Rain, rain, rain, rain ...

It has been raining for about the past 16 hours, non-stop, very heavily for the past 8 hours. This is our front yard!

The gutters can't cope with the volume of water coming down!

And here's the back yard!

I checked the weather forecast. It says there is a 60% chance of rain today. Hahahaha! But tomorrow there is a 90% chance. Hmmmm. Not sure how to interpret that. And 60% chance again on Monday. I can hear the frogs outside, making a joyful noise. I have a feeling classes will be canceled on Monday.

My Iron Sharpening Group

I want to introduce you to my Iron-Sharpening Group. These ladies are very dear to me, and a lot of my efforts each week are poured into them. Two are third-year students, two are second-year, and one is a first year student.

On the right is Romela from Pakistan. She and her husband both come from Christian families, and are Campus Crusade staff. They will graduate and go home in December. Romela is the "rock" of our group, steady and mature. She loves God and wants to serve him faithfully with her whole life. Pakistan is not a safe place to live and work. Every week we hear of bombings. But 99% of Pakistanis don't know Jesus, and Romela is eager to see more disciples raised up there.

On the left is Kalpana from Nepal. She and her husband both come from Hindu families. Kalpana is the "baby" of our group -- she is the youngest and the newest mom, so everyone else gives her advice all the time! She's the mother of my sweet baby Suyog--we bonded deeply during her labor and delivery. I love this girl! She has such a passion to see Nepali Hindus understand the Gospel, and she literally lies awake at night thinking of ways she can share His message with them.

This is Eti from Bangladesh. She is a very affectionate and loving lady. She comes from a Christian family with strong roots -- her grandfather was baptized by William Carey himself! When she was in high school, she signed up one of her Muslim classmates for a Bible correspondence course. He eventually became a believer, and later, became her husband! Eti works for a well-known NGO in Bangladesh, and wants to use this in the future as a platform to build relationships and share the Gospel.

This is Boby, also from Bangladesh. She's a smart lady, a geologist, and a journalist, and a translator, and probably could be anything else she set her mind to. She is tiny but she dreams big dreams. She and her husband are some of the most hospitable people I know. I can't begin to count the meals and cups of tea I have had in their house!

Our newest member is Saradha from India. You met her a few months ago when I told you about her son Sam, who broke his leg twice in the same month. Saradha has a beautiful smile and a beautiful heart. She comes from a Hindu background, and became a believer when a friend invited her to a campus prayer meeting. She is a brilliant lady -- she's a software engineer, and could be earning a handsome salary in that industry. Instead, she and her husband are staff of Campus Crusade for Christ. Her passion is to learn to be more effective in making disciples.

These are my precious ISG ladies. I am so honored that I have been entrusted with the opportunity to help them grow. Please pray for me for wisdom and discernment as I lead them.

Many Cultures, Many Cures

I often take our IGSL international students to the doctor, or give them advice about their illnesses, or pray with them when they are sick. Having this role through the years has given me the opportunity to hear about a wide variety of treatments for a wide variety of illnesses. It's one of the perks of living in an international community. Some would make my doctor friends shudder, like the time family members vigorously massaged the abdomen of a lady with an infected gall bladder, or when another lady used a large coin to scrape the back of a friend with a severe stomach ache. Neither treatment was effective, but I can't afford to be haughty here, because my advice doesn't always work either!

One important lesson I have learned is that I need to always remember to pray first, whenever someone comes to me with any kind of illness, rather than as a last resort when everything else has failed. The book of James tells us clearly, "Is anyone sick? Let him pray!" I am learning that.

Last week, I was hit with a very severe throat infection that kept me in bed for a week. So, I got to be on the receiving end of the advice this time. I was gifted with a big pot of rasam (Indian pepper soup), a jug of Tibetan ginger tea, a paper packet with a piece of fresh ginger and individually wrapped portions of of Nepalese herbs (pictured above). There was a steady stream of text messages with suggestions like: Drink a cup of hot milk with a teaspoon of pepper and a teaspoon of turmeric! And at the same time, a steady stream of text messages reminding me they were praying.

Not one person suggested chicken soup. But I felt comforted anyway. My life is rich.