Rainy days in Jakarta

Hi everyone,
Sorry that I have not posted in a very long time. I could blame the Taiwan earthquake over Christmas that damaged under-sea internet lines, or point to the overwhelming amount of school work I have had since the start of the term, but ultimately I have been a bit lazy too. However, since school was cancelled today due to the flooding in Jakarta I do have a bit of unexpected time on my hands.

I was just reflecting back on the bad start that Indonesia has had to 2007. We have had a plane crash, a ferry sink, landslides and now major flooding and it's only February 6th!!? Despite all these disasters, I still feel very safe here in Indonesia and know that God has placed me here for a reason. There has naturally been a lot of finger pointing to place blame on someone for the latest disaster, which inspite of heavy rains, is totally a 'man-made' disaster. Thankfully, my city Lippo Karawaci, was designed and pre-planned with rainy season in mind, which means we have a large golf course in the middle of town that serves as a water catchment. We have a drainage system; lots of trees to absorb water (although this seems like a no-brainer, it's not) and a flood plain that is not filled with buildings. What this all means is when Jakarta is 75% covered with water, Lippo land is sitting high and dry (mostly...our kindergarten and Art rooms have a couple inches of water). Please pray for the people who have been affected by the rain and flooding. There are a large number of people who live in slum housing or under the bridges in Jakarta who have no where to sleep and many homes that have been overrun with water.