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We also purchased two new wheel barrows which we have been wanting for a long time. At $60 a piece, they are luxuries that are easy to put off...but thanks to Kirsten & Jack Elster and Susan Miller, we will be rolling heavy loads across the mission grounds for years to come. 

And the hits just keep on coming! When the call went out for some new tin to keep our walkway dry, Natalie Graham offered to sponsor the project. Then it was just a matter of driving into town, picking up the necessary sheets and climbing up on the roof. Once again, Rick led the way with Job as his assistant and together they wasted no time getting the job done. 

We also bought two pressure washers that were on sale in Delhi, thanks to the support of Marty & John Coulter. The Coulters are also sponsors and to demonstrate their purchase, we asked Malika (their sponsor child) to pull the trigger. We'll use these to clean off cement where algae tends to grow this time of year, clean cars and motorbikes, hose down bathrooms and to scrub the pool when cleaning time rolls around next year.

We also finished off the last of our gift money from our dear friends and supporters Manjul & Alka Saxena. The idea was for every mission child to have enough money to purchase a new outfit of their own, and the outfits keep rolling in. They also provided each and every staff member with a gift for their homes. Here are a few of our kids dressed up and camera ready.

To the delight of our girls, we also had a set of full-length mirrors donated this week and they are in the process of receiving frames from our on-staff carpenter Ganesh. After the only mirror in a hostel of 21 girls broke, these items are in great demand. They'll be installed soon, much to the relief of the Small Girls.

We also enjoyed our monthly fruit allotment, donated by the Sanjeet Narang & family. We have similar projects like this on the farm, with one family offering to supply extra protein for a smaller-than-average child, or another supporter paying school fees for a non-sponsored older girls. Most of these fly under the radar, many seeking to stay completely anonymous (we have omitted a few names here already for this reason). For all of these gifts and so much more, we can only offer our deepest thanks and our sincere pledge to always honor all contributions with respect, transparency and integrity. 

One gift that arrived a while ago was a drum kit from Barratts Music in Tasmania. This electronic model has been a huge addition to our Sunday services, with many of the kids learning off YouTube videos how to play with great proficiency. While Clifton was back in Australia recently, he stopped into Barratts to let Mark, the owner, know how much we all appreciated the donation.  Mark was thrilled to hear the news. "We donate all kinds of instruments and rarely hear back about them."

Hearing this, Uncle John gathered a few of the kids, moved the drum kit into the walkway and put together this little thank you video. To Mark and his staff, please know we sincerely appreciate your generosity.

As one final story, last night we had an attempted break in at our school. Some shady characters have been seen in the area and we knew they were snooping around our property, but last night they tried to climb onto our roof, enter our open courtyard and do...who knows what after that. Luckily, the gutter system Rick and his crew worked so hard to put in place pulled loose as they climbed up. While it thwarted the crooks, it does have to be put back on.  But all things considered, we ended up ahead on this one.

And so another week comes to an end. For everyone who got involved with one project or another, for all of our children sponsors, for our monthly donors, for our prayer supporters, for all the letters and texts and comments we recieve each and every day, we thank you all for being on this incredible journey with us. It wouldn't be the same without you.