india.
the sights. the sounds. the smells.
it's all pretty much what you'd expect.
india.
but being in it… that makes it real.
photo by jess gasperin.
X Squad has been in India for a week now. I've been attached at the hip to teams eucharistia and 14 feet since the moment we landed in Delhi. We spent a night in the city before hopping on a train down to Bangalore where they'll be doing ministry all month. FOURTY-ONE hours later we finally made it, probably leaving more than a little of our sanity on that train. Here they're partnering with YWAM, serving in various ministries like ESL teaching, kid's programs, sharing testimonies/worship, building relationships with the staff and students, feeding programs, drug/rehab programs, and house visits with local pastors in the area. Monday I headed out with the teams to work with Pastor Aaron and visit the homes of some of his church members in what he terms "the slums".
Even in 2 years of seeing poverty and hurting all over the world, it still hits my heart so deeply. Most of the families we were blessed to visit live in homes the size of most American bedrooms or even bathrooms in some cases. We met the sick, the hurting, the dying, the impoverished. We held their hands. We prayed with them. We laughed with them. We cried with them. We smiled at them. And I pray with every fiber of my being that we brought them hope.
And still after 2 years, I'm always blown away by how much visiting His people blesses me. I was honored and humbled to be in that place. In the homes of people who fight every day of their lives and still have so little to cling to. Holding children that are absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Praying healing over a man with HIV and a woman who could barely stop sneezing the whole time we were with her. Who am I that they would welcome me in?
photo by jess gasperin.
The last family we visited that day stole my heart. Granesh is an elder in the church and invited us to his home where he lives with his mother and 2 sisters. Both of his sisters are married to men who refuse to attend church or let them attend church. But the pastor continued to say, "but they love Jesus. so much. more than anything." We encouraged them and prayed with them. Shared some of our own stories and verses the Lord gave us in the moment. I even tried to hold one of their little girls, but to no avail; all she wanted was her mama.
a few seconds of holding the baby. photo by jess gasperin.
While we were there, the pastor shared Granesh's story with us…
A few years ago, Granesh was depressed. He was unable to find any hope or anything to live for, so he tried to take his own life. He ended up in the hospital, in a coma and in critical condition. The doctors were trying to find a way to save his life, but all were going to cost so much more money than the family had. It was in his coma, that Granesh had a vision. A vision of the Bible. A vision of Truth. When he woke from his coma a few days later, he was completely healed and gave his life to the Lord. Since then he has been attending Pastor Aaron's church and serving the body of Christ in any way he can, including welcoming a small group of less-than-worthy American missionaries into his home. The way the pastor ends the story is that "Granesh has had 2 lives."
granesh and the pastor. photo by jess gasperin.
The Lord works in mighty ways to draw those He loves to Him. His love is as strong as death and His jealousy for us as unyielding as the grave. Praise the Lord for Granesh and the testimony he shared with us this week. His second life is just the beginning of something big here in India. An explosion of life, of second lives, is coming. I can feel it in my bones. And it's men like Granesh and Pastor Aaron and the teams here at YWAM that are sparking the fuse.
the group with the family. photo by jess gasperin.
to read another perspective and more about that day, check out emily adkisson's blog.
