I’m sorry I haven’t written about my time in India before now. It was an intense month for me, to say the least. (And finding good internet has had it’s challenges too) When I sit down to write about it, it’s a little overwhelming. So this post might be a little crazy and random, but then again, so is India!
Right before we left Romania, our squad had team changes. My new team is listed on the left side of my blog and they are all great! I’m not a team leader this time, but Darren is a great leader and we are all happy to be following him for these next few months. I’m also on a co-ed team, so dynamics are a little different, but interesting and fun as well. Pray for us!
(Team Life Surrendered – Photo cred: Rebecca Neff – I didn’t get the memo that we were done with serious pics)
We arrived in India and were met with loud noises, strange smells, spicy foods, and a strict female dress code…but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Before coming to India, I thought it would be terrible. I was expecting to be walking in feces all day, nauseated by the smells and spending most of my time squatting over a toilet and praying to God that the demons I ate would leave quickly.
Thankfully, this wasn’t my experience. I met lovely people whose joy for the Lord exploded off their faces and melted my heart. I had the opportunity to worship with a different church every day and see the Holy Spirit transcend language, instruments, worship style and even electrical blackouts. I had multiple chances to preach the gospel to people who have never heard about God’s great love for us. I also had the chance to pray for more people than I can count; asking God to heal, restore, provide, and simply show Himself powerful in their lives.
I also turned 30 in India. Some teammates and I went to a larger city not far from where we were staying and ate American food and drank the best Starbucks of my life. (Maybe I’ve just missed that place a little too much!)
(30th Birthday at the fanciest Starbucks ever!)
India was also a time where God and I had the chance to hash some things out and grow closer. During the middle to end of the month, the spiritual warfare became very intense. I didn’t want to go to another village, pray for another person, or even care about the people there. I knew satan was just trying to keep me distracted and not present…I mean why would he wants Christians to operate in the authority given to them to be powerful when he has such a tight grip on the people in those villages?
It became very frustrating for me because this is why I came on the race. I came to preach the gospel, pray for the sick, help the local church, encourage fellow believers, and live my life to glorify God. Why did I now not care about any of it? I felt defeated. One day while I was praying for God to help me out of this paralyzing funk, He reminded me that I was more than a conqueror. Funny, I didn’t feel like a conqueror of anything. Then He reminded me that I was fighting in a war and I needed all of my armor. I quickly turned to Ephesians 6 and read that passage and it was like suddenly there was light, where before there existed only the deepest darkness. Sure, I’ve read that passage a hundred times, I even made the soldier craft in Sunday School as a child, but now it seemed so much more real. I really do need a shield to quench the fiery darts of the enemy, I need a sword…I need offensive and defensive weapons. I finally saw the war in action and I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I would be. So I experienced the amazing way God shows up when we hit a snag, or in my case, a mountain.
The rest of the month was once again amazing and I left India being able to see all the amazing ways God is showing up there. It’s amazing how God just keeps teaching me things. Living each day like we do, just makes the Word of God so much more powerful than I ever experienced before. It’s amazing. No matter what happens, God is good and I’m so thankful to be where He’s called me.
Love you all!
(A little video Connie shot of my favorite Indian worship song – just a taste of what worship is like in India!)
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My final deadline is quickly approaching and I need the remainder of the money in by the end of the year in order to stay on the field. Please consider helping me stay for the last half of this crazy trip. Bonus: You can write off your donations on this year’s taxes!
