Unexpected Rains Allow Replanting

Quite unexpectedly we were blessed with some unseasonal heavy falls of rain in February, enough to allow us to plant some new cow fodder and okra.  The fruit trees all have new leaves shooting on them and we've started harvesting our tomatoes and selling them in the village.  The rice is also ready for harvesting.  It's all very exciting. 

The rice fields, vegie gardens as seen from the roof.

Preparing the newly ploughed fields for sowing the cow grass.

One of the guava trees.

Prabhu with some of the tomatoes

Looking across the brinjal and rice towards the buildings

New Shalom video available on Youtube

Our son Simon has uploaded a short video from our recent visit on his youtube channel.  It features comments from Simon and our friends Kerrie and Peter (sponsors of two of the boys) about their experience visiting Shalom.  This and other videos will be added to our Shalom youtube channel over the next few weeks.  To watch the video now click this link. 

Simon with some of the boys at Shalom

Around The Farm

Despite the drought conditions, farming activities have increased dramatically in the last couple of months.  Putting in the new dripper system has made a huge difference to how much we can grow.  The tomato plants are covered in ripening fruit, the brinjal also doing well.  Unfortunately the chillies haven't thrived and some lady finger (okra) plants will be planted in their place.  At the start of our 2 week visit the rice was still a vibrant green, but by the time we left, it was drying off in preperation for the harvest.  We were given 100 trees by the forestry department and planting of these has been started around the perimeters of the fields.  These will provide income through sales of teak wood in about 10 years.  After struggling with getting our farming activities up and running over the last four years we feel like we've turned a corner.  Our next step is to get quotes to deepen our well or dig a new one so we can keep increasing our output.

Gathering corn stalks to feed the cows

Breaking up urea to use as fertiliser in the drip lines

The rice fields just starting to turn yellow

Ladies from the village weeding the vegetable gardens

One of our calves

Off to sell milk to a tea stall in the village

Tomatoes from our gardens

Visiting Erampatti Village School

What a reception we got at the village primary school when we visited the boys' classes.  The children rushed out and surrounded us.  We were well and truly mobbed, everyone was keen to shake hands and introduce themselves.  A tour of each classroom followed and it was good to see the new desks and cupboards that Payne Road State School gave them in October being put to good use.  The work we'd organised to repair the front gate had also been done and it was looking sturdy again with no danger of falling down and hurting any children.  This year we hope to make repairs to the school toilets including construction of  new toilets for the girls, and installation of a septic system and water tanks.  First we have to find out what approvals we need from the government and then we'll raise additional funds to complete the work.

Inside the Grade 9 classroom

Repairs to the front gate

Visiting the Grade 1 classroom

The abandoned toilets and open sewer in the playground

Having Fun At Shalom

Our visit to Shalom was a great excuse to give the boys some new sporting and games equipment.  We gave them a carrom board table, some footballs, a volleyball and net, badminton racquets, quoits, snakes and ladders, dominos and 2 chess sets.  This meant our afternoons were filled with sports and games of every kind.  We taught them touch footy which they picked up very quickly and and really enjoyed playing.  The widows even joined in some of the games along with a few of the boys' friends from the village.  We've since heard that the children in the village are very interested in learning this new game.

The new badminton court

Geoff and Simon explaining the rules of touch footy

Running races

Playing carrom board

Visit To The Water Park

One of our visits to Shalom wouldn't be the same without taking the boys and staff out on a day trip somewhere.  So this time we decided to visit Athisayam Water Park at Madurai for a day of fun on the waterslides and amusement rides.  Despite being their winter, it was still really hot, so jumping in and out of the pools was a lovely treat for everyone. 

Group photo at Athisayam Water Park Madurai

Boarding the rollercoaster

Heading down into the pool

Enjoying the rides in the dry games area

All aboard

The wave pool and waterfall sections

Letters And Visitors From Sponsors

It was really great to take letters over from every one of our sponsors this time.  In the past we've only had one or two, so you can imagine the big smiles when the boys realised everyone had a letter individually addressed to them.  The room was a buzz with excited voices as everyone opened their letters and showed each other the photos of their families.  We thought we'd have to get Israel and Prabhu to translate what was written, but we were pleasantly surprised to see many of the boys were reading their letters by themselves without translation, they just needed help understanding a few words.  This is a clear sign of how much their English has improved.  They wrote some lovely letters back and decorated them with lots of drawings and stickers. I hope to post these out to their sponsor families soon.

We also had another surprise in store for them. Two days after our arrival, we were joined by our friends, Kerrie and Peter who sponsor two of the boys.  How wonderful for Perumal and Kalimuthu to meet their Aussie sponsors and visa versa.  No longer just a name or face in a photo.  They played and chatted and shared many special times together.  We look forward to welcoming other sponsors over for a visit in the future.

Showing Babu his letter and photos

Kerrie and Peter with Kalimuthu and Perumal

New Bird Cages Completed

The older boys did a magnificent job building the new bird cages.  We now have 2 turkey's, 8 ducks and 2 guinea hens.  We got rid of the chickens after Subhu our neighbour was bitten by a viper.  They were replaced by the guinea hens because chickens attract snakes but the guinea hens make a noise and smell that the snakes don't like.  The ducks love swimming in the pond, the turkey's strut around all day showing off their feathers with a "gobble, gobble, gobble".  The original male duck likes to think he's in charge.  The female turkey picks on the guinea hens, who hide behind the male turkeys tail feathers, he gets very excited and they all run around chasing each other in circles until the male duck comes over and breaks up the fight.  He'll even run in at full speed from a long distance to tell everyone to behave.  This happens several times a day and is very funny to watch.

The new cage which the older boys built by themselves

The male turkey is very impressive when he puffs his feathers

The most recent addition, the white ducks

New Mattresses For The Boys

We presented the boys with some belated Christmas gifts from their Aussie sponsors.  Everyone got new mattresses for their beds.  Sleeping on soft mattresses was a new experience for most of them, and the first morning everyone slept in and had to be woken up for school.

Ready to carry their mattresses upstairs

Getting ready for a comfy night's sleep

Neatly made beds in the morning

Bringing A Smile To Our Widows' Faces

Our 3 widows seem to be settling in so well.  They came to Shalom with very little and in poor health, having lived in very tough circumstances after being rejected by their families.  Already their faces look brighter and they seem so much happier and healthier.  It was lovely watching them joining in games in the evenings and sharing in the day to day life of their new family at Shalom.  Thanks to donations from Australia, we were able to bless them with new beds and some cupboards to store their things in.  

Me with our 3 Parthy (grandmas)

They now help with cooking and cleaning around the home

Happy smiles have returned

Enjoying a game of quoits with the boys

One of their new cupboards