Sunday in India

Sunday, February 07, 2010

I think it is Sunday….or is it Saturday?? I honestly have no clue. But I guess it doesn’t really matter, does it? The team has been quite busy between teaching the conference and visiting the children’s home. There really are two separate opportunities for ministry to happen for us here. The children love it when we show up where they are. The first time we met them, they were brought to the local KFC for dinner. We were there already waiting for them. As they all filed in, their faces were gleaming. Beautiful, intelligent and respectful faces. They were so happy. Dr. Anjuli Nayak has created this home for them, each one representing a family where both parents have died. This particular children’s home only accepts “true orphans” and apparently a child left with no living parents is what that means. There are a total of thirty three of them . We brought them each a new pair of shoes, games, books, movies, clothes and jelly beans.

The Galatians conference began on Friday morning with approximately 200 Indian pastors and students from villages as far as 100 miles away. Their enthusiasm and charisma was refreshing. To watch them soak in the teaching of the Scriptures all day long amazed me. Often in the U.S. we think an hour and a half long class is the maximum anyone could expect us to sit through. These men and women studied for hours, took a lunch break, and came back for more teaching the rest of the afternoon and into early evening. By the time we finish this conference tomorrow afternoon, we will have worked our way through the entire book of Galatians. Then on Wednesday, we fly off to Varanasi for the second conference. We have been told by numerous local people that Varanasi is a very “religious” place. By this, they mean it is over 70% Hindu and the rest mostly Muslim. There are over 200,000 idols in the city and it is the location of the Ganges River where people go to die. They believe if they die there, they go straight to heaven. So, we go to this place on Wednesday of next week to begin sessions on Thursday.

Getting to a place where we could access the internet has been impossible. Between the locations we are staying in and our crazy schedule, it just couldn’t happen for us. Right now, I have one hour of internet access which I was finally able to acquire, but I am so sleepy, I am not sure how much I will get done. All in all, it has been a good trip. There is so much to tell but not the time right now to write it all down. I am taking pictures on my phone and trying to post some of them on Facebook. It seems my phone can take me to that sight as well as bring in my emails. Other than that, my phone is useless.

Once again, trust has been the biggest challenge for me. Trusting Jesus that He has a reason for my being here in this place for such a time as this, trusting His provision, and trusting Him to speak through me to the ones I am teaching. Today was my first time to teach here and God came through as He always does. I had so much fun interacting with God’s people here. I am exhausted tonight, but it is a good exhaustion. I’ll write more later.

(By the way, living here gives a whole new meaning to the expression “Holy Cow!”)

Fly Day

I am at Kathy Bearce's home in Alpharetta, GA where I spent the night last evening. Our escort will pick us up at 1:30PM to take us to the airport. So....today is "fly day". Yes, I am nervous, but also excited. My family asked me at dinner the other evening what I was nervous about. I didn't have to think long to answer. For me, the uncertainty of it all; not knowing what to expect, what to do, how to respond to circumstances and surroundings. I am such an "atmosphere" person that I am often most challenged in that realm. From the very early stages of agreeing to go on this trip all the way to "leaving day", my ability to trust has been the ultimate test for me. Trusting for financial provision, trusting myself with a group of people I do not know, trusting myself to participate in an assignment in a third world country, trusting myself in this new test of my weight loss journey. The strong call to trust "not knowing where", reminds me of Abraham. In Genesis 12, the Lord told Abram to "leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." A few verses later, the Scripture tells us his response: "So Abram left as the Lord had told him." I can relate. I really believe God invited me to participate in this adventure and sent me out. So, I left and here I am getting ready to check my bags, go through customs and board that big silver bird. My trust is ultimately in the One who is sending me. I know that He is a protective and caring Father that gives good gifts to His children. While I am nervous, I also feel taken care of. As I choose to rest in that, it allows me to focus my mind and thoughts on the purpose for which I am going. Watch this....the passage in Genesis says it clearly and says it in my own vernacular; "....and you will be a blessing." I love that!!! I say that all the time..."just trying to be a blessing." So right here as God is promising Abram all that He promises, He also lets his servant know how He will cause him to be a blessing to others. How cool is that? I know there is much more in these verses about significant things, but that is what jumped out to me in my circumstances today. I know that I will be greatly blessed by this experience....and in turn will be a blessing to others. That is encouraging and a good perspective to have as I take a deep breath, center down, relax....and know that "you will be a blessing". Thanks God for such sweet words in my own accent.