Chapter Fourteen, Section IV

As a result of the gracious financial assistance of the Cameron Edison Trust, the Moran Family Trust and other unsolicited donations, Ruth and I tended to forget the "Temporary Moratorium" that had deprived us of the AICF / CBSD funds. Subconsciously, for moral and spiritual reasons, I tried to put the CBSD Financial Project out of my mind. "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world - even all the sanctioned money tied up in Geneva – if he loses his moral integrity?"

This was the dominant thought that now plagued my mind. I feared that if I asserted myself further, to have the "Temporary Moratorium" lifted, bitterness, once more, would well up in my heart. Never again, could I run the risk of becoming resentful and losing my hold on Jesus. Ruth and I had proved, beyond all doubt, that the happiest people are not those who can lay claim to a large share of this world's goods, but rather those who, in the spirit of Matthew Chapter five (the Beatitudes) have found Jesus - the Secret of Life. In terms of Western affluence, we virtually had NOTHING, but in terms of real values and a super-quality of Life, we had EVERYTHING, because we had Jesus. And anyway, what was the use of trying further to re-establish the CBSD Financial Project? It would take more than a Miracle to get the ACDP registered through Government in order to claim those Geneva funds.

"Why should I spoil our tranquillity by worrying further about the 'Temporary Moratorium'...", I tried to convince myself, "After all, there was now no hope of the All India Christian Federation lifting the ban. It was an impossible dream to imagine that IACF officials would travel all the way from Delhi to this remote jungle when, from their point of view, nothing could be achieved through an inquiry. Constitutionally, CBSD was not in a position further to fund the ACDP which now was 'secular' with no Christian parent body or Christian connection of any sort."

So it was that I reasoned in my mind and yet, not once, did I have any doubt that the ACDP, with all its fine quality Aims and Objectives, would come to fruition. In spite of all the frustrations we were experiencing, my Impossible Dream just would not go away.

The ACDP, which was now a public organization with Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Animist participation, could not be placed under church administration and the only other way of claiming our blocked Geneva funds, contingent upon my acquittal by the AICF, would be to register the ACDP with the Government and, even with that, there was no real hope without some sort of Christian connection. Getting the ACDP registered would require at least three thousand rupees, to cover lawyers' fees alone and several costly trips to Bhopal. Even with renewed faith, there was no way at all that I could see our dream being realized.

While I may have lost all hope of ever having the dispute with the Gospel Mission settled and the ban lifted, there were others who still believed in me and I felt humbled by what was to follow in my defence.

The All India Christian Federation deputized Shri Pal Lakshan Lallipur, Secretary of its Bihar branch, to conduct an impartial inquiry into all the allegations brought against me by the British Gospel Mission. This had been the reason for the visit of this distinguished Indian gentleman who interviewed all the key church leaders, questioning witnesses and making a thorough perusal of all the local Church Council Minute Books.

Ruth and I were stunned; it was all so unreal.

During none of the Inquiry Sessions was I permitted to attend. Not only was the church administration questioned exhaustively, but many prominent local non-Christian leaders were also asked to comment concerning my character and relationships with the public. Ten full pages were required to report on the Inquiry.

Because space does not permit me to relate those sections of the report pertaining to technical matters, I quote only that portion relevant to the issues that very nearly destroyed me as a person: -

ALL INDIA CHRISTIAN FEDERATION (Bihar Branch)

265 Arundatta Road, Gaya, BIHAR

TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

REPORT ON AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT,

SAHAGANJ vis-a-vis ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LOCAL CHURCH AND REV. & Mrs. SKILLICORN.

In response to a request made by the AICF Executive Secretary, vide his letter No. R/Td621, dated 4-3-1971, asking that the Bihar Branch of the AICF report on the above project and its relationship with the local church and Rev. and Mrs. Skillicorn, I visited the area on 1st. and 2nd. of April 1971. I submit my report as follows:-

(Then follows a history of the involvement of the ACDP and a technical description of its activities.(The Authors) THE SKILLICORNS

Rev. & Mrs. Skillicorn have been members of the Nawapara Church of the B.E.P.P. local Church Council (since dissolved) since 1964 and they still continue to be members in good standing of that church. I could find no record anywhere of the Skillicorns having voluntarily severed their connections with the church, or of the church council (BEPP) ever having terminated their membership for any reason.

The Nawapara church, acting through the BEPP, has since joined the North India United Church (NIUC) and so have the Skillicorns. Rev. Skillicorn, however, exercised his option not to participate in the Unification of the Ministry at the diocesan level. Presently, they are devoting their time and energy in the Project alone and do not indulge in Church programmes and activities in spite of persistent requests from the local Christian community

They are living in a very temporary barrack-type mud hut, built and provided for them by the local village people out of love and affection they hold for them. They seemed to me to be on a perpetual state of picnic. The Mission bungalow at Nawapara, remains unused and empty as I saw it. The Skillicorns are no more missionaries of the British Gospel Mission, London. They are continuing to make available their expertise and voluntary Christian service to the Project at the invitation of the Project Committee of Management and popular demand of the people of the locality.

CONCLUSION: -

I interviewed some twenty different church officials and leaders individually, from Sahaganj down to Daulatapur and also went through all the Church records and Project records. I also interviewed some of the non-Christian people in the locality, including a couple of members of the Project's Committee of Management. It was unfortunate that I could not meet more church officials and leaders at Bhavnagar, because of their absence and my lack of time to stay over the night of 2nd. April.

However, except for one responsible church member, I came across no one who had anything but praise for the services rendered by the Skillicorns and they all desired their continued association with the Church and the Project work. There was overwhelming evidence of the Skillicorns being held in great love, esteem and respect by the Church and other people in the area. The unfortunate incidence resulting in their severance of relationships with the British Gospel Mission appeared to make no difference in their continued good relationship with the Church people in the area. It was admitted that the apprehensions, which led the Mission to demand their withdrawal from the field last year, did not come true even after a lapse of one year. The co-operation of the Skillicorns in this matter seemed to fetch appreciation from the Church people.

RECOMMENDATION: -

I would unhesitatingly like to request the Executive of the Bihar Branch of the All India Christian Federation to recommend the immediate lifting of the Temporary Moratorium on the financial project so that the much delayed development plans are taken up with speed before the rains start and cut off the area from heavy vehicular traffic. Purchase and distribution of fertilizers to the cultivators awaits immediate action.

Respectfully submitted,

Signed: - Pal Lakshman Lallipur,

SECRETARY, A.I.C.F. (Bihar Branch). Gaya, BIHAR. 5th. May, 1971 **************************************

Really, following my complete exoneration, I should have been leaping for joy but the favourable inquiry of the IACF, through its Bihar Branch, came as an anti-climax. The miraculous result of this Inquiry should have dispelled all doubts from my mind but I still had no hope that our frozen funds could be released from Geneva. That would require a Miracle too great for the Lord to accomplish!

At this point, it seemed that I had become "immune to Miracles". So much of what we take for granted in our day to day experiences are Miracles. Take, for one example, the conception and birth of a baby with all the encoded genetic information involved; that's a Miracle if ever there was one. The cosmic mystery of the stars and planets in their fixed orbits, scheduled to the split second and maintaining that strict schedule for many millions of years, no longer causes us to wonder and the NASA Moon landings have all but been forgotten.

It was through Dr. Donald E. Rutherglen, that the Lord was to work His next Miracle, which had seemed utterly impossible. On behalf of the Methodist Council for Overseas Relief (MCOR), Don remitted to us an unsolicited three thousand rupees, which reached the ACDP account, by telegraphic transfer, within days of our receiving a favourable report on the AICF Inquiry. A covering letter intimated that the Methodist Committee of Relief (MCOR) would cover all legal and travel costs necessary to get the ACDP registered under the Societies Act in the shortest possible time. It sometimes takes years to achieve what the Lord worked for us in the short space of only three months!

Admittedly, the Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations had all been drawn up in anticipation of this very thing, necessitating few modifications to be recommended by the Registrar in Bhopal. And the Miracle of Miracles is that not a single rupee had been demanded in bribes to get the ACDP classified as a Registered Society.

With the monsoon almost upon us, there was just no way of travelling to and from Bhopal by surface transport. The MCOR agreed that all travel be by air, but with the Indian Airlines DC-3 direct flight between Ranitola and Bhopal now suspended, it meant taking a long circuitous trip via Ranitola, Patna, Lucknow, Delhi and Gwalior. Three such long return flights had to be made before we were able to take delivery of the precious document. On the last return flight home, we were able to present to AICF / CBSD in New Delhi, that vital and valuable piece of paper.

With my name cleared, our new Methodist affiliation and the "Temporary Moratorium" lifted; we now qualified for resumption of CBSD funding. Accordingly, AICF immediately sent a telex message to Geneva and funding was resumed. It was all so unreal. Although the monsoon had started by the time the first remittance reached our Project's bank, local rivers had not flooded so we were able to move into our area the seed and fertilizers so much needed to avert another tragedy for the farmers.

Those three months engaged in registration matters had their humorous moments. It was necessary to engage two lawyers who could work in liaison. One was in Bhopal, able to meet with the Registrar on a daily basis and the other, Shri Dharn1pal Pande of Daulatapur who, years earlier, had handled my own court case. Pandeji was a gracious person of considerable age who had never travelled much out of the area. It was to be a new and quite exciting experience for him to travel to Bhopal, via New Delhi and that, by air - his first flight.

As was to be expected, in May, just prior to the monsoon, Ranitola airport was closed because of I dense cloud and high turbulence over the mountainous jungle area. Three times, the Fokker Friendship we awaited from Calcutta, tried to descend through the clouds but finally had to give up and fly on to Patna. Indian Airlines informed us that, if we could somehow get to Calcutta overnight, we could catch the 7.30 a.m. Calcutta-Delhi direct non-stop jet flight next morning, at no extra fare.

Even if it were possible to get berth reservations on that night's Calcutta Express train, there would not be sufficient time to reach Dum Dum Airport (Calcutta) from our rail destination - Howrah Station - on the other side of the city. I knew that if I were to seek advice from Don Rutherglen, he would say, "Take a cab, Keith." And that's what we did. Fortunately, at the taxi stand, we found two other people in a similar plight, who shared with us the cost of the fare.

It was 4 am. by the time we reached Calcutta after a very hot, three hundred and fifty miles drive at break-neck speed. After the last night-mail flight out, Calcutta's Dum Dum domestic terminal closes down, with all bathing and toilet amenities locked until 5.30 am, an hour before the first morning flight out. This posed a real problem for Pandeji, a devout, orthodox Hindu, who had to take his daily ritual bath just before dawn. If we were to catch the 6.30 am. "Caravelle" jet to De1hi, somehow, the men's toilet had to be opened. But do you think I could find a janitor?

When none of the cleaners in the International Terminal was prepared to help me out, in utter desperation, fearing that we would miss our flight and all the other connections along the way, not to mention the important appointment I had with the Registrar, in Bhopal, I knocked on the door of the Airport Manager. His deputy explained that he fully understood that no Brahmin, who really takes his religion seriously, could even think of starting his day's work without a ritual bath. The concerned airport official issued strict instructions for the janitor to be wakened from his sleep to open and thoroughly clean the men's toilet. To add further weight to his authoritative commands, the cleaner was informed that the service was for a very important Brahmin "Vakil Sahib" (lawyer). Furthermore, two buckets of fresh, hot water, towel and soap were to be provided without delay!

I doubt whether any Australian lavatory attendant would so submissively agree to start work an hour earlier after being dragged out of bed, especially if he had to serve a lawyer! Such orders, issued out of working hours in my home country, could lead to strong union action, culminating in an indefinite strike and perhaps the close down of the whole airport! Possibly, it could lead to the blockade of all airports in the land and the shut down of the whole aviation industry! But for the janitor, in this case, it was a tremendous privilege indeed to be able to minister to one so revered as a "Bare Vakil Sahib", and a Brahmin at that. Truly, our sick Western society has so much to learn from India - the Real India.

It was well after the final call to board Flight IC-409, that my distinguished travelling companion emerged nom the toilet, having completed his ablutions. Had it not been for the kind cooperation of a charming sari-clad stewardess, Gate 16 would have been closed. But she too, like the Deputy Manager and janitor, fully understood the problem faced by a devout Brahmin who had to travel by air for the very first time. To people so deeply religious as Pandeji, time means nothing. But here in this busy airport terminal, the serenity of this gentle old man was being disturbed by mere mortals who not only divided a day into hours, but hours into seconds. It just did not make sense!

All attempts to encourage my friend to waste no further time seemed to be in vain. Pandeji was most anxious to find a quiet place to sit for a while and was most perturbed by having no time for "Puja" (meditation). "Oh, my God," I said to myself, "We are going to miss the plane, after all; our whole Project Registration could be at risk." The French-built Caravelle jet, with two engines at the rear, like a DC-9, is known for its very quiet operation. I was, therefore, truthfully able to convince my friend that one can even whisper in the cabin and be clearly understood. It was only after Pandeji believed in his mind that he could perform Puja on board, that we were able to hurry to the plane as the door was about to close. Phew!

The flight was all that I assured him it would be and he found it most comfortable to sit cross- legged, in a yoga posture, to seek divine blessing for the trip and the activities of the day. It is humbling for us Westerners, who are always madly racing against time, to spend a while in the company of such deeply religious people of non-fundamentalist persuasion. It is fundamentalism, in all religions, that makes a devotee so hard, bitter, judgmental and cruel. The tranquillity and composure that possessed the mind of this dear old man, never ceased to enchant me. I feel that India, with all her ancient culture, has much to offer the West.

Pandeji’s serenity was infectious and I thanked the Lord for the privilege of having such an intimate relationship with so gracious an elder of the "Real India." He was not as conservative as I thought he might have been. Some Brahmins will not eat the in-flight food, even nom the vegetarian menu. After all, “low-caste” chefs may have prepared it. On the flight, we both ate vegetarian meals and I was able to assure Pandeji that the stewardess was a Brahmin; well, I hope she was!

It was while returning alone from Bhopal, on that third trip, which I had another encounter with Indian Airlines and the vagaries of the monsoon. During the forty-five minutes stop-over in Patna, we Ranitola-bound passengers were informed that there was a possibility of our flight not being able to touch down at Ranitola because of bad weather over the Chotakoela plateau. An attempt would be made, failing which we would be taken on to Calcutta, accommodated over-night in a five-star hotel, all at airline expense, and sent on to Ranitola by the next morning's Delhi flight via Ranitola.

The airline was quite prepared to hire a cab for the four of us going to Ranitola, but we thought it best to stay on the plane and hope for a break in the clouds. After all, there was a chance and, even if we could not land, an extra hour on board the air-conditioned Fokker Friendship would be far better than seven hours of sweat and pot-holes on that three hundred and fifty mile congested surface route, especially when five-star over-night accommodation in a fancy Calcutta hotel was thrown in for nee. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it.

Next morning at Calcutta, as we boarded the Delhi flight, which, hopefully, would drop us off at Ranitola, we were informed that, because of unfavourable weather conditions over the Ranitola area, there was a possibility of Flight IC-411 over-flying on to Patna! We were assured that every effort would be made to land, however, because Ranitola airport navigational aids were not functioning properly, no promises could be made.

The four of us decided to take a chance and hope for the best. The weather was not too bad when we set out from Calcutta, but, as we neared the mountainous region, the little Fokker was tossed about like a cork on the high seas. The pilots circled the Ranitola Airport six times in a desperate bid to find a break in the clouds and, for a brief moment, I did catch a glimpse, through the mist, of the fiery blast furnace discharge from the huge iron and steel mills outside the town and right near the airport, but a landing was out of the question.

The captain announced over the intercom that, owing to poor visibility, Ranitola bound passengers would be taken on to Patna, from where the airline would arrange our return flight to Ranitola by the next Calcutta-bound flight.

And so it was that, one hour later, we landed in Patna, back to where we were the day before! The four of us were assured by the check-in clerk that the Delhi -Calcutta flight would be due in a short while with seats available for Ranitola passengers. We were fairly sure to reach Ranitola this time, we were told, because the weather had cleared somewhat, however, no promise could be given. We reminded the clerk that, already we had been "taken for a ride" for over 1000 miles in the last twenty-four hours and wanted to be absolutely sure that this time we would make it.

The clerk reiterated, "I am not in a position to give you an absolute guarantee if you take our flight; weather changes so quickly in the Ranitola area as you know, especially during the monsoon season. However, if you want a guarantee of arrival in Ranitola, Indian Airlines will provide you with a cab to take you to your destination, at no extra cost. On the other hand, if you choose to fly and if we are not able to touch down at Ranitola, we shall take you on to Calcutta, accommodate you over-night in a five-star hotel and send you on to Ranitola by the next day's flight"!

Exhausted, hot and sweaty after one hour in the non-air-conditioned Patna terminal, put me in no mood to go for the cab or even the thought of that long, bone-shaking, all-too-familiar pot-holed surface route. "Thank you," I replied, "I'll take the flight". Well, again, we didn't make it!

After another night in Calcutta, enjoying sheer luxury, all at airline expense, I took my seat on Flight IC-411, only to run into the same weather problem we experienced on the two previous days.

"No problems," said the Patna airport check-in clerk, "seats are available on our next Calcutta flight which, we hope, will touch down at Ranitola, failing which, we will take you back to Calcutta, accommodate you in our air-conditioned hotel and send you on to Ranitola by the next day's flight!

Fearing that we might be sentenced to spending the remainder of the monsoon season flying daily between Patna and Calcutta, all at airline expense and growing corpulent on five-star menus, we opted for the free airline cab, reaching Ranitola seven hours later, extremely tired and in a bath of perspiration. Next morning, while making my way by rickshaw to the Daulatapur bus terminal, I stopped off at the Indian Airlines city office to inquiry about yesterday's flight. I was curious to know if the plane touched down.

Before I could open my mouth, the manager greeted me, "Good Morning, Mr. Skillicorn, we were expecting you days ago." When I tried to explain the difficulties I had experienced, he said, "But all our flights were able to operate normally yesterday; really, I cannot understand it!" Happily, Ranitola Airport has since been equipped with modern navigational facilities and Airbus 300's & Boeing 737's have replaced Fokkers.

Chapter Fourteen, Section V

It was not only with Indian Airlines, that we were riding high. News of the ACDP's remarkable success in achieving registration in so short a time, spread far and wide, stimulating the interest of other organizations who offered us further assistance. Because of the ACDP's involvement in leprosy control and agricultural development in Bihar, the Bihar Association of Voluntary Agencies (BAVA), invited us to take out full membership. Being a member of BAVA brought us into a close relationship with other world-renowned organizations, such as OXFAM, which liberally funded a land-reclamation project. Also, with such outside help, we were able to make many thousands of bricks to replace those we lost earlier. Membership of BAVA also qualified us to receive road-tax exemption on all our vehicles, saving many thousands of rupees annually. Considerable sums also were saved on sales tax, which was not charged on goods utilized in Bihar by BAVA-related projects.

Now that we were registered, not only did CBSD money start to flow again, but our Methodist friends, also, through MCOR, were in a position to release further unsolicited funds. It was of vital importance to recruit dedicated graduate personnel so that the viability of the ACDP might be maintained to carry it into the future. However, the more we advertised for agricultural and animal husbandry university graduates to head up the ACDP's departments, the less hope we had of attracting competent experts.

"It would take a miracle," said one of my friends serving in the government Department of Agriculture, in Daulatapur, "to attract a graduate to live in your remote jungle area. Sure enough, my colleagues and I are prepared to make occasional visits to advise, but there is just no way that any of us would settle down in such a backward place." It was becoming increasingly clear that very few highly trained people would even consider living in so remote an area as East Surgapam with so few basic conveniences and facilities that families demand these days for shopping, education and health, including power and public transport. If we had set up the ACDP near a big town there would not have been this problem. .

The best we could do, under the circumstances, was to engage, as farm manager at Sahaganj, a young Uraon tribal with a diploma from the Ranitola Agricultural College. Since the ACDP had ' achieved government registration, the MCOR had expressed a real desire to help us in our educational program. Dr. Donald E. Rutherglen offered assistance to upgrade the training of our existing staff. He suggested that if we could not get graduates from outside, why not send Kalemari away for further tertiary studies? After all, he already had a BA degree from Ranitola University and so qualified for a nine-months course in Rural Sociology with the Indian Social Institute at Bangalore. Kalemari did so well in his studies in south India that the MCOR granted him a scholarship for a year's study at an agricultural college in Japan. And so it was that this first- generation literate also became the first of his aboriginal tribe in our area to study abroad and this was more than unreal.

During Kalemari's absence in Japan, the physical strain of administering such a rapidly developing work as well as attending to all my other duties, was threatening to destroy me. In particular, the diesel engine maintenance program weighed heavily upon me and kept me working long hours into the night. By this time, there were dozens of irrigation pumps in the area, both those of the ACDP and the general public. To provide an incentive for local farmers to invest in pumps to utilize the irrigation potential of the wells and dams we had constructed with CBSD help during the 1967 famine, I had promised to help them with the maintenance and repairs of their equipment.

Locals were taught mechanics. We had to do all our own repairs

We taught locals to repair vehicles. Many locals now have their own motor and agricultural businesses.

We taught locals to repair the electric powered oil mill.

I didn't realize, at the time, just what this would cost me in terms of physical fatigue. As I laboured away, changing piston rings, valves, liners and bearings, one young staff member, Sulemantri, second son of the late Jatibhai, our first martyr, manifested a real aptitude for mechanics. It did not take me long to trust Sulemantri with the maintenance of the pumps we had purchased on behalf of the co-operating farmers. His mind absorbed all I taught him and soon he was proficient enough to dismantle the pumps and engines for simple repairs. Fees received for the repairs not only paid for his wages but yielded considerable income for the Project.

With the help of CBSD and the Cameron Edison Trust, already we had set up a small training school for local farmers to learn rice, wheat, maize and vegetable cultivation. With Sulemantri's help, we decided to incorporate in the curriculum, a course covering diesel pumping-set maintenance and repairs. I shared these hopes and aspirations with Ms. Ganpatrosi Santulima, the Daulatapur agent for the Kirlosram Company, one of India's largest manufacturers and exporters of diesel equipment. I had asked them to provide, in the Hindi language, maintenance manuals to use as textbooks in our school. "Because the ACDP is one of our best customers," I was told, "we are prepared to recommend Sulemantri for specialist training at the Kirlosram factory at Pune, and all at company expense."

I was stunned. We had asked the Lord for specialists and were told that nothing but a miracle would persuade highly skilled people to sacrifice so much by going to the "end of the world", as our area was called. However, the potential experts had been with us all along. At Pune, south east of Bombay, in Kirlosram's huge industrial complex, Sulemantri not only worked on diesel pumps of up to fifty horse power, also he was able to see colossal marine engines being built to drive large ships around the world. Not only did he gain in technical experience, his mind was broadened by him skills not only to care for the ACDP pumps, but also our three tractors, two generators, two Jeeps, a 10 ton "TATA” truck, a "JAWA" motor-cycle and numerous other gear such as ploughs, threshers, oil and flour mills, sugar-cane crusher, sprayers and so on. At the time of writing, Sulemantri also has his own agricultural engineering business in Karchand and that is a Miracle.

To look after our transport needs, we engaged a full-time driver, our first Sikh member of the staff, who relieved me of all further turns at the wheel of "TATA", although driving the big truck was never a burden. I loved taking out that Indian-made Mercedes which handled like a Rolls Royce. It was a real sacrifice for me to relinquish all responsibility for the driving and maintenance of this, "My Baby". We were riding high and praised God for all His Miracles, particularly that of raising up skilled operators is such a remote place, thought to be totally unattractive to any except "Tribals".

With Kalemari back from Japan and Sulemantri home from training at Pune, for the first time, I began to realize that I was working myself out of a job. Unconsciously, I had been doing this all along, training nationals to take over responsibilities so that, in the event of us expatriates having to leave the field, there would be skilled technicians able to carry on. I didn't realize what a painful operation that is, especially to surrender the work one loves.

This had been my mission from the start, to set up an indigenous ministry amongst a people who have NOTHING, but frankly, I never thought I ever would be able to accomplish such an impossible dream. Much as I wanted to stay at Rigalto Bank forever and ever, I now realized that the time had come to start throwing the young fledglings out of the nest to let them fly as best they could. I had seen so much mission work spoiled by domineering expatriates who refuse to relinquish their authority and responsibility that I was determined not to make the same mistake myself. For this reason, I gave up the idea of being buried on the banks of the Rigalto River.

Earlier, when there was real apprehension of violence and a fatal blow, perhaps at the hands of Young A1i, I had expressed to my Indian colleagues the desire to be buried under a freshly planted Mango tree. In this way, I could go on serving my people even after death. My remains would contribute something to the joys of those, who, sheltering in the cool shade of its spreading branches, could share in its luscious fruit!

Although I loved the leprosy work, I now was fortunate to have such a dedicated staff, that I could surrender it all. Paramedics Suresh and Sarson Khamal, along with their sister, Meena and our second nurse Nilima, were now so proficient that I could leave it entirely to them. But there were times when it was a most painful exercise to drag myself away from this aspect of our ministry. From this point on, I remained Superintendent of the Nav Jiwan Leprosy Clinic in name only, because the ACDP Constitution required me, as Director of the Project, also to be one of the three check signatories. It hurt me very much to feel the need to withdraw but I had to, in order not to deprive my colleagues of the independence they now had earned.

Contributing to the success of a missionary career is the ability to perceive when redundancy has been achieved and also the grace to get out when the time has come. It was a most traumatic decision that Ruth and I had to make, but we eased the hurt by making the break in stages. If it was necessary for John the Baptist, it also had to be our choice: - "HE MUST INCREASE BUT I MUST DECREASE" John 3:30

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