So the past couple of months have been full of wonderful experiences, as well as many challenges, and I realized that I haven’t been sharing as much as I could! Now I’m not going to lie, blogging is not my favorite, but I realized that SO many of you have supported this trip, through money or prayer or encouraging words, and if I don’t blog, then you don’t get to see how your support is moving throughout the nations, making a difference in the lives of many (especially mine!). I’ve thought a lot lately about how I wish I could have a chip in my eye that live-streamed video back home for you guys. But alas, we aren’t that far into the future yet, so blogs it will have to be.
So in case you didn’t catch my last blog, we are in India!
There are many countries I am excited about or have expectations about, but I’ll be honest in saying that before getting to India, I was pretty unsure about it. I have friends that have been and loved it (Lindsey Jagoe), but I had also heard all these stories about it being dirty and smelly. For ministry, we had been told about the beggars and the orphans and how it is estimated that only 2.4% of the population is Christian. So to sum it up, I just wasn’t really sure how to feel about India prior to arriving.
But here I am, and within the first week, I had decided that indeed, I love India! And the crazy thing is, I can’t really figure out why. I mean it is about as different as it can be from America. If you want to take out the trash, you throw it out of your window. The sewers are open, aka the sewage runs in the ditches, aka it smells really bad sometimes. The toilets are squatties, and everyone looks at us like we’re crazy when we carry toilet paper into them. You are only supposed to use your right hand when interacting with others because the left hand is considered dirty (refer back to my previous sentence and let your imagination work if you’re wondering why that is so). Women can’t go anywhere by themselves (or show any part of their legs – it’s been a tough one in this heat to say goodbye to my shorts!). The driving is CRAZY and the roadways mainly just consist of auto rickshaws and motor bikes. If you want to cross the street, we were told to just step out and walk boldly and with purpose, but you’re basically just playing a game of frogger and hoping you don’t get squashed. People honk about every 5 seconds when driving. There really are cows EVERYWHERE in the streets – I still haven’t figured out if they actually belong to anyone or if they just roam around for fun. There are tons of street vendors that make food right there and sell it to you. Oh, and if you’re wanting to eat, you’re going to need to sit cross-legged on the ground and use your right hand (and your right hand only) as your utensil, even when your fingernails are the grossest you’ve ever seen them. And let me tell you, it is quite the challenge to figure out the perfect technique for shoveling rice and curry into your mouth. Shoes get taken off outside at doors. Most times we are out in public, people just stop and stare at us, which quickly became a fun joke of starting our own reality show “Watch the Americans” – I’m telling you it would be a big hit. And there are colorful temples and statues and idols of gods on every street, set up for people to come and worship or give offerings to them. It is still beyond what I can really comprehend sometimes.
One of our contacts recently stated that if he were asked to describe India in one word, he would say “raw.” He went on to explain that herein India, what you see is what you get. The sewage and the trash in the streets and the dirt and the gods throughout the streets and people stopping to stare if that is what they want to do – no one is trying to save face. Everyone is going about life exactly how they see fit. And even when that leads to not so great circumstances, there is still so much beauty in it, because there are no masks. Or at least, not near as many masks as we in America tend to wear. People are who they are and they’re at where they’re at. Now I’m not suggesting all you back in America start throwing your trash where you please and using the restroom in the streets, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to start throwing down some masks and just being who you were created to be. God created you uniquely, you know. Anyone can attempt to copy the trend of who our culture tells us we are supposed to be these days, but if you don’t start being you, then no one else is going to be able to come along and fill your shoes, because only you can be you. But that’s another tangent for another day.
Basically, I just wanted to point out that amidst all the reasons why I shouldn’t love India, there are many reasons that I can file under the pro-India column. One is the lack of masks. Also, the food has been delicious! Spicy, yes – at times my nose has started running during a meal, or I’ve just stopped eating in panic because my mouth is on fire and I’m not sure what to do about it. But still, it has been wonderful. Although the weather is very hot and sticky, there is a lot of lush green landscape and quite a few palm trees. The bright colors of the culture have become kind of fun. The saris that the women wear are gorgeous, as are their jewelry and hair and most of all their smiles. And then there are the kids. Oh, they just grabbed my heart from the beginning.
But there must be something else that is conjuring up this love in me. Maybe it is the desperation for a Savior. The need the people feel to be worth something to someone. Maybe it is the joy I see in the eyes of those who believe in Jesus. The hope that God is on the move to capture and redeem hearts in this nation. It’s a contagious hope.
Or maybe God just placed this love inside my heart for a reason I'll never understand. Because God is love. And when I walk in His light, He places love inside of me that I never knew was possible. That's just the God I serve. Beautiful, isn't it?
This month, we are in Ongole, India partnering with India Christian Ministries (ICM), a huge organization that is doing big things in the name of Jesus here in India. If you would like to check out all that they are doing and their wonderful vision, go to www.indiachristianministries.org.
