Dear India,
Northeast India,
My new home,
I was afraid of this. I was afraid I would come on the Race and fall completely in love with a culture and then have to leave it. Honestly, I felt deep in my heart it would be here in India. I remember stepping off the plain and immediately thinking “Home.” Thank you, India for being the home I never knew I wanted but now I know I needed. Thank you for allowing me in. For cooking, giving, playing, loving, laughing, and welcoming me in every single day. Thank you, India for having the very best people waiting for me. Joseph and Fima—I’m talking to you. Thank you for being completely crazy with me.
I’ll never forget the first day Tiara and I decided to join in your volleyball game and the way you two specifically let us join. Not babying us, not glorifying us. Just being real with us and being really really cool. Thank you, Joseph for meeting early to help me with fast balls. Thank you, Fima for trying to answer my hundreds of questions as you shyly laugh. Thank you John, Nehemiah, Bryan, Roa, James, other James, Rama, Jesse, Dara, Reuben. I love you all more than I can express in this letter. Volleyball everyday has been the biggest highlight of my entire race, I think. The relationships that have been born from an hour of volleyball everyday have shaped India for what it is and simply can not be explained. Thank you guys for the late nights of juice, tea, coke, movies, dancing, basketball playing with a volleyball, and everything in between.
Thank you Kim for always giving Tiara and I your best grapefruits. Thank you for the tea and afternoon talks in your sweet living room. Thank you for teaching us about culture here and encouraging us!
India, thank you for this weather that has felt like home. Thank you for the sun, but also the cold nights and mornings, and the rare rainy days. Thank you for your yummy food—and thank you Dara, the best cook who never took a break for us.
Oh India. In the months that I thought would be the toughest, longest, and most exhausting, you have loved me so well, you have become a place of rest and my heart is full of joy; I have thrived! Even writing this I want to cry. I don’t know exactly what home means anymore because my heart is everywhere, but I can promise you that this is home in so many ways. All of you friends are home to me and forever will be.
Thank you for everyday at ministry, especially the truck rides there. Thank you for all the school days teaching, the one day VBS’s, all the construction work and many many bricks, every kitchen duty day, every church service, agape, the hospital, and d very other ministry we were involved in.
India, I have four days left and I pray I can hold onto every single second with you—I don’t want to forget any moment.
I love you. a whole lot.
so much love,
Lexi Marshall
