Volunteers needed - Makodia needs you

Makodiya is a living testimony of the love of Christ, carefully nurtured and guided by the vision of the saintly Mar Theodosius and it has come so far by the works and prayers of this bishop who chose to live, work and is now resting far away from Kerala. His prayers will always be its strength.

But Makodiya needs a lot of help - it needs volunteers to come and visit and work. To come and visit the area and take back memories to share for others. For volunteers to stay for a few days or weeks to help set up different projects, or help maintain others, to help financially and in kind to provide for the daily sustenance and long term existence of this mission project.

There are many ways to help - your prayers, your help in cash and kind will go a long way to providing succor and encouragement to those working on the ground in Makodiya; however I feel the best help would be to come and visit Makodiya, become aware of what happens here, spread the word, come back with others, to get involved with the work here and take ownership in the vision of Mar Theodosius of becoming an effective light for Christ in this region.

A side note:
I could sense that after the passing of Theodosius Thirumeni, the mission is somehow falling out of the radar of the Church. Hence I feel the need of the hour is to get back to talking about Makodiya, not only talking, but trying to visit there and finding out first hand the work that happens there, and getting involved to make it better. Maybe give the volunteers working there a call at times, encourage them, motivate them and let them know how they are doing God's work. Just a good word can sometimes do wonders.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

The Bishop in Makodiya

Doctor uncle said Theodosius Thirumeni loved to come to Makodiya. Whenever there was a problem in the diocese, some tension with the people, Thirumeni would love to leave everything for a bit and come to Makodiya  and being in Makodiya would give a great sense of peace to Thirumeni.

In Makodiya Thirumeni was like any of the other ordinary person. HG would come out and sleep under the open sky with the others, talk at length with everyone and really enjoy HG's time there.
Thirumeni would go for the village meetings, talk with the villagers, listen to their problems - HG was their Bade Father.

Going around the hallways, I could sense the simplicity of Thirumeni in the walls of the mission house. Walking around the front yard, I could see how Thirumeni loved the place, how HG had built it up with great care. The place had the life of Thirumeni still in its air. This place was Thirumeni's favorite place, the land knew its Bade Father and the Bade Father knew it. It was a relationship of great love.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Have you seen a Kariveppila 'tree'?

kariveppala tree at Makodia Mission house

All Malayalees have a Kariveppila (curry leaves) plant. Every Malayalee, especially outside Kerala, and even outside India try to keep a Kariveppila plant in their home. The kariveppila and its strong smell, has a medicinal value and is used in several of our curries - it is a distinct reminder of our roots from Kerala.

I have known many families yearning to have a Kariveppila plant in their home. They grow them in pots, but many times it does not take root. I have known ladies who would try their best to grow Kariveppala plants in their homes without success. It seemed like only the lucky ones were blessed with a well grown Kariveppila plant.

And I have seen Kariveppila plants a few feet tall, but never before had I seen a Kariveppila tree! till I came to Makodiya.

Mar Theodosius sensing the desire of Malayalees to have the proximity of the Kariveppila, planted it in the backyard and it has now grown to be a huge tree, giving shade and sprouting many small Kariveppala plants under it.

If you wish to see the unique Kariveppila plant - as a full grown tree - come to Makodiya!

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Where Sadhu Sundar Singh preached

Doctor uncle pointed to us and told us that very close to the Makodiya Mission house was the place where Sadhu Sunder Singh had preached the gospel to the tribals in Makodiya many many years ago.

It was  perhaps divine providence that Mar Theodosius was led to the same place which had been made holy by the footsteps of Sadhu Sunder Singh. It was perhaps divine plan to have the mission house working from that very place.

Also I have heard about the Friends Church and the Friends mission doing work among the tribals in Makodiya. It is a blessing to note that the Malankara Orthodox Church has also involved itself at the very grassroots level with the Makodians. By improving the life of the tribals, of the villagers, the Church will be doing great service to the society and to the nation in fulfilling its calling.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Looking hopefully into the future

Retreat Center:

There is a plan and hope that Makodiya mission house can become a venue for a retreat center of our people providing healing of the soul and comfort to those facing challenges in life. With its natural beauty and its serene setting, a retreat and meditation center will be a great asset to the Church, if it comes up in Makodiya.

Tailoring Center:
I read that there is also a plan to start a Tailoring Center at the Mission House. This could give employment to the local tribes and could prove useful for our needs, like for example, it might be able to supply school uniforms for our school.

With support from our churches near and far, this can become a reality. If volunteers frequent Makodiya many such things can fall in place.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

The Mission House - Makodia



The main hall

As we enter is the main hall which serve as the main lounge. This must have been the area where Thirumeni would have entertained guests who would have come to visit Makodiya I felt. Perhaps this was also the area that local politicians and officials would come to meet the bishop.

Thirumeni's room was on the right of the main hall. There are a couple rooms on the left.





Chapel

This was the British Bungalow of old which is a famous landmark of the area. Another room on the left serves currently as the office. Further down there are a couple rooms where people could be accomodated if they come on a visit - there is the chapel on the right.





Dining area

The dining area is a long hall with the kitchen at the far end.We were served breakfast and lunch in the dining hall. The dining hall opens to the backyard with the vegetable garden on one side and the stable on the other.



We have about 6 acres of land there - wheat is grown in the fields. The harvest provides part of the income for the mission house, I was told.Once the jowar crop is harvested the same place is used for growing soya beans. The land is very rich and fertile. There are other vegetables grown in the backyard that is used locally. Also we have some livestock that helps in the maintenance of the Mission house. I have read that Thirumeni wanted the Mission house to be self sustaining and the model of cultivating the land for our own needs fit perfectly into the model.




vegetable garden

The adjacent building serves as the medical clinic with the Anganvadi on the first floor.


(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)

Anganvadi at the Mission House

The upper floor is used for the Anganvadi

The Anganvadi functioning out of the Mission house provides basic pre-school training to the kids of the villagers. All the children are from the Makodiya villages. Many children from the Anganvadi then are admitted to the MGM school of the Church functioning nearby.

By these various programs, I sensed that the mission house had essentially become a very useful and integral portion of the local community. It had gelled well with the local community, and had grown with it. That was probably exactly how Mar Theodosius envisioned it to be, but I could not help thinking - these different programs need a lot of help - skilled teachers would need to be hired locally, day care experts could be useful, nurses could provide basic health care; resources like books, toys, personal baby items all could be very useful for such a program.

(Written by Mathew Samuel (Sunil), a visitor to Makodiya in January 2013)