India has captured my heart. God has grown me through partnering with CSOW this past month in ways that I would have never expected. Today we leave CSOW, and, if I’m being honest, more than one tear has been shed for this place which I can now truly call home.
At the center of this love I feel for India is the Indian friends and, in some cases, family (see the story below!) I have made. With humble hearts, with servant hands, they are displaying the EXACT definition of God’s love to India. Not just the typical Sunday school answer such as “Jesus died for our sins!” But the powerful testimony of God’s goodness and grace and head-over-heels, over-the-moon love for us.
I wish I could completely capture the experiences I’ve had and people I’ve met here in a picture or video or in words. Although I can’t do this, I want to show you a glimpse into the past month through the stories I have:
My Telegu Family
Two Sunday’s ago I went to a slum with our ministry host to put on a mini church service in the middle of a slum neighborhood. Right away I noticed Mahima. She was squatting next to a campfire in a saree, preparing dinner for her family.
She offered apples and chai tea to my teammate and me. Later, she brought me her family’s chicken for the night. I ate it, after much insisting, and afterwards looked at my hands in horror as I realized I used my left hand (using your left hand for anything but the bathroom is a big culture no in India). Nevertheless, she brought out water and a bucket and washed my left hand for me. She noticed food on my face and took the shawl of her saree to wipe my face clean.
I unexpectedly came back a week later, and her mother and daughter were there. We talked and talked, despite the limited words we knew of each other’s languages. They pinched my cheeks, they kissed my cheeks. They called me their sister, daughter, granddaughter. They fed me part of their dinner for the night and when I accidentally used my left hand again (I’m not even left handed!), they laughed at my profuse apologies and washed my hand for me. Before saying goodbye, they ran into their home and brought out two gold bangles as gifts. As I left, my ministry host said, “They are your Telegu family now.”
Prayer Moves Here
Our very first night of slum ministry we visited a family who were the only Christians in their slum. That night they asked for prayer, like all people do here. Specifically they asked for their father’s stomach to be healed and their grandpa to stop drinking alcohol. Prayers for healing and for alcoholism are common prayer requests and we prayed as if it was just a typical day; a typical problem.
To my surprise, we went back to visit them two days ago. We found out the day after we prayed their father’s stomach was healed and their grandpa decided to stop drinking alcohol. Our translator told us the family said, “We believe prayers are powerful, please continue praying for us.”
Not Your Average American Church Service
Every Sunday CSOW puts on a church service and I would help with the PowerPoint slides. The first two Sundays there was an order to the slides and songs varying from Telegu songs to English songs. This week the worship leader gave me some random Telegu songs and said, “I’m not sure what we will sing or what order. The Holy Spirit will lead us!”
At the time I was slightly worried I wouldn’t know which slides to put up because I know only about three words in Telegu.
Worship that morning wasn’t the average worship service you see in America. The music sounded like a mixture of Bollywood meets polka meets disco. The words were passionate and full of cries out to the Father. Dancing of all varieties came into the mix, including the occasional fist bump.
Eventually I stopped trying to keep up on the slides and just let the Holy Spirit move. A huge smile spread across my face as I realized I love the fervor and unashamed passion my friends have for the Lord.
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India has been an amazing experience. If you would like to learn more about CSOW, you can check it out here.
