Here is a picture of Ponmoli�s funeral. John sent me these after he arrived in Tharangabadi on Sunday morning. Here is an excerpt from his email:

�Ponmoli had just passed her 8th grade exams, and all she was talking about for the past few days in her village was how happy she was at Miracle Garden and how she could not wait to get back to Uncle and all the kids...
They did hold the body for me, I drove all night and got there in the morning and was able to pray for her...I could not stop crying, just looking at her I thought she would sit up and talk to me...Many women around there were beating their heads and repeating all the words she had spoken the past few days...all about her happy life at Miracle Garden...I just am so broken...She escaped the Tsunami, but now this...�.
Although you can see they put the Hindu �puttu� mark on her forehead, John did say he convinced the villagers to give her a burial in a casket instead of a Hindu cremation ceremony.
The circumstances of her death are still suspicious. But John is not going to press for an investigation. It would strain relations between Hindus and Christians in this sea-side town and we don�t want to jeopardize the future of the other children at Miracle Garden who are from this village. She is at rest in the Lord. In that we find peace.
Please continue to pray for the other children at MG as they struggle to make sense of all this on the eve of John�s visit to America. May they know our love and thoughts are with them even though they may be feeling alone. Thank you all for your loving and supporting words and prayers.