| Photo's from Frank Breeden's trip to India and Nepal in February of 2006 (Check back often as these will be updated as time allows) |
click on photos to enlarge
| Carlisle Hanna remains the only FWB Misisonary in India today. He and his wife, Marie came to India in 1953. Marie died while serving in India on April 23, 1998 and is buried within the mission compound in Sonapur where Carlisle still serves. Sonapur is a small village in the state of West Bengal which borders the state of Bihar. This photo of Carlisle and me was taken at the Bagdogra airport as our party was leaving India. |
| Marie (Wright) Hannah was came to FWB Bible College while Mom was a Senior. Marie and Carlisle met at this college. This photo is Marie's college yearbook ("The Lumen") photo from 1948, Mom's senior year. |
| Marie signed Zalene's Lumen in 1948. Here is a copy of that message. Marie expressed hope that she and Mom would meet in India one day. As it turns out, they never did. Carlisle and Marie were coming to India the same time Mom was leaving. They were not reunited until the end of 2004 when they met in Heaven. |
| The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, India. Aside from the fact that is one of the 7 Wonders of the World, I wanted to see the place where Mom had visited and had her photo taken almost 60 years earlier (right). |
| Perhaps the highlight of my trip to India was visiting Dr. Graham's Homes in Kalimpong. The "Homes" have kept a wonderful archives and I was able to meet with the curator during my visit. She helped me find copies of the official, semi-annual publication from the time period Mom served on staff. Each publication listed all the staff and I was able to find several issues wherein Mom was listed as one of the houseparents for Hart Cottage. She is listed as Miss Lloyd and apparently was the only staff member from the USA. |
| Regnitsh is the curator of the museum at Dr. Graham's Homes in Kalimpong. Her father was a staff member at the "Homes" about the same time as Mom. |
| April 30, 1952 was a "red-letter day" in the history of Dr. Graham's Homes when India's first prime minister, Pandit Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, paid an official visit. This photo from the Centenary Celebration book compiled by staff, graduates and supporters shows Superintendent Duncan and his wife flanking the Prime Minister and his daughter. I remember hearing somewhere that Mom had seen Pandit Nehru in person, but I didn't know the circumstances and also didn't know she had seen Indira Gandhi, too. Now, thanks to discovering this photograph, I know when and where it took place. |
| One of the true joys of visiting with Carlisle Hanna at the mission compound in Sonapur, West Bengal was getting to know the Marendi family. With the exception of the oldest daughter, Shanna (2nd from left in the yellow Sari) and her new husband (Arther Tude, left), the Marendi's live in a house within the mission compound. Their father, Bolen Marendi, passed away in 2005. Bolen was a valuable leader within the mission work and left a great void upon his passing. His wife, Asha (Green Sari) and other three daughters (youngest to oldest) Sylvia, Sulee and Sallie are pictured here in front of the compound's flower garden. They all speak English very well and it was a delight to talk with them. |
| The children I met while in the mission compound in Sonapur were delightful. They were amazed at my video camera. Everytime I shot some video of them, I would turn the video display around so they could see themselves in the playback. This time, I tried to sneak a picture with a camera in my right hand while they watched the video camera playback in my left. As you can see, they weren't fooled! |
| Retracing Mom's Steps In India & Nepal |
| Hart Cottage, where Mom served as a houseparent for 3 years, is still in use today. Pictured with me are the current houseparents. I was very fortunate to find them at home during my visit as it was the first day of a new school year. They gave me a tour of the entire house which is still a boy's cottage. Situated on the side of a mountain, the view from this front porch is spectacular as Kalimpong is very mountainous terrain, situated in the foothills of the Himalayas. My favorite part of the tour was the kitchen where they showed me the stove which has been in the home since 1916. Mom cooked on this stove when she was working there. Now, all meals are served in a central dining room and the stove serves as a shelf, TV Stand and storage space. There was something special about seeing this stove. I can't describe it totally, but when I saw it, my journey to India felt complete and it was at that point I was able to "let my Mom go." Somehow, I was able to reconcile with reality and internalize that she is gone from this world and now in a better place. |
| When we finally meandered through the tight and winding mountain streets of downtown Kalimpong and entered the campus on Dr. Graham's homes, one of the first people we met was Mr. Richard Ferdinands. He approached us and asked if he could be of some assistance. He then stayed with us the entire visit and gave us a personally guided tour of the campus and the town. Richard, himself, was an Indo-European orphan who came to Dr. Graham's Homes in the 1930's. If I remember correctly, he was born in the state of Bihar. Except for a brief stint of farm work in Bihar, he has been at the Homes all this time. The brief time he was away occurred while Mom was on staff at the Homes. So, they did not know each other. Richard recalled vivid memories of his childhood experiences at the home. His conversation was engaging and intellectually stimulating. The Homes could not have a finer ambassador. |