Bridge of Hope is an outreach which educates children, reaching out to them especially to the lower castes and the Dalits (The Untouchables).  The centre offers the children a chance to receive an education, a warm notorious meal each school day, textbooks and uniforms, a yearly medical check-up as well as a chance to hear about Jesus and how He loves them.

Children have been transformed through these centres, however through them adults have also been transformed - in fact whole communities have been transformed by the children who are attending these centres.

A story is told about a man who came to one of the centres asking if the ‘medical doctor names Jesus” would come and help his sick wife.  This man’s son Nilbun attended one of the Bridge of hopes centres and had been listening intently to his teachers when they spoke about this man Jesus who healed the sick, cast out demons an fed the hungry.

When his mother became sick and his father was desperate for a cure, Nilbun told his father about the amazing things that this man Jesus has done.  Nilbun’s father thought there was an actual medical doctor named Jesus who worked at the centre.  How sweet is that? And how great it is that his son was listening to these stories and realised how wonderful Jesus was.

As there was no actual ‘medical doctor’ called Jesus’ two missionaries went with Nilbun’s father to help, they prayed for his wife and that God would heal her.  And the Lord, he did just that he healed Nilbun’s mother.  This great news about this miracle spread all over the village and from this not only did Nilbun’s family become Christians but so did many others in their village.  Before this no one was interested in Jesus but seeing the work that prayer in the name of Jesus did changed their minds.

Through one child nearly a whole village had hope and faith in Jesus.  To me this is amazing, through Gospel for Asia and their Bridges of Hope Centre they not only reached out to children and their physical needs, health needs, spiritual needs, they also provided hope for the families and the communities the children came from.  To this day they are still working in India among the Dalit's and others. 

Life: Two Years On

Ok this is a day late, but yesterday was the 14^th January, marking my MS birthday – basically it was two years ago on the 14^th January 2014 that I got my diagnosis of MS.  Did I celebrate? No of course not, not something to be celebrated. Did I reflect on how the last two years have been? Yes I did. And I think I have been a huge improvement from how I was in January 2014, and even how I was January 2015.

Last year on the one year anniversary I wrote that I felt I had reached complete acceptance of my illness, well thinking back I think that was not 100% true. However, I can now say that yes two years on I have now reached complete acceptance of my illness, have a peace about it and am content in my situation. Ok, that doesn’t mean that every day is rosy, no there are hard days, easy days, bad days and good days – is that not the same for everyone?

There are days I wish I was cured, days I wished I could wake up not feeling tired, days I wish I had no pain, days I wish that I did not have to take so much medication and days that I wish  MS didn’t stand for Multiple Sclerosis but instead stood for Mystery Solved meaning no more MS.  However most days I just get up and plod on with life.

What other differences from last year? Well last year I was working part time but now I am working full time, well nearly full time, I work 30 hours a week which is 10 hours up from January 2014’s working hours.

In August 2015 I left my part time job and moved to a full time job. I worked five days a week from August 24^th to November 30^th, but my body was not able to cope with this and either was my concentration etc. so I asked to go down to 30 hours a week and now have Wednesday’s off. So work two days, off one day, work two days and off two days for weekend. It is helping me. I am able to give my all at work and not come home completely sore and exhausted.

In 2015 I decided that I would get on with life, though I wasn’t really sitting on my bum for the previous year.  But I wanted to do fun things, and I did. So what did I do that was fun? Well the three highlights are:

1) I did a zip line over the Lagan River in Belfast.  It was so exhilarating. The hardest thing was stepping off the platform into thin air. My brain was telling me to stop being stupid as there was nothing there, but I did it. I stepped off the platform and went zipping across the river. So why did I do it? To raise money for MS and I raised nearly £700. Which was great, and am so thankful to all those who supported me

2)   I paddle boarded – you can read more about it in a previous blog which can be found here

3)  I went to Spain in August 2015. And despite it being stupidly hot, I had a great time and enjoyed seeing Spain (it was my first time), practising my Spanish and enjoying the culture as well.

2015 was a better year than 2014 but it has had its downs but am so grateful to God for always having me in his sight, never letting me go and containing to see me though the journey of MS as well as the full journey of life. He has opened my eyes and put some amazing people in my life so help me through. He is the one constant and I know he always will be. Despite what happens, God is always going to be there for me.

Now am looking forward to seeing what 2016 has to offer and the third year of MS. Maybe this will be the year of a cure!! 

Life: Being a Church Kid

I was recently tagged in a Facebook post about called the Twenty Signs you know you are a Church Kid. And thought would post about it but tweak it to be my own version – not sure am going to include the whole 20 signs as some of them don’t relate to me.

I grew up as a church kid, but just any only church kid, I was a manse kid – my Dad was the minister of our church.  I was sent to Sunday School every week, went to Church, then went to Children’s Church in the middle of the service, Christian Endeavour on Tuesday nights and the Bunnies, Brownies and Girl Guides.

As a MK (Minister’s Kid) I had to move church as my Dad changed his job from one church to another and of course I had to move with him. So this move meant changes and one of these was moving from the chilled out Girl Guides to the very tight and strict Girls Brigade. Gone were the days making ice cream and along arrived the days of trying to get my leg higher than my head (something I could not do, so was not ever treated like a proper Girl’s Brigadier!

My journey has a church kid continued, moved from Sunday School to Bible Class, moved from Christian Endeavour to Youth Fellowship and went to Youth Club on Saturday nights. From Bible Class I then moved to become a Sunday School Teacher and moved from being a member of Holiday Clubs to being a leader in them.

I grew up a Presbyterian in Northern Ireland, but it doesn’t matter where you grow up or in what denomination you grow up in, being a church kid is the same everywhere. Living a life with memorizing bible verses, doing sword drills etc. However despite a bit of rebelling and saying no to Jesus, I now cling to my faith, I love Jesus and have been involved in every church I have been part of (a few because of moving from Northern Ireland to England, to Peru back to Northern Ireland). I have been a Presbyterian, an Anglican, a Baptist and back to Presbyterian again. But they are all the same – they are love and worship Jesus.

So what are the signs of being a Church Kid?

1. You know who Psalty is and can still sing along to the ‘Arky Arky’ song and quote lines from the tapes – “My name is Charity, Charity Church mouse and I am on my to California to be signed by Mouse-tail records, I am going to be a Gospel singing star”

2. You know what a sword drill is. I have already mentioned this above. And no it doesn’t involve real swords – it is a competition to see who the fastest person is in finding a bible verse.

3. You had a WWJD bracelet (What would Jesus Do) .or two….or ten.

4. You had a Beginner’s Bible, a Good News Bible and finally a Youth Bible.

5. You grew up going to C.S.S.M beach missions (which in Northern Ireland where hardly ever on the beach due to the rain).

6. You loved it when you got to watch a movie in Sunday School / Children’s Church – like Magee and me.  (Which I loved and even tried to kit my bedroom out like his with the cool marble funnel he had!)

7.  You have tapes (not CD’s) but tapes in your house of music by Ian White, Michael W Smith, Petra and Amy Grant to name a few.  Then when you grew into a teenager this was followed by Delirious CD’s….. (I still play their music as I think it is good).

8. As well as Psalty and the music mentioned above you grew up singing Shine Jesus Shine and every other Graham Kendrick song in churches and still know all the words without needing the music. (The modern day equivalent of Graham Kendrick is Townend & Getty – I was at a church recently where we sang three of their songs in one service!)  - (Don’t get me wrong they are sing & write great songs with a good Christian ethos).

9. You were either a Boy Scout, a Girl Guide, in the Boys Brigade or the Girl’s Brigade and still have a bit of the uniform somewhere in the attic!

10. You have automatic responses to some phrases e.g. when someone says Hallelu – Hallelu- Hallelu- Hallelujah”, you say “Praise Ye the Lord!” or when someone shouts ‘God is Good’ you say “All the Time”

11.  You thought it was cool to go away for the weekend with the Youth Club/Youth Fellowship and be with the cool crowd!

12. In your mind, Jesus was white, had long brown wear, always wore a white robe with a blue sash and never wore shoes.

13. You know what flannel graphs are!

14. You sat in the back row of the church reading Song of Songs, thinking it was the raciest book you had ever read!

15. You can tell someone about your faith using the “the wordless book”.

Life; The Pipe Village

I recently read a good book called “God knows your name” by Catherine Campbell, a Northern Irish Christian writer.  This book compromised of biblical stories and real stories from the loveless Hagar to the abused Donna of Dublin.  These stories are of people being rejected, feeling worthless and loveless to finally being accepted and realising they are fully loved by God, and the fact their identity is in Him and not on their surroundings.

One of the stories in the book talks about the people of the Pipe Village in India.  It really struck me.  The pipe village can be found north of Hyderabad where the Dalit people live.

Who are the Dalits?  They are considered the ‘untouchables’ of India, and they are the lowest rank of Indian Society.  They face discrimination at almost every level from access to education and medical facilities, to restrictions on where they can live and what jobs they are able to have.

What is the Pipe Village?  It’s an encampment of discarded pipes beside the factory that produces the pipes.  The people who work in these factories, are the Dalit people.  Most of them are enticed from rural villages to the ‘pipe village’ by the prospects of a job, accommodation and a loan to help them with the move.  However, instead of a good house and comfort, they are given a pipe to live in, a 12 hour a day job and a long term debt which they will never be able to pay off, which means they will never be able to leave.

When I read about the Dalits living in the ‘pipe village’ it really affected me. It is so hard to imagine people would let other human beings live like this, in that kind of poverty and humiliation.  But it does happen. 

The Dalits are exploited and oppressed because they are at the bottom of the cruel caste system in India.  The women are worse off than the men – they are used and abused and cannot do anything about it as they have no say, and the police turn a blind eye because to them the Dalit women are not of any importance. 

How would you feel if you were living in a pipe and not your comfortable home with four walls and lovely carpeted or wooden floors? Or how would you feel if you were being treated as the lowest of the low?

Sometimes we feel that we are really badly off and feel sorry for ourselves, but after reading about the Dalits, I wonder if I have a right to feel like this when these people have nothing, not even hope.

However, they can have hope, anyone can have hope, and this hope comes from the fact that they are loved by God and despite being the ‘untouchables’ God loves them for who they are, His children and what for what they are.  In God’s eyes there is no caste system, there are no untouchables, in His eyes we are all His children and we are equal.

Unfortunately most of these women do not know about God and His love for them because they cannot read or write and have no access to churches. 

I felt I wanted to do something about the Dalits, but all I can do is pray for them and share they story on my blog.  Praying is one of the most important things we can do, basically an intercession for others.

Literature: 32 Books that Will Change Your Life

I came across an article about the 32 books which will actually change your life, so I went through the list to see how many I had read and if they did actually change my life. Have you read them and have they changed your life?

1. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: Jean Dominique Bauby.  

This book follows the life of a narcissistic editor turned ward of the hospital after a sudden stroke which leaves him paralyzed and unable to communicate.

I have read this book and it did affect me when I read it as it made me realise that you need to see every moment in your life as precious especially those spend with those your love as life is short. I do recommend that you do read this, but have a box of hankies beside you!

2.  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Robert M Pirsig

I haven’t read this book so I can comment on it, but the title sounds interesting and I like to read books with interesting titles as the novel itself may be interesting as well.   I might just put it on the list of books to read!

3. Cat’s Cradle: Kurt Vonnegut

Again I have never read this book, but looking at a synopsis of it, it also looks interesting. It is about the inventory of the atomic bomb, Dr Frank Hoenikker.  Apparently the books will make you question whether or not there should be a limit to the pursuit of knowledge. And it’ll get you to think about the power of weapons, and how even the most competent people can make mistakes with them.

4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time:  Mark Haddon

I have read this and loved it.  The book revolves round a 15 year old boy called Christopher John Francis Boone who is a brilliant mathematician but also suffers from a behavioural disorder either Asperger’s or Autism but these words are not mentioned in the book because Mark Haddon the author did not want it to be linked to any one specific disorder.

I am not sure if this book changed my life but it certainly made me think a lot more about those who do suffer from behavioural disorders and how they interact with people and life in general. I also recommend that you read this book as well.

5. One Hundred Years of Solitude: Gabriel Garcia Marquez 

Never read this so again cannot comment but I am going to put it on my to read list as it’s about Latin America and I enjoy reading books based in this area, as I once lived in Peru and have an interest in everything  American Latino.

6. Invisible Monsters: Chuck Palahniuk

Never read this book again either.  And am not sure I will as apparently it is a very disturbing books and I don’t like disturbing books.

7. White Oleander: Janet Fitch

Again never read this book.  Never even heard of Janet Fitch

8. In Cold Blood: Truman Capote

Oh it is becoming a trend here, not read this book either.  It is described as a non-fiction novel. I thought novels were all fiction but some may be completely fictionised and those based on real life are known as non-fiction books.

9. Middlesex: Jeffrey Eugenides

Never read this book either.  But apparently it is a stunning novel revolves around Calliope Stephanides (or Cal), and it’s a great read for anyone interested in gender and taking a closer look at how family and biology shape your identity.

10. Play It As It Lays:  Joan Dididon

Never read this book.  The synopsis says it is about Maria Wyeth, a Hollywood actress who has lost control of her life and identity. It’s a tragic read that will force you into deep self-reflection, as it exposes the fact that we live in a culture where nothing is quite good enough. Think will add this to the list of books to read as well.  

11. Ada, or Ardor:  Vladimir Nabokov

Never read this book either. This is by the same person who wrote Lolita, so it will probably be a weird novel!

12. Beloved: Toni Morrison

Not read this novel either but it’s one I would love to read as hard so much about it.  It is a suspenseful novel follows Sethe, who was freed from slavery but never really escapes her memories. It’s an unflinching look into the horrors of slavery, but even more than that, it will fill you with hope.

13. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: Sherman Alexie

I might give up on this list as seem to have only read three out of thirteen on the list so far.  Obviously have lived a sheltered life!  This book is about Junior who grew up on a Spokane Indian Reservation, but he’s also a budding cartoonist who dreams of getting off the rez. This book is funny, smart, and heart-breaking, but because of all that, it will make you question the idea of destiny.  Going to add this to my list also.

14. Push: Sapphire

Not read it. I think this book was made into a movie. I have not seen the movie either but I want to as the story looked good. It is gut-wrenching and horrifying, but it will ultimately inspire anyone to feel like they can overcome the odds, but it’s a true story of someone who was struggling but came out the other end.

15. It: Stephen King

I have not read this book but have seen the movie and now have no desire to read the book! I watched this movie when I was 15 and it scared me.  It is about a group of children being terrorized by some anonymous entity goes beyond surface-level horror. It opens up a dialogue about childhood trauma and the power of memory, as well as the unspoken ugliness that hides in small-town values.  After watching the movie, every time I went into the bathroom I had to leave the door open in case IT came up the plug hole to terrorise me.

16. Under the Banner of Heaven: Jon Krakauer

Not read this either.  Again it is prescribed as a non-fiction novel which is about the Mormon Church. Do not think I will add this to the list of books to read as well as it does not really sound interesting or my type of thing.

17. Me Talk Pretty One Day:  David Sedaris

Again not read this. And don’t know much about it.  Apparently it is a book of funny true stories.

18. World War Z: Max Brooks

Not read this or even seen the movie which stars Brad Pitt. It is a book about zombies and am not sure if I want to read this or watch the movie.  But I might watch the movie as apparently it is a good watch.

19. The Giver: Lois Lowry

Again not read this.  But from the synopsis it does seem interesting so will add it to the list of books to read. The book takes the reader into Jonas’ world, where there is no pain and everything is controlled. Until he turns 12, which is when he learns that there is pain, and fear, and passion, and emotions that he’s never experienced before.

20. The Fault in Our Stars: John Green

I haven’t read this book either and I know there is a movie about it as well.  I would like to either read the book or watch the movie as apparently it’s very good even though it is one which makes you weep so hankies are needed.

21. A Brief History of Time:  Stephen Hawking

Not read this either and don’t want to, instead will watching the movie based on his life called The Theory of Everything starring Eddie Redmayne. 

22. Sophie’s World: Jostein Goarder

Not read this either but the cover is one of those which makes you want to pick the book up and read it, as does the synopsis.  “Who are you?” and “Where does the world come from?” are the two questions that 14-year-old Sophie Amundsen is faced with. So begins this outline of Western philosophy set in a fictional story. It’s an incredibly accessible path to thinking about philosophy, and it sheds light on the importance of certain discoveries and advances in our society.

23. Crime and Punishment: Fyodor Dostoevsky

This is one of those books which apparently you must read before you die, but the length of it puts me off, so am not sure if I will ever read it.

24. Life of Pi: Yann Martel

Have read this book, which not means have read four of the 24! Not that good going.  I had read this book but then forgotten I had read it but when watching the movie I realised I had.  So seeing that I had forgotten I had read the book means it did not leave a big impression on me so obviously did not change my life and either did the movie, though it was well made.

25. Invisible Man:  Ralph Ellison

Not read this book either.  The title of it would make you think it was about a man who turns invisible, like the Ted Hughes’s book, but it’s not, it’s about one unnamed protagonist dealing with race issues. But underneath all that, it’s about humankind, and how we’re all stumbling along, trying to find ourselves. This book will teach you that actions really do speak louder than words. And what’s true for you isn't true for anyone else.

26. Joy of Cooking: Irma S Rombauer

Not read this book either, an am not sure I want to read a book filled with recipes, it would just make me hungry!

27. Catch-22: Joseph Hellier

I think I have read this book, but am not quite sure. So am going to add it to my list so I can say I have definitely read it.

28. The Train: Georges Simenon

Not read this either.  But it does sound interesting.  It is about the terror and horror of the Nazis invading a bucolic suburb in France. Our unlikely hero is Marcel Ferón, who has an affair after the invasion leaves him separated from his pregnant wife. It explores the idea of living in the moment and will make you question whether or not disassociating from your responsibilities is ever OK.

29. The Artist’s Way: Julia Cameron

Not read this book either, but don’t think I will as it doesn't sound like it is actually an interesting book.

30. The Beautiful & Damned: F.Scott Fitzgerald

Not read this book and am not going to as The Great Gatsby was hard to read so am sure this one would be too!

31. Prodigal Summer: Barbara Kingsolver

Not read this either, but again don’t think I will based on the fact I read the Poisonwood Bible and it bored me to tears so much so I could not finish it. I know we should never judge an author by one book but I do!

32. Never Let Me Go: Kazuo Ishiguro

No read this book either, but apparently it is a hard book to read, so may just watch the movie instead!

Ok, so out of the 32 life changing books I have only read five and seen the movies of two. That is not good going and pretty much makes this exercise pointless! 

Book Review: Ghost Flight

I recently read a book, a book which I was unsure about but wanted to read it because of who the author was.  What was this book? It was Ghost Flight by Bear Grylls.

What with Bear’s life in the wild and his image of being a man’s man, I was sceptical about what he would be like as a writer.  I did not think the book would be any good, but I was wrong.  The book surprised me, it was a gripping, can’t put this down type of book.  I enjoyed it and am eagerly waiting for the sequel.

Ghost Flight’s central character is Will Jaeger, an ex-army guy.  Here Bear is calling on his previous like in the military and the accounts seem real and genuine because of this. Genuine, because the author knows what he is talking about.

The book takes us on a journey with Will, starting off imprisoned in a jail on an African Island, to the Amazon Jungle where he goes with 9 others to decipher the puzzle of an old plane which has been inside the Amazon for years.  We also visit London where Will owns a house boat and the Scottish Moor where Will has a house with his wife and child.

Will whose past continuously haunts him, is offered the chance to go to the Amazon where as I have mentioned above, him and a team search for an abandoned plane which apparently crashed into the jungle many years ago.  During their venture into the Jungle there are attacked by a tribal gang as well as an unknown group who are hiding in the shadows.  Fortunately the team make friends with the tribal gang who help them get to the plane.

Apparently the plane belonged to the Nazi Germans and the storyline takes us into a history lesson about the Third Reich. Will’s journey to finding this plane and who the plane actually belonged to unravels many secrets of the past and revelations about what actually happened to the Third Reich and the formation of a more powerful Fourth Reich.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Bear talks about his Grandfather Ted’s life as a Brigadier where the unit he was in was tasked with capturing Nazi scientists after the D-Day landings.  In his attic he had a trunk which contained a lot of information about Ted’s mission – which Bear used as the basis of Ghost Flight. 

And funnily in the novel, Will has an old trunk of his Grandfather’s in his house which he finds has a secret compartment which is full of secrets about his time in the army and his involvement with hunting the Nazi’s who were influential in the War including Hitler.

For me it was an interesting and intriguing book and it was an enjoyable read.