During our last week in India, our parents had the opportunity to spend five days with us and be on the World Race. My dad came to visit me there and we got to spend time together in ministry, prayer, and worship. He loved how culturally different India is from the US; so when I asked him to write a blog on his experience, he didn’t hesitate! Below is dad’s take on his experience in India:
My daughter Kim is part of the S Squad on the World Race (July 2013 launch). The racers were allowed to invite their parents to come to Hyderabad, India to serve side by side with their “children” the last week of February 2014. After arriving in Hyderabad we were split into 4 teams to serve in 4 different ministry locations during our stay. I could spend a lot of this blog relating exactly what we did but instead I want to focus on the Indian culture that I experienced while I was there.
At one point during our stay we were walking through a park inviting young students to a worship service and a prayer time for their exams (their final exams at school were going to start the following week). I was amazed at how congenial they were and willing to talk with us and accept our invitation. If we had tried to do that in the USA people would typically tell us to get lost. Also, while we were visiting the slums the folks living there were very inviting and willing to give us the best of what they had. These experiences showed us that the Indian people are very welcoming and hospitable.
One thing that took some time to get used to was the “Indian head bobble”. In most of the world a nodding up and down of the head means “yes” and shaking the head side to side is a “no”. In India, moving the head in a figure 8 pattern, which looks like a bobble head doll, means “yes”. It was funny at first but the more I experienced the “Indian head bobble” the more I liked it!
Another thing that was hard to get used to was how often drivers blew their horn in traffic. In the USA we blow our horns when we see someone about to do something that will cause an accident, usually with us. In India, they blow their horns as they approach on the left or the right of another driver. Basically they are saying “approaching on your right” or “approaching on your left”. After I got used to it I felt like it was more sensible than what we do in the USA because usually when we blow our horn it can be too late! I was also amazed at how few accidents I saw with the magnitude and chaotic nature of the traffic that I experienced around town.
One last thing that we experienced, which is not unique to India, is as we offered prayer in the name of Jesus to people that lived in the slums, some of them responded that they would believe in Jesus if He helped them. Sadly, this is the same response that Americans often have to the Gospel. And if we are honest with ourselves, we too often have that same response in our hearts. It is when we can look beyond this life and how Jesus helped us in the best possible way over 2,000 years ago that we can truly understand what the Gospel is all about, fall in love with Jesus and want to serve him in any way possible.
