My squad arrived in India a little over a week ago. In this short time, I have fallen head over heels in love with this nation. It is loud and smelly and dirty, dirty dirty. But there is so much beauty here. The people here are so beautiful and genuinely friendly. India is a dark country filled with idol worship. We see evidence of Hinduism everywhere, but still I can see so much light here. God is moving within this nation. And He is bringing freedom!!!
The night before we headed out into ministry, Frank, Kelly, and I went up onto the roof of the place we were staying. The view of the city took my breath away. I had a sweet time with the Lord looking out at this city. I cried as my heart broke for the people below me walking with chains and feeling hopeless. I beamed and hopped on my feet as God gave me glimpses of what He has in store for this country (He's got big plans!). I felt God tell me that India is a place of freedom. As I was praying about this in my head, Frank started singing "Freedom Reigns" (check out the Youtube video below) Yes! Confirmation from the Lord. I was getting fired up. Our squad, 45 of us, has the Holy Spirit inside of us. We are spread out throughout India. God's presence is in this place! He is bringing freedom for his beloved children here in India. I am so excited to be here this month to witness what God is doing here because He is doing incredible things.
My team is working with a program in which Christian pastors take in 10 orphans and raise them as part of their families. I think this is one of the coolest ministries I've heard of. For the past week, my team lived in a little village painting one of these homes/churches and of course, playing with the kiddos (all boys, ages 7-13). It was such a blessing to be able to pray for these boys in the morning before they went to school to take exams and then to play games with them when they returned home. It was an honor to serve this ministry by sanding off lots of chalky, dusty paint and then paint on a fresh coat to give them a home and church that they can be proud of. On Sunday, we were able to attend the church service. It was so precious watching the boys worship. It brought me such hope to see several adults in the audience, as well as kids from the neighborhood. I had the privilege of meeting a woman who travels to different villages to pray, heal, and preach. What boldness! I am so encouraged.
Please pray for my team as we begin a new ministry. For the next two weeks we will be traveling each day to a different home in this program to lead Vacation Bible School for the kids while they are on Fall Break.
For your enjoyment, here's my travel itinerary to India (by far our craziest travel yet):
Sept 9, 6:45pm: We depart in a little bus from the home we were staying at in Targu Mures, Romania to go to the train station and say goodbye to Pastor Zsomboar. It was harder leaving than I thought; this man has soooo much passion for the Lord.
7:15pm: Our 10 1/2 hr train to Bucharest departs! It was freezing that night; I'm so thankful I packed my sleeping bag in an easily accessible location.
Sept 10, 5:40am: We arrive in Bucharest! After a quick breakfast at McDonalds, we take the metro to the Happy Hostel.
7:30am: We arrive at the Happy Hostel and are free to catch up with squadmates and nap.
Sept 11, 9:45pm: Somehow we cram the 7 of us and all of our packs into 2 taxis to go to the airport.
10:10pm: Arrive at airport and set up camp. We nap, play games, and eat snacks.
Sept 12, 1:20am: Cheer and welcome A Squad! We had the blessing to meet up with this squad as they entered into their first ministry country.
6:45am: We check in and deal with a loooooong line in security, as well as a rough pat down.
8:40am: With just enough time for a quick bathroom break, we board the 2 hr plane from Bucharest, Romania to Moscow, Russia.
12:45pm (+1 hr): Arrive at Moscow airport. We wander around trying to find internet hotspots and food.
6:45pm: We board a really nice plane with comfy seats, lots of room, iPod chargers, and a vast selection of movie choices.
8:15pm: We are instructed to get off the plane. Apparently one of the 4 engines wasn't working.
11:10pm: We board our new (kinda sketchy looking) backup plane for a 5 1/2 hr flight to New Delhi.
Sept 13, 6:00am (+1.5 hr): We land in India! Ahhhhhh!
8:30am: After going through Customs, we take the brand new metro system from the airport to the train station. The metro breaks down twice while we were on it.
9:15am: We cross the street to the train station. This is the moment I realize oh man, I'm in India.
11:05am: After searching for food (cheese sandwiches, hot pocket things, chips, and fruit cakes) and water to last us for a 32 hr train ride, we board the train.
11:35am: The train departs and we introduce ourselves to the two Indian men sharing our "cabin". Let's just say there is absolutely no privacy on this "sleeper" car. We find out that we'll be getting off the train sooner than we thought! We spend the next 28 hrs napping, playing games, and conversing with random Indian men who stop by.
Sept 14, 3:00pm: We get off the train and are immediately surrounded by a circle of Indians. They stare at us and a few take pictures. I make friends with a 16yr old boy named Kumar.
3:50pm: We take a little van/jeep thing to the bus station. First experience with driving in India… oh boy, it's crazy here.
4:15pm: We arrive at the bus station and are once again surrounded. We talked to a few university students, plus Kumar, who evidently followed us from the train station to the bus station.
6:00pm: We board a nice coach type bus for our final 3 1/2 hr leg of our journey.
9:30pm: We meet our ministry contact! He drives us to the place we're staying in a "winger" (a van without a side door).
10:00pm: Home sweet home! We order our first Indian street food for dinner (delicious!), then pass out for the night.
