Hursts in India

On Monday I was introduced to the Central Ridge Forest Reserve, a large park/forest near the American Embassy in Delhi. Along the path we saw cattle, monkeys and wild hogs.  What we didn't see was the mid-fourteenth century hunting lodge built by Firoz Tughlaq and inhabited by Begum Wilayal Mahal, self-proclaimed great granddaughter of the last Nawab of Awadh from 1985 until her death in 1993.  Her daughter and son stayed on until they too died in 2016 and 2017 respectively.  We plan to go back and find that.  Its all right here in the city! Tuesday we visited with the girls in Mehrauli.  We talked about their dream jobs and how to prepare to get them.  Nandini, Depanshi and Sonu worked together. Grant helped Ganga and Radha with their puzzle:  "Success doesn't come to you, you go to it!" Gulnahar can be a little domineering, so she was left to work by herself.  Each girl is so different, but each is beautiful in her own w...

Sisters' Meeting, Quilting and a wonderful few days in Kolkata Sister Skidmore (Mesa), Jeanette, Sister Hansen (Virginia), Sister Toone (Mesa) and all the sister missionaries in our mission - special Sisters' Meeting at which Jeanette did a presentation on service.   Sisters Watts & Muthu along with Malati Sarkar from Pitampura who is now serving in Fiji.  Helping senior sisters prepare/tie 100 baby quilts for a government hospital in Rishikesh where the home group leader's wife is a OB nurse.  Angelie - Udayan Girls Home Made posters about what they want to be when they grow up.   Our sweet Radha KOLKATA   Anita Pyne from the Branch haggling with street vendor to buy some guava   Two girls in orphanage making a chariot for the Rath Yatra festival honoring Lord Jagaanath  - see photos below  Posing with the traditional Ambassador Taxi Rath Yatra Festival to honor Lord Jagaarnath   It ...

We continued the work on our baby quilts this week.  The men stepped up and did some handwork on Monday night for FHE.  Here is Grant flanked by Elders Toone and Skidmore.  Tuesday we visited with our darling Udayan girls in Mehrauli.  Here Rumpaul is demonstrating how its easy to tell one little lie, but when if we aren't careful, they can multiply and get us in a bind.  Rumpal  Wednesday night we finished our first baby quilt. Thursday morning we drove about 60 km south east of Delhi to the village of Tigaon near Faridabad in Haryana to meet Rohit's new bride, Babita.  He was taking her back to his parent's house to live.  Babita's hands were beautifully decorated with mehndi.  And she wore toe rings, the sign of a married woman.   They sat us on a bed and all the women folk came in to say hello.  Babita's 80 year old grandmother in the center.  They prepared a lovely meal fo...