Appreciate your modern conveniences!

When preparing for our trip we were told that we could pack lightly for the trip since our clothes would be washed every day at the institute. I was told "they will beat them out on a rock," which I took to be just an expression. On exploring the grounds, I discovered the laundromat behind the house, and found that the expression was quite accurate.

Our clothes were hung on a line to dry and then carefully ironed with a charcoal-burning steam iron.

Our dishes were also washed outside.

They grow many of their own vegetables with the help of drip irrigation. Healing Hands International from Nashville, Tn taught them to use buckets with perforated hoses that extend down the rows to keep a constant flow of water during the dry season. Buckets are filled by hand twice each day.

Contrasts abound here. Although some things are done quite primitively, they are equipped with wireless Internet.

- Laurel Sewell

Location:Vijayawada, India at the Jack Nelle Institute