A big difference between India and America is the hospitality of the people. It blows my mind. The locals have a saying here; “guests are god”, and they really do value guests with the utmost importance. Our team of 7 has eaten in so many homes this month and EVERY time the host continually serves us and never eats till we’re gone (sometimes after 10 or 11 pm!). Even when you say you’re full, they just keep on piling on the food. This has been a great lesson for me in servitude, which I believe stems from humility. I’m trying to grow in humility and it has been such a blessing to see so much humility.
Another difference from home is the variety of religion. Last week we drove past a church that was directly adjacent to a mosque and right across the street from a Hindu temple. Three completely different religions all worshiping their respective god(s) within 100 yards of each other. It’s kind of weird to think that at least 2 out of these 3 religions are a sham yet a Christian, a Muslim, and a Hindu can all walk into their place of worship right next to each other and all be completely convinced that their god is the one true god.
Amongst my more intellectual doubt in god, I’ve felt more of an inner peace recently. In fact I experienced today what I choose to believe was a small miracle. I was standing outside the AIDS orphanage yesterday looking outward towards the town longing to explore it but knowing our host asked us to stay on the grounds. Then that VERY moment the orphanage director shouted out to me to come with him. Having no Idea what he meant I exclaimed YES! And we hoped on a motorcycle and went exploring. I haven’t yet seen any mind blowing miracles but the little (more questionable) “miracles” are starting to add up, and maybe that’s the way God wants it.
So what do I do on a daily basis? Well we just finished 10 days at a hospital. There we prayed over patients and lead a chapel every morning. We left the hospital nearly every day to visit surrounding churches, schools, and boarding schools. We hung out with kids, hung out with locals, and surprisingly stayed extremely busy. Three days ago we left for a nearby AIDS orphanage. All the children (about 25) have HIV and all of their parents have “expired”. We play with the kids and interact with them despite the huge language barrier. Chess, cricket, and pyrotechnics have been some of the more popular games around here.
My main prayer request is that I will have a personal encounter with God. Also pray that I can maintain a mindset of servitude. I’ve caught myself several times in an attitude of self-service, but that’s not why I’m here. I need to forget the perspective that I’m entitled to do what makes me happy, and take on the perspective of receiving joy by serving others.
