2:40 a.m. – Wakeup to the sound of rats, scurrying around outside my tent. Hoping that they have eaten the poison coated Oreo laid out hour’s prior. Hoping that they are in fact outside my tent.
5:40 a.m. – I wakeup because the sun is beaming through the cracks in my window and doorway. Realize that the power is out again when I try to rollover, as my skin sticks like gorilla glue to the sleeping pad from the pool of sweat.
7:40 a.m. – Phone alarms begin to go off. I am awake, and those with the alarms hit snooze four more times before actually getting up. I don’t need my alarm, clearly.
8:00 a.m. – Breakfast downstairs is served by our pastor host family. Usually always consisting of the same tortilla type shells and a mixture of a mystery sauce and the fattest, strangest tasting bananas I have ever consumed. The team is pretty quiet, as everyone is still groggy and sullen.
8:25 a.m. – Back upstairs to the second floor of the church. Everyone immediately strips again, since pants for men and Punjabis or ankle length dresses for woman are required outside of our room. I put my Michigan State athletic shorts on and settle in for team feedback.
8:30 a.m. – Feedback takes place and I am generally quiet per usual. The team talks about the previous days highs and lows and offers constructive and encouraging feedback. At this point feedback has become the norm of everyday life, as an integral part of the World Race. For the first time in four months, I feel comfortable speaking openly to my team about various topics and am not concerned with the way it will be received.
9:00 a.m. – Everyone goes about their own business. I choose to grab the Internet stick and check Basecamp to see if anything new has been posted by the AIM office staff or our Squad Leaders from the day prior. The airtel Internet stick provides about as much bandwidth and speed as first generation AOL once did.
10:00 a.m. – Myers is watching Parks and Recreation, his wife Candace is reading the Bible, Jamie is star fishing on the floor, Jessica is reading her Kindle and Owen is playing Candy Crush as always.
11:30 a.m. – Mandatory “coffee” is served downstairs, again by the pastors family. On a daily basis, I scald the surface of my tongue as I pound the 2-shots worth of cream-colored lava.
11:40 a.m. – Once again upstairs the team agrees to watch another episode of Boy Meets World together. Already through the complete first season in a single week, Cory and Topanga are basically part of team Night Moves. They dominate our conversations, and serve as the primary team entertainment on a daily basis.
1:00 p.m. – Everyone takes a nap, as the mid-day heat bakes our living quarters and nobody wants to move or doing anything at all. I also nap, since the rats were louder than usual the night before. Unfortunately due to the ongoing strikes, we still do not have power and therefore no fans, lights or anything else.
2:00 p.m. – Lunch is served. The same meal that we have had for the last 13 consecutive days is offered lovingly by our hosts. Although I cannot be sure what it is, I do know that my stomach does not agree with it and I will soon once again find myself outside at the squatty potty.
2:30 p.m. – Outside at the squatty potty. The massive ants fly all over the ground around my feet, as I control my breathing to not gag on the overwhelming odor that fills the space around me. I remind myself to not drop the toilet paper in the hole, as Indian natives don’t use toilet paper at all and this would backup their system entirely. As I stroll back upstairs, every child within range is yelling, “brother! brother! brother!” at me, looking for acknowledgement. I say hello with a smile and slip back inside the door.
3:30 p.m. – Team members are either napping or doing some type of quiet activity by themselves. I have communications with Alex and Brad regarding Nepal debrief, as Logistics work never slows. I am encouraged and offer support to my two fellow leaders during our conversation and get a burst of love and life. I love logistics.
5:00 p.m. – Ministry time has finally arrived. We get dressed in our pants and native Indian clothing and go downstairs to the awaiting mini-taxi. Our ride is essentially a 3-wheeled buggy that appears to have been built and last worked on about 27 years ago. The team piles on, filling every inch and more of the available space. I have my arms in Jamie and Jessica’s back, and Owen’s knees prod again my legs. Pastor tells us to pray, and then we are off.
5:30 p.m. – Following an obnoxious trek through the city and the local village, we are close to where we will be ministering that evening. As the mini-taxi driver beeps his horn continuously, he is forced to steer around the holes in the roadway. Even more exciting than that, is the over 20 black water buffalo that crowd the city street. We try and negotiate through them, inevitably bumping into one or two.
5:45 p.m. – Arrived at our ministry church. The kids come soaring up to us, as the color of our skin is the first they have seen in over a year, and sometimes the first time ever. Myers gets out his shoehorn, and pops all the team members off the mini-taxi. I stand upright feeling like my back is broken and legs asleep, as the village children excitedly ask what my name is. I tell them and they all laugh, repeating it back.
6:00 p.m. – We start walking from house to house, praying for the local residents of the village. Typically believers, we pray for a variety of things including bodily healing, casting out demons, water and oil, childbirth, success in school and spiritual growth. Although I am normally last of the six team members to step forward to pray, I am encouraged by our translating pastor Shaka as he tells me that my prayers are powerful and meaningful to the locals. I have much more confidence in my prayers as God reassures me that the words I speak are not my own but rather his.
The local children stare at me like I am some type of royalty or superstar. This is the case constantly, from the time I wakeup and walk to the squatty in the morning, until we leave the village following ministry at night.
7:00 p.m. – We finish door-to-door prayer, and sit down at the church to wait for the service to begin. The kids and adults alike gather around and watch us seemingly in awe of our every move. This is both is a different experience for all of us, and can be a bit awkward and tiring at times. We teach them a few American songs such as Father Abraham and Jesus Loves the Little Children. I try to have fun with the kids, asking what their names are and telling them mine once again. They shake my hand and run away giggling.
7:30 p.m. – Service begins with us singing a few more American songs. Pastor hands Owen and Jessica microphones, emphasizing that they need to be placed close to their mouths. One of our team’s greatest weaknesses is the inability to perform musically. That tradition continues for me, as Go’el couldn’t sing to save our lives either. I wonder what that says about me? Haha
I share my testimony, and talk about how God gave me a new plan for my life after I thought I had it figured out for years. I encourage the locals to listen for God’s voice and that He will forgive all their sins as long as they repent. Typically, two of us offer our testimony, one person delivers the word of God and combined with our songs lasts a total of an hour and half from start to finish.
9:00 p.m. – Service is complete and everyone in attendance wants us to individually pray for and bless them. I place my right hand on top of their heads, and pray for their spiritual growth and anything specific that they request. Normally, there is a tremendous language barrier, and our amazing translator pastor Shaka helps with this. We finish and move away to wait for dinner.
9:30 p.m. – Dinner is served by the local village pastor and his family and workers. This meal always has me most on edge for a variety of reasons, but largely because we have no idea what we are going to be eating. I get my food and I’m still unsure. I get it down, but it’s a struggle. There are no restrooms for us to utilize, except taking a squat behind a bush. Thankfully I haven’t had to resort to that yet, but have come uncomfortably close on several occasions.
10:30 p.m. – We arrive back to our ministry housing after yet another wild ride through the Indian roads and traffic. I run upstairs to unlock our door and burst in to try and catch any rats that are out and about. We carefully inspect the room for feces and anything unusual before settling in. I go downstairs for my shower, after a solid 24 to 48 hours of solid sweating. Bathing consists of two buckets and me pouring mildewy, moldy water over my head while trying to scrub off the dirt from the day. Hardcore struggle.
11:15 p.m. – The team assembles once more to watch another episode of Boy Meets World before calling it a day. After a few zingers from Cory and Shawn, we are off to sleep. I take time to read my Bible and end my day on a high note, regardless of what had happened before. Pray and thank God for all the blessings of the day and ask him to show me what I can take away from the day.
12:30 a.m. – I am finally cool and worn out enough to fall asleep. I dream wildly from my anti-malaria medication. Rats wake me up… and, repeat.
