Kannivadi

Ingrid and I are spending our last night in Tamil Nadu at the Bethania home in Kannivadi, where the old lead the young:

Seriously, Muniyappan (the boy on the left) is a fantastic leader. Kannivadi is organized so that the elder children instruct and discipline their younger "siblings." The system works beautifully, allowing the older kids to come into their own as adults and leaders, while the younger children benefit from their elders' experience, charisma and general coolness. And Muniyappan is cool... so cool that he almost broke my totally uncool hand while we were playing cricket today.

The town of Kannivadi exists on the plains of Tamil Nadu, on the fringes of the Eastern Ghats. It's very small, with a few old concrete buildings surrounded by huts made out of palm branches and mud-brick. The hills surrounding Kannivadi are beautiful, and famous for an abundant population of wild peacocks.

They've been making noise all day with their shrill, cat-like cries. But around 5:00 this afternoon we saw something that neither of us have ever seen before: a peacock dance! Four males appeared on the rocky slope of the hills immediately behind the compound and began spreading their tails in the air, shivering and slowly rotating around the rocks. The displays were striking, and I think the peahens were very impressed.

After arriving in Kannivadi before 10:00 this morning, we played cricket with the staff, ate lunch and slept. After the nap we climbed into the Bethania bus and went to pick up all 35 kids from their schools.

They drive this bus without closing any of the doors or windows. No problem. This is India. You just take things as they come, which in this case meant dodging every tree limb, thorn bush or vine that entered the vehicle from the edge of the dirt road into Kannivadi. The kids also have no problem hanging most of their bodies out of the doors or windows to catch the breeze. Like I said, this is India.

Following a snack after school we played the obligatory cricket game, and then let the kids show us many of the animals around the Bethania compound. Bethania in Kannivadi is one of our most well-developed homes, with its own fields, orchards and livestock. It even has its own domed chapel which, as Ingrid says, evokes memories of the Pantheon in Rome (Oh Ingrid...). Allusions to the Roman Empire aside, Priscilla (the administrator of this particular home) has developed her compound into a sizable establishment that is capable of sustaining its own growth in many ways. Solomon intends for the new Narendrapuram complex to provide for itself as well through raising livestock and cultivating fruit trees, among other things.

Dinner is approaching, so I'd better wrap up this post. Tomorrow Ingrid and I leave Kannivadi at 5 am (ouch!) to make the two hour drive to the Madurai airport for our 8:40 flight to Chennai. In Chennai we'll switch airlines and then zip back to Rajahmundry. I can't wait! Returning to Rajahmundry always feels like a homecoming to me.

We'll be getting our sleep early tonight. Pray for safe travels for us tomorrow, and for a productive final week in Rajahmundry.

In Christ,

Max