
Friday was a hot day in Mahab for Jim Sir. The day started with a convocation and prayer service to dedicate the teachers and students of Achiever Academy. As honored guests, Susan and I were invited to sit up on the stage in the direct sunshine. The service was meaningful and short, but by 10:00 I was well-toasted. After the service I helped Justin and Saroop (the worship pastor at Chennai Vineyard Church) take down the PA system and load Saroop’s car to take it back to Chennai. Then John Christian and Saroop showed me a couple of store rooms full of clothes, files, and sound equipment stored across the street at the Acts of Mercy office and asked me to help Justin and Thynkassi (the watchman at the widows village) sort through and organize the items after lunch.
“Susie Mam” and I decided we would walk the 1 kilometer to our favorite restaurant for take-away lunch before her class, so we hurried off down what we affectionately call “Mulberry Street.” - for we never know what we will see on the way. On the way back to school, we parted company and Susan hurried back with the food while I stopped at the currency exchange to change some dollars to Rupees. Then I stopped at the laundry to pick up the clean laundry, but I had forgotten to bring the dirty clothes to drop off so I walked back to school, retrieved the clothes, and made one more round trip to the laundry and back. When I got back to school I had only a few minutes to catch my breath and eat a little before Thynkassi came to tell me it was time to get to work on the storeroom.
I wish I could describe the stifling heat of a closed storeroom in India whose only ventilation is the open door, lifting antiquated air conditioning units, oversized speakers and boxes of clothing and books out onto a narrow balcony, reorganizing