It’s “normal” to put your 6 team members, 2 translators, your pastor, and the driver into a rickshaw (auto)
It’s “normal” to see water buffalo walking down the street
It’s “normal” to be told ministry will be an hour auto ride away which really means two hours one way.
It’s “normal” to hear your pastor’s daughter cry every time the auto pulls into the drive because it means daddy is leaving.
It’s “normal” to have your translator buy you ice cream every day
It’s “normal” to arrive to a village after being in an auto for over an hour and be asked to sit in chairs at the church and enjoy a cold beverage usually Maaza.
It’s “normal” to ask everyday how many houses are in the village we are going to today?
It’s “normal” to eat with your right hand and silverware at all meals
It’s “normal” to get a strange look when you hold hands with someone or pray for someone using your left hand (the left hand is unclean in India it’s the hand they wipe with)
It’s “normal” to sleep in tents in your church because the mosquitoes are so bad
It’s “normal” to eat rice and curry every day for every meal.
It’s “normal” to be full and yet the pastor will put more food on your plate and expect you to eat it.
It’s “normal” to not shower the whole week you are in the village until your day of rest back in the city.
It’s “normal” to fall in love with your 14 old translator Agape who is like your team’s little brother.
It’s “normal” not to understand what the head bobble really means
It’s “normal” to sit in chairs in the front of all the people at the church meeting every night, while they all sit on the floor.
It’s “normal” to have your sound system at church meetings and in auto’s as loud as it possible can go.
It’s “normal” to bond super well with your new team the first month you are with them.
It’s “normal” to buy a mosquito bat just to kill all the mosquitoes in the church.
It’s “normal” to have a challenge on your team to see who can hit the most water buffalo with their hand that day.
It’s “normal” to remind everyone at the same time every day to take there malaria meds
It’s “normal” to spend Christmas and New Year’s with your amazing new family God has given you for the year.
It’s “normal” to believe God will heal people, and answer the prayers of the people we are praying for because we have faith.
It’s “normal” to yell Hallelujah and throw your hands in the air when you are healed by God
