Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year. Week Thirteen.

Dear All,

I hope you are still enjoying my blog, but I apologise for the lack of blogging over Christmas & New Year, I plan to come back with a vengeance in 2010, in fact probably next week. So something to let you think about, something that we witnessed on Boxing Day, something that shocked all three of us, mostly just the suddenness of the whole ordeal.

So as most of you may know we have a slum just 2 minutes around the corner, a slum that we work in called SD Puram. Well the day after Christmas Day, 347 families from the slum were evicted (including those who were participating in the music class, fun stations and screen printing at Kellys'), so in came the Police, firemen (they act as peacemakers) and JCBs that made short work of razing the slum to the ground. So now nearly all the families have been moved 35km away (including Shanthi our cook) to new government housing, where they'll have better living conditions, but extremely limited access to jobs, unless you travel back into central Chennai (just as Shanthi fortunately is, well fortunate for us). So each time we walk through the slum, there is less of it standing and within the next week or so the area we live in will take on a whole new personality, something we didn’t expect.

So after you’ve all (hopefully) had lovely Christmas’ in a comfortable warm home, with nice food, friends & family, some great presents and possibly a relaxing, peaceful time too, just think of those families living in our slum. These families have been sleeping rough in front of their destroyed home guarding their possessions, waiting to load all that they have (which is very little) into the back of a lorry, jump on the back of the lorry and head to an area they’ve never been too and with no other options, they are forced to make this area their new home.

A slightly sad end to what’s been a great year, but unfortunately the poor don’t have a voice, something that has to change as all of us are equal no matter how much money is in your bank account. Jesus didn’t come to this world to hang out with the doctors, lawyers, sportsmen and enjoy the high life, he came for everyone, no matter what race you are, language you speak, job you have. He spent most of his time with social outcasts, the people that nobody else cared about, the people who we so often walk past and ignore or we mutter something under our breath at them. So I pray that you would really think about what I’ve written about in this blog, I hope that you’d feel real compassion not only towards these families, but the many millions of people in this world that are homeless or without the basic needs to survive.

Thanks and God Bless,

Tom xx

Christmas is Coming. Week Eleven.

Again apologies for the delayed posting of a new blog, but I guess as you all know by now, I was struck down last Saturday by a nasty bout of gastritis (or something similar), however this really got me thinking about why I was getting ill and about what God says in James 1:12, “Blessed are those who endure when they are tested. When they pass the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” So this all started two weekends ago when I decided to stay up too late on Friday night and I had to be up early for a music practice for church on Sunday morning, so it wasn’t too sensible to exhaust myself. The plan for lunch was to go to a typical Indian restaurant, pretty much the Indian version of McDonalds with regard to speed of food delivery, the restaurant is called Sangeetha and I had a ‘meals’ lunch (rice, roti, poppadums and lots of pots of different ‘gravy’s’), interesting thing is, nobody else had what I had! So towards the evening I started to have crippling lower abdomen pain, but ignored it and tried to enjoy my evening, but with another late night I wasn’t taking it too seriously. So Sunday morning was church at 8.30am (well a practice anyway), the worship was amazing, God really blessed the worship time, however my abdomen was still ‘paining me’ as the Indians say. So I went through the day with the pains getting steadily worse, knowing that it was partly my own fault for not eating enough fresh fruit & vegetables and going to bed too late, basically not helping myself. So that evening the flu symptoms started to develop, I had the aching feeling, I had a headache, I was hot one minute, cold the next and I had a temperature of 38deg plus. So that night I had a really long shower, I spent some time worshipping God, then I really prayed into the situation, I’ve been reading The Purpose Driven Life and it says the sign of a mature Christian (not saying I am, but I’m trying) is when you thank God for testing you, putting you through difficult times. So I just thanked God for testing me in this way, I prayed that somehow through this illness that I’d learn something new of him and that overall I’d be changed to be more like him in some way. It’s amazing how being ill in a foreign country makes you more emotional, helps you to be thankful for all who love you and really give everything over to Jehovah Raphe the Lord who heals!


So all of Monday was spent resting at the flat, still with the pains, but we had a music practice for the Jingle Bell Rock concert on Friday, so after taking two Nurofen plus, I felt so much better! I got an early night in on Monday, after really enjoying a time of fellowship with the youth guys whilst practicing for our concert on Friday. So on Tuesday morning I still wasn’t better, so Becky phoned me to say Dani was taking me to see a doctor, as a precaution and to hopefully get some medicine to speed up the healing process. We rode there in an auto, I was feeling rough, and worried about being in an Indian hospital and praying it wasn’t anything serious. So the hospital was pretty cramped, fairly clean, certainly not a place I wanted to spend a huge amount of time. I was weighed by a nurse, they also took my blood pressure (which was normal) and sent me to wait next to an open door (all the doors were open, so germs flying about everywhere). Eventually the doctor saw me, she asked what was the problem, I lay down on the stretcher (40cm wide, metal, never been cleaned) I explained I’d taken some Nurofen and she absolutely nailed me for taking it, saying Nurofen was the reason I was unwell and consequently she diagnosed me with gastritis. I was really defensive as I’ve always taken Nurofen when unwell, she also stated I was ‘in the habit of taking Ibuprofen for a headache’ and overall I was pretty shaken up by what she said, basically because it wasn’t what they say at home. After picking up a prescription of Rabeprozole tablets, Digene gel and some paracetemol, I headed back to the flat with Dani, calling Mum on the way asking her to check with the Rohais surgery that it was ok to take what I was given and to find out if the diagnosis was correct. Eventually I found out that the Nurofen may have made my pains worse (doesn’t explain Saturday till Monday evening though) and that I was ok to take the antibiotics, which were in fact the correct ones for my problem.


So now a week later since seeing the doctor the pains have finally almost cleared up after drinking lots of water, eating lots of fresh fruit, taking my medicine and getting some early nights in! But it really was something I wouldn’t want to go through again and by God’s grace I have pulled through it, the whole time really thinking about how God has changed me through this test. I think I was the architect of my own downfall in a way, with the late nights doing what I’d do back in the West, living a student-like life of eating junk food and playing computer games and God was just saying, “Look Tom, you aren’t here to do what you want to do, but what I want you to do, there is nothing wrong with eating junk food and playing computer games, but do these in moderation, you haven’t!” I’m so thankful now for all the blessings God has put in my life, especially my family (mostly my mum, especially when unwell) and the fantastic healthcare in Guernsey that we take for granted all the time. I urge you this week to seek God in the difficult times, really allow him to work in your life through testing times and when the these times come praise him for allowing your life to be changed through these times.


Thank you all for your prayers and may you have a blessed week,


Tom xx

Ill-in-India. Week 10

Hi all,

I would like to apologise for not getting a blog out this week, but I've been pretty ill with suspected gastritis, which included a lovely trip to an Indian hospital on Tuesday, a doctors visit I certainly won't forget in a hurry! So prayer that I would recover as quick as possible would be appreciated.

I'm planning on having something up early next week, so look out for a note on Facebook or just keep checking!

Take care, God Bless,

Tom xx

Inter-city Visits. Week 8.

We’ve just got back from visiting two amazing Indian cities, Mysore then Bangalore; it was a relaxing, refreshing and interesting trip. Mysore was so beautiful, lush greenery everywhere, the Maharaja’s Palace and a perfect air temperature (22 degrees). Bangalore, a city slicker’s dream has high-class bars, clubs and restaurants, providing for the younger generation as they earn their big bucks in the IT industry, which dominates the Bengaluru economy. Travelling by Indian train was a fantastic experience (although leaving Chennai at 6am wasn’t great!), for a 3rd Class A/C (no need for 1st or 2nd Class) one-way ticket to Mysore from Chennai (a seven hour journey) costs around Rs. 550 (£7.50) and you get breakfast, snacks, mineral water all as part of your ticket price. So travelling through the farmlands, mountains, jungle was inspirational, I hadn’t really grasped how beautiful India was because we’d been city dwellers for the past 2 months, consequently I spent most of the journey reading my bible and looking out the window, marvelling at how incredible God’s creation is. We spent our time in Mysore visiting the Maharaja’s Palace, Chamundi Hills (stunning views over Mysore) and we spent some time browsing the silk, sandalwood and textiles that Mysore is famous for. Bangalore was obviously much more like being back in Chennai, mostly due to size; however its clean streets, pleasant climate, metered auto rickshaws and green parks make Bengaluru (it’s original Indian name) a much more attractive place to live, consequently it has become the hub of India’s IT Industry. Our accommodation here was basic, but as we were mostly spending our time at the Oasis Office, it was sufficient for our needs. During our visit to Bangalore we met the Oasis team, visited the work they are doing, including Jacob’s Well fair-trade offices and talked to the staff about the projects they are involved in. There is an anti-trafficking branch based at Oasis Bangalore, and it was clear to see that it is really making a difference to so many women’s lives; they have a large team dedicated to hunting the traffickers down and bringing justice to the city, giving these women a chance to make something of their lives. We left with a real sense that God is working in big ways in Bangalore and everyone in their office is passionate about bringing change & chance to the marginalised of their city.


So would you say that in your life you take for granted the situation God has blessed you with? Can you even imagine what it’s like to be trafficked, given no hope or lose all your rights? Do you just live your life for yourself, occasionally letting God in once a week or even once a year? I can certainly say for myself that after my visit to Bangalore, God has really challenged me about all the blessings he has provided me with, asking me whether I’m grateful for these or whether I think I deserve them because I’m lucky with the situation I was born into. The point to ponder, is that while we may not live in physical poverty (money, possessions, accommodation), are we living in spiritual poverty? Are we driving the car ourselves, not letting Jesus touch the wheel or even be a back seat driver? For me, I believe the Western world relies so much on money being the answer to everything, that consequently reliance on God has been lost or at least God has been packed away in the boot, coming out only when it suits. This is not what the bible says! In John 12:26 (NIV), Jesus says, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.” In Hebrews 13:15 (NIV) it says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” The message sums up what I’m trying to say in Psalms 116:17, “I’m ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice and pray in the name of God.” So essentially putting God first in our lives will only increase the blessings in our lives, it will bring about joy to not only God, but also to us as we thank God for what he has done.

So my challenge for us all, because it’s something I’m working on and praying about, is to live our lives totally for God, being thankful for everything because no matter what it is, God has provided it for you. We are so blessed to live in a comfortable part of the world, that it’s not always easy to be truly thankful for what God has provided us with, I know that before coming here, God had been at work in so many areas of my life, but I hadn’t been thankful for these. However since arriving in India, specifically after coming back to Chennai from Bangalore I can see that people are so thankful for even the smallest things God has provided them with and that is the real challenge to us all. How thankful are we for the blessings, hidden or obvious, in our lives and subsequently where in the car (our life) is Jesus sitting?


I hope you can understand what has challenged me over the past couple of weeks and I really pray that God may teach you through reading this, maybe discovering something new that you hadn’t thought about before.


Thanks and God Bless,


Tom