Monsoon: Not just an overpriced cardigan shop for ladies of leisure...

Ok! so, a week on. I should've updated earlier as I will leave out lots of interesting happenings but oh well. There are so many cultural, natural, comical and disastrous things to mention but to be honest they're all pretty subservient to the fact that we're all loving it out here. The projects could barely have worked out for us better in the last week after some initial frustration from the boys.

Aaron and I are continuing to teach life skills and English at our slum project in Bandra and we're getting to know our class really really well, while being handed over a bit more responsibility. On friday we taught about 55 pupils for over 5 hours! My voice has completely gone by Saturday, but we loved it. We're getting to know a bit more about these guys stories too as we look at lifeskills like Attitude, Peer Pressure and setting goals. One girl came up to the front and was very tearful as she shared that her parents both died before she was 2 and had since endured a relationship of abuse from her foster-father, for about 15 years... she said that this was the first experience of positive community she'd ever had in her life and was loving it, especially that her English was improving. Pretty cool eh?
Another boy is also an orphan and stays in a convent over an hour away but just loves the classes and as I said before there is such an impressive desire to learn throughout all of the students. We're hoping this week to visit some of them at their homes as we've been invited, but the persistent rain does us no favours whatsoever.

We have a busy week lined up actually, tomorrow me and Aaron are going to the Aruna project that Drew has been working at to speak to some men who work in brothels (a.k.a pimps (!) ) on what it means to respect one another, on Thursday we are visiting a new slum project in one of the poorest places in Mumbai and on Friday we sign off our time in Mumbai with a whole staff meeting with the whole Oasis staff team.
We've been going along to Bombay Baptist Church the last few weeks and yesterday had the opportunity to visit there street-kids outreach. It was amazing, there are about 15 children who live around the central station and basically just beg all day. On Sunday's they come and play games, listen to stories and have a check up with a doctor - which is invaluable. Like so many thing we've seen so far, it was brilliant, but hard to stomach. Some of these guys can't have been older than 5. And they aren't alone, they represent children all over the city in pretty desperate poverty and social situations. It can be pretty emotionally exhausting seeing desperate case after desperate case at train stations, by the side of the road and in the slums. Learning who you can help and who you can't is a difficult lesson to learn, but I'm glad we have such great projects to serve in at the moment. Time is running out fast though!

Projects
speaking of projects. I realise this bloggy thing here is pretty introspective. But I only really want to speak for myself. FYI here's a quick run down of what everyone else is up to.

Aaron - he's the lucky one. He's with me, and I with him. What a quality guy!
Luke - has been teaching English in the afternoons to girls who are connected to a sewing project. He's been absolutely loving getting to know them well and their families too! But could find it the hardest out of all of us to leave as it's been pretty much 1 2 1 teaching sessions.
Drew - has been working at the Aruna project in town. I really don't know enough about this project yet but they work with prostitutes and their children in some of the largest brothels in Mumbai. Helping them and sharing lives with them. Will know more after tomorrow.
Mackie - has been with Luke quite a lot of the time, resourcing the little primary school there by doing some great drawings and alphabets etc. He taught me the difference between night and day! thanks mackie!

Next
So yesterday Mackie and Drew (aka Macwise and Gilldo the 2nd) went on a traveling expedition up to the Taj Mahal. Something to do with Drew's architecture project and Drew looking for a wife. Mackie the ever faithful wing-man.
That leaves Luke Aaron and myself here for another 9 or so days to serve in or projects and finish well. Nice. Then it's on to Pune, 3 hours away, for two weeks serving with OM. Really looking forward to the chance to see the schools that Morningside Baptist Church help to build! oh yes.

What's really been happening
So you've stomached all my update chat. Well done. The rain here has been unbelievable, as in, you would'nt believe it. Close your eyes and imagine the hardest rain you can ever remember witnessing in the UK, do it now. Ok, imagine ten times harder, and about 20 hours a day. Sometimes you can't stand up in it, you can't see each other in it - it's not particularly nice. For a brief 5 minute period on Wednesday the density of my trousers actually overtook the population density of Mumbai. All has returned to normal now though.
Drew regular gets sick because of overeating, he tried to order 4 pizzas for himself the other day, we had to sternly talk him down. We have a love-hate relationship with the Rickshaw drivers. Some are absolute heroes, but some go the wrong way and break down, while me and Aaron were chased into a cafe by a possibly rabid driver after far more cash than he was owed. A shouting match then ensued - he won by miles as he was the only one shouting - we didn't pay him though.


Healthwise we've been doing ok-ish. Mackwise has had chronic diarrhea since I arrived and everyone else has had their moments. Since I updated you on my poo last week everything down there has been more than I could ever ask for, but everything else has gone to pot. I'm gutted to be missing the project today but I have a headache, temperature, runny nose and a cough so I'm trying to rest up as much as possible. The show must go on.

Mosquitoes are the bain of my life, collecting upon average about 4/5 bites a day. Which doesn't sound like a lot but that's potentially 140 over a month! I think the surface area of my tiny torso can fit about 100 max so we'll see how that works out. And before you ask, yes I have a mozzy net, and I consistently lather myself up with 50% deet. But honestly, the stuffs about as effective as the England Football teams back four. Thankfully this is apparently a malaria free zone, although when David went to the hospital he said 80% of cases were....you've guessed it. eek.

To Finish
I Imagine that about 3 of you have made it this far, definitely Harrison Gilmore, well done sir!
We're all getting on really well, having some great time of bible study, prayer and worship underlying any niggles that may exist. It's sometimes tricky figuring out how all this fits into our faith and how what we're doing fits into the "Mission/Purpose of God" but it's exciting too. We all firmly believe that Our God is Able!
Money has been a difficulty as my card is refusing to work, Aaron's got nicked and you'll have to ask Luke yourself about his situation! thankfully rich guys Drackie and Mew have bailed us out for a couple of days.
I'd love it if you wanted to pray for my health, and Mackie's bum! We've been going strictly veggie so stomach issues seem to be ok. Thanks for those of you who've texted! I'm a cheapskate so can't reply, but any questions fire them out and I'll do my best.

au revoir!