December 2006
Mussoorie, India
Dear praying Friends,
On November 12 all three local CNI (Church of North India) churches
gathered for our “United Advent Carol Service.” It
was a service of the Nine Lessons and Carols. I was reminded of
all of you as I sat through the service, partly because I wished
you could experience the service and partly because I thought
of all the ways you have made it possible for me to continue to
work here in India.
The Reverends Anita and Eric Templeton recess as the Woodstock
Wind Ensemble plays at the conclusion of the service.
I confess there are many days when I wish I could be “home”
nearer my family members and where I speak the language and “look”
like I belong. There are other days, though, when I understand
the privilege it is to live in India and be a small part of what
happens in this community and, sometimes, to be part of God’s
greater work. During this Advent service I was almost overwhelmed
by the wonder of the story, but also by the fact that I was sitting
in India with this diverse group of Christians, all worshiping
the same God and participating in that worship in our own ways
and in our own languages. The Moravian School choir from Rajpur
sang a song in Nepali, complete with drums and guitar. The Woodstock
School orchestra and choir presented a lovely version of First
Noel arranged to Pachelbel’s Canon. Wynberg Allen School
choir sang in Hindi, as did the Woodstock Hindustani Church choir.
The congregation sang “Silent Night” and “Joy
to the World” among other well known hymns. I read the Third
Lesson from Isaiah, amazed that a passage so often read could
suddenly become fresh and exciting, and marveling at the promise
anew. It was a wonderful afternoon of worship and fellowship.
My new role as academic dean of Woodstock continues to unfold
or evolve (I’m not sure which word to use). As it does,
though, I become more aware of things that I can do and things
that need to be done. This last semester we began a new more formal
program of coaching new teachers. I look forward to developing
that further. Accreditation is another of my tasks, and I keep
learning more about that process. In terms of teaching, after
teaching grade twelve AP English for many years, I now teach two
classes of grade nine. It has been a big adjustment to the age
level, but fun to work with younger students again. There is a
different vitality in them, and I have enjoyed the creative part
of planning the lessons and trying new things.
School life follows the same routine every year: Indian Independence
Day celebrations in August, cross-country in September; Gandhiji’s
birthday in October; MUN and activity week and school play and
concerts in November followed by exams and “Going Down Day.”
This year I was on “Going Down Duty” (with 15 other
colleagues, I hasten to add), taking some 260 students to Dehra
Dun by bus, then on to Delhi by train, then shuttling them to
the airport for their flights home for Christmas.
Our final commitment of the semester is the final staff meeting.
That meeting focuses on how the students did and which ones are
concerns and need extra support. As we talk through these issues
at our meeting, it reminds us that we are helping raise children.
We put our experiences together, both residence and teaching staff,
and try to understand what might be the reasons for troubles we
are seeing or that a student might be experiencing. We are reminded
that we are helping form people’s lives—an awesome
responsibility, a rewarding work. Pray with us: thanks for all
that safe travel, blessings that the children have a good holiday
with family, and praise for Emmanuel, God with us.
Rejoice that you participate,
Kathy
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
114 |
