As I lay in bed I can hear the first sounds of day here in India. Rooster’s crowing in the distance, followed by the barks of dogs, and then the sound of a church bell penetrates the air. All the while the first rays of sunlight peek over the horizon onto the beautiful green hills, chasing the darkness away. This is India, and I am in love.
We arrived in Manipur, India on Tuesday to find hot chai and cookies waiting for us in the beautiful tent our host set up just for our squad. What a warm welcome after almost two whole days of being in airports and on long flights.
We flew from Atlanta to Chicago, then twelve hours to Qatar. From Qatar to Kalkuta, then one last short flight to Imphal the capital of Manipur. There was lots of waiting in lines and dragging of bags around the airport, but by the grace of God all 60 of my squad mates made it safe and sound.
At the tiny airport of Imphal our host John was there to greet us and help us through customs. We hoped on two large buses to take the hour and half drive to Siemlat where he and his family live, as well as where the base for their ministry is located.
As we are standing around drinking our tea and meeting our hosts, one of my squad mates calls me over to introduce me to John’s dad Ro. I then find out that their family has a home in Colorado Springs where their main office is located. What a small world!
Our ministry this month is for Bibles Around the World. They have a ginormous outreach in many places, but specifically here in the hills of Manipur where it all began. Each day we work in a different ministry. They have a seminary, hospital, school, as well as partnerships with other local ministries.
The experience so far has been nothing short of amazing. Each day I feel the joy growing in my heart. It is nothing what I expected India to be. We are very close to the border of Burma so the culture here is very different then normal Indian culture, but oh has it been such a good surprise.
Please be praying though for my team as we adjust to living in community. Pray for intentionality in everything that we do together and as individuals. This is not going to be an easy journey, but it is sure going to be life changing in so many good ways.
We have very limited internet, but be on the lookout for another blog sometime next week.
