India has been a physically tougher month for me, but amaxing emotionally and spiritually.
We started our days with bible study and then we painted and moved furniture for 8 hours.
Painting is different in India. Our hosts handed us 4 rollers, 2 brushes, a pool stick (to attach a roller to and reach the ceiling), and a very unstable step ladder. We didn’t have tape or sheets to cover the floor, we had to be “inventive” when it came to painting high walls above the stairs, and the paint was super watery so it would get EVERYWHERE.
We also went to church and I shared a part of my testimony.
Funny story: I was really excited after sharing my testimony because the Holy Spirit really spoke through it. I spent the whole morning feeling like my testimony really empowered the church and showed them a different perspective of the Lord and how to serve him. Later that day one of the members who spoke really good English told me (in between laughs) that everything in my testimony was translated wrong. Soooo wrong. Like I said something along the lines of “I left my family in order to seek solitude with the Lord.” And that got translated to “I left my family and they all backslid.”
After about a week, we went to a different location in India that was one night bus ride over. We worked with the same worship center that was teaching a group of 8 young women how to lead worship.
We woke up at 5:20am for bible study, we meal prepped each meal with the cook, cleaned the kitchen and dining hall, did the dishes, taught classes, and participated in classes with the girls.
Our day started at 5:30am and our work usually didn’t end until 11:30pm. We usually wouldn’t get to bed until midnight or so because we still had to do team stuff. We were exhausted.
I became nocturnal. Whenever I had a few hours where I wasn’t planning a lesson or teaching or cleaning or doing my own laundry and things, I would try to sleep.
We also were not allowed to leave the compound or exercise for safety reasons.
Our showers were bucket showers… in squatty potties. I used to think squatty potties were gross to pee in, let alone shower and do laundry in.
We ate rice with some kind of spicy veggie liquid for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oh, and we ate this with our hands.
And due to the Christian population being 2% in India, the worship song selection is limited and we heard the same songs in Telegu day in and day out.
Although I am very physically tired, my sleep schedule is jacked, I don’t know if I’ll be able to run as far as I usually can, and I’m super constipated from a diet of peanut butter, rice, and veggies, and the squatty has become my “clean place”, I have so much joy from this month.
The girls that we got to work with have so much passion for the Lord it’s insane! They know so much about the Bible and they pour out their souls to the Lord when they sing.
I am taking a lot away from India. I have a healthy team who knows how to call each other higher while making each other feel like rockstars. I have seen for the first time a demon manifestation and have a better understanding of the process of casting them out. I have learned more about how to lead a bible study. I have seen first hand how sharing our stories and being vulnerable with our brothers and sisters in Christ can provide so much freedom. I know how to chop vegetables really fast with dull knives. And I have a better understanding of a shame/honor culture.
It’s crazy to think next month will be Month 8. Please pray for me as I start to figure out what I want to do for the Kingdom after the race!
