Feb 8-9 Jowai, Mukap and onward

We returned north to Jowai, then on the ninth left with the office manager and hostess of the UUNEI, Leiki Suchiang, to her hometown, Mukhap, to the east near the Assam border. She makes the trip back and forth several times a month and regrets that the road is so curvy. After Shangpung we are off the map, and the views from the road are more frequently beautiful.
We arrive in Mukhap in the evening. The conversation around the kitchen fire after dinner is peppered with cell phone chatter as Leiki and her sisters announce our early arrival (9th). Leiki and her mother cook breakfast as we prepare to visit members of the church in their homes. We hear more about the SHG movement, subject of a training in Bangalore the previous year for several Khasi Unitarians. Here we purchase a child's sweater set from the church's secretary, treasurer of the first Mukhap Self Help Group, a microloan savings association. Later, as people return early from their work and chores, an impromptu service is held, hearing stories from Gail and our new friend Rev. Lindy Latham from Bristol, England.
Mukhap is one of the bigger villages in the area, and the Unitarian movement is thriving, helped by The Upper Valley UU Church in Norwich VT. The stunning new church, built entirely by volunteer labor, nears completion.
We are grateful guests one more night with the Suchaing family, where Leiki's eighty-two year old grandmother has taken quit a shine to Jim.
On the 11th, we head out for Assam on a long dirt road journey, crossing on a foot bridge while the Land Cruiser fords the river. During rainy season, the trip would be even longer (but on bigger roads) because the river is too high.