Men.
It's a ministry run by men, for men, and staffed by men.
Everywhere there are men and only men.
Then there's us.
Six American women.
Oh and did I mention, we are in India.
A culture where men and women rarely interact on a social level.
But here we are.
So what are we doing here?
To be honest the first few days I thought God had made a mistake.
And I am sure the men here were thinking the same thing.
He didn't really mean to put an all women team here.
But He did.
And we needed to accept it and learn how to do ministry.
Whatever it may look like.
So we prayed, "Lord give us your love for these men. Show us how to love them without having to speak to them. Allow us to stand in the background and encourage them in being the men of God you have called them to be. If we are suppose to sit and pray all day, help us to do so. But Papa, also please give us a means of pouring out, of sharing your gospel. You have broken our hearts for India show us why."
But as I well know God doesn't make mistakes and He loves to answer prayers, normally in ways better than I can imagine.
After a short while I am beginning to see why He put us here.
He had a plan all along.
He would use each of us to grow and teach one another.
He wanted to use us, together, to love on the men, women, and children from the slums and surrounding communities that we would meet.
He wanted to give us His heart for the 50 or so men that lived below us.
I can say in two weeks I have learned so much from these men, my brothers.
I have learned what it means to sit in the background and to submit to them as leaders and men of God.
(I'll admit I was not immediately excited about this one. But, before coming I had asked for God to teach me greater humility this month. Guess what…He has a sense of humor.)
He showed me that they are the ones He has anointed to lead India into a greater heart of worship. They will spend their lives glorifying God in this country and leading many to Him. My team and I, are here for only a short time, to encourage them.
During worship we normally stand in the back.
It prompts me to pray for them. For their families at home. For their future families. For the ministry that He has already placed them into. And for the ministries He will bring them to in the future.
While they are in class we have two hours of prayer and worship.
Some days we sit on the balcony, while they sit below us in the grass.
Again, God lays things on our hearts to pray over them.
We have the chance to compile and share their testimonies with supporters of the school.
God has given us an opportunity to learn their stories and to know how to better pray for them.
When we go out to minister in the slums, some of the brothers go with us.
When we get out of the car, they run to open our doors. (In America I would never let a guy open my door.)
They tell us which homes we will visit to pray over.
They tell us when it is time to go.
Although during this time we are the ones sharing testimonies and the Word, no longer in the background, they are the ones taking care of the details.
But they do these things as brothers whose desire is to care for and protect us.
They have showed me what it looks like to freely and fervently worship.
These men come before God placing all that they have at His feet.
They dance, sing, laugh, kneel, cry, and sit in God's presence and are unconcerned with what those around them think.
Their songs and music are their offering to God and outpouring of their love for Him.
And what have they gotten from us?
I pray that they feel encouraged and supported.
That they can feel our prayers lifting them up to God.
That when we have the opportunity to share testimonies and preach what God has laid on our hearts, that it also touches them, and speaks to their lives.
I pray that they are learning that woman of God can be both strong in the Spirit, while also being submissive, and not threaten their role as men of God.
That they know we love them as brothers, even though we do not speak with them often.
As we are approach the middle of the month I pray that God continues to use us to sharpen one another and to bring His Kingdom to earth.
