We made it to India! After leaving Atlanta last Saturday, stopping in Chicago, Qatar, Kolkata, and finally Imphal, we had about an hour and a half drive to our final destination for month 1, Sielmat village in Churachandpur, Manipur, India. Our wonderful ministry host, John met us at the airport to help us navigate the area then led us to our home. We are staying in rooms upstairs of a seminary called TCS, which has been a nice sweet place to call home. The ministry that John runs has many different parts, and for our ministry each day, we have been able to visit some of the organizations that his ministry is a part of.
Here is a brief overview of what this first week has looked like:
Day 1: An overall tour of the incredible village – we are the largest group of foreigners (about 53 of us) to ever visit Churachandpur; so all the locals are super excited!
Day 2: 1st time doing manual labor (AH!) We had the privilege of helping clear off land on a beautiful mountain top called Prayer mountain where both locals and visitors are able to spend time with God in prayer and worship. You can truly feel God’s presence here.
Day 3: Children’s retreat – over 2,200 kids from all over the local villages came to sing and dance and hear stories from the Bible (pictures to come!) Having kids sit on my lap while singing worship songs just melts my heart. “Bless the Lord, Oh my soul” was one of the favorites J
Day 4: Hospital – the ministry that John runs has a hospital just down the road from where we are living – We first had the privilege of joining the hospital staff for morning prayer, then helping clean windows, walls, and floors. They are working on expanding the hospital, so in the afternoon, we were able to help with the construction.
Day 5: Today, Saturday was our off day!! With our team liaison, a local man named Sawmpek, with the gentlest most humble God-loving heart, guided us to another prayer mountain with over 50 prayer cabins built by Christians from the villages.
This next week will be filled with VBS, church time, helping around the school, and working in the ministry office. Our time here in India has already been so busy and so full of God. The Lord has begun to do some major work in my heart and in the hearts of my squad-mates, and I cannot wait to be able to post a blog about the outcome of God’s handiwork.
I love all of you so much. I feel your love and prayers in the depth of my being across the world. God has been showing me that although we may be miles away, we are not as far apart as it appears. We serve the same Lord under the same sky.
