He has brought me thus far!

The other day - I was quite surprised to hear Koby singing a Malayalam song. The words are about the gratitude we feel in our hearts in how God has brought us thus far! It's unusual for him to be singing alone - let alone in a language other than his usual English tunes.The end of December is a time to look back and also peer forward! Maybe even make a few new year resolutions.. The year has finally come to an end - and oddly enough, today Anne and I were reading entries of this blog from back in DEC 2005. I can hardly believe, when I started this blog that I was hardly months into my surgical training, Anne had not yet joined her Ob & Gyn post graduation, we had a baby on the way and I had cancer. 4 years down the line - I am clear of the tumour, Anne and I have graduated - we serve with our skills where we believe God has led us and we have a son - who is nothing short of our PRIDE and JOY and a tribute to the fact that we are part of a much larger plan.....

Anne and my sister Tripti graduated this year - The entire family was there to watch it happen. You can see the happy faces on the entire family as they received their degrees. Tripti and Santosh are now in Vellore as they wait to finish her service obligation.

We are still at the Christian Fellowship Hospital in Oddanchatram. There is so much to be grateful - for our time here. I have a busy department of surgery to work in and a lovely team to work with. Anne too is happy and able to do many new things.

Christmas at ODC has been fun - Anne and I sang in the Christmas Choir - led by Dr Susheel Tharien. Quite an experience, especially for me - singing Tamil and Malayalam songs was a really new thing to do! We also directed the children's play - difficult work, and I am sure that I will think twice before I do that again. We also helped organize the community barbecue, that was quite a enjoyable affair - with an open air BBQ for about 80 people from the hospital campus and their families. All the kids in ODC - had their own Christmas programme. Koby put in his first 'successful' stage performance as a "STAR" that shone over Jesus - when he was born - his lines ran 'I am the star, I led the wise men to Great King Jesus!'. I must admit - he did pull it off quite well. But I could be a bit biased!!

We look back in thanks, but toward the next year in impatient anticipation. Because, actually if we look back - there is an obvious hand of God in all that has happened. If I think of all the exciting operations we have done here, the close calls in various incidents of the past year, the reasons we have to be happy, thankful or upset - I can only see that we have been led and shielded. And I do wonder why...... Anne was gifted a book - this Christmas. The opening page read "may you and Tarun as a family - be always found at the center of God's will."

Hence why worry? We step out into 2010 with an incredible confidence that we can move mountains.... and who knows, if I read this post 5 years down the line - we may find that with His help and our FAITH we have actually moved one..

May 2010 find YOU in the center of his will always.

2009 - To reminisce..

There are few times in life when you need to reminisce "Wow! did we really do that?" / or "were we really in such a situation?", and a wedding anniversary is such a time. Today Anne and I complete 6 years of being madly in love with one another!... no sorry, that would be for a much longer time - but its 6 years since we officially tied the noose... and as we sat to prayer tonight our hearts were filled with a wonder and gratitude to God for another year possible together.

I thought that now would be a good time

to update the Blog. People still keep contacting me through this wonderful instrument - but to update once in a while and let you all know that all is well, is something I must do.

The blog has seen no new post for nearly a year - we are now in Oddanchatram. In the Christian Fellowship hospital, also called CFH, ODC. The hospital is based in a small village that is built mainly along a single main road, is about a kilometer from end to end and has a this hospital nearly in the center. The closest large towns are Madurai and Coimbatore - each about 2 hours away. There are about 300 beds and we have most medical care in terms of physicians and surgical work possible. There are no frills attached and this is a place that really caters to the poorest to lower middle class patients. I have spoken of Dr Tharien - the founder, in an earlier post.

Anne and I are here as the department of Surgery had a need for a surgeon and so we placed our Orissa plans on hold till we tide over that need. Koby has started going to school here - he is in Kindergarden and enjoys a full day at school. He is growing fast and is a real blessing in our lives.

Work is busy and I am gaining valuable opportunities to broaden my surgical expertise -some pretty exotic operations and endoscopic work that I would never have attempted in a larger center with the appropriate specialists. Here most patients here will refuse to move on to a higher center - or can simply not afford it. God has been with us in this place and we place every new challenge before him in prayer!

By God's grace, my health has never been better - I am able to scuttle around 24 x 7 for emergencies and the surgical routine without any problems. In fact, I have to remind myself that I am now 4 years post NHL and need to get my follow up's done when I get back to Vellore!

Anne and Koby are doing well - lot's of friends for Koby and school poses enough to keep him busy and out of trouble. A picture of us swimming in a nearby dam - on a picnic with friends from the hospital.

God has been with us as before in the past year and we do testify to that. We have had the hill and valley experiences as usual - but all with the hand that sustains beside us.