Rodent Realities

Sending cheery stuff home to keep in touch with family I took a pic of some bright bougainvillea airily tumbling down a wall beside our small apartment. A few steps round the corner I memorialise a giant dead rat, squashed over by countless car and bike tyres. It seemed a good summary of India - flowers and rodents - and everything in between. I do love a rat story - as you might know from previous blog posts. At one of the homes we visit the creatures have dug so much under the sandy soil that there is an underground metropolis with a network of tunnels. At a recent bible camp the hidden rat city saw the light of day. Biryani - the beloved state dish of Hyderabad - was being prepared in a huge cooking vessel over a big open fire in the yard. Not long into the process the weight of the rice and meat was too much for the riddled ground and the cooking dish partly toppled over into basically what was a rat sink hole. Food was lost - much was thankfully saved - but shortly thereafter concrete and slabs were laid to avoid future disasters. This reads like a fun anecdote but the reality is grim and one rat never mind an underground city of rats is too horrible to contemplate. We spent another day at the leprosy centre at Darsarapalli which WCF and others help support and where last year rats had been eating the poorly bleeding feet of patients during the night. Funds to fill in the gaps in the roof rafters have been well used and the residents can sleep undisturbed. What a difference to health and wellbeing a small piece of work can make. These dear folk have a great deal to contend with to remain as healthy as they can while coping with the effects of their disease. They do not need added burdens. Darsarapalli up in the rock strewn hills is a wonderful place, full of life and hope and faith. WCF is committed to help funding such projects. Psalm 12 v 7 ‘You, Lord, will keep the needy safe’.