Personal Spiritual Growth

I teach a course in our Partners in Ministry program for our first year students called Personal Spiritual Growth. This year I have 20 students from 8 countries. They come from a variety of backgrounds. I should capitalize that: VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDS. The variety is huge.

Some grew up in Christian families.
Some have been in the ministry for years.
Some are from Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist backgrounds.
Some are very young Christians.
Some have been married for many years.
Some can barely speak English.
Some have suffered severe persecution.
Some have been married just a few months.

The one thing they have in common is that their husbands are first-year students in IGSL.

This year I have incorporated much more group interaction, because I am discovering that they can learn a lot from each other, not only from me. There are some very mature ladies who have wonderful insights. At the same time, I love having new believers from non-Christian backgrounds, because their questions are honest. They don't have all the years of fitting into the mold of what is expected in the church.

Our topics include:

Displaying God's Glory
Creating an Environment for Growth
Experiencing God's Love
Enjoying the Family of God
Walking in the Spirit
Giving and Receiving Forgiveness
Using My Uniqueness for God's Glory
Living with Pain and Suffering
Studying God's Word
Praying Scripturally
Understanding God's Heart for the World

My favorite topic is the one on pain and suffering, but I find that the ladies don't like that one. It's a topic that most people would rather not talk about! But later , they often tell me that was one of the most helpful sessions. Many of the topics are just an introduction, and they will study them more in-depth in later courses.

Please pray for me. I need wisdom and creativity. We are halfway through --our last class day is December 7.

And then, on December 8, I will hop on a plane and fly to Texas to be with Michelle and Jim as they await the arrival of Baby Daniel James. I'm super excited about that!

Eating Ice Cream in the Line of Duty

It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it! Sometimes I just have to go and eat ice cream with people! Last Saturday I was relaxing at home when I got a phone call from the IGSL campus , saying that one of our scholarship supporters was visiting. Some of our students are supported by a foundation in California, and for years we have been filling out applications and sending reports to this foundation. I have never met any representative from their organization, but I assumed it was a large group with many people.

Anyway, I hurried off to campus where I met Miss May, a sweet, elderly Chinese lady who was eager to spend time with the students she supports. She just happened to be in the Philippines and thought she would look us up! And she said, "Let's go out for lunch!" So we did. Miss May, our IGSL student Sithon from Laos, and I went to the mall. After we finished our lunch, she said, "Let's go somewhere for ice cream!" Sithon suggested that we introduce her to halo-halo, a special Philippine treat featuring ice cream and twelve other ingredients. So off we went to search for halo-halo.

And as we talked, I discovered that she IS the foundation. When her father died, he left her a sum of money, and her dream was to use it to help educate Asian pastors and equip them for ministry. And she has done that for a few decades now, quietly, from her own home--an unsung hero making an impact all over Asia. My job is so fun!

The Next Generation

Psalm 78 has been a favorite psalm of mine since I first became a mom. Verses 1-7 are so precious . . . encouraging us to teach the next generation about what an awesome God we have, so that "each generation should set its hope anew on God."

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I've been thinking about this more and more since I am about to become a grandma. I am so, so, so excited to watch Jim and Michelle start the process with another generation. And I am sure that when December comes I will fill my blog with grandma posts.

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But this is not a grandma post, it's an auntie post. The sweet girl in this photo is Pristine Roxas, whom I have known since the day she was born. She is the daughter of our good friends Tom and Cynthia. I watched this baby learn to walk and talk. She calls me auntie, and I know her better than I know my own nieces and nephews.

Yesterday I watched her organize and pull off a surprise birthday party for her mom. (I told you we are really into birthday parties in this country!) It was all Pristine's idea, planned and executed with her fun-loving and creative spirit. Seeing the godly young woman that Pristine has become is a great joy.

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Sometimes walking with Jesus is hard. There are tears. It has been "granted to us to suffer for his sake" and I know that very well. But sometimes, Jesus lets us enjoy the sweet fruit of our labors. I love it when that happens!