Arriving in India, my team thought we were going to be in the city of Hyderabad for the month with our entire squad. We were all going to be together for Christmas and New Years. It was going to be great. And then it got squashed. No all squad month. My team finds out we are going to a village 9 hours south of the city. Okay. After a bit of shock we boarded the “luxury” bus and made the trek out here. Then, we walked into the apartment where we would be living.
Our host and his wife showed us in through a small area you might call a foyer, where there is one bathroom with a squatty potty, one drain, and a nozzle for some running water which will flood into the hallway if not careful. After the foyer there is a small room that they walk us into. We stand around confused for a bit, until they tell us to move our bags into the foyer and they lay out a mat for all 6 of us to sleep on in the small room.
Here is the spoiled brat part. We start blowing up our sleeping pads to lay out, which are pretty scrunched together and take up the entire floor. One girl is brushing her teeth in the squatty potty. I am then swatting off some weird looking bug from another teammate, and since we are sleeping on the floor, we know there will be many more. And you want to know what I am getting ready to do? Cry. I make myself laugh so that I don’t, but I am struggling! This isn’t normal. It’s not up to “our standards.” All these thoughts are going through my head.
And then it hits me. All at once. I am being a complete spoiled brat and God has just slapped me across the face and given me one huge wake up call.
First of all, this is an Indian pastor who has opened his home to us. Yes, his wife, him and his child are sleeping only a few feet away, there is no door, and it’s awkward… But guess what? It’s probably a bit awkward for them as well. But they have opened their home to us. As an Indian pastor, I can only imagine the persecution him and his family face. And we are here to bless them. Who am I to complain? We have absolutely everything we could need here. It may be a little uncomfortable, but we are on the world race. It’s supposed to be!
Second thing that hits me- our stuff! I know we have a lot, but looking at it all piled in their small foyer makes it even more evident. Our bags take up an entire third of their apartment! I mean, I know we say we need it, but really? One of us probably has more for these 11 months than the family has combined. Slap number two.
Okay, so here’s where I’m at. God is already doing work in us, on our first night here. He has already changed attitudes, and my team is genuinely excited to minister in the villages nearby. There’s a reason He has brought us here. Sure, maybe we are ridin it rough, even by World Race standards. But I have seen the love of Jesus in this family, and I only hope that we can be as much of a blessing to them and all the other people we meet this month.
