Packed out Tuesdays

Indian Dinner at our apt. Starting from left: Branch Committee Overseer, 2 Australian brothers attending the current BSSB (currently serving in Myanmar - a wow assignment - studying with groups of Buddhist monks in monasteries), us little no bodies and a couple from CA serving as International Servants. Wow! What a room full of spiritual people. Good times.   

 Here is a taste of our Tuesdays: leave the house at 11am.  Take 2 Jeepny rides and a  taxi.  Hit the territory running at 12pm. Ring Parveen so we can meet her at the outdoor canteen.  Hurry! She only has 20-30 min to study and then has to get back to work. We study in the heat - so nice of Hil to hold the umbrella over us.  Next: speed walk (but pace yourself) 10-15 min to next appt at  12:30 (it’s hot, your sweating, don’t forget to use your umbrella in one hand, handkerchief in the other, back packs are great for this reason). Oh and don’t forget this territory is (I named it)  “doggie poop-ville”,   so many roaming dogs, always look down as you walk to dodge the poop.  “Yes” said Aman, “I can study for 30 min and maybe Pinki my sis-in-law can study with Hil).  Great! No time for chit-chat, let’s study now! 2 studies under one roof  - cool eh?  1pm ish- done - let’s go.  10 min sprint walk to Rajnee’s house – I take a break now, Hil conducts this one (phew – my throat gets a break). 1:45ish:  we gotta go. Chai?  “Would LOVE! some,  really, but no, not this time,  next time, next time . . .” (not!)  Next: 2pm: I study with Mandeep and Hil studies with her neighbor Seema – but Seema is at Mandeep’s house, and they ask, “can we just study together?”, sure, let’s get started – pray – study- any questions? Closing Pray – let’s go!    Chai?  “Would LOVE! some,  really, but no, not this time, next time, next time . . .” (not!)  Next: 5 min walk: next study 2:30ish: I study with mum and Hil studies with her daughter.  Chai?  “would love some!”, and this time we do have some, we have one hour at this house.  Jehovah is good to us.  3:30 we’re outta there: 15 min walk to Baljit’s house.  No rush.  Take your time.  New study this one – wife is making her husband sit in – kinda like going to the dentist to get a root canal – let’s see how it goes, this is the 2^nd time we study. 30 min later we are done and the  next study is 5pm, we have about 15 min to kill, so a very slow snail pace walk just about 10 min away – this is Gita and her husband. Great study this one: Last week she asked, “Why did god have to make,”  **paused  to smack mosquitoes off my ankles **, “so many languages, and then just one religion?” hmmm, good one eh?  They get homework- My Book Of Bible Stories (Tower of Babel).  DONE! It’s dark outside, about 6pm ish.  Let’s walk – carefully LOOK DOWN!  – 20 min walk to the main road and 3 Jeepny rides home.  Depending on traffic, we get home 7-7:30pm ish.  ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wash your hands the minute you get home.  Shower.  Cook. Eat and  Relax.  And thanks to Jehovah we do have air conditioning.  My flat mate is wonderful.  After a very long week she surprised me by fixing dinner and having a glass of wine ready for me once I walked in, but I, not knowing this, had accepted invitation for both of us to go to a friends house for dinner.  So I made it up to her by singing to her in the morning one very unhappy grumbling morning – Yes, 2 are better than 1.