I made it safely to India and have had a great first month! Sorry for the delay, but wifi is a rarity here. I am doing my best to keep all my supporters updated. So, here is your update:
India is nothing I expected but everything I could never dream of. I hope this obscure statement gives you a glimpse of how I have felt in my time here. First of all, I am immensely thankful to be living in a rural area finally, and out of the big cities for a while. Dusty dirt roads, crazy drivers, and beautiful mountainous views surround me daily. I wake up and go to sleep very cold, and I have found bucket showers to be a chilly thrill. I am constantly listening for the harmonious congregation of voices somewhere in the nearby distance singing praises. Yes, praises. Right now, we live in an area of northeast India where almost everyone is Christian. People passing from surrounding villages hear us singing worship songs and quietly mouth the words to themselves. On Sundays, the paths out of our village are crowded with couples and families making their way to church. It is always exciting to “reach the unreached” and though I have truly learned much through evangelism, my heart has been overjoyed to be surrounded by a body of believers. I think God is just as evident in the growing as He is in the sowing of seeds. There is something powerful about building up and encouraging the already-established body of Christ here. What a blessing it has been to share sweet conversations and smiles with my Indian brothers and sisters in Christ!
Now nearing the end of month four, I have come to appreciate and miss parts of America that I wouldn’t expect. This includes anything and everything from warm water or washers/dryers to things like sensible traffic laws, state funding for roads, health code laws, and a government that fights for equality. I genuinely have been so blessed to grow up in America. This realization is a sweet sign of gratitude, but it also doesn’t take any beauty away from the countries I have been living in on the race. What I see around me here is still reality, just not the one I am accustomed to being in.
What have I been doing?
Ministry has been different every day. I learned the power of storytelling through our time at a local rehabilitation center. God’s heart for His little ones and the wonder they walk in so effortlessly has been shown to me by the children who play in our front yard each afternoon. I felt the bliss of joy while priming the walls at a nearby school with my friends. I exercised the power of optimism as I helped move bags and buckets of dirt to the point of physical exhaustion. I experienced the peace of God on hikes up prayer mountain, each leaving me breathless at the view. Every meal, every sunset, every chilly morning and clear-skied evening, every cup of warm tea, and every kind smile, I feel overwhelmed and in awe of what God has given me. To think: all of these experiences were planned out for me far before I was even born, and every single detailed moment leading up to now has been set in place for His divine purpose.
This leads me to: what am I learning?
There is no reason to worry or negatively react to life’s surprises when the God I serve is omniscient. I have found myself so comforted by this lately when my expectations are not met. On a larger scale, God has been showing me the depths of humility and how to rely on Him in this season. After three months on gap year, our alumni team leaders who have been showing us the ropes return to the United States, and a member of each team takes over the leader responsibilities. Much to my own surprise, I was asked to be team Sonrisa’s leader. The adjustment has been a beautiful testament to God and His great plan. He has given me everything I need to be who He has called me in this season of learning. Speaking of learning, I have started to experience learning through experience rather than study. Oddly enough, much of my life has lacked an emphasis of hands-on learning—at least to this great of an extent. I enjoy following rules, and learning from those who make mistakes by breaking them. Of course, it’s also no secret that I love school and, quite honestly, everything about the traditional classroom. The world race is (obviously) not school. There is no rule book or even consistent schedule for the experiences we face. So much of the race this far has been learning to let go of the “need to know.” I realize I don’t actually need to know what the week, month, or even day has for me because God will reveal it in His perfect timing. This applied to my future lifts some serious stress. It also keeps me from unhealthily-strict expectations that would leave me devastated the moment any sort of changes take place.
So, to summarize 🙂
I am happy and healthy here in India. I am inviting God to teach, change, and rearrange me according to His will. I am stepping into my identity of being His daughter and walking in the freedom of forgiveness.
As usual, thank you so much for your support, prayers, and love as I know I would not be here without you! Wishing you well until next time,
— Lexi Hatten
