July 1978

Hi ...

Greetings in Jesus' name from Nagpur.

In spite of all my efforts to keep in touch with all of you, the chances are that some of you haven't heard from me in quite a while. I am sorry about that. But to allay your fears ... I am alive and well, healthy and happy.

Our little family in Nagpur has increased; including me there are seven now. Devdas (26) head-translator (no cannibal ...), Rekya (23) typist, Jacob (18) a local student who moved in with us. He starts college this year. Gawli (17) a Kokoni tribal who helps in the house and is trying to complete his grade 10, Reshma (13) a Mawchi started grade 5 in a Marathi school, and Dilip (8) Devdas' nephew.

My nightmare is that somebody drops a deserted baby at my doorstep ... I have no kids of my own and feel I would like to invest part of my life in helping some of them to get at least an education. Besides those there is the regular bunch of students that find its way into my 'sanctum' ... Our cook is never flustered. In case somebody drops in unexpectedly, he uses the well-tried formula, "As long as there is water - there is soup." Or he beats the meat a bit flatter and so everybody gets a piece.

To be honest, for the most part, the last year was far from pleasant. It was a real struggle at times; we were beset with many set-backs and disappointments. In the wake of those followed doubts as to whether or not I was in the right place doing the right thing. Maybe God was putting me on the shelf - disqualified - NDG? I went through periods of great depressions and the harder I tried to get out the deeper I got into them ... nothing seemed to work. The TEAM church board out rightly refused to accept Mark ... I took Acts back from the press though they had already done the negatives, but I thought it would be pointless to get it printed and then refused. The rest of the tracts which have been with the committee have as yet not been done ... then I got ill ... Also Jacob didn't want to go to College and neither did he want to study. So finally we decided a tutor would help him to get back on the right track ... it did, but in the meantime Devdas acted up because I was giving Jacob preferred treatment ... at times money was as scarce as hen's teeth and we sold all our old newspapers and tins to survive - we did ... and well ...

While I could sum up the first year with, "The lines have fallen unto me in pleasant places," Lamentation 3:9; is a more suitable epitaph for the second year: "He has blocked my ways with hewn stones, he has made my paths crooked." However all these set-backs did not harm God's glory, but they certainly gave a bad and terrible beating to my pride - which was much needed ... Yet God, even while hitting hard - is still very gentle ....

At the present things are going good. We almost completed the rough draft of the O.T. Panorama. We have already started on the revision of the same. The committee promised the rest of the tracts soon to be in our hands. The revision of Mark should be ready by the middle of August and Acts by the end of September. Matthew, Susan & Kurien our team in Navapur are attending a three months linguistic course at Nasik. Beth Morton, a former SIL member plans to come in September to help us get the literacy programme of the ground.
I also was able to have a short but profitable visit to the village. It was very enjoyable and very 'lively' ... I have the bites to prove it ...

The summer was long and hot. For many weeks the temps were around 45° - 46° Celsius. During that time our favorite hymn was: “Jesus I am resting ... resting ... resting ... resting” to do anything else was too tiring. Now the rainy season has started and life has returned to this old skeleton and I feel very well indeed.

Well I must close for now. Thank you for all your love and concern, for your letters and your gifts. Please do continue to pray for us ... we surely need it.

With love in Him

Frank