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.