Weeks Ending December 15 and 22, 2019

As our days in Delhi are numbered and the weather is cool, we decided to drop everything on Monday, December 9 and visit Hauz Khas (Farsi for "royal tank" or "reservoir"), a part of city we had yet to explore.  A reservoir was built here by Sultan Alauddin Khalji who ruled from 1296 to 1316 to supply water to the inhabitants of Siri Fort, the "second city" of Delhi.  The neighborhood is full of tombs of Delhi royalty from the 14th to 16th centuries and other monuments

including this mosque.  

The mosque and this tomb and others are located in Deer Park.

From there we walked through the urbanized village of Hauz Khas to the ruins of an Islamic seminary situated around the reservoir.

The madrasa was established in 1352.  Supported by the Sultans of Delhi, it was considered to be the largest and best equipped of anywhere in the world.  It is built in an "L" shape around a corner of the tank and has steps leading down to the water

The complex includes the tomb of Firuz Shah Tughluq who ruled the Delhi Sultanate from  1351 to 1388.  This is the interior of the dome.

The tank is much smaller today than originally.  It was built to catch the monsoon rains which then supplied the city with water for the rest of the year.

Ranjini Pandy came over on Tuesday morning to make Christmas cakes.  Most Indian homes do not have ovens and baked goods are not part of traditional cuisine.  Home made cookies, brownies and cakes are considered real treats.

Saturday night we manned the Stake Nativity, set up in the courtyard of our Church building.  With Sister Toone on the street inviting people in, we had quite a few visitors.  Christmas is a festival that everyone in India likes to celebrate whether they are Christian nor not.

Sunday evening we had the interesting experience of helping bestow honorary doctorate degrees on behalf on Royal American University, an online outfit based in the U.S.

On Monday night, December 16, we were invited to dinner, along with the Toones, by our dear dear friend Nirmala Dass.  She lives in two tiny rooms with her mother-in-law, son and grandson.  She made us a delicious meal of dahl and a mixed vegetable curry which we enjoyed while sitting on the bed.

Nirmala's little mother-in-law made the perfectly round rotis.

On Tuesday night we taught the Udayan girls how to make Danish hearts out of felt and celebrated December birthdays. 

The girls caught on pretty quickly after a bit of a slow start.  It is beginning to feel a little like Christmas!

Wednesday was our mission Christmas Party with silliness, games and food . . .  

and testimonies and teachings of the Savior.  Here is the entire India New Mission (except for the  10 local missionaries serving in Pakistan).  We have 34 Elders and 7 Sisters serving in Delhi and Mumbai.  Sister and Elder Skidmore from Mesa (front left) serve as Member and Leader Support missionaries in the Noida Branch in southeast Delhi.  President and Sister Hansen, from Virginia, are seated in the middle.  Sister Toone runs the Mission Office and Elder Toone takes care of the missionary apartments (a huge and grueling job).  They are from Mesa too.  Sister and Elder Plater are from Reno and they are Humanitarian missionaries and also support the Pitampura Branch in northwest Delhi.

On Thursday Stephanie Chadwick and her daughter Ruby and Sister Swarupa Annepureddy and Elders Middleton, Andrews, Posapalli and Muthyam came to tie baby quilts, knit baby caps and have hot chocolate and stollen.

Saturday morning we attended a graduation and Christmas party for members of the Chin community.  These people are Christian refugees from Myanmar who are trying to survive in Delhi without many resources.  The Jesuit Refugee Service provides some food and rent money but mostly English and vocational classes to help them find employment.

They somehow found out that it was my birthday and sang and gave me a cake.  It was certainly a birthday to remember!

Saturday evening we attended the Malviya Nagar Ward Christmas party which featured a Nativity play by my darling primary children.

The Christmas feast arrived 1.5 hours late in four huge pots on the back of a cycle flatbed.  It consisted of biryiani, chicken korma, a paneer dish and rice and was delicious!

Sunday we met with the Karol Bagh Home Group at the Jaypee Siddarth in Rajendra Place.  It was a small but Spirit filled group.

Sunday evening we visited the Cathedral Church of the Redemption or the Viceroy Church, built by the British in the 1920s. It is now owned by the Church in North India, a conglomeration of the major Protestant denominations.

We also visited the Jesus Cares National Prayer Tower nearby where prayers for the nation are offered 24/7 by people in the booths to the left.  Interestingly, the office contains several pirated pieces of LDS art.

From the top of the tower we could see the Parliament building (left) and the President's House (right).

Last stop for the evening was the Roman Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral.  Construction began in 1930.  Unlike the austere nave of the Anglican Cathedral, this one was decked with stars.  A large Christmas tree and Nativity in front of the Cathedral added to the spirit of the season.