Rainy Dayz...

Hey everyone,
Today it's overcast and a frigid 65 degrees! we are all frozen, walking around in layers and blankets. Seriously, i don't know how i'm going to survive the weather back home haha It's also raining here-and we discovered a leak. It will probably be raining for the next week because of the cyclone. Not too fun to walk a couple miles to work in, but we'll live. :)
Today we didn't have school because of the swine flu break out (there were actually 52 cases in Jaipur, 42 of them school children), but Bharthi, Steph, and I had to go to the slums anyways to get Dolat and his mother and go to the hospital to change his bandage again. Bharthi bought him a box of candies, which he loved :) Bless her heart, she's probably just about the most giving person i know. She also bought him some warm clothes. So anyways, at the hospital, the nurse just ripped the bandage off and his wound was bleeding and she wasn't going to put another bandage on! there was blood just running down and some was on the floor, and we had to insist before she re-wrapped it. They wanted us to go buy some oil to put on it and then wrap it ourselves. Meanwhile there was an old women getting hooked up to an IV and shaking on the bed in the same room. That was the adventure for today!
Besides that we've been hanging out here, trying to stay warm. The power keeps going out, a lot more than usual. Two girls, Sophie and Philippa, left today. I was kinda bummed because Philippa and I have become pretty good friends. I wish them the best-please pray that they have safe travels. These girls are my age and they're traveling for 8 months straight. I give them major props!
Let's see...what else...i added a few more pictures on my flickr so you guys can check that out.
Also, I found this site from a group on flickr about the women in India. http://50millionmissing.wordpress.com/
It tells a bit about the women and girls in India and some problems they're facing. These things are REAL. it's really crazy and i don't know how to make you understand, because i didn't until i came here. but this isn't a movie. I have seen victims of bride burning and i know of a newborn baby found in a field last week and i have 2 missing girl students and this tuff actually happens. What are we going to do about it? Now that i know, i can't blow it off. Being sympathetic isn't enough.
I've been thinking about these women in the slums who get so horribly mistreated by their husbands and have nowhere to go. Making a home for them wouldn't work either, because the problem is too big. There are too many men mistreating their wives. We'd have too many poor single mothers and alchoholic, old men who would just raid the brothels and create more problems. We have to get to the root of the problem-the men. They need to be reached out to. The tactic now seems to be getting volunteers to try and help the women and children, but there isn't anything we can do really. If we could help the men, then maybe that would create a ripple effect. What i'm thinking is that India needs some strong Christian men to step up to the plate. They could teach the fathers and husbands here how to lead by serving. How to keep their families safe. I know this is no small task. But maybe starting sports clubs in the slums or something? Then they aren't out drinking, and you get that community thing going where they gain relationships. Meanwhlie the volunteers could be telling them about taking care of their families. i donno. But i think people look at the men and ignore them because they are causing so many problems, when actually they are the ones who need to be helped. They're the heads of the household. Fix the head, the body can be fixed too, right?
Better get going, but just wanted to update you all. :) Go and Be Blessed,
Love Cassie