( TOBACCO KILLS.) Math Worksheet, Guvava man, Ice cream seller.

As I was on my way to the slum I saw Rajan riding his cycle. He stopped and I asked where he was heading to?

Rajan had told me before that he is persuing a basic computer course. He was going for his computer class and I was so glad to see him going. I asked him if I could come and see which place he goes to. I went with hi but I didn’t stay very long because I had to be in the slum on time to do the math activity today.

While coming back I met Shinknader and few other kids from the slum walking back after rag picking in the afternoon. Yesterday I had seen Shikander  the market. I wanted to say hello to him but he just ran away and ignored me like he disn’t know me, I felt bad. So it was good that I met him so I could tell him this.

 Math Worksheet – put appropriate sign ( >, < or =) between the numbers. To do this I told them a story like a hungry crocodile opens his mouth and closes his mouth with actions.

Hun it was very hard to explain this to them as they only like to do more coloring but then they had to make a sign too, but some of them got it.

 Guvava man:  ---Worksheet activity keeps them busy but today this man road vendor was around again selling guavas. I though that he always gave away left overs to these slum kids but the fact is that he asked them to bring rags or anything that can be recycled or sold.  He would trade them for guavas. He always doing  business.

Girls off collecting rags- when I was coming back I met a few of the kids who had not come to me but were going back for rag picking .They also were trying to hide from me. I asked them why they didn’t come she answered that they  were late. So I took a sheet out  of my bag and said tomorrow I want them back coloured.

Ice cream seller:--- one of the oldest boys who lives in the slum was near an ice cream stand, he shouted, ‘ bhiya’ (brother)  and I was like what are you doing here? He told me he is selling ice creams. Mean while he was eating Gutkah the mouth tobacco so I told him not to eat this DIlbag and said it was not good for him. He told me he eats like 12-15 pouches daily. I asked him if he knew any thing about cancer?  I asked him to pick one packet from the ground and read what it says. ( TOBACCO KILLS. Tobacco causes cancer) .

I asked him if it was just for time pass he eat it. He said, ‘no my throat gets dry so I keep eating this which helps me and my mind stops working if I don’t eat it’.

 I told him he should leave it other wise he would end up having mouth cancer.I explained he  would not see the effects right now but soon he would if he disn’tt stop eating it. He said he would try.

Then I went to see Rajan in his computer class and talked with his computer class. Got more information about him like what is the fee, what will you teach in this course etc.

Thank you very much for  reading and taking interest in this work, please do keep us in your prayers.

Prodigal son.

 Wednesday

Last week it was fun time. I told them the story about a prodigal son from the bible in Hindi. All the kids were in a small circle. The story was explained to them and I gave examples. It was so nice to hear one child shout ‘sugar’ when I was telling them that he was feeding the pigs. In Hindi it is called suver but this young  boy was saying sugar .lol 

After the story time I got all the kids in a line and distributed them in two teams to play foot ball match for last 20 mins. It was so hard to control them especially when the big trucks were coming around.

Both the teams had fun.

Then on Thursday I took some worksheets based on the prodigal son for colouring, I did a very shot summary of the story before they started colouring the sheet in groups.

Today I went  with waste paper  with which we made  around  50 airplanes and asked them to colour it as they wanted .After this they  had a race to see whose plane would fly  the longest. Over all it was such fun with all the kids. Please keep these kids in you prayers..

The things I observed. Subhash a 12 year old boy came to me said, ‘bhiya I have won 200 rupies today’. I asked him how he won them. No other way but by playing juva ( gambling) with other boys.

I asked him what he would do with it? He told me he would give it to his mother.

I sat down with him and suggested that he should think about admission to a school and explained to him that what he is doing is not good for him. I had a good talk with him. I pray that he takes my advice and makes changes in his life.

Today Subhash and two other boys were a great help to me in making airplanes.

Wear your shoes, wear proper clothes, if you want to enjoy learning?

Here as we started our circle time, I had to send most of the kids back to put on shoes and pyjamas. The reason they knew because last week when I went to teach them, one of the boys had cut his foot on glass while he was running towards me to shake hands. When I saw him he was crying.  I got him to clinic but it was not a good one so I just got the dressings and bandages for him.
In circle time I explained the benefits of wearing shoes and taking care of themselves.

Yesterday was E for elephant. We did actions for elephant and distributed the worksheet which was fun.
Things I observed : a group of children were playing cricket while we were going back just next to the slum .I stopped and was watching them. All of them were from the slum some of them were our students who hadn’t come for the class I called them and scolded them because while they were playing they were using very abusive language. 

some kids play with thermocol ,its very hard to stop young once   from chewing it. Please pray for the kids.

 
Thursday :
Today as we were getting the kids ready for circle time I had to take one of the boys called Subhash to the hospital. He had gotten a splint on his leg so he was crying from pain. He had swelling too. His mom asked me to take him to hospital with one of the big boys from the slum.
After returning I was glad seeing the kids doing the worksheet. Today’s  work sheet was E for Eagle. Shanker was alone handing all the kids. Now the kids have learned to take care of the crayons and sheets. They all return them and collected the crayons them selves when they were finished .No need to shout to get them to submit them. Please keep us in your prayers.

No winter for these kids…

As we went this evening I was just wondering if the children will be around. It was a cold winter’s evening. What I saw was different, most of the kids whom we teach were carrying water from the main road which means there no water supplies in the slums.
In the slum children were playing cricket and some were busy doing house chores. As they saw us they came to us and shook hands, then we 

started teaching.
Today again some kids were not wearing  proper clothes so I sent them back to wear pajamas.
Lesson: My worksheet had a car on it and they had to colour it and write ‘c’ or car on it.
After we had distributed colours and worksheets, I saw this boy alone colouring. I  got closer and encouraged him. I wish we had a proper place for them so they didn’t have to use the ground.   
Mala this little girl was in her regular dress, no jacket or any warm clothes on just shivering while colouring the work sheet. Even the sun was not warm enough. I asked her why she was not wearing warm clothes, no answer just a big smile, which made me think more about these children. They were more who were not wearing any thing warm and it seems to me no one cares about this.( How do they cope in this winter when it’s cold and foggy in the morning? )

My biggest achievement is with the deaf and dumb boy, Bengun (Bringel ) He came to me and pointed  two fingers and I’m sure he was asking for some thing but I could not understand him. I sat with him and started to show him with actions that he should  colour the car. It was amazing, he understood me and first time since I have started working with him he completed the worksheet. I am praying for him. I took his sheet and showed it to his mom and dad .His dad thanked me. His mom said some thing in her own language (you want to study ) and something else too.         

The things I noticed: when I was showing Benguns sheet to his father he was fixing a bicycle which I am sure he got in the trash. While he was working I suggested to him that they should send their elder daughter to school. And I was thinking how parents  want the best for their children. They can’t afford everything but they all try their level best.
Begun got on the bicycle which didn’t have a tyre on it but he was pushing it while sitting on it. It was good to watch him having fun..."Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets

…. please pray for all the families here in the slum…

Thank you very much Mr and Mrs Crider for coming to visit.

Tuesday and Wednesday  was a different week to others. On Tuesday we got there on time but we had to change the place we usually go because some kind of work was going on, on the other side of the field . All the cars, truck and bikes had to go through the place where we usually sit and teach. We went to the other side of the slum near the field it seemed to be a good area but it was so dirty and littered and was smelling so awful we moved more to the main road and did our lesson game: C for Christmas.
Today it was day for Tommy-yammey game…every body had to get up and say the name and what they like to eat. Most of the children said chowmein so in the end I told them that most of us like chowmein and it also starts with C so then it was c for chowmein.
  

Wednesday was an important day for me, I was so happy that Mr & Mrs Crider came to see my work in the slum. It was a very short visit but I was so thankful to them for it. I was sure the children would come on time although we were there a little early. I travelled with the Criders, Shanker having got there before us. When we got there some children had already gathered. It was nice to see that most of  them are regularly coming. The children were so happy to be introduced to Mr.& Mrs Crider. Some of them came up to shake hands with them.

The time soon came to leave although Shanker carried on with the letter C activity on the board and then did the worksheet with the children.

 Thank you very much Mr and Mrs Crider for coming to visit.

We need a shelter .

What do you do when you have rain?

It was time for me to get ready to visit the slum. I looked out my room and I could see the gentle drops of rain falling and the question came into my mind, ‘will the kids come?’
Then thought it will slow down in a few minutes so I got on my bike with Vijay. He said the same thing, “bhiya barish ho ri hai vo ni aayenge” (it’s raining, they will not come).
But I knew I had to go and find out.
So we got there in 15 minutes and looked around, there was no one in the ground hun what to do? I beeped my horn 2-4 times and I heard a voice saying, “bhiya aagey”.
Then I knew some kids were still coming out in the rain so I waited and asked one of the kids to call every one. It was cold and I saw most of them were barefooted and I felt sad for them. Then I asked them to go back and wear sleeper or shoes. I had a gathering of around 30 kids.
After all this I knew it was time to do some fun activities.
1. rub your hands faster
2. jump –jump
3. run around
4. this one was fun, shark and the fishes (getting in the groups as I said, other wise I will eat you ) after this the rain got heavier. I handed out worksheet as home work and they have to bring it back next week.

Prayer request : I am asking God to provide us one or two rooms shelter in the slum or near by so we run our programme properly. I did go to ask few people but I don’t have money to pay the rent they are wanting. Please keep us in your prayers. Thankyou.

Story time (Christmas)

Story time
Wrote Christmas on our white board and then explained C is for CHRISTMAS.
(I was worried if I will get into any kind of trouble as every one in this area is non believer but I had to do what I had to do).
I asked if any body knows why we celebrate Christmas (wrong question to ask because no one celebrates Christmas here).
So I told them we are going to celebrate Christmas today but before that let me tell you a story.
Story of Jesus,

‘ tho fir sub k sub bolo Chritmas ka yeh pyara tyohaar jeevan mein laye khushiyan apaar’.

I read the story and explained it to them very carefully, every one in sight was staring at the beautiful pictures. I kept going on with the story. Ended up saying, ‘ may God bless you all’.

Then I told them this story that it’s real and it’s taken from the Bible. I read few verses from the Bible and prayed for all the kids.
Fun time (wish we had more help.)
I had made a list of kids who were coming regularly. They were the first ones to get  their gift packets in which we had one biscuit.2 candies, one strawberry cream wafer and some imported items which were only for young ones, given to me by Amanda didi.
They all lined up and we were giving out packets like we were Santa but it was not easy!  It was so hard to control so many kids and we were only 3, I was wondering how Santa might have felt when he was distributing gifts…over all it was a fun time but busy evening.

Please pray that God will pour his blessings in this place.

The things I observed : there were some older people who were listening to the story too.
The kids paid more attention when I was explaining.
When I was distributing gifts some of the parents were helping kids to be in line and helped with control.  I am thankful to god that he has given me this opportunity.

The people who have been helping me in this work.
Mr & Mrs Julia Reynolds,  Mr & Mrs Crider,  Mr Dick Wechter ,  didi Amanda Lehman…thank you very much.

(.Thanks for praying  ..wish u all very happy Christmas )