CHI BAI IDAMMAW (Hmar for “Hello, how are you?”)
Expectations typically are never what we make them out to be. I did not think I would be surrounded by a whole community of other believers. A community of believers that was pursed by a 22 year old English Missionary over 100 years ago, and a passion by a now deceased world changer Dr.Rochunga Pudiate (Check out the movie “Beyond The Next Mountain” on amazon to learn about this mans’ journey.) The people of this village and the missional staff of Bibles For The World rocked me, and my relationship with the lord. I am blown away by one man’s pursuit of the lords’ heart, that has resulted in the love of The Hmar Tribe.
The Hmar people taught me what it really means to love others, and the beginnings of seeing people how The Lord sees people. A majority of the people in this area are highly educated; some speaking 14 different languages (They truly put my one German phrase to shame “Das Ist Gut”.) The students and community rely on the support of sponsors to support their education costing about $30.00 a month. Having conversations with locals and graduates from Trinity Christian Seminary, I have learned that on Average the people of this community make about $550 USD in one year. With this information I am astonished and blessed to have been taken care of so well- Our Kitchen crew graciously made us three delicious meals and provided Chai Tea and Cookies every day for our squad of 55. Our ministry this month consisted of construction, healing prayer in medical camps, having English conversations at TCS (Trinity Christian Seminary), teaching students about western norms and personalities while speaking English, and performing “special numbers” for a Christian Conferences. The lord blew my exceptions of India out of the water.
God taught me quite a bit this month. Being still and diligent in prayer with the lord has been one of my biggest challenges. I tend to get distracted easily, and start thinking of five million things at once, I am sure a few of ya’ll could relate to this. Hearing from the lord and wanting to know the lord more as a father has been a continually area of growth. I want to step into the embrace of an unconditional love from Father God. I have learned my prayer life has a long way to go. It is difficult to turn my eyes to the Lord before turning to a friend to “vent” or talk about my day. The lord will not be able to communicate with us if we do not have consistency in prayer. Hearing from the lord will start to become more familiar, seeing where the lord provides through prayers has provide much more faith in my walk. I want to be so consistent with prayer that I can go to bed at night knowing that I consulted with God about my worth.
After a conversation with a friend I started to compare walking with Jesus like playing super Mario cart on N64 (#flashbackfriday.) Level one you start to get a hang of the game, becoming more comfortable as you go along to the next level. We start using the tools from level one to proceed to level two and so on… As you gain comfortability in each level there are a few more obstacles but with the following levels we have cultivated the ability at that level. Gaining confidence and faith that we can complete the next level. What this looks like for me is to pray through each level of life relying on the lord to provide what I need for the next level of life. I have been gaining confidence with this “level” of my life.
The level in life has lead me to where I am presently. I never thought that I would be in India walking along side some of the most BA individuals. Truth be told being around 60 other people 24/7 the last month has been an overwhelming. It’s tough to be intentional and make time for the lord and myself a priority when there are so many others within the same vicinity. The community of Sielmat we became a part of welcomed us with open arms and Chai
11 things I learned while in Indi
- When life gets tough, just take the next small step
- Forgiveness= freedom
- Bring the tough stuff to light
- Don’t take life too seriously
- Be eccentric
- Love deeply- at the end of the day loving well is all that really matters
- No one else can make you happy, except yourself
- Learning is THE most important part of Kingdom Journey
- Make peace with past wounds, so it won’t affect your present
- The best is yet to come
- God loves us for who we are. Not because of anything you did or did not do.
I made it to Nepal safely- It has been a whirlwind of 40 hours of travel. Expired visas by 30 mins in India. But we safely made it to Nepal in one piece. I am certain the lord has something great in store for our team as we step into month two. We are debriefing month one and will be starting ministry with New Jerusalem 30 mins outside of Katmandu.
I am still fundraising I am about $264 from my Nov 30th goal. In order to be fully funded I must raise $4225. If you feel led to support Global Missions let me know. I would love to share with you about how the lord is working in my life. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to be here, and am blessed by all my supporters.
XO, B
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