The beautiful lotus flower is the national flower of India and is called kumul in Hindi. Many parts of the lotus plant are edible, including the tuber roots. The roots are not often sold in the market, but we found some and decided to experiment. We fried them with some garlic, salt, and powdered ginger. They were crunchy like celery even after cooking. Though they didn't have much flavor on their own, the spices made them a delicious and addictive snack!

This year we both hit the big five-zero! We celebrated Shari's birthday with our good friends with whom we gather weekly for prayer and fellowship. We cooked mutton (goat meat) and passed around ladoos, an Indian sweet given on special occasions. Shari made punch with fruit juice, seltzer water, and vanilla ice cream, a new taste treat for the kids. The previous night we went to a beautiful park in a hilly forested area, then ate at a Tibetan/Chinese restaurant nearby. Shari finally found food that wasn't loaded with chili peppers. She was ecstatic! We are both looking forward to many more years of life, health, and ministry. Yes, Lord!

Every day we hear the calls of vendors who walk down our street trying to sell their wares: blankets, balloons, flowers, fish, fruit, and services such as shoe shining. In our neighborhood there are six different men who come by with vegetables almost daily. If we want to buy something, we call to them and they come to the front gate of our house. They charge a premium price for the convenience they provide. Even so, they are at the lowest echelon of workers, earning barely enough to survive.

Visitors to India immediately notice the waste piled in the streets. Poor families earn a few pennies by combing the city for bits of plastic, cardboard, and glass which they sell to recyclers. Every day we see women and children walking in the streets, back alleys, and garbage dumps of the city filling their large white collection bags with anything of value. Street sweepers are one of the lowest classes of society, usually illiterate and avoiding eye contact. The garbage heaps throughout the city are popular with pigs, cows, dogs, and rats.     

Though the majority of people in India throw their refuse in the streets and waterways (see Garbage for the Many), some of the nicer neighborhoods have a municipal garbage service. We pay about 80 cents per month to have our trash taken away in a truck to an empty lot along the main road that we often walk past. Many times a young boy who is too poor to attend school sits in the back of the truck, sorting through the putrid mess and picking out the recyclables to make a little cash.

The loudspeaker that announces the truck's arrival can be annoying. One day we didn't hear it anymore and saw that it had been torn off the top of the truck. (We don't blame the culprit!) Now the truck just honks loudly and continuously to announce its arrival.

Every three months Shari gets a shipment of prescription medications from the USA. These are critical to maintain the function of her transplanted kidney, received in 2006. This kidney allows her to be free of dialysis and to live in India. Sending the package via the FedEx company is a secure (but expensive) way to make sure these medications arrive safely. So we were a little surprised when we received this precious package from an unidentifiable man on a simple scooter. No FedEx logo, but he had the package!

This region in the foothills of the Himalaya mountain range is home to the Garhwali people group. They are a beautiful people, hardworking and generous, and deeply committed to their Hindu traditions. These hills contain some of Hinduism's holiest temples, and once the snows melt in April the roads fill up with spiritual seekers who come by bus, jeep, car, motorcycle, and on foot. I was thrilled to finally visit some of these towns and to connect with a few of the handful of Christian believers in the region.

Last month Spring Rain was able to provide emergency help to a family in need. The family lives in this small community.  They are actively reaching out to the area. Their ministry is fruitful and growing despite difficult conditions. In May their house was destroyed in a wind storm.

North India is roughly 15% Muslim, but some towns and villages have a much higher Muslim population. Each time I travel through these towns I am freshly reminded of the amazing cultural and religious diversity (and underlying tensions) which form the fabric of north India.

The monkey-god Hanuman is worshiped all over India for his heroic supernatural deeds in the Hindu epic story The Ramayana. His devotees believe he provides assistance and protection to all who worship him.