Update #4
From Nagpur, India
Tues. June 18, 2019Hello, International Partners in the Voyage—Tonight we went up on the roof after supper to promenade under the stars where a subtle breeze was blowing. Our young girlfriends who live here during studies clued us in to how pleasant it was up here after dark. The moon is almost full and the city bustles below. Islamic prayer calls echo off the cement walls of the neighborhood around us. It is a comfort and an accompaniment to our own prayers inside our chapel. We had heard it first around 5:20 p.m. when we were sponging ourselves off from the heat. It is hauntingly beautiful.
We have 34 wonderful religious sisters with us on this retreat. We are all weathering the heat together and some modest “coolers” have been fixed in the dining room and meeting room. Their stories are many and varied, reaching back 80 years for several of them. They now laugh with us readily and sing happily when they know the song. Today we danced a little with them playfully and the room jiggled with delight. It cheers us, too, to hear their tittering and amusement. They have gorgeous saris with both bright colors and soft pastels. The young ones wear blousy pantaloons under long tunics with a drape of sheer gauze over their shoulders. So feminine and graceful.
The young student girls were out playing barefoot badminton yesterday. We got a few snaps of them in the courtyard. We feel very safe here, even though last night several “crackers” went off about 20 minutes apart and we were sure bombs were being thrown at the walls and we would soon be invaded. The sisters guffawed as we shared our fears, reassuring us that nothing of that was happening. Tonight we saw some fireworks in the sky and relaxed. Their “crackers” are far worse than our cherry bombs. Magnify it times 10.
That’s it for now. We hope you enjoy the photos. Many blessings and thanks for the prayers.
Jolie and Nicki
TATENDA Travel Team for India 2019
