Boys and girls make good use of their time by studying in the dinner area before the biriyani packets arrive for dinner.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Study Time
Boys and girls make good use of their time by studying in the dinner area before the biriyani packets arrive for dinner.
Thank you to those who provided Biriyani Meals to the kids!
Adam passes out more than 50 packets of chicken biriyani, including a chicken piece and an egg, as well as raitha salad and special sauce. Thank you to everyone who contributed to make this special "goodbye" meal possible. What a short trip this was. All the children are looking forward to our Christmas missions trip and the Christmas Orphans' Extravaganza! Contact Michelle at jmpandian@yahoo.com for more details.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Signature Horse from Advent UMC 2007 VBS!
The kids showed me the signature horse that we sent from Advent United Methodist Church in Las Vegas from our Vacation Bible School last year. They asked me to tell them about the VBS and the kids who signed the horse. They told me how they put up the wall-to-wall poster we sent in their dorm room (until everythng came un-glued). I was glad to see they had saved the horse. Hope everyone at Advent UMC can see this!
Boys in front of our Children's Ministry sign
Left to right: Prem Kumar, Gokul, (front) Migavel, Sathi Raj (back), Balakrishnan, R. Vijay, Nivathan Daniel.
Adam plays with Starr.
Garden Duty
Four of the older boys work on Garden Duty - carrying and pouring water on trees. As their reward, they are allowed to eat the "fruits of their labors." They can eat any pomegranites, mangos, guavas, sweet lemons, papayas, nellikai, or sita pallam (custard apples) they want. Shown here left to right are Prem, Siva Punithan, Sunder, and not shown is Sakthi Kumar.
Weekend enjoyment!
Right to left: Karthik, Meena, Abirami, and others play with donated toys Sunday afternoon after church.
Giving out school supplies
Every week DK gives out the necessary school supplies for the kids. They let her know who needs a pencil or a ruler. She keeps track in a log book so she knows who receives what. If the kids loose their pencil, they get a "punishment pencil" - a very small one - to use for a week. If they return the punishment pencil on Sunday without losing it all week, they can get a fancy pencil from the US to use. Thank you to everyone who has sent school supplies or donations for school supplies! That is one need that is constant for us.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Kids in school
Pictures of the youngest elementary school kids in school at Pandian Matriculation School in Coimbatore (yes, there is a relation - it is John's Aunt's school). Tamil Medium on the floor and English Medium on benches. Thank you Merilyn Israel for helping with uniform and school supply costs!
Abi and Yemimall collect cherries to eat and share.
Abi and Yemimall (both age 8) also need sponsors. Every day after dinner the kids can pick cherries from the 5 cherry trees in front of the main building. Many of the kids collect pockets-full to share with others.
Hi! I'm Srinithi.
Say my name - sree-nih-thee. I am 6 years old and all smiles. I am in 1st grade in the Tamil Medium school. I need a sponsor. How about you?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A picture is worth 1000 words!
Little Prakash, Velusamy, Swathi, Tamil Selvi, and Yamuna invite you to join them for Christmas this year. Michelle is bringing a team December 21-31 (approx), 2008, for a fantastic Christmas celebration and observance of the 4th anniversary of the tsunami. Come and see for yourself just how God has worked healing and renewal in the lives of these precious kids.
Will you be the next new sponsor?
Little Daniel, age 6, and Meena, age 8, need sponsors like you! $30 per month provides their food, education, health care, and a nurturing environment where they can thrive. Contact Michelle at jmpandian@yahoo.com.
More vitamins needed!
The bureau which was previously chock full of vitamins on every shelf now only has one shelf of bottles left. Medical and personal hygeine supplies occupy the other space. Because of the efforts of the Robinson and Gage families and many individuals, the Miracle Garden orphans have had daily multivitamins for more than 2 years. Due to high shipping costs, many sponsors have been unable to send boxes to their child, and thus our supply of vitamins is slowly dwindling. There are currently 2 more trips planned from the US to Miracle Garden this year. If you are able to donate bottles of children's chewable vitamins, please contact Michelle at jmpandian@yahoo.com. It is possible for short-term missionaries to bring your donations with them.
Girls give DK Miss Birthday cards
Many of the kids have given DK hand-made birthday cards, as her birthday was on July 11th. Even Vignesh, Kalai Selvan and Tamil Arasan bought her a bottle of Sprite!
Ready for school
Some of the elementary kids wait in the shade as the secondary kids get in the van.
New motor works - Yeah!
John watches Sunder and Tamil Arasan catch water using the new tank motor. The nwe motor is a 1 horse-power motor compared to the old one, which was only 1/2 hp. That is why the cover no longer fits. A new cover will be made to protect the motor from getting wet.
Plumber puts in new water tank motor
The plumber worked today installing the new water tank motor sponsored by Asbury First United Methodist Church. He removed the old one (which will be repaired and kept as a backup) and also installed a new tap on our "nulla thanni" or "good water" connection so we can divert it to the tank or use the tap to collect the water in vessels. The "good water" comes from the Siruvani reservoir, which provides all the drinking water to the city of Coimbatore and surrounding areas. It tastes sweet and is not brackish like our borewell water.
The DHR Compound - Tiles inside & out
Both new dorms have tiled floors, patios, and bathrooms thanks to the Martin family. The tiles add value to the property as well as longevity for the floors and bathroom walls. The MG kids have had "bathroom accident" issues in the past where they have not been able to keep their rooms clean (whether related to their trauma or fear of the dark we're not sure). The tiles prevent any accidents from staining the cement floor and will last forever with proper care. Thank you again to the Martins, who stood in the gap to meet this need for the new buildings.
Trinity Girl's Dorm
Fully tiled bathrooms and toilets allow for easy cleaning, prevent dirty walls, and add beauty to both dorm facilities. 
New water tank motor purchased
On Monday, John purchased the new water tank motor and brought it back to MG. It will be installed today by the plumber in the main campus water tank. Blaze was excited to get a chance to jump into the car while the trunk was open. :-)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Vitamins - a key to balanced nutrition!
Thank you to everyone who continues to send us children's chewable vitamins. The kids get them daily, and they have really helped them grow and stay healthy. A team of 6 people (or more) is coming to visit MG in December for the 4th anniversary of the tsunami - we each get to take 100 pounds of goodies in our luggage (2 suitcases @ 50 lbs each). Please consider donating children's vitamins for us to bring on that trip, as children's vitamins are not available here.
School Bags - Thanks!
Many of the kids still have their school bags from last year. Thank you to everyone who brought sturdy, appropriately-sized school bags for them to decorate and use.
Showing off their work
Adam shows his picture to Kalai Selvan and Tamil Selvi shows her prayer request to me.
Prayer Requests
The children were busy Sunday afternoon drawing & writing their prayer requests. Most included requests for help to study well, not get into trouble in school, to stay healthy, and help to enter the career of their choice. Thank you to everyone who includes these little ones in your prayers.
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