I wish I could describe to you all that I have experienced in the past two weeks since I have been in India.
I started off completely overwhelmed by everything, but God has shown up and romanced my heart in so many ways! All that I can describe here cannot even begin to tell you all that has happened!
My team found out that our ministry this month would be church planting in villages in India. We knew this could entail any number of things but we were excited to see how God would work!
Our team left for our ministry location 5 days ago on a very, very bumpy public bus ride. And all the rumors and movies about how crazy the roads in India are are completely accurate! There are no traffic lights, stop signs, speed limits and pretty much no limit to what side of the street you want to drive on. It is ALWAYS an adventure when we hit the streets! We always have drivers so we never have to figure it out on our own.
Finally we got to pastor’s home, where we stayed for the night! It was obviously very awkward at first, but walls came down as we got to know Pastor Edison, his wife and adorable 2 sons that night. One of my favorite moments that night was sitting outside waiting to shower (yes, outside) and talking to some of the teenage girls who help around the Edison house. We were able to see their hearts and how absolutely in love with Jesus they are. One girl, Ramir, when we asked her what she wants to do when she grows ups, she said, “I just want to serve Jesus”. We then asked her what she does for fun and she said she reads the Bible, prays and sings worship songs. She says she doesn’t watch TV because she doesn’t need that in her life. She is only 13 and has more discipline in her walk with Christ than anyone I had ever met. God has His hand all over that beautiful little girl and I know He is going to use her willing heart for all of her days.
The next day we got to just rest and get some team things done. We found out that we were able rent an apartment for the month that has 2 rooms, a living room, kitchen and bathroom all for much less than our budget for lodging. We were so excited and the guys on my team spent the day cleaning it and getting lights and fans put in it! We were not expecting this kind of luxury at all and it has blessed us tremendously!
We girls went to the market to get saris and then mainly were able to rest and talk to the pastor’s family and people in the neighborhood. This was just an amazing time full of soaking up the Indian culture. I fall more in love with these people the more I spend time with them. Their culture is incredibly modest to the point that we have to wear skirts that go all the way to our ankles and have our shoulders covered at all times. Anything less is considered scandalous.
The Indian people also love to serve. Even the children find so much joy in being able to do something for us. They have transformed my idea of what it means to serve. I so begrudgingly serve the ones I love sometimes and they are honored to have the opportunity.
One thing that is very interesting about me being in India has been how most Indians do not smile. When we were at the headquarters of the ministry our whole squad is working for, they even told us it is considered flirting to smile so to keep smiling down to a minimum. Yes, folks, if you have ever met me, you know this is directly opposite of how I live my life. The man said these people are not joyful or jolly people. Oh, and they also don’t really hug. Say whhhaatt?
Something very interesting I have noticed though is that the Indian people who are followers of Christ DO smile and do have joy seeping out of their pores. They are literally the light and joy of their community and I love getting to encourage them in that. It is beautiful to see the contrast that comes when your life is given over to Jesus, who is love, light, and joy and then people who are given over to other gods.
Our first day of actual ministry was Thursday of last week and we rode into a village about an hour and a half away. We arrived at a church in the village with our pastor/translator and met up with the local pastor and his family. The people in this community immediately treated us like kings and queens. They gave us the best they had an gave their all to be able to serve us. There were also tons of absolutely beautiful children that fought over who got to carry our waters for us and who got to hold our hands. We walked around to different houses and prayed with people who need prayers and also shared the Gospel with people who have not been baptized. It was such a beautiful time of prayer and sharing. God is so good.
Then we held a church service full of worship. The Indian people love to sing and worship and they let anyone come up and lead a song if they would like. It’s such a fun time and even though we do not understand what they’re saying, we can feel how God is working and worship along side them. Then our team leader Michael preached the Gospel and many people came to accept Christ! It was beautiful to watch these Indian men and women become our brothers and sisters! Then we ended the night with prayer and lots of pictures.
All of our ministry days have been variations of this set up and each one has been such an amazing opportunity to share the Gospel with people without hope or people who have been oppressed because of the caste system. Watching people turn from thousands of Hindu gods that are so prevalent in India to Jesus Christ just shows His incredible power. Watching Indian children worship with all that they are is the most beautiful sight in the world. The name of Jesus Christ is taking over India and I am so humbled that I get to be a little blip on the spectrum of all that He has in store. I can’t wait to worship Jesus with all of these beautiful people I am meeting and we won’t have any sort of language barrier between us! What a beautiful day that will be!
I can’t tell you how thankful I am for all who have encouraged, prayed and donated (I am almost 2/3rds of the way till I am fully funded! Praise the Lord!!!) for me during this time. This has been such a challenging experience for me already, but God has already shaped my heart in ridiculous ways and shown me more of who He is than I could have ever imagined could happen in such a short time. I can’t imagine all He has in store. I am grateful to each and everyone one of you who have been apart of this journey with me and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for the next 10.5 months. Thank you for being obedient and helping me get to this place that I can experience all of these experiences, see all of these things, and most importantly, share the name of Jesus Christ with the nations. I am forever grateful!
