India is a country that will be hard to put into words. It was definitely the most difficult country. I was pushed in new ways and things like patience and perseverance were really tested.
There were a lot of things that got dumped on us when we got to India and during that time I had to learn a lot about being flexible and considering all things joy; especially the trials. I’m looking back into my journal, and in it I’m basically lamenting to the Lord; some very genuine honest prayers. And now as I look back I see how those prayers have come to fruition. For example I was asking the lord for a new heart of steadfastness. I recognized the pride and selfishness in my heart and I can see how the Lord used India to grow me in new ways.
I can’t even begin to to express my thankfulness to God.
For two months my team lived in rural villages hours away from any kind of city. The villages looked like they came out of the movie Lion. The cities and poverty we saw looked like it came out of Slumdog Millionaire. We lived in 3 different villages throughout our time and did church planting, meaning when it got dark we visited houses and gave messages and testimonies for new believers and church goers every night. The Lord revealed to me a lot of comforts that I was holding onto rather than surrendering them to the Lord.
One of my entries in November writes “God, you’re already tuning my heart. You’re already rewarding me, showing me that you are with me. I praise you. I delight in gaining knowledge. I am now content with the situation I’m in. Father, keep on reminding me that you’re with me. On the first night of ministry you gave me healing hands. You took away the boys pain because I asked you. You shower the churches with your Holy Spirit. Thank you.”
Wow. I remember that night so clearly, my prayer was something along the lines of “ok God, you’ve called me to this, show me your glory” And after church the first night we prayed over the sick and I prayed for a boy who had been in a car crash and broke his leg and was in constant pain. After praying over his leg, he said there was less pain (through gestures and explaining a 10 point scale, language barriers are difficult). By the third or fourth time I played hands on the boys leg, it went from an 8 to no pain at all. This was the first time the lord used me to heal in supernatural ways, and it’s stories like these that I get to share with people back home who might be doubtful.
It was moments like that that made India so powerful. There were a lot of things that made India really hard, but looking back I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world.
Here are some fun memories I want to never forget:
-Trips to Hyderabad with a shower, a bed to sleep in, a toilet, wifi, not chicken curry every day. All the things we didn’t have in the villages.
-Going to countless Christmas services singing Felíz Navidad
-Throwing up in a squatty potty in the middle of a church service. The entire congregation could hear.
-Wearing lungis
-Getting asked to take selfies 24/7
-Living at a house church where the pastor adopted and took care of 12 orphans.
-Sharing Christmas and Thanksgiving with team thrive, making American food and watching movies together.
-For New Years going to Hampi (a touristy park famous for its rock climbing) and slept in the attic of a Reggae bar for $4 a night and hung out with a bunch of hippies from all over the world for a few days, climbing and riding bikes around the village.
