Welcome 2010! A New Year! A New Decade!

Last night when I went to bed, it was the year 2009 and this morning my eyes opened to welcome a new year. Thank God for this new year, a year of new discoveries and challenges. 2010 came too soon. What does this new year bring for me?. Not sure but one thing I know is that, whether it be anything, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

What can I give to the new year 2010?. We live in a world where all our thoughts and actions are geared towards getting something or other. What can I get instead of what can I give? It's a simple thought but very hard to put in practice.

What can I give? What can you give? God Bless!

From my heart to yours

Grace Church was an incredible experience today. Christmas carols like Hark the herald, O Come let us adore Him, We three kings, filled the air and the sweet aroma touched the hearts of many. The performance of the Christmas choir was superb. One loud unified voice is all I heard from beginning to end.  I felt a true experience of joy. Overall, it was a great rendition of the season. Wishing “Merry Christmas” to others on the first week of December was absurd at first but sure felt  “right”.

The songs, the message, and the fellowship reminded us the true meaning of the season. The birth of the Savior was a day  long awaited even from the pages of Genesis. A fulfilled promise which arrived years later, the greatest of all impossibilities, yet a divine plan so well executed beyond human understanding.

Today, as I am watching the first snow fall of the season in Reno, I am wishing a “Merry Christmas”  from my heart to yours.
God Bless!

Last month of a glorious year

Today is December 1st, the first day of the last month in 2009. There is a popular saying, "Time flies when you are having fun" and 2009 was a year of  fun, excitement, and adventure in my life. A year ago, I would have said that 2009 will be the slowest moving year for us, a notorious 12 month away from our family and our hometown. I was totally wrong in my assumptions. As I look back at the year 2009, I want to capture each moment back, relive each second, and freeze every venture.

With only so many days left this year, before I embark on the year 2010, a year of new challenges and adventures, I am simply thankful to God for His provisions, for His miracles, and for His love. Great is thy faithfulness - and without Him, I would have been an empty vessel.

I am definitely sad to say good bye to the year 2009. We take in our hearts numerous memories to remember for a life time and some great moments to chuckle over during the rainy days. Welcome to 2010, a year of new discoveries.

Adieu!

A month ago, we bid farewell to a man we respectfully called "Babu Sir". I still remember the day we received our first phone call from him, our initial visit to his house, our short but warm conversations with him, and our many other cherished encounters in Reno.

In a short time of one year or so, we met him, got to know him, and said goodbye to him. It still seems too surreal to us. Perhaps the reason is because we never ever expected our lives to intertwine in this small city in a real short span of time. God's plans are far beyond our understanding.

We were perhaps the only two people in Reno who called him "Babu Sir" though we were never his students before. Ironic enough, he did train us to sing few Christmas songs for the Reno Christmas function. He taught us not just music but about hospitality, meekness, and simplicity .

Saying good bye to him was hard for us. When we last saw him at the hospital, he held our hands and did not want to let go. Those moments will live for ever and moreover what he meant to us during our first few months in a new city is simply wordless.

Frozen Keyboard

 Mind is full but words are few. A tough week in Reno passed by, yet a tougher week ahead in Reno. Fear, grief, uncertainty, and grace all experienced concurrently. Praying for guidance for all, strength for the broken, and hope for the bereaved.

The Great Awakening -9/11/01

The world once again mourns today. Perhaps, it is more appropriate to say that the world still mourns today. Eight years ago, this day, one of the most horrendous acts of terrorism happened when four commercial air crafts crashed in New York City, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. Thousands lost their lives, ten-thousands grieve the loss of a family member/a friend/a co-worker, and millions still has shock and disbelief in their hearts.

I still remember that day in September though for many reasons (despite the obvious one), I prefer not to. One of among the few regrets I have is not able to see the WTC buildings prior to its collapse even after living in New York for 5 years.

Fear, disbelief, grief, anger were among the several emotions stirred in the hearts of many that Tuesday morning. A day overwhelmed by emotions would be a more ideal way to describe the day. More than any emotions felt that day; perhaps REGRET was the most significant. Regrets about unresolved conflicts, unspoken words, unexpressed love, among a few to mention crushed the heart of many. Simple words unsaid like “Thank-you”, “Sorry”, “Good-Job” would still have to remain that way. Effortless act of emotions like a hug, a smile or a kiss would have no second chances. Life is short and for many including myself it took a day like 9/11 to recognize it.

Though it was a day filled with sorrow and grief, for some it was a day of joy and praise. Few called in sick, few missed their trains, and few had canceled appointments/interview dates which initially may have aggravated them, yet now when they look back it was truly a blessing in disguise.

Hope, faith and love still remains in our hearts today as we share our joy with the survivors and mourn with the families who lost their loved ones. Today wherever you are, say a word of prayer for the broken and say a word of prayer for our nation.

Why Reno? From New York!

Why Reno? From New York - a frequently asked question during first encounters with the people in this city. Every time I answered that question – a sigh preceded my equivocal explanation of the scenario which led us to Reno.

Psalm 121 Verse 1& 2 says “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.” A verse which we embraced during our travel and a verse we still hold close to our hearts.

Reno is famous for the popular slogan “The Biggest Little City in the World”. However, a lot of people in NY hardly ever heard of this city in Nevada, a few have read about Reno or has vague acquaintances about the city.

The day after we got to Reno, while shopping at Best Buy, we noticed customers and even few employees rushing to the door. Curious about what was happening we followed them. As we gazed outside the glass entrance we witnessed a great downpour. I heard someone next to me say –"It hasn’t rained in Reno for 3 months" - and this was in mid-July. Perhaps, even in NY, a huge downpour is infrequent or perhaps rain is taken for granted and no one notices them anymore. I stared at the huge torrent of water and shared the joy with Reno residents that day. The heavy rain lasted 20-30 minutes and when we left the store, the sun was back out again.

I still sit and wonder what the huge downpour meant to “us”. It was our 1^st day in a strange city, uncertain about our future, with fear of the unknown. My heart was blazing and perhaps the downpour that day calmed our hearts and gave us hope and life. That is exactly what rain brings, hope for the desert and life for the dry.

Matthew 5:43 says “for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

The population of Reno is about the same as the suburban Yonkers we used to reside in. Reno is less diverse, quiet, and slow-paced compared to Yonkers. With mountains on all four sides, Reno looks really beautiful year around. People in Reno enjoy the weather though we find it unpredictable most days. Where is the fun in life if everything was predictable?

Finding spirituality and religion in one of the most unchurched cities in the US seemed a challenge in the beginning. Perhaps it was our culture we grew up in and our associations with home churches in NY, we were confronted with fear about religion and spirituality. We were most certain that Reno did not have enough malayalees or Indians to form a church. Honestly, we doubted the existence of even one malayalee family. Once again, we were wrong about our assumptions. We were thrilled to be wrong. It was like an answered prayer when we were able to join a local malayalee prayer fellowship in Reno.

It was July 22, 2008, one of my happiest days in Reno. Singing songs, reading the Bible and praying with a small community of believers who we met for the first time was truly an experience. Perhaps, that is how the initial church started and Gospel reached to others. I started appreciating our small blessings in life like being able to pray at a prayer meeting. What a blessing! and most often we take them for granted or even let an opportunity slide saying these popular words “next time”. I am guilty myself for the missed opportunities but this was different. My shyness or sitting next to someone who I met minutes ago did not stop me from praying aloud. The spirit led me and I was able to do it.

We church shopped like every other Christian to find a place we felt right. During those weeks, we heard repeatedly about “Grace” from our local churches and radio preachers. Grace! What a powerful word! We all have experienced it and continue to experience it day by day. Yet many times we forget what the word really means. Our search of a church somewhat ended when we found “Grace” Church.

Reno has taught us a lot in a relatively short time. I recollect a statement by one of my patients at my hospital about Reno, “Reno is a small city – You will either love it or hate it – There is no in-between.”After over a year in this place, I am thrilled to share that I am truly loving it.

Why Reno? From New York! still continues to be conversation starters during first encounters with the people in this city. Now, my answer has changed to simply this - “It was God’s doing.”