"You know it’s funny what a young man recollects? ‘Cause I don’t remember bein’ born. I don’t recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don’t know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world." -spoken by the beloved Forrest Gump. When remembering India it's easy to remember the true joy shining in the childrens faces, the love you feel when they wrap their tiny bodies around yours yelling "teecha! teecha!". But it is also easy to remember the bruises caused by drunken fathers, the deformities caused by intermarrying and malnutrition, the beggar children following you with outstretched hands.
We flew into India in the middle of the night. My excitement after months of anticipation and over 24 hours of traveling was hard to contain. Looking out of the window of the plane, it was just blackness below us. Then suddenly there were bursts of light shining up at us. Illuminating the darkness. Maybe it was just exhaustion, maybe it was suspense, maybe it was just the Lord moving in my heart, but the sight brought tears first to my eyes, then rolling down my cheeks. Why? Because I realized that was US. We were coming with our lights shining into the dark country of India. The lights stood out so much more after just seeing darkness for so long that you were instantly drawn to look at them. In John it says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." And that is so true about India.
The darkness there is almost overwhelming at times. The idols clearly displayed and the worship of them evident in every bus, and on every street. Satan truly has a grip on the beautiful country of India! But...just as on the plane...the small glimpses of light you see in people shine brighter than you could ever imagine! The way the people there worship the Lord is truly inspiring.
We had the privilege of discipling believing women while in Goa. Although they cannot read, and do not have access to the scripture in their home, their faith is incredible! They have to fully rely on the Lord for everything in their life. Seeing them come before the Lord, asking for even just the equivalent of $5 to take home to their families so their husbands do not beat them. How often do we take our worries and our praises before the Lord here in America? How often do we truly find ourselves fully reliant on him? I realized that although I have access to many forms of the scripture here, I do not open them and use that precious gift as I should. I realized that my praise of Him is often based on what He has done for me that day. I realized that even though I was suppose to be pouring into those women, they impacted me more than I probably impacted them.
The learning opportunities I had in India were incredible. I learnt how to navigate crowded buses, and how to shove myself onto an already packed bus. I became an expert at the game frogger-in real life- crossing busy intersections without cross walks or lights. (The key is to just walk and hope they avoid you). I now know to always keep food in my bag to hand out to the beggar children and women on the streets. I realized that Americans show way too much of their bodies and modesty here is pretty much nonexistent. I learnt that I have a gift in just being able to speak English, and was able to attempt to help the women there increase their value by learning the basics as well. My body=weak. Indian hospitals= interesting experiences. Fellowship and guidance from other Christian women is so important in spiritual growth. I have amazing self-control as I didn't kidnap the 4 children I wanted to, to bring home to my mom.
One of my favorite experiences while in India was handing out Operation Christmas child boxes! My church packs these every year, as does my school. Personally, my family has being doing a box every year for as long as I can remember. Being able to see in person the excitement and joy in the children's faces as they got things their family would never be able to afford was amazing. The pure joy I saw in just simple marbles, or toothbrushes, or soap, or crayons was almost heartbreaking. Most families there earn 100 rupees a day. So about 2 dollars a day. When you have 5 children to feed and a husband who gambles, crayons aren't high on your priority list for your kids. But these boxes enabled them to have the basics as well as the fun things. Also, it brought the message of the gospel in their language to them. It meant they could show their families their presents and bring a small glimpse of light into their homes.
Well more to follow later, I can only process small ammounts of that trip at a time to put it into words!!!
