November 30, 2005
Most of you reading this will be wondering when the leftovers
will be gone and have just savored the time with family and friends
this past weekend. We missed celebrating on the fourth Thursday,
but organized a feast on November 28 with American, British, and
Pakistani colleagues gathering around one very big table. We’re
thankful for many things this year: for our health, for the constant
assurance we’ve had that Pakistan is where we need to be,
for caring families and friends who worry and pray about us, and
for the many blessings we’ve had since arriving in Lahore.
We’re thankful as well that you take an interest in us and
what we are doing here. We trust you, too, have many reasons to
give thanks and that your celebrations were reminders of those
blessings.
Marianne describes life right now as “too busy.”
Here are a few reasons why.
Work
Marianne is becoming fully involved with the life of a college
administrator. Forman Christian College is growing quickly and
with that comes the need to put some structure in place for managing
a larger enterprise. She’s wading through personnel policies,
trying to find a vendor to develop an IT plan for campus, helping
to deal with crises, managing the process of selecting a contractor
for a new building, and trying to get to know some faculty and
students in the process. Every day continues to be packed with
a variety of work needs and the feeling that the days are never
long enough! The faculty have been very gracious and hospitable,
inviting us to dinners, teas, and to visit their villages. Robert
has been fully engaged in writing his dissertation, his work in
Pakistan on hold until he finishes that.
Church
We’ve also tried to be involved with the larger church.
Earlier this month, we spent a day traveling to Pasrur, where
there was a groundbreaking ceremony for a new hostel at a Presbyterian
girls school. Getting out of the city and seeing life in a more
rural area was a refreshing change of pace. The boys were able
to see what a more typical school looks like and to attend a church
where you sit on the floor, men on one side with women and children
on the other.
Marianne attended the annual General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church of Pakistan; we were officially received and warmly welcomed
to Pakistan. We continue to worship in different churches, sometimes
in Urdu and sometimes in English. We’re still not sure where
we’ll settle on that; for now, it is fun to visit different
congregations and note the uniqueness of each worship service.
Family
The boys are doing well and are getting more involved with activities
at school. Peter is in a roller skating club one day a week and
Nathan just finished his acting debut, playing the part of Mr.
Witherspoon in the Lahore American School production of “Arsenic
and Old Lace.” Reading that sentence makes one think that
life here for the boys is not all that different from life in
the United States. In some ways, that is very true. Their school
is based on an American curriculum and tries to develop programs
comparable to those children would find in the United States.
At the same time, the Pakistani influence is quite apparent: the
words to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” have become
“We Wish you a Happy Holiday” and there is a decided
difference in the socio-economic status of the boys’ classmates.
Where in the United States they were in a very diverse environment
with children from every socio-economic bracket, here they rub
shoulders with Pakistan’s wealthiest families only. We have
to work a little harder to make sure they see life from all viewpoints
here.
Life in general
We’ve started to take things in stride. If you have five
things you need to do in a given week outside of work, you might
get two of them done and just can’t get upset about the
other three. Getting places, finding what you want, bartering
on the price, then getting it home just takes longer. Marianne
is still hoping to find a quilt for the bed. We got the boys some
warm blankets, but didn’t have enough hands that day to
get something for mom and dad’s bed. Three weeks later,
mom is sleeping with the bath towels spread over the bed for warmth
along with a borrowed blanket, thinking she’ll get back
to find something warmer one of these days! Finding the turkey
for Thanksgiving dinner is another example: it took days to determine
where to buy one, who could dress it, and what it would cost.
Saturday night we finally returned home with a fresh turkey, dressed
(that means the dirty work has already been done), and a kilo
of celery to boot.
We now have a fairly reliable phone in the house and are in the
process of getting a new roof. While it’s a dirty mess right
now, we look forward to the next rainstorm knowing (hoping at
least!) that we won’t need all the buckets and towels. The
next task will be scraping all the loose paint off to let the
ceilings and walls dry out.
Events in Pakistan
The earthquake continues to make headlines, especially since
winter has arrived and the need for shelter and relief supplies
remains critical. The donors’ conference led by Kofi Annan
earlier this month raised hopes that the international community
will boost their support and give Pakistan a chance to rebuild
properly. A chance encounter with a nun last week gave Marianne
another perspective on the devastation: her order is seriously
considering opening an orphanage because of the large number of
homeless children. In many cases, the children are not necessarily
orphans but their families need help in caring for them; the orphanage
would offer that support while families find ways to rebuild their
lives.
The church burnings in Sangla Hill made headlines as well. There
were four churches burned, along with a school and two pastors’
homes. The Presbyterian church and parsonage were both totally
destroyed. That event has served as a catalyst for political assurances
to the minority communities in Pakistan and especially to the
Christians.
Things to come
And now we prepare for Christmas; we’re continuing a family
tradition with Advent devotions each evening. We miss our wonderful
fireplace in Richmond, Virginia, and haven’t found an Advent
calendar with chocolates yet (the highlight for Peter each evening!)
but we plow ahead with readings and activities we’ve found
on the Internet and our faithful Bible. We’ll celebrate
St. Nicholas Day just like we did in the United States and plan
to invite some Pakistani children to join us this year. And as
we watch and wait for all that Christmas means to us, we hope
that this is a season of hope and renewal for you as well.
Thank you again for all of your support: prayers, email messages,
and even notes in the mail. We appreciate all of it!
Marianne, Robert, Nathan and Peter
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 112
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