I have been in India for exactly 26 days! CRAZY!! As we take off tonight & travel to Nepal, I wanted to do some reflection on the things that the Lord has been teaching me. Here are 26 things I’ve learned over the past 26 days:
1. 10/10 would recommend bringing peanut butter from the U.S. into foreign countries. The PB just isn’t the same in other places.
2. You really can’t ever have too many snacks.
3. Time spent getting to know someone on a deeper level is never time wasted.
4. Sometimes your expectations will not be met & it actually ends up being a good thing.
5. I think that God cares more about your process than about your destination.
6. Living in hecka-close quarters, in India, eating weird (mostly yummy) food, & talking way too much about unusual bodily functions with 5 other girls will bond you like nothing else will. **For Example: ”IF I DON’T FIND TOILET PAPER IN 30 SECONDS I’M GOING TO EXPLODE OUT BY BUTT HOLE”**
7. Sharing clothes on the World Race is a must. Instead of only having 5 outfits you end up having like 34.
8. Maybe the best way to figure out what you’re made of is being kicked out of the car by your Uber driver on the side of an Indian highway while searching for the bus stop. And it’s raining.And the power goes out. And there are only men around as far as the eye can see.
9. You are worth being seen & known just as you are. The mere fact that you were created gives you immense value.
10. God is faithful to take care of the people that you are leaving behind. He’s got a great thing in store for them too.
11. Every single one of God’s promises, yes all of them, are a yes & amen. And to make things better they are all for YOU!
12. It’s actually okay not to know what’s going on all the time. Some of the best adventures are birthed out of just going with the flow. I.E. floating in a rice bowl in a random river off the side of the road.
13. The smallest gifts can be the most meaningful.
14. All the people that you see around you have an eternal destination & life is too short not to tell them about the Truth: Jesus.
15. God can do a lot with a willing heart.
16. Driving in India is absolutely insane. I think my life has flashed before my eyes multiple times in this past month.
17. “Chai-Tea” is actually “tea-tea” so really you should just say Chai.
18. There actually is a ‘right’ way to do everything. A right way to cook pancakes, a right way to serve said pancakes, a right way to spread water on the floor of the bathroom to “clean”, a right way to use a pottery barn decoration as a broom, a right way peel cloves of garlic, a right way to eat with your hands, etc etc.
19. Cooking Indian meals is an all-day-affair.
20. Monkeys aren’t really that cute in person. This one was actually super disappointing.
21. Comparing yourself to anyone else will always leave you feeling prideful or ashamed—never satisfied.
22. The Indian-head-bobble looks equally like a yes and a no. So basically you are more confused after asking the question than before.
23. You can spell sari two ways: sari or saree. Either way, dressing up like Indian princesses is way fun.
24. Breakfast, lunch & dinner all pretty much consist of the same things: rice & curry.
25. Indian people are SUPER blunt. Any acne on your face is seen as a vicious mosquito bite.
26. God loves India a whole lot. He created it beautifully & desires with his whole heart for these people to know him. He’s at work in big ways over here, and I can’t wait to see the work He continues to do!
So there it is. 26 days worth of lessons I will remember for a lifetime. Cheers to the next 10 months and the countless things the Lord will teach me throughout.
