Life in india is chaotic and unexpected, but yet simple and restful at the same time. It’s a beautiful paradox. Many things are always changing, like the villages we are in or the ministry that day. However, one constant in India is tea time.
Tea time.
Our first night here in the beginning of December, we were welcomed with chai ** disclaimer, chai literally means tea here, so we drink “chai”, yes, but really that means black tea with milk and sugar or red tea with sugar…not the “chai” you order at Starbucks **. I expected us to be welcomed into the country with this tradition, but I definitely did not realize the power that chai would hold in my three months here.
Tea time.
6:30 am. every. single. morning. Chai is ready for us in the meal bungalow. In this hour and a half before breakfast, tea time is a space of rest. It’s a space for us to sit in the quiet of the morning in the presence of our Maker. It’s a space the Lord has never failed to meet me. It’s a space that has allowed for intentional intercession. It’s a constant that has helped mold this habit of sitting with the Lord every morning in a deeper way than I have understood. Tea time is a time for real rest with the lord, a time to speak to him and to hear him. It’s time to remind me of why I’m here in the first place, before we go to do whatever He has for us that day. Morning tea time is a constant that has practically helped remind me just how constant & present & relational the Lord is.
Tea time.
The majority of ministry days are ended with or paused in between for tea time. Again, it’s a time of rest. It’s a time to sit and take in the moment…whether that be painting classrooms in joy or running VBS with stress and improvisation. No matter the moments or the days or the surroundings, it’s a moment to breathe and to recognize the beauty in the good and the hard. It’s a break to sit and choose into community.
Tea time.
The connection maker. Tea has been a powerful piece orchestrated into the work and relationships the Lord has made these past three months. In house visits, we were unfailingly offered tea by our hosts. Even though we came to serve them and pray for them, they wanted to serve and offer generosity to us. Many times we were invited into homes for tea, which helped begin a foundation for conversations that ultimately led to connections that made space and visibility for the Holy Spirit to move in those homes and hearts. Tea has often been the invitation to us into homes, but what most don’t realize is that asking us to come in for tea, is asking the Holy Spirit to enter, and when He enters a space, He doesn’t leave it unchanged.
Tea time.
A beautiful constant in these past three months. A beautiful space for rest and praise and the Holy Spirit. A beautiful piece of the story that God is writing here in India.
