It's been very satisfying to see how well the SEED volunteers - under 
Karthi's leadership - have continued to work wonders with the 
students in Karumbalai.  My enforced absence for several weeks has 
had little if any impact on the overall quality of support being 
given to these great kids.  Maybe I should be feeling dispensible; 
instead, I'm rather proud!  To know that the foundations of SEED, 
laid in less than a year's time, are strong enough to support this 
kind of continuity is truly gratifying.  And now, as I've been able 
to begin a slow but steady reintegration into the activities at the 
Centre, the bright smiling faces of all these kids - and a laughing 
question: "How many kilos (weight) have you put back on today?" - are 
daily reminders of how wonderful it is to be here.

We've had 4 visitors from the States come to the Karumbalai Study 
Centre over the past couple of weeks.  Though I personally couldn't 
stick around to give them much of a "tour," their reports on how the 
students and volunteers have received them, and various activities 
they observed, have been overwhelmingly positive.  (Hopefully at 
least a couple of them can be talked into sending you all a brief 
report on their impressions of SEED.)  One of the most remarkable 
aspects of these visits has been the fact that when the kids took 
time out from their studies - it's end-of-year exam time - to 
entertain and be entertained by these visitors, they made it up by 
staying late and/or putting in extra study time on the weekends.  You 
simply have to see it to believe how committed many of these kids are 
to their studies.  A comment that all of the visitors echoed was: 
"You'd never find American students studying so hard TOGETHER like 
this!"

As many of you get together with family members this holiday season, 
I hope you'll share in my sense of pride for having played a part in 
the creation of this "SEED family" - who truly care for each other, 
and share their abilities and needs - and know that the support you 
have continued to provide has helped make "togetherness" a living 
reality for a wonderful group of kids and their volunteer mentors.

So you'll know, I'll be in the U.S. soon for a brief visit with 
family (25 Dec - 1 Jan).  What a great feeling to have families on 
both sides of the globe!  And it's a sure thing that the SEED Centre 
won't be quiet while I'm gone.  Christmas and New Year parties, and a 
number of other fun activities, are already planned for the 10-day 
school break.  The fact that students from a nearby orphanage are to 
be included in some of these celebrations is a special gift to us all 
- clear demonstration of the kids' growing social awareness and 
concern for others.