I have had the opportunity to spend this month with two amazing teams!
When signing up for The World Race, a big reason why I picked this particular route was because I had a desire to go to India. I had this idea in my mind that India was going to be completely chaotic, which actually attracts me. I thought their was going be slums and poverty everywhere I went and that I’d get to be a part of ministering to the “untouchables” in the caste system. While this is probably very true in certain parts of India, this has not been my experience.
More songs and skits…
We have been around the youth(18-30) much of this month and have been able to build many awesome relationships from just “doing life” with them. Most people I have met speak English and have some sort of education, enabling them to have deeper conversations than what I’ve experienced from other countries. They have given me free lessons on the guitar, allowed me to drive their motorcycle, and let me into their lives. Just like us, they struggle with “what to do with their lives”, “drugs and alcohol”, “relationships”, etc.
The kids take their praying very seriously…
This month, God has been teaching me a lot about the importance of resting. While I do believe that we have already been told to “GO” and “DO”, I’m starting to believe that Christianity is not a sprint, but a marathon. JD, Jared, and I have all been reading a book called “God’s Generals” this month. It’s been interesting to read about some amazing men and women that God used in powerful ways. However, one thing that we all began to notice was how most of the lives, of people written about in this book, had tragic endings. They poured out so much during their life that they ended up crazy, exhausted, and usually dying at a young age.
We’ve seriously done a lot of hanging out this month…hope this is okay supporters!
I am only 25 years old and have a whole life ahead of me. Right now, I have no idea what my life is going to look like and I don’t want to know. I’m not worried about it and I believe that God is teaching me and showing me many things that will be valuable lessons to help me down the road. God is much more interested in my character growth right now so that I will be able to handle the amazing life He has planned for me and is allowing me to live now. I think God reveals things to us, like what we’ve learned through this book, so that we won’t make the same mistakes as others who have gone before us. I just need to try and stay humble to heed the advice of others and glean from their lives.
They call me “uncle”
So although this month has been different than what I expected (yes, I still had expectations…sorry), it has been one of my favorites. This is a place I would seriously consider coming back to. I have loved the people, the ministry, the food, and the culture. Tomorrow I head to Hyderabad, India, for another debrief. These are always busy times for me so please pray that I will find rest in the middle of busyness.
Lots of Love!
Andrew
