Here I am in India. First impressions? Very much like South America with a Hindi twist. Hot and humid, and I am amazed that a cold shower can make me sweat. Yes, the food is spicy (I thought I had died on the flight here when I ate a “green bean.” ), the culture different, and I am amazed that after being on the mission field 11 months now, some things I see still suprise me. Through all these differences, I must say, I love India! I think I get really excited when I see the visions of what God is doing where ever I go, and I get to be apart of it!! We are back in our squad again (minus Terri, Teagan, and Kim– love you all ladies). The ministry we are doing is leper colony relationship building, Bhurmise refugee work, and orphanage work. For some strange reason, I am heading up the team that works at the orphanage, and really love it! We are pouring into the 105 kids and teaching them about the fruits of the spirit and will later teach them about their identity in Christ- something all of us on the squad have learned this past year.
Going back to the title of this blog… what choice do I have?? Well, in India, I get the option of choosing JOY. I think that is going to be the theme for this month. You see, it is so easy for me to throw in the towel, do only partial-work, or let myself complain, or think about what’s next after the race. Really none of that can be an effective tool for advancing the Kingdom. Every day, every moment, I can choose JOY. I can choose obedience, I can choose perserverance. I can choose JOY. So in an country where temptation to look at the bleaker things looms outside my door, I make the concious choice of JOY.
The other day, our water as well as electricity went out, and our neighbor lady opened her door to me and let me use water to flush the toilets (having several people with stomach issues using the bathrooms, plus heat and humidity and no fans= discusting!), and invited me in her home and we were able to chat for about 45 minutes. There must have been some other AIM team from the past who left her with pics of their time there, because she knew who we were and welcomed the Christian joy into her home! What a blessing to be a blessing!
