South India – Day 3, part 3
Friday, February 7, 2025
‘This medicine to be taken with food’
Next, we went to check out what Yamanoshita san was doing. Yamanoshita san is a longtime volunteer from Japan, coming to SEEDS since around 2000. COVID and the occasional visa problems sometimes keep him away, but for a good part of 20 years, this place has been where he calls home.
A slow and meticulous fellow, he prepares each food bag with bread and a banana – the bread is high quality, from a local bakery, which SEEDS pays extra to get. The bananas are from Thomas Mathew’s farm or are donated by neighboring farmers. “And what are these food bags for?” you must be asking. They are to deliver to patients at the nearby district government hospital – every day a hundred packets, enough for about half of the inmates. “But why?” I asked. “Why is this service necessary?” (I asked because I knew you would be asking!) Well, it is a government hospital, and food is not provided. It is used mostly by low-income folks, and their families may live far away, so it is difficult for them to bring food every day. Furthermore, the hospital specializes in cancer and TB and the strong medicines they prescribe are meant to be taken with food. As per his character, Thomas Mathew simply saw a need and decided to meet it – not just talk, but act.
Getting back to Yamanoshita san, Thomas Mathew calls him a volunteer staff member. They give him room, board and Wi-Fi, but no salary. He is very happy with this arrangement. Feeling somehow out of place in his own Japanese society, he prefers Kerala. He can speak and write Malayalam and has translated several Japanese stories into that language. He even made a Japanese-Malayalam dictionary and text book that became popular. Yamanoshita san had once been a frequent visitor to ARI, which is where he learned about Thomas Mathew and SEEDS India.
Fruits of SEEDS already harvested
SEEDS ran an orphanage for 15 years. It stopped during the COVID years and has not reopened due to lack of funds, but the good part of this story is that all the 21 girls who were living there, grew up safe and healthy.
They also welcomed Japanese student groups from Ferris Women’s University in Yokohama. From 2002 – 2018 they ran a program where twice a year girls came to experience living and working at an NGO in South India. Some students returned on their own to volunteer long term, such was the impact their experience. This, by the way, is the university I mentioned earlier that bought those thousands of hand painted Christmas cards.
and the trees
A tour of the facilities would not be complete without visiting the trees. There were mahogany, mango, and rambutan with its “hairy” fruits. There were also jackfruit, one of my absolute favorite fruits, and durian, a fruit for the daring, along with Robusta and Arabica coffee. But the tree awarded the most pride was Thomas Mathew’s Oudh tree, planted by him, the first one in Kerala. Also known as Agarwood, it is used for perfumes, incense, and ayurvedic medicines. Its wood is highly prized and expensive, but he gives away the saplings it produces for free. At first, I thought he was calling it a “wood tree,” and I was confusedly thinking, “aren’t they all?”
Well, I think that is about it for the tour of SEEDS India. But don’t think for a minute that all has been told about Thomas Mathew’s work. There is more to come. I honestly don’t know how one person can do so much in one lifetime! If you’re tired of my rambling writings, you can take a look at the SEEDS India website, where things are laid out in a clean and organized fashion. https://seedsindia.net/
Sister Kunjunjama
Early that evening we headed to the nearby town of Thiruvalla to meet Sr. Samuel, or more precisely, Sr. Kunjunjamma Samuel (2005 ARI Graduate). Everyone at ARI called her Sr. Samuel, but I like the sound of the name Sr. Kunjunjamma. Incidentally, I was her consultant, which gives me a chuckle when I look back. Me, a thirty something, mentoring a wise and devoted nun with nearly 20 years more life experience. She said she was grateful for the help I provided her in writing her Reflection Paper, which is a kind of thesis of her work, ARI learning, and future dream.
Sr. Samuel (I’ll stick with that since it is shorter) is part of the Mar Thoma Suvisesha Sevika Sanghom. A loose translation is Women’s Volunteer Society of the Mar Thoma church, but I don’t think it captures the full meaning. I’m glad I took the time to explain about the Mar Thoma church earlier though, because ARI has a lot of graduates connected with it. We will meet another one tomorrow.
When we arrived, Sr. Samuel, came out the front doors to great us with a bright smile and the first thing she said was, “I will never forget ARI. I’m so happy you came, after 20 years. ARI totally changed my life.” Then she quickly pulled Thomas Mathew and me inside and introduced me to the others. This was a rest place for “old missionaries” (their words, not mine) and “the others” were a group of old missionary ladies, all well into their eighties. I hesitate to use the word “retired,” because I think when you work in service to the Lord, there is no retirement age. Sr. Samuel herself is in her seventies, and running this home, though she says she doesn’t have the energy she once did. Of the seven women staying here four came to see us and what a lively group they were. They plied me with questions one after another and then would say something I couldn’t catch and laughter ensued. I really liked them.
Sr. Samuel brought out green tea and homemade sweets. Whenever there was a pause in the chatter, she told me a little about her life. After ARI the church assigned her to various posts. One of these was at a nearby Ashram that we will visit tomorrow where she introduced vermicomposting for their gardens. I’m always impressed with the way church workers like Sr. Samuel deal with being moved from place to place. They don’t fret too much, but rather accept each assignment. I can imagine her saying, Here I am now. God placed me here for a reason. Let me see what good I can do.
Meeting ALL the residents
I’m not sure when she started in this place, but she has already seen three residents pass away. In the next hall hung their pictures, along with photos of all the missionaries who had spent their last days here, going back nearly a hundred years. She also insisted on my meeting the ladies who were bed ridden. One in particular seemed to be in constant discomfort and kept shifting her position. They care for her night and day. These nuns have spent their lives serving others, and it was comforting to see that they have a place where they receive that same loving care at the time they need it most.
At about 6:00 the four boisterous ladies departed for the chapel to say their prayers. Even though their physical strength is used up, their spiritual strength is as strong as ever. They all pray three times a day and Sr. Samuel told me she always prays for ARI. They also provide communion once a month, open to everyone. Actually, Thomas Mathew and I, as male visitors, needed to be out by 6:00, but we got special permission to stay until 7:00! I was touched to hear Sr. Samuel say she prays for ARI. I have to say, knowing ARI is in the prayers of Sr. Samuel and many other graduates is really meaningful. It encourages me and gives me strength to keep working hard for ARI and its mission, even when things are hard.
at the bakery
On the way home we stopped off at a bakery for tea, which in this part of the world mostly means masala tea otherwise known as chai. This is the bakery where Thomas Mathew buys bread for the hospital. It really is of nice quality, bigger and tastier than cheaper options. I noticed that they also sold cashew nuts, a favorite of this writer’s wife. Many were purchased.
Over tea, we got to talking once again about India. Thomas Mathew doesn’t like the idea of ONE India, that is, one homogeneous India. Before the British arrived, there were hundreds of Kingdoms and Principalities. While 80% of the people are Hindu, there are so many who are not, including Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jainists, Zoroasters, Bahai, Animists and more. And then there are all those languages and local customs. No, let India be India, and let India be diverse, because that is the real India.
Back at home, Sally had kindly prepared a light supper for me of jackfruit, bananas, and papaya. I was deeply grateful for this because my stomach clock had not yet adjusted to the time changes and this meal was perfect. By the way, did you know there are about a hundred ways to cook jackfruit? I had several of them at Thomas Mathew’s house. You can even eat the seeds. They are all nalla ruchi, but my favorite is still the sweet raw fruit.
