India we came, Indians we become

Having visited India two summers ago, having many Indians immigrating to Australia and having Indian friends, I knew what to expect when I arrived in India. I knew that traffic would be ridiculous and that we would stand out as foreigners. I knew that Indians were very friendly people, and they had grown up with beliefs that were custom to their cultural upbringing. I knew the ladies would wear beautiful saris and we would need to respect them by wearing similar clothing that would cover our shoulders and legs. I knew that our currency was very different and things that seemed cheap to us would be quite expensive for them. I knew that the food would be quite spicy but we could ask for less spicy meals. I knew that Indians were hospitable people, though I came to realise that they were even MORE hospitable than I expected.

Despite this knowledge, I’ve noticed that I have been grumbling, along with my peers. Grumbling about the high temperatures and the need to wear clothing that covered our ankles, shoulders and head. Grumbling that I’ve had to sleep in a room where there were insects crawling around and the electricity would turn off every few hours and the fans would stop working. Grumbling that we’ve had to squeeze so many people into a 4WD and had to endure such long and bumpy rides. Why am I doing this when this is what I signed up for? When I came on this race, I expected to be living a life that was very different to my life back home in Aus. I eagerly waited for these moments where life would be a challenge and the things I grew up to know would be turned upside down. I wanted to experience what it would be like to live in a 3rd world country and not have the privileges that I had back home. I wanted to see how people, who were less fortunate than me could be content and find joy through all things and in turn, learn from them. I wanted to appreciate different cultures and be known as someone who loved all people like Jesus did. I wanted to share the gospel to people who needed to hear it and are never reached. I wanted to practice what Jesus preached and really live out by his example. This month in India is allowing me to do just that.

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, it says, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews, I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became the weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

Even though it’s hard to completely cover my body in this hot temperature, I have come the understand that I needed to do it to show respect to Indian culture and their desire to dress modesty and not be a stumbling block to their fellow men. I needed to accept that I would be doing ministry (e.g. prayer meetings) late in the night because that’s when more people will be able to attend after work. I needed to accept that people would be staring at us because we are different. I needed to accept non-privacy because this is not our home and these fellow young children have not seen half the things we have grown up to know (e.g. frisbees, razors, headlamps etc.). I needed to accept that techno beats would be played with our worship songs because this is how they worshipped God. I needed to accept that prayer was an integral part of their daily routine and we would be expected to pray for people many times throughout the day. I needed to accept that I am on the World Race; that I have chosen to give these 11 months and 11 countries to be a full-time missionary; that one of my countries is India, and I am here to serve Jesus, serve people and share the good news about Jesus so “I might save some.” This is why I am here, so despite all these struggles and challenges I am grumbling about, God has called me here and I need to make the most of my experience and to take every moment for what it’s worth; knowing I will “share in its blessings” when the time comes.