1. Even in winter, it’s hot. And being born and raised in humidity does not make me any more immune to it. I cannot imagine being here in the summer.
2. I really like Indian food… minus the meat though. I prefer it vegetarian style! I am getting pretty good at eating with my hand (only the right one, left is considered unclean)
3. God will answer really strange sounding prayers. I prayed He would blind me to spiders and He has answered it. The only big one I’ve seen was one someone literally brought me to show me because they thought I would be funny! It wasn’t… I love that He has shown me His love for me in that way.
4. God can and does talk to me through the Holy Spirit.
5. I am thankful that I live in a country that allows me to wear shorts in summer!
6. After two weeks, I’ve gotten so used to wearing scarves over my long loose shirts that when I don’t wear one in public I feel ridiculously inappropriate and revealed…I don’t like that so much.
7. I rediscovered my love for Oreos and then ate so many that I experienced Oreo burnout and no longer wanted them.
8. Bajaj’s are easily tipped over when hit by cars. I still have a little ptsd every time I get in one now.
9. Red and green are not the universal colors for Christmas!
10. Chai is delicious. I love it. Coffee here tastes like macchiato’s and is also delicious.
11. Clothes still aren’t cheap enough in other countries either.
12. Seeing the hindu temples and statues brings a wide array of emotions, the biggest of which is sadness.
13. Maaza mango juice is my friend! So good. As is coca cola apparently, though I never drank it in the states.
14. It’s easy to drink more water here.. Because it’s pretty warm.
15. It is common to find hindu believers in a Christian church. Which is really interesting to me.
16. They have broccoli, cauliflower and okra here! I’m back in the south y’all!
17. People said that Africa time was bad….. It has NOTHING on India time!
18. The women’s clothes here are gorgeous. They look beautiful all the time. They take so much pride in their appearance.
19. India is the dream country for a lot of missionaries… I’m not among them. I’ve enjoyed this experience but it isn’t where I would choose to do a long term mission.
20. I used to hate my tent, but this is the first month I’ve lived in it (indoors) and I actually really love it. It’s like I have my own little room that I can organize how I want and have alone time in. Plus it helps keep spiders off of me while I sleep.
21. Drawing water from a well and using it to do things like hand wash my clothes and bucket shower has become totally normal. It’s like I’ve done it this way my whole life.
22. It’s cool to think about the fact that I spent Christmas in India! (P.s. I got spray deodorant (it smells like flowers), face wash, earrings and Oreos! Santa was good to me). My parents had chicken and dumplings and sweet tea though. I am a little jealous about that.
23. I wore a Sari for the first time this month. It’s not as uncomfortable as it seems like it would be… But it isn’t the most practical of outfits for day to day life. Yet I’ve seen old women plowing fields in them, so…
24. I’m not as homesick this month as I thought I might be. I miss home, but I’m not dwelling on it. And lack of Internet has actually helped that a lot I think.
25. Spiritual warfare can show itself in different ways, bad dreams, unrestful sleep and (often unwarranted) fear has been the ways I’ve been attacked this month.
26. India’s mascot could be the mosquito.
27. I’ve been the worlds most paranoid person this month. Truly, I could have won an award for it. They could change the name of paranoia to Makita and it would be fitting. I’m blaming the spiritual heaviness of the country (see number 25) but I’ve had to pray CONSTANTLY over the fact that I am not going to live my life thinking me or one of my loved ones is going to die any second every second. It’s not normal, ridiculous and it’s no way to live. People die. One day I will. We can’t dwell on it. I normally don’t, this month I have really had to work hard not to.
28. I’m getting better at receiving constructive criticism when it comes from a place of love that calls me higher. I’ve always been extremely hard on myself, so usually when someone tells me an area I need to grow in I feel like a huge epic failure and disappointment. Someone sent me an email that could have made me feel that way, instead I just felt incredibly loved. It was weird but exciting to see growth in that area. I’m not saying I’m there yet, but it is a start.
29. I have been speaking in front of groups a bit again this month… And it doesn’t even make me nervous anymore. I just share what the Lord gives me and go with it. I volunteer to pray aloud and I even prayed over coconut oil one day for a woman who wanted it anointed. I can’t lie, that was a hard one. I felt a little silly and I wasn’t really sure what to say… Giggling may have occurred at one point but I did it and the Lord knows I tried!
30. I am deciding to believe that I am a leader. I may not be as confident or as assertive as some people, but I do lead in my own way through serving others. I have a lot of offer people and am an important asset to any team. As I move into a new team this week and get a new team leader, I go in knowing that I can lead by supporting that team leader and by loving my team. That is what I do best. It’s time I stop down playing the gifts the Lord has given me.
I am at the end of my fourth month. That seems wrong. I still have a thousand years left on the race but this part has gone by so fast. I’ve gone through every major holiday now except Easter. Only seven more months to go! I can’t wait to see how God grows me over these next few months. As a whole, India was a good month. I saw, tasted and experienced a lot here. I had some crazy dreams (arranged marriages, angry attacking bears, and the loss of a loved one), ate some of the best potatoes I’ve ever had, and felt the Lord directing me. I shared messages I was nervous to share and some that were not greatly received. I took steps of boldness. I gave myself down/rest time. I discovered I really enjoy the first book of kings. I learned to eat with my right hand (no utensils) without making a huge mess. I overcame fears. I saw for the first time, people who worshipped a ton of gods at one time and realized how sad it made me feel. India was a month of growth. It was a month of good food and a month of new cultural experiences. I have learned so much here.
