I’ve wanted to write something about India for a while but there has been so much going on that it’s been hard to know where to start! We have been working with a host that is in connection with various ministries throughout Bangalore, and so have had the opportunity to work with many causes- from teaching English, to visiting rescued victims of human trafficking, to working at an after school tutoring center, and visiting a homeless shelter and elderly home. But with this all going on, I think that one of my favorite parts of this month has been house visits.
A big focus of the church in India is reaching out to fellow believers by visiting their homes to encourage and pray for them. The Indian culture is very relational and community centered, so they place a huge value on being with each other. The people we meet are so thankful to have us over, especially when they learn that we have come all the way from America just to be with them. When we visit a family we typically sing with them, pray over them, and share words of encouragement. We are more often than not greeted by a warm cup of chai tea, which I can’t complain about at all :).
While the majority of these families are Christians, some are not. Which is cool because we are able to pray for people in Jesus’ name and share about the hope that we have found in Him. We visited a home where the husband had just started to believe in Jesus. As we entered their house, we saw pictures of various Hindu gods adorning the walls all around us. They wanted to become Christians after seeing their daughter delivered from an evil spirit and the wife healed of a back problem. We were also able to travel to a number of houses within a village, which were predominantly Hindu, to pray with the people and share Christ’s love.
One house visit stuck out to me in particular. We visited a little boy name Raju. We walked into his home, which was probably the size of a small bedroom, and saw a little boy sitting on the ground with his leg extended outwards. When we got a little bit closer, we noticed that his knee was swollen up to about 2-3 times its normal size. With the help of our translator, we learned that Raju had Hemophilia, which prevents his blood from clotting normally. He was a Christian, but from the idols and imagery around the house it was apparent that the rest of his family wasn’t. We all started praying over the little boy and just proclaiming healing and God’s love to touch him. We would stop to check in with him from time to time to see how he was feeling and we continued to pray. I remember opening my eyes for a moment to see a crowd of people pouring out of the house. It seemed like the whole village was there. Then the lights went out and they had to light a few candles so we could see. With sweat dripping down our faces we spoke life and worth and identity into that little boy. And then my teammate Candace asked to wash his feet as she began to sing over him. It was a really powerful night. He told us he felt better and we noticed the swelling went down some. But even though we didn’t see his complete healing that night, the Spirit of Jesus was very real and present. I know that we left that boy and his family feeling loved and cared for.
I am encouraged by the believers in India. They may be few and persecuted, but they are truly functioning as the body should by caring for the members and prioritizing relationships. And they truly believe that Jesus is powerful and can do anything.
