Our final destination is in the northern city of Allahabad, India. The plan was to travel by train and bus, stopping in a couple of cities along the way as we headed up north so that we could cover the land in prayer. To be honest, I was not very excited to spend a week constantly on the road, stopping and going in the midst of heat and crowds. However, God showed up in the most unexpected ways. He provided me with renewed energy after every conversation that I had, reminding me that my strength comes from Christ alone.
On our 10 hour train ride to Nagpur, my teammates and I were not able to get seats in the same section, so I ended up in seat 31. I met a young man from Kanpur who was on his way home for his brother’s engagement party. He was very friendly and we chatted about various things ranging from hobbies to places worth seeing in India. As our conversation turned into more spiritual topics and how he is culturally Hindu, I had the opportunity to share my testimony and the gospel with him as he listened intently. I told him that I quit my job and left all that I was familiar with to share this good news of Jesus, and I showed him my Bible and some of my favorite verses. He looked at me and said, “I have heard about Christians, but I didn’t know that they could be this devoted and religious,” to which I replied, “It’s not about religiosity. It’s about a relationship with Christ.” This was a new concept for him, but he did mention that the one time he visited a church, he felt a sense of peace. I told him that the peace he felt comes from our Heavenly Father. He will be visiting Tennessee on business in the fall, so please pray that he will continue these conversations with more Christians.
After arriving in Nagpur, we spent one of the days going off in pairs to explore the city. Nora and I left the hostel early in the morning with no set plans. We visited the local botanical garden and found some respite from the morning heat (100 degrees!). As we chatted on the bench, a middle-aged man waved at me so that I could help him set a bowl of water by a tree for the critters. He started talking about how we must contribute our fair share in society so that our good deeds can earn us blessings from the gods. We shared about how there is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation, and how Christ paid for all of our sins when he died and rose again. I showed him Romans 3:23-25, and he pondered over the meaning for a bit. He ended up inviting us to his house for dinner in order to leave us with a memorable experience of Indian hospitality. We went that night and I felt like God just wanted us to love this Indian couple and their daughter well with no other agenda. We didn’t discuss about anything spiritual for the rest of the night, but just spent time talking with them, playing with their rambunctious 6-year-old, and enjoying a delicious homecooked meal. They dropped us off as a family at our hostel, and I prayed that they were able to see a glimpse of God’s love through our time together.
We traveled on from Nagpur to Agra, where my team and I were lucky enough to visit the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. We visited our friends that were staying in a nearby hostel one night and a couple of us spent a few minutes praying for each other in the common area. When we were finished, a young man from England asked us what we were doing. We told him that we were praying to God, and he said that he unfortunately grew up in the church as well. I could tell that there were hurts from the past that led to his disdain for religion, and I shared about how God is not all about the rules and righteous deeds, but that He is a relational God. We chatted some more and discovered that he will also be in Nepal next week, just like us. Please pray for us to be able to meet up again in Kathmandu in a couple of weeks so that I can connect him to some of the guys on our team. I could sense that the way we talked about our relationship with Jesus sparked something inside of him, and my prayer is that his heart will be softened and he will one day return to the Father’s open arms.
There are so many more stories from our short time here. The common thread in all of these stories is that God shows up in unexpected ways in the most unexpected places. All we need to do is pay attention, for no conversation is too small. Despite my disobedient heart initially, God still planned my every step and displayed His grace. I just had to share my story and leave the rest up to Him. Galatians 6:8-9 says “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” I may not be able to reap the fruits here on earth, but I rejoice in knowing that seeds have been planted.
New Friends
My Indian Family
Taj Mahal
