The month I was most nervous about ended up being the month I enjoyed the most so far.
I had this horror story picture of what India was going to be like. In my head I thought there was going to be so much spiritual warfare-that would constantly weigh on my spirit, I thought my stomach was going to be up in arms against the food, I thought I would never be able to breathe because of the smell, I thought it was going to be unbearably hot and truly I thought I was just going to have to suffer through it all and just beg to get to Nepal.
Oh how wrong I was.
India has by far been one of my favorite months. Everything has exceeded my expectations. The first night after a 10hr bus ride we were dropped off on the side of the road and we all piled into two vans driving down the road to who knows where. I remember thinking “This is sketchy, how trusting we are.” I then thought hmm I have no clue what our living situations could look like, where we could be staying, who these people are, uggggh India.
Meanwhile, after a 15 min van ride we pull up to a beautiful 3 story house. The strange man that picked us up said this is where you will be staying. Little did I know that night that God had an amazing plan for a wonderful month.
Ministry: We did anything and everything this past month. It was a blessing to be able to work with the AIDS Hospital and wash their dishes and help them prepare meals, work with Peggy’s ministry to love and tutor the young boys and girls of the city, use my degree and teach the Tech students in the village proper interview etiquette and techniques, love on the young boys that lived in the orphanage of our house, help Esther and Mamatha in the kitchen to prepare meals for 40ish people, play with my new “akah” (sister) Mercy, and my favorite – go to people’s homes in the villages and worship/pray/and encourage them. Oh what a blessing it was to be able to serve and work with so many wonderful people!
Contacts: Our contacts this month weren’t our “contacts” they were our FAMILY. Oh how they will all have a special place in my heart from now until forever. I will never forget: The “strange man that picked us up” Ravi’s selflessness and care, Prakash’s vision, Esther’s love and laugh, Hepsy’s smile, Mamatha’s peace, grace, and love, Mercy’s giggle and sneakiness, Pastor Daniel’s peace and kindness, Darshan’s silent but bold presence and his jokes, Effron’s laugh, Grandmother’s prayers and persistence…oh how they’ve touched my heart.
Living: We were blessed to be both in the city and village this month; we stayed in two amazing houses. In the city we had a 3-story house that was divided by levels. The first level was the orphanage with 10 most amazing little boys and 2 lovely young girls. The second level was the kitchen where Esther, Darshan, Hepsy and I would have the best laughs, the living room where incredible worship happened, and the boy’s room. The third level was the girl’s floor. We were blessed with a western toilet and bucket showers. In the village we had 3 stories as well. The 1 was the girl’s floor, the 2 was the boys floor, and the 3 was the living room and kitchen. Here we had squatties (which by the way I’ve decided really aren’t bad, everyone should try it once in your life…maybe my house will have one someday J ) and we actually had a little wifi! For laundry this month we had to hand wash our clothes- I’ve decided when I have a family I really hope I don’t have to wash our clothes by hand because my kids will be known as the smelly kids.
Lessons from this month: God is doing a revival in India and is turning His people back to Him and it is incredible! I learned that yes there is spiritual warfare and oppression due to the 350million gods people worship but God is doing a mighty thing here. During worship a couple of nights I truly felt Jesus’ presence and felt like He was telling me things about himself. One night during one of the songs that the India team was singing, I imagined that this was so similar to what Jesus listened to when He was alive. I closed my eyes and he took me to Palm Sunday where I heard the music being played, people laughing, dancing, praising, putting palm leaves down, and Jesus riding in on a donkey. Another night we were listening to a really upbeat Indian worship song and I found myself dancing during worship, and I asked Jesus if he ever danced. I felt him say that he did dance and go to social events, and instantly he took me to the wedding where he turned water into wine. I also saw us walking down the street hand in hand, and I felt like he was telling me that I will never walk perfectly but with him by my side if I look to him I will be able to walk in his perfection. I also have been learning through looking into my heart that I struggle with physical appearance both myself, and others. Also, that I still truly don’t trust God with the relationship aspect of my life. God is teaching me what it looks like to be His bride and to pray big prayers. He’s taught me so much this month and has brought up a lot and for that I am so thankful for this month of growth in Him. Most of all I learned not to have expectations because God will blow them out of the water.
India will forever have a place in my heart and I know that I will always have a family here. I pray God will continue to do big things and that I will be able to come back and visit this wonderful place!
