Who knew that the world was so small, the Kingdom so huge, and God's love so easily found?
Last night is going in my list of “favorite days” spent on the Race. Or perhaps “favorite evenings” is more accurate. Either way, I never would have guessed that the night I had would ever have happened. I wouldn’t have gotten it correct if you gave me a million guesses.
Team Rooted is incredibly blessed; the Lord has rained down gifts and love on us while we’ve been in India. Kaitlyn once jokingly bet him that he couldn’t out-do himself. Apparently, he not only has taken her up on the challenge, but he’s having a good time doing so.
We were invited over to our neighbor’s house for dinner last night. An American couple, they’re the only Americans / white people I have seen in this city with the exception of us Racers. It’s fun to have such instant familiarity with people simply because they know what In n’ Out is, or understand the nuances of a Disney cartoon. After our day of ministry, we walked the few yards to their house and were welcomed inside.
I could not believe my eyes. It seemed so much like home that I forgot I was in India, forgot I was on the Race. It was like going to a friend’s house. We sat on their couch and talked about where we’re from and what we’re doing here. They have kids, and a dog named Sweetie. They’ve been in Bangalore for several years now, but their home smelled like American Christmas.
It wasn’t simply dinner that we were given – we joined in their Christmas dinner. Complete with mashed potatoes, ham, applesauce, cranberry sauce and sparking cider, it was sublime. We talked for a long time about life in India, ministry, and what the Lord has been teaching us. They shared with us about the good things and the hard things of living life here and walking with the Lord. But man, what joy! It was so encouraging to hear about what God is doing here in this country. It was encouraging to hear an their story.
It felt like being at home.
It was the easiest thing in the world to have dinner with this couple and spend time with them. It was the easiest thing in the world to crack jokes or talk about ministry. I loved it. To be honest, it’s one of my favorite parts of knowing the Lord. It gives me the biggest family ever. Walking into their home and being a part of their lives for an evening was a huge blessing. It was in no way awkward or uncomfortable. The love that they showed us was straight from heaven.
They even gave us chocolate chip cookies for dessert, straight from the oven. With milk that was cold and tasted like milk. Just in case we couldn’t wait, Dad brought out a bowl of cookie dough. How is this my life?!
After dinner, talking, and eating more cookies than I thought possible we all crammed on their couch and watched Megamind. Their couch is like the one I have at home – ridiculously comfy. Watching a hysterical cartoon in their family room was blissful. We were at their house for almost five hours before we walked across the street to our flat and crawled into bed.
[Kyle sprawled on the couch]
I praise the Lord today for the beauty of family. For cookies, ice cubes, couches, Christmas decorations, sparkling cider, cutlery, laughter, honesty, sunsets, and movies. We played the thankful game for awhile and that’s just the beginning of the list. You are good, Father. Thanks for bringing a part of home to India.
