Three days and four flights later, we got off the plane in Silchar, India. The heat and humidity hit us like a wall and it was only 7 am. Country number 4, I thought, here we go. I really had no idea what to expect, as we were placed in a ministry located in Manipur, the eastern region of India between Bangladesh and Myanmar. This isn’t really “India.” Where are the big cities? Where is the chaos and commotion? These people look more Asian than Indian. (How dumb is that thought?) I don’t want to say I was disappointed, but I was definitely thrown a little off my rocker.
We boarded the bus and we were off to the location of our orientation in Hmarkawlien. It was about a two hour ride on bumpy, dirt roads. It didn’t take more than 30 minutes for one of my teammates to throw up out the window. Though the people around me seemed focused on carsickness, the humidity, and copious amounts of sweat, I could not have felt more alive. This was Asia, and it was beautiful. There were trees and grasses I had never seen before, all lush and green. Little hands worked away in the rice patties under the canopy of round straw hats. We passed houses made out of bamboo, temples to foreign gods, and women decorated in the most colorful of saris.
There was an excitement in my spirit. What kind of mystery would India unfold? What is in store here for U Squad? What does God have here for me? I was about to find out.
Sweat. Sweat. More sweat. I never knew I could sweat through a shirt sitting still until I got to Asia. After three days of orientation in Hmarkawlien, the most humid place I’ve ever experienced, we were given our team assignments. Some teams were headed to schools in towns, some were staying in Hmarkawlien, some were putting on medical camps, but team LOL wasn’t mentioned. Then John Pudiate, president of Bibles for the World and son of the founder of Partnership Mission Schools, told us the next team was the lucky team. Team LOL was headed up into the mountains, to the village of Lungthulien, the first place where the gospel was brought to the Hmar people of India. He said we were going by boat, and that it would be quite the adventure.
We boarded the bamboo river boat at 5:00am, and off we went. The boat’s top speed is about 10mph, and we were able to sit on the roof and enjoy the view. We passed women washing clothes on the banks and men in small boats fishing for their trade. Here I was in India, on a small river boat, nestled between tall, forest-covered mountains. I looked around and thought, is this my life?
Who would have thought that Kristen Wise, a small town girl from Minnesota, would be riding on a river boat in eastern India to share the love of Jesus with villagers up in the mountains? You know the funny thing? God did. God knew that on October 19, 2015 I would be on that boat. He knew it before he created the universe. He knows exactly the plan is for your life. He created it. How humbling is that? Extremely.
We arrived at the port around 5pm, took a 2km walk in the rain (leeches included) to the truck to traverse roads you would have never believed were navigable. Somehow the four wheel drive made it through with many gasps and “oh my goshes” from all of us inexperienced riders. When we pulled into Lungthulien all the kids who lived in the hostels at the school were outside to greet us and cheered as we drove by. We felt so welcomed and loved as we pulled into and a giant sign welcoming us to Lungthulien was posted on our guest house. We couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome.
We kicked off our ministry a couple of days later working in the Lungthulien primary schools. They threw us up in front of the class and said okay teach something. Zero notice, zero preparation. We told them bible stories, taught them memory verses, songs, and a little bit of English. The next couple of days we ministered in the high school. We taught them how to write letters in English to their sponsors, as many of the kids who attend Partnership Ministry Schools have sponsors from the United States.
We also visited schools in the neighboring Hmar villages of Senvon, the first village to receive the message of the gospel, and Parbung. We taught in the schools, put on mass entertainment for the kids, as well as big dance parties to Hillsong Young and Free music. What a blast. The Lord has surely taught me so much about what it means to love on children and just be a kid right along with them.
One thing I will say, there is quite a difference between Africa and Asia. The culture is so different. In Africa, it was all we could do to get the kids to keep quiet and stay in their chairs for more than 5 minutes. In India, I walked into the classroom and the kids stood up in unison saying, “Good morning miss.” They would then sit down in unison, after I gave them permission, and sit there in silence waiting for me to begin. It was all I could do to get them to speak. We soon discovered that the key was to get them laughing.
My favorite day of ministry was one of our last. The kids had been taking exams all week, and we wanted to do something fun for them as a reward for all of their hard work. We put on a giant carnival complete with a three-legged race, egg carry, and slip ‘n slide. They were a little shy at first, but they had a blast. My favorite part of the day was just hanging out with them and getting to know them in a relaxed atmosphere.
That night the hostel kids held worship down in the courtyard of the school. They sang typical Hmar songs and some English songs. But that wasn’t what made it special. At one point during worship the music stopped, and 40 something Hmar kids prayed, wailed, cried and just poured out their hearts to God. It was so moving to see kids normally so quiet and reserved, surrendering their raw emotion to Jesus. You couldn’t help but be affected as the Holy Spirit was so thick. My team and I joined right in with them. I remember thinking, wow. Look at how these kids worship God on the other side of the world. It was a night I will never forget.
We also got to know the kids in the hostels on a more personal level. It was a beautiful experience to hear their hearts. They have such amazing faiths. Jesus just kept telling me, yes they’re from a small village, but they’re not small. These kids could change the world one day.
That leads me into one of the most interesting things that happened to us in India. The founder of Partnership Mission Schools and Bibles for the World, Dr. Rochunga Pudiate, passed away while we were in Lungthulien. This Hmar man translated the bible into the Hmar language, and because of him hundreds of kids were getting an education and millions of people had access to bibles. Because our team was there, we sat an honored position at the memorial service and funeral of this general of God. What an incredible privilege that was. It was because of Dr. Ro that we were in that area of India in the first place. It was another one of those, “is this my life?” moments.
I was also privileged to preach one Sunday at church. I talked about how Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death. We don’t have to perform for him, we just have to let him love us. I spoke about my life being changed. Then I asked the congregation to think, what is the moment that Jesus changed your life? When did you begin living for him? I then encouraged them to rededicate their hearts to him. To put him first before all else. He is the only way.
Two and a half weeks later we got back on the river boat to rejoin the squad in Hmarkawlien. It was a blessed time in my life. The Lord brought me through so much, and I was blessed to minister to and with an amazing group of people in the process. Month 4, you did not disappoint. Thank you, Father, for the opportunity to share your kingdom in India. Now, Nepal for month 5. Here we go.
