Things I never expected from India…
1. Gorgeous mountains! (we’re in Shimla in Northern India and it is abundant with God’s creation! so beautiful! it also means there are more hills than San Francisco and walking is the primary mode of transportation so we will be in excellent shape by the end of this month. Yea for healthy lifestyle!)
2. Freezing cold weather! (ok, so the 50’s is not exactly freezing, but it gets down into the 30’s at night and after 3 months on the equator it’s pretty chilly! but also very refreshing! and it’s kind of expected from the mountains…)
3. European influence (the buildings, etc are all very European influenced and it is a very touristy town for skiing, etc)
4. Animals everywhere! (Shimla is full of wild, evil monkeys who throw rocks and pick-pocket innocent bystanders and tourists. No joke, we’ve actually seen it happen! We were told not to make eye contact with them and the only way to get them to go away is to pretend to pick up a rock to throw at them. There are also more stray dogs than anyone can count and they accompany us home all the way up the hill to our hotel every night. Cows are also in abundance as they are very important to the culture, etc and any dumpster is usually complete with a cow eating out of it.)
One thing I did expect in India, however, is to see God move and break our hearts for his people here and that is definitely happening! Our ministry involves house-to-house visits each evening to visit church members and encourage them in their faith and preaching in seminars, youth meetings, and church on Sundays. The Christian population in this area is 0.3% so many face persecution and even ostrcization from their families for becoming a Christian and proclaiming the name of Jesus. It has been such a blessing for us to hear their stories and encourage them in whatever they are going through. Though they are small in number, the faith of Indian believers is very strong and we have been so encouraged to hear what they go through and give up to believe in God. It has shown us how much we take our faith for granted in the U.S. being able to believe and do whatever we choose. They are so hungry for the word here and I have a new appreciation for it and passion to bring it to them like never before.
Our traditional Indian wear!!
The view from our hotel! Breath taking!
A historic church and library in the town square
Trying to stay warm during morning prayer… 🙂
