Vandanalu – Praise the Lord, Acca – Big Sister, Paru – Name, Stotram – Praise
Above is an exhaustive list of the words I know in Telugu, the local language in Andhra Pradesh. I don’t even remotely understand the language and that challenge, made everything a challenge.
I also seem to have mistakenly assumed that when I came on the race, intimacy with God would just come naturally. I guess I just thought it would be undeniable and my relationship with Christ would naturally grow.
Well I am the same person in India and God is the same God in India.
So even though ministry has suddenly become my full-time focus, intimacy with the Father doesn’t automatically come bundled in some sort of all-inclusive, pre-packaged deal.
This came as a bit of shock and taking away English didn’t make anything easier.
We went to Church every single night and it, like everything else, was in Telugu. Though we caught on after a week or so, for a while we had no idea what was happening, what they were saying and how we could possibly fit-in to any of it.
Indian Christians worship with an incredible intensity – with nothing but a few drums, a tambourine and maybe maracas. People take turns leading loud, passionate worship from notebooks with lyrics scribbled on the pages. They never stop clapping, yelling, singing and declaring God’s praises -Hallelujah – praise be to Yahweh!
For a while I felt like I was missing out, because I didn’t understand the words and I didn’t know the songs. I just watched night after night as the crowds connected with God and I didn’t.
I realized one evening that God was in the room regardless of whether I could understand the words and He is here for me just as much as those with the native tongue.
God uses more vessels to communicate than just gifted speakers and beautiful music.
Our God has no limits and He isn’t confined by any language or any word invented my man. So with the easy part lacking, God started teaching me a new language, not English or Telugu, but His unique message of love for me.
I heard God’s love in the laughter of the children in the villages. Watching them chase after our car and yell acca hoping to simply hold our hands. I have seen Him in the tears of His people weeping to Him in worship. And in the eyes of preachers passionately speaking about His glory. I didn’t understand the sentences but the messages were loud and clear.
I saw Him in the thousands of butterflies glittering the shore of the beach on our off day. And felt Him in my joy as the cold water rushed over my head washing away weeks of sweat and sunburn.
I began to hear God’s voice louder as I prayed for people that I couldn’t communicate with. They would approach me eager for prayer and simply bow their heads. I wouldn’t know at all what they needed unless they could manage to point to a body part that hurt. Sometimes people would manage to say studies or blessings. I would pray for them faithfully regardless, but after a couple weeks I started to feel whispers of little details about each person. I felt lead to pray leadership over some people, or cast out a spirit of insecurity or pray that they wouldn’t feel loneliness.
One week God put on my heart a sermon about believing His truth and letting go of the enemy’s lies over us. I thought I would have several days to think about it until there was no one to speak that night and it became clear I needed to step up. I opened up the word and had no idea what direction I would go in to explain the message. God showed up and lead me to versus and personal memories and the whole thing just came together in a message that convicted the crowd, my team and myself!
After I was done, one of my teammates was crying and another looked at me holding a microphone and asked me if I wanted to drop it.
Preaching became an outlet to work through what I needed to grow in – a way to be honest about what He was teaching me and convicting me of, and I have grown to love it. I might go as far as to say that I actually love public speaking now and I am so interested to see what will come of that.
They challenged us at training camp to approach the World Race and God with expectations but no agenda. To expect Him to show up but not to put regulations on what that should look like.
That was really what this month in India looked like for me. God revealed Himself to me and drew things out of me in ways I wasn’t expecting.
My prayer all month has been an increased sensitivity to His presence. He used the language difference to begin doing that work in me – to challenge me to seek His face in unique places.
What seemed like a barrier to God has actually drawn me in closer and I am very eager for more!
Are there barriers in your life that are actually opportunities and avenues to the Lord; how could a new perspective strengthen your relationship with the Father?
