India. The last place on earth I ever wanted to go. For years I had dreaded the thought of going to India and had firmly decided I would never go. From my vast knowledge of a place I had never been, I knew all I needed. I mean, I saw Slumdog Millionaire. It was hot and humid. I knew it was crowded and that there was trash everywhere. I knew that their food was spicy and comprised mainly of rice. I knew that I was never going to go there. Oh yeah, and I knew that there were rats-a-plenty. When Myers and I started looking into the route options for this trip, I looked for one that did not include India. I just didn’t want to go there. Surprise surprise, every single route we looked at had India on it. So we signed up anyway and I kept the thought in my mind that maybe we’d get rerouted. Rerouted we were, but India remained on the itinerary.
So here we are. We just finished up our third week here and a lot of my initial assumptions about the country held true. It’s hot, it’s humid, there’s trash, we eat lots of rice, and we have battled rats. But something I never really considered were the people here. They are incredible. They are colorful and friendly. They epitomize what joyfully serving looks like. They will do anything to make you feel more comfortable (even tone down the spice of their food). The Christians here have amazing faith. Prayer is their first response when a problem arises. They are hungry for the Word and they will sit through hours of church services. Their worship is so genuine and you can see their love and adoration for the Lord through it. And here I was, little missionary out to make a difference for Christ, all the while dreading this country. I prayed so much for confirmation as to why I was here and that God would show me this was exactly where He wanted us at this time.
We got here and I didn’t feel that immediately. Things were better than I expected but I was still telling God He really needed to give me something to show me this was right. Then I found out that our ministry each day would consist of house visits, praying for people, and sharing testimonies and the Word of God each night in different villages. Speak in front of large groups of people every single day? Oh, hello worst nightmare. Try again, God. That was a swing and a miss. I really hate talking in public. I love to listen to people and I love praying for people but when I have to stand in front of others and talk, I start wishing I was doing anything else (like playing with those rats back at our house). But this is our ministry. So I started praying a lot. I prayed that God would really give me a passion for sharing His Word with people in this kind of setting. But I was still waiting for that confirmation from Him.
It was the second night we were here. We went to a village and there was no power. We went around and prayed for every family. I love how important prayer is to them. I love being able to intercede for people and wish I could follow-up with each one to see how God answered them. I started to feel excited about ministry here. Then it was time to start our service. Dang Tina. We started by singing with the kids. I had truly forgotten how much I love worship songs with children because their joy is so incredibly contagious. We were sitting under the stars with a tarp spread out and a village of Indians huddled together. While they were singing songs, I was floored. I’m in India with my husband and an amazing team. We are sharing the Gospel and encouraging believers. We’re worshiping the Lord under the stars in a language I can’t understand. That was all the confirmation I needed. What an honor it is to be a part of His work! My thankful heart was full of passion for speaking the Word to them through the power of the Christ. I have truly seen Him answer my prayers in that regard this month. And the best part is knowing that His Word will not return void but is going to accomplish all He desires. It’s easy to rest in that fact. I still don’t get super pumped about speaking in public and India still isn’t my favorite country but I have truly been able to enjoy being a part of the work that is happening here.
We are so blessed by those of you who are praying for us and continuing to support us financially. We absolutely could not do this without the backing of prayer from you all and we have really felt them, this month specifically. Please continue to lift us up as we finish strong here and transition to Nepal. We miss all our family and friends very much!
P.S. Surprise! Our route has been changed again. From Nepal we will travel to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Swaziland, and South Africa.
