This letter is to all our church contacts that I have emails for.  We are back from India for a year and really want to visit all our supporting churches.

Scott is taking some classes at Virginia Tec, as we only live 2 miles away from campus, but we take our opportunity to visit every church we have a relationship with, very seriously.

To make the best use of time we will be seconded to certain Presbyteries for a 10 day period and so it would make most sense to visit when we are in the area. Some of the possible Presbyteries are Grace, Arkansas, and Flint.  Other than these Presbyteries there are, of course, individual churches that have supported us through the years or those interested in PC,USA mission work in the world.  Please let us know if your church might be interested in a visit and whom to contact, we can work on the details later.

 Our email is the same:      melscofam@sbcglobal.net

 Our address is :                  1701 Ginger Lane, Blacksburg, VA 24063

Home phone                        540 951 0345

Cell phone                             540 808 9465

 Mel’s Musings, August 2006: Important Events

 It was really sad to leave the Bhawan Project in our small town, Mussoorie (in the foothills of the Himalayas) just as the project has ventured into new areas to work, but moving and leaving seems part of our work where ever we go. The staff seem well motivated to find the real hopes and needs of the people and their commitment to share their faith through action and words is inspiring.

 

Our Farewell Party at the Bhawan Project (I am sure they weren’t THAT happy

that we were leaving.)

 I (Melanei) feel like I need a week alone to catch up on where I was in life before we left India. I am alone for an hour or so, in our new house in Blacksburg, Virginia, where we will live for a year before returning to India. Scott has taken Hilary to choose a new cell phone, a very important event for a 15 year old. Actually, it was a very important  when we got ours for the first time, a few weeks ago.

  

   Friends help us move in

 We drove back from New Jersey/ New York, last week, after breaking the ties with our third child, Timothy. (Another even more important event in our lives.) It really does feel like allowing your “baby” bird to flee the nest. We are not too nervous about the whole event as we know he can fly very well, however, the nest is significantly less populated. Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ, seems a wonderful place to go to college. The location has great views of the Hudson River and Manhattan and the streets remind me of Chelsea in London.

    When looking for a cell phone for Tim, the young man at the counter said,  ”You are from Woodstock School.” Amazingly, he is the brother of Tim’s classmate, Prashant. That was really weird, in a very nice way. He works in the Verizon phone shop every day, so Tim can go by and talk “Woodstock”.  Apparently, he still had the Woodstock accent. It turned out we could not add Tim to our family phone plan outside Virginia, so Hilary gave him her cell phone. While in New York we visited the World Trade Center area and walked past the gaping hole, then past the stock exchange and other impressive buildings. One felt and saw the history of the area.

              On the way to the States we visited friends in England (many from our time in Surkhet, Nepal), family, Hampton Court Park Flower show, and the Tower of London. We swam in the River Avon, Kayaked near Truro, walked to the watercress beds, (where Hilary lost her sandal in the mud, we never found it!), ate fish and chips, cream teas and became expert at the thrift shops. Then we flew on to the Dallas, and for the first time I entered on my USA passport.

We drove immediately to a Smith family reunion in Albuquerque, N.M. Returning to Dallas, we packed up a small truck with our things we had stored in Scott’s parents house, drove, via Americus (did a little fishing on the lake),  then on to Blacksburg.  It was sparkling clean and ready for us.

 

  The next week we spent in Louisville for a PC(USA) mission Sharing Conference. It was so great to be together with such a wonderful group of people working in many places around the world. Some we have known of for 20 years but had only met once. Several had college age kids so Tim and Hilary had fun as well. A news article about the crisis of PC(USA) mission funding is at this site. http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2006/06405.htm  

August has really been a month of change for the Smith family. Kelli moved from Boston to Iowa City, Daniel to another house in Louisville, Timothy to New York, and Hilary to a new high school.

 

                              Friends at the Sharing Conference, Louisville.

While in Louisville we met many old friends but the highlight was seeing Daniel perform with his “Project Improv” troop. We took a van load of people with us which made it even more fun. We also helped clean up Daniel’s garden, make a table for his art projects, have a new hair cut and ate Japanese food.  It was great to see him so established and using his creative talents. Daniel is now the Director of his Improv group.

 

   Tim and Daniels’ hair styles.

 I am coping with being a foreigner in the USA and trying not to attract attention to that fact. Also giving Hilary hints on what not to say in the States. I had a couple of uncomfortable moments. One when I was trying to get a cup of coffee at a gas (not petrol) station. There was a wall of coffee machines, different size cups, different colored sweetener packets and little flavored creamers. I wanted plain milk!!!  When I spotted a small packet of milk I happily opened it. Then the truck driver turned up and said it was his milk and said he would now have to get another as I had used it!!!  I felt rather small and apologized; he never said it was OK.  Then later at the YMCA thrift store ( not shop) I asked if there was a shopping trolley. I was told  “there are no “shopping carts” but it’s so cute how you said that”.

 Now we move on to studying and visiting churches, and learning how to live in our Co-housing community.

Please drop us a line to let us know your news.

 

Scott and Melanie Smith