My team and I have been in India for all of four days, and we are already in love with it. Personally, my heart will always belong to Africa, but even I am absolutely enchanted with this country.
Maybe it's their hospitality. Wherever we go, whether for a house visit or a church service, people are always feeding us! Bananas, cookies, crackers, coffee and tea (best coffee I've ever had, in fact). They have so little, and yet they share what they have with us. This amazes me anew every day.
Maybe it's the food. every single meal they serve us here makes my tastebuds do a happy dance. I have no idea what they're feeding us, and I've never seen this food before in my life, but I would eat it every day for the rest of my existence.
Maybe it's their desperation. Whether Christian, Hindu, or Muslim, everyone will let you pray for them. These people KNOW they need God, and we rejoice to tell them about Jesus, the only true God. They have so much faith, that all it takes is channeling that faith correctly-making sure that they put their faith in Christ alone. This changes entire communities, turning them completely around with the hope of Jesus.
Maybe it's their warmth. Our contacts, Pastor Sam and His wife, Camelah (like Pamela with a C) are some of the most gracious hosts I've ever encountered. They are completely kind and loving towards us, and so patient as we try to navigate this new culture and country! They and their family have cared for us so well- even going so far as to walk down the street to buy me a band-aid(I tried to tell them it wasn't necessary, but they had already gone by the time I found out). They are always asking how we are doing, and praying for us. They feel like family.
Maybe it's the ministry. I'm not usually a fan of “door to door” evangelizing and street preaching, but I am loving it here. We've gotten to pray for the sick, cast out a demon, and bless people of all ages in the name of Jesus. We've acted out two different bible skits, shared one testimony, sang songs about Jesus in three different languages, and prayed for more people than I can count. the girls on my team keep saying, “This is what I've been waiting for!”
Whatever it is about India…it's going to be a GOOD month.
Please continue to pray for our team's health and spiritual protection, as well as for the people we are meeting/ministering to. Pray that God would give us His heart for these people and show us exactly how to reach them with His love and redemption.
If you want to give one last time to this trip(the cutoff date is March 1st!) and ensure that I get to finish the World Race, please click the link on the side of my blog that says “Want to help?” we are SO CLOSE to the finish line! I am so beyond grateful to all of my supporters for stepping out in obedience to God and helping make this possible.
Thank you for sharing the journey with me!
-Anna
