Hey everyone! We made it to India!!
We have been in India for a week and already so much has happened so I’ll give you an overview:
We had a 12 hour flight and then a 4 hour flight (which actually weren’t too bad) and then arrived in India at 2am. With all 55 of us plus our bags, we took a 50 passenger bus to the place we stayed at for training for a couple of days. It was a little cramped but being in close quarters with people has a way of bonding you together. As a whole squad we did some training for a couple of days learning about India’s culture, Christianity within India, and did some personal growth too. Then on Monday we all broke off into our teams and went to our ministry sites that we’re at right now (I’m not able to give specifics on some things for security purposes so if I’m being vague that’s why). We have been serving at a children’s home for kids with disabilities, and have so far been doing a lot of cleaning projects helping them move things around because they’re transitioning some houses. Then Friday morning I got sick and was in bed all day but we think it was just food poisoning because it was only a 24 hour thing. I’m doing a lot better now but just taking it easy.
Wow, a lot can happen in a week! That’s more of the surface level stuff, which is cool to know and I’m going to keep you all updated on it but let’s get down to a deeper level.
My team and I have been learning a lot about expectations this week. We came into ministry thinking that it was going to be one way and it ended up being another and we had to consciously decide what our attitude was going to be. We thought that we would be interacting with and helping the kids more directly, and in reality we have been doing different projects for the ministry. As a team we sat down and talked through those expectations we had because it’s important to address those rather than push them aside and just move on. Then we decided that we wanted to serve out of joy and a grateful heart, rather than just get through the month. We’ve definitely had up and down moments but that decision at the beginning was crucial for us to actually serve well before the Lord and to set us up for the hard times.
I believe we have blessed the ministry too because some of these projects are only things that can be done by multiple people and just can’t get done on a regular basis. At my other job we had a group come in to do some cleaning projects and I helped organize the project. It was a lot to put together and it took time to organize what needed to be cleaned, what cleaning supplies they needed etc, but that was not something we could have taken out time to do ourselves. Blessing someone may look different than what we think at first, but if the Lord is in it then it will be so much better than what we could ever come up with ourselves. That’s something we all know, but its different when you’re confronted with it in reality and you have to decide what your attitude is going to be.
Since I have been in bed for the past day and a half I’ve had some time to think and dream with the Lord. He is teaching me how to dream about the future, and learn how to walk with him and fall in love with him. Even though it’s only been a week, I have missed so many things about home. I’ve missed my family, my friends, my culture, my comfortability, cleanliness, getting to show my ankles in public (you’re supposed to have your ankles covered all the time). Yet within that I know the time to press into his heart is in the uncomfortability because that’s when I’m aware enough to see him. He gave me a picture today of sometime down the road of having a house where kids in the neighborhood came to hang out, and people felt comfortable to come in and build relationships – and it wasn’t a burden. I was secure enough in the Lord and had a dynamic relationship with him that I wouldn’t get burnt out.
He would be my resting place.
I say sometime down the road because getting to a place of that much confidence and security takes time, but it starts in the uncomfortable. It starts when I decided to press in and take a step out, and then another and another. So I guess it can even start now. I am declaring that:
He is my resting place.
He is the one who I get my worth from, the one I turn to in the hard times, the one I wake up and ask what he wants to do today, the one who I get my comfort from, the one who I love, and the one who I can’t live without. He wants to be our resting place. Can you hear him calling you there? It’s definitely not going to be easy but I know it will be worth it.
This year is going to have so many ups and downs and I’m looking forward to them all. Thanks for being here along with me on this journey. Press in when you’re uncomfortable, my friends, it’s worth it.
Malia
