Well, the rumors are true.
I really am in India.
I'm surrounded by cows (literally EVERYWHERE), spices constantly tickling my nose, food that could quite possibly burn my taste buds away forever, distinct smells of urine, feces, and trash, colors splashing against the rainy sky, and a constant beeping of horns.
And I love it.
Being here isn't a piece of cake though.
I mean, I have to continually remember to ONLY use my right hand
and for little ole' left-handed me, it's not an easy task.
Why only my right hand you ask?
Well, I'm in a country that doesn't use toilet paper…
You can come to your own conclusions. 😉
Actually, it's really quite interesting that India is my last month on the race
because so far, everything points to the image I had in my head of how I expected
The World Race to look like EVERY month of the race.
It's the first time it's matched that image.
Irony at it's finest eh?
-My team is staying in one large room without A/C (no surprise there)
and electricity that can blink out at any moment.
-There are six tornado fans (AHHHMAZING) that keep us cool during India's 'cool' season which basically means it 85 degrees with 100% humidity instead of the normal 120 degrees.
-It's monsoon season so as of late, we've experienced crazy rain storms every night, with water pouring in the windows (yes, they are shut, lol) and flooding the floors.
-We are all sharing one tiny bathroom with a bucket for showering, a sink that sometimes works, and a toilet that doesn't like to do it's job.
-I've seen the biggest flying roach (the size of my palm) that I've ever seen in my life, and the team had DELICIOUS Indian food with a family of mice running back and forth across the floor between our couches at one of the nicest restaurants in town.
-The streets are flooded and as women, we aren't allowed to show our ankles, or our shoulders, or really anything other than our stomachs.
-But, we always have wifi – even when the electricity goes out. That's my idea of priorities, lol.
Of course, I say all the above with a huge smile on my face and a tone of humor. It's really lovely this month.
We are working on branding for the ministry, ICM.
My team was picked specifically for this ministry due to our degrees and work experience.
It means that my month looks quite different from every other month.
I won't be dancing with children throughout villages, or building shelters, or preaching.
Instead, I'm in an office daily, laughing with my teammates as we brainstorm and joke around while getting productive work done (usually).
It's a perfect ending to a crazy year.
The best part? There's still three weeks left of ministry here.
That's three weeks full of bugs, eating with mice, struggling to find toilet paper, and trying to remember not to touch anyone's left hand.
It's three weeks of laughter and memories with my World Race family.
It's three weeks of being exactly where God has placed us; in the office of a ministry He is expanding into the world and He's using us to help create their image.
How did I get to be so lucky? 🙂
<3tasha.
