When we were first assigned our ministry for India, we were told we would be involved in village ministry. For some reason, I got this image in my head of what life for the next month would look like. I figured we would be living in a hut in some remote village, with limited showers and very spicy food. I thought, “Well, this is it. The month were God was going to break me for the uncomfortable.” I’m not a huge fan of spicy food and I love to be clean. So, I braced myself for the month ahead.
(An Indian hut, what I thought I would live in)
Upon arrival of our home for the month, my image was quickly shattered. We were living in a church located in a town. We have a squatty potty and a bucket shower area. We have clean water to drink and authentic Indian food to eat for every meal. I’m not going to lie, the first meal we had was so spicy, my entire body was sweating. I looked like I had just finished a workout (and I kind of felt like I had as well), but after a quick discussion about the spiciness of food, our contacts blessed us with less spicier renditions for the remainder of the month. So much for the uncomfortable! We were very blessed to have the living conditions we have had.
(The church, which is the girl’s room) (My “room” for the month)
For our ministry, we depart to a different village everyday to visit people in their homes and pray for them. We also set up a church service after our “rounds”, where we usually sing a few songs. Two people will share a testimony from their lives and then another will share a message from the Word of God. Afterwards, we will have an altar call and pray for people. Finally, we will go to a pastor’s house and have dinner (anywhere between 9 and 10:30pm) and then head home.
(Our contact and his family)
I have absolutely been loving this ministry. Our team is a very prayerful team. Our days are saturated with prayer and it makes my heart full. We have seen the Spirit move powerfully through our team this month and it has blown me away. God has been so faithful to us. He has kept us safe and has blessed us with the opportunity to minister to His people. We have had the opportunity to visit so many different villages. I’m sad to say that tomorrow will be our last village before we head to mini-debrief.
(Our team praying over a pastor and his family)
This month’s ministry has been one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite. After debrief, my squad will fly to Nepal. From the sounds of our assignment, we may be doing the same type of ministry there. I am praying and hoping that we will be. I have enjoyed watching the Spirit move and have been empowered by the Spirit to speak to His people so much that I am hungry for more. Please continue to pray for my team and my squad as we prepare to travel.
May God bless you and keep you,
~Kayla Michelle~
(We celebrated Kari’s 26th b-day the traditional Indian way, by hand feeding her cake!)
