Sunday is truly a day of rest here at GEMS. After church we gather with everyone at the small canteen outside the building to eat fried cabbage balls and drink chai (only 3 rupees for 1 small cup, less than $.10!). Children play and families catch up. It’s just one of the surprisingly normal scenes taking place in this abnormal setting of India. The sun is out after lunch and the pastor’s family relaxes outside in it as our laundry dries on the nearby bushes. There’s a breeze but it’s not too chilly. We make a run to the main canteen for chips, cookies & flat soda then chill and journal or read. I’m really going to miss this place when we move on in a couple weeks. Until then, I shall try to soak it all in.
Cabbage balls and chai!!! I could get used to this. 🙂
The playground outside of church Church at the main auditorium
Since last Friday we have been here with our ministry contact in the state of Bihar, India. We are the first World Race team to be working with an organization called GEMS (Gospel Echoing Missionary Society {they love their acronyms here}). I was nervous about who our contact would be this month but they quickly put my fears behind me. The organization & the people here are amazing, so warm and welcoming! Our main contact is an awesome pastor named Rajesh; he and his beautiful family live here on the GEMS campus. GEMS is a rather large ministry that branches out into neighboring states and even Nepal. We are staying here at their base which is a large compound spread out over 22 acres. We sleep in the very large guesthouse/hostel right next to the head pastor’s home where we eat all our meals.
Here’s a short list of what GEMS has located on this campus- small chapel, church that seats a few thousand, hospital, nursing school, sewing trade school ministry, mission/Bible college, multiple boys and girls homes, English schools, regular schools, polio home/hospital, canteen (one of my fav spots), soccer/cricket fields, crop fields, home for missionaries on furlough, multiple residences, offices (including an in-house printing press) and more that I’ve probably forgotten. Their main focus in all their ministries is sending out missionaries, everything- all the grade schools, children’s homes, etc.- come with the purpose of making disciples and sending them out. It’s wonderful how God has blessed this place, they do so much and are continuing to expand and grow as He provides. They don’t do any support raising, they just pray and God provides.
The bondage that is being broken here is amazing. On our first morning here we went to the monthly deliverance service and saw 2 people have demons cast out of them. So many lives are being changed and broken free but there are still so many more that are crying out for hope. We got a taste of that as we worked with one of the GEMS children homes earlier this week. I’ll share more on that in my next post.
Rajesh’s adorable children- Amina, Christina & Asher Me & Asher
Here’s a bunch of randomness to give you an idea of life here at GEMS-
We have chai tea every morning at breakfast and random times throughout the day as well. Looooove it!! We have breakfast at 8am, lunch at 1pm, and dinner at 8pm. So much good food! We have hot water to take bucket showers and even 1 real toilet! The electric flips on and off but is so nice to have, I was prepared for the worst. The pastors’ sweet children play all over the campus all day since school is on holiday because of the cold. The cold. How could I forget the cold. The weather has been warmer since Friday but it doesn’t change the temperature inside since the buildings are all cement and there is no heat. I don’t warm up completely until I’m in my sleeping bag at night. Everything is cement here, even the telephone poles. Cement is a huge industry and if you go anywhere in the country you will be covered with dust from rock crushing in a second. I’m a celebrity here. I give out my autograph and have my picture taken. People run into things while staring at the group of white people. I have only bought a scarf so far but I reeeeeally want a tunic/punjabi/salwar thing. We have internet in the main office building which is a dream come true. I have paint on my hands and dust in my hair. I’ve gotten used to daily near-death experiences while driving.
To sum it up, I’m really liking India and most definitely falling in love with the people and ministry here at GEMS.
