A few weeks ago I traveled to India to spend three weeks doing ministry and debriefing my current World Race Gap Year squad. Debriefs are 5 days filled with rest, reflection, talking about team dynamics, spiritual formation teachings, processing their experiences, and having some fun. This debrief in particular was on the top of a mountain in the Tripura state of India.
It took us 9 hours, by train and bus, to arrive at our location. While the trip wasn’t the most settling on my stomach (so many curvy roads!), upon arrival it was clear that the Lord was speaking rest and refreshment over this debrief. We were nestled at the top of a mountain, in the middle of an Indian jungle, with no way to leave. Oh, and did I mention is was GORGEOUS!
Due to our remote location, our contact had arranged for an outside travel company to come in and cook for us. The travel agency was run by a man named Bopi, and he brought 4-5 men and women with him to help cook all of our meals. My first impression of Bopi was that he was extremely stressed and anxious; which seemed reasonable considering that he had agreed to cook every meal for 55 Americans that were randomly in this state of India. He was extremely kind, but clearly distressed in his desire to serve us well.
Throughout the week, the squad got to know Bopi more and we learned that Bopi was not a Christian. He was open about how he respected that our beliefs were different and he entertained multiple conversations with racers about their faith. Each day of debrief brought up an additional stress to Bopi, as strikes took place on transportation and drama ensued with locals over our food quality. Whenever things came up he stepped into the role of protective father and treated us like his kids that he was caring for; it was really sweet!
On the last day he asked me if we had an extra Bible he could have to keep exploring who Jesus was! One of the racers gave him a copy of the New Testament and when we closed out debrief in prayer, we made sure to cover Bopi and his journey of faith.
We left debrief and headed down the mountain to the train station. We arrived with an hour to spare, thinking that was just enough time to grab a coke and a samosa (the best 10 cents snack you can buy!) from the street vendors. Little did we know the train would be over 7 hours late (life in India!).
It isn’t uncommon to wait on travel days so no one was thrown off by this massive delay. We settled into a corner in train station; some of us played cards while drinking chai, others napped. Several hours into our train station adventure Bopi showed up! He lived nearby and had heard people talking about the large group of Americans in the train station. He wanted to make sure we were ok, bring us some chips (travel day snacks are a must), and hang out with us until our train finally arrived. Indian hospitality will always be something that amazes me!
Bopi easily began conversation with Tom, our coach, while the rest of us went back to our travel day activities. It was getting close to the time that our train was to supposed to arrive when I looked over to see Tom praying over Bopi. I snapped this, slightly creepy picture, because it seemed like such a beautiful moment.
Next thing I know Tom walks over and says to me, “Sam, I want to introduce you to your new brother” and then Bopi steps forward, with tears streaming down his face and hugs me. I was shocked, and excited, and shocked. I asked Bopi how he felt and he said that he had never felt so much peace in his life. (remember, this man had been so stressed and anxious for a week)
All of a sudden, new life came into the squad. People were clapping, crying, celebrating, dancing, and we began drawing a crowd. We had been waiting for 7 hours to board a train, but the Lord is always divine and we immediately knew that the delay was intentional. I finally took a step back and realized that Bopi had just joined the Kingdom of God, and now the Kingdom was expanding even more as racers were sharing with random strangers why we were so excited. Our delay had been worth it!
We had been at this train station all day and the only interaction we’d had with people was taking some random pictures, or them just snapping pictures of us (typical). Then, hours later, a man comes to know the Lord and missionaries who had been waiting all day were ignited with fire to leave a mark on that train station and make sure everyone knew the goodness found in Jesus Christ.
When I think about this day in India, I am struck with a joy that Bopi joined the family that night, and a weightiness to live in a posture that welcomes interruption. Each day brings about its own stresses, frustrations, train delays, and seemingly irritating circumstances, but what defines us is how we respond to these things. A few hours may seem like a lot, but when it’s the salvation of a brother it’s worth the eternity that he will have with Jesus!
I am continually challenged by the Holy Spirit to live open to interruption. Each moment leading up to our travel day impacted Bopi’s life. In our conversation he continually referenced how different we were, which is what sparked his interest in Jesus. He said he felt calm around us and we were always welcoming to him and his staff. These simple daily interactions impacted a man to pursue faith in Jesus Christ! I left India encouraged, challenged and filled with joy that the Kingdom is expanding each day, and today I got to see the fruit firsthand!
This is my squad with Bopi and a few of his men (he is in the bottom lefthand corner!)
Oh, and the story with Bopi still continues…but that’ll have to wait till my next blog 🙂
Over the next couple weeks I am going to share a few more stories from the field {including Part II to Bopi’s story}! I hope you’ll journey with me as I shine a light on the work that the Lord is doing around the world. I also hope you’ll pray about partnering with me and my ministry at Adventures in Missions. I currently need $475/month to continue my work here in Georgia. If you are interested in joining my support team, please let me know or click the Support Me link on the left to join me!
with lots of love and prayer,
Sam
