India October 2012, #2

We arrived safely in Delhi on Sunday night. We had  good night's rest before heading to Siliguri on Monday morning. Unfortunately I came down with significant back problems. I was fine when I got up in the morning but later noticed a slight catch in my back which progressed rapidly into a major problem. It got so bad that I could not walk well and had to eventually get a wheel chair to make it to the gate and onto the plane. Edie was able to get me some ice and it was slightly improved when we arrived, enough so that I could walk down the stairs from the airplane and into the airport. Fortunately, I did not have to teach on Monday but even yesterday, Tuesday, my back was so tight that I could not stand up straight. I walked like an old man, which I guess I am becoming. I taught most of the day sitting. This morning, (it is around 3:30 am, we have not gotten over the time change yet), my back feels better so I am hopeful for a better day. Your prayers would be appreciated.

The students are mostly young and bright and a delight to work with. They come from about 4 or 5 different countries and almost all them speak English quite well. We were delighted with their progress yesterday. They all need to learn how to discuss and interact in the classroom, something they have never had experience with before. We are not sure that they fully understand what our vision for a training network is and we will need to work further with them on that. It is essential for them to take the training to others if we are going to have a successful network.  

Only 3 women showed up for the training. Edie and Linda were planning on 10. But the ladies are connecting well and are learning the material quickly. It has been a good start for Edie and Linda as they are learning how to teach together and how to use our training materials with women. So far it has been a joy for them to work together, even though they are very different in personality and gifts. God is good.  

We have a challenging week ahead as we present two full workshops in one week, twice what we normally do. We can accomplish this only because it takes less time to train when we can do it in English without translation and because we are limiting our electives. Still it is a lot for them to be introduced to in such a short time. We felt it was necessary to do two workshops in order to catch them up with the two other groups we are working with in India. We are praying that all of us will  have the energy to accomplish what God has put before us. Thank you for your help in praying for us. We know that is one of the reasons we can make it through some of the physical and spiritual battles we face. Our Internet access is limited but we will try to keep you posted as we can.

Al