If you ever think God made a mistake about something, tell him. I dare you.
Complete transparency: I did NOT want to come to India. When I signed up for my route, I knew it was the first stop, but it didn’t really stick I guess. Either way, here I am. And getting here was not easy.
Our first flight was cancelled, the second was delayed. On the second leg of my flight, I was suddenly very aware that I had absolutely no idea how to love the people of a culture that is polar opposite of my own. Over the next two days I realized I also had no idea how to live in intimate community with people I did not choose and no idea how to thrive in an environment that I had zero control over. Why would God possibly want me here?
With an uneasy belly and jet lag, I stumbled through orientation with our ministry host. Something I was so excited about was suddenly exhausting and uncomfortable. India was growing on me, but from the eyes of a tourist. So I told God he made an error.
And you know what happened? I wound up in a church in the middle of India, a place where less than 3% of the population knows Christ, celebrating India’s Independence Day. I got to take communion in a country where Christians are persecuted, while the song I got baptized to was playing. I said it in my last blog and I’ll say it again: I LOVE God’s attention to detail. Just in case worshiping with people who are often disowned by their families for following Christ wasn’t enough to shift my perspective, he threw in a special little reminder that he has me exactly where he wants me.
‘And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.’Phil. 4:19
Even in the midst of insecurity, God continues to shower us with precious gifts. During our flight issues, the airline put my entire squad in a 5-star hotel with yummy meals and Aveda hair products. The ministry my team and I are working with this month is in one of the nicest areas of India. We have a shower, western toilet, A/C, and even WiFi! A World Race jackpot!
So even when we end up lost in a literal monsoon, knee deep in water in an unfamiliar country, we can rest in God’s promises. Did we wind up in a restaurant 7x our food budget, dripping wet today? Yep. Did they cringe and hand us cloth napkins, probably hoping we would leave? Yep. Did the language barrier cause us to order enough food for 16 people? Also yep. But it provided much needed laughter and a story we’ll never forget.
India is hard, y’all. Community living is even harder. But God is good, always. And he’s continuing to reveal himself over and over in the midst of insecurity and uneasiness. I can’t wait to share about our ministry, but it deserves its own post, so you’ll have to stay tuned!
