Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is not a holiday that is observed in India (the harvest festival in this area comes in January with the sugar cane harvest) but we made some plans to observe Thanksgiving this year.  We discovered turkey biriyani (spiced rice) and turkey masala (curry/spicy stew) on the menu of a local restaurant and we will try them on Thanksgiving.  We will take time to connect with family members over skype and phone.  And we will offer our thanks and praise to the Lord for the many ways in which He has blessed us. 

We are thankful for each one of you in our support network – grateful for the prayers and the financial gifts which make it possible for us to be serving in India , living in the city of Chennai .  Actually, we live in a suburb of the city called St. Thomas Mount.  It is named for the small hill which tradition holds was where the disciple Thomas went to pray and the place where he was eventually martyred.  There is a chapel at the top of the hill.  It is amazing to think that missionary witness to Jesus Christ has been present in this area since not long after our Lord’s death and resurrection. 

As part of giving thanks for being here, we would like to share with you what a single dollar can purchase in St. Thomas Mount.  In these days of Dollar Menus and Dollar Stores, a dollar can have a lot of impact. 

Wishing each of you many things to be thankful for!

Blessings,

Dave and Betsy

 

What does $1 buy you in St. Thomas Mount, Chennai , INDIA ?

• 1 rice “meal” for lunch (see the picture of all the items it includes!)
• 2 small loaves of bread and a stick of butter
• 1 liter (about a ¼ gallon) of gas/ “petrol”
• 1 grass straw broom used to sweep our house each day
• ½ dozen bananas and 4 oranges
• A tiny jar of instant coffee
• 1 cup of coffee at Café Coffee Day
• 10 cups at the roadside coffee stall
• 1 hour of cell phone talk-time to a phone within India or 7 minutes to the USA
• 2 bottles of Coke
• The internet access megabytes necessary to upload 25 pictures to the photo website or to send in email attachments
• 1 small, coarse roll of toilet paper
• 2 round-trip tickets on the commuter train from a nearby suburb into the city center and back
• A ride in an auto-rickshaw from our neighborhood to the nearest train station