I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world
Mother Teresa
The more time we spend in community, the better we understand the body of Christ. Yet, we will never fully experience the complete body of Christ (until He returns) because the body is demonstrated in many different ways all around the world. THIS is one reason I love to travel. Interacting with the body in India gave me a fuller understanding of who Christ is and what community is all about.
I am SO blessed to have had the experiences that I have had… it really has shaped me in many ways. India was my 19th country (and I’m only 23!). However, India still is unlike any experiecne I’ve ever had! The whole trip was different than any of my other trips. It was 25 hours of traveling, I traveled with my dad (I’ve gotten used to traveling alone or with friends), I was mainly with only men, I did not know ANY of the language, I had to be extremely flexible (this is true in most trips, but I literally didn’t know what I would be doing until I was about to do it), I was stretched to speak in front of many people, and I was in a culture unlike any I’d ever experienced. In the end, I learned a LOT about the Indian people, about myself, and about the body of Christ.
As probablly expected, my first impression of India was that it is poor and FULL of people with overwhelming physical and spiritual needs. Although I had heard these things before, it is still and understatement, which is why I know my words will not come close to impacting those who have not been to India, seen the ribs of the starving people, smelt the ‘Kolkatta smell’ (however you would describe that), and seen the smile in the faces of people who truely understand suffering. Although my first thing would just be to say, ”Go to India if you have the chance”… I will still share some thoughts…
India is about one-third the size of the United States and more than three times the population. It is roughly 80% Hindu, 13% Muslim, 5% polytheistic, and 2% Christian. Within the Christian church, I saw very few men (many times I could count on one hand how many men attended the service) and many church leaders seemed to lack a deep understanding of Scripture. My dad and I spoke at churches around the country (we went to Kolkata, Kanpur, Agra, Delhi, Vishakapatham, and some small villages) to train the leaders and young people in the church. It was encouraging how greatly they desired to learn and grow!! Never in my life have I met so many people so full of joy and so giving! They enbodied the words joy and humility. They were full of pride to show me their house because it had 4 walls and the Lord provided it. Over and over again I was brought to an utter state of humilty that I know is only possible through Christ.
I cannot even begin to express the impact this trip had on my life, nor can I adaquately express the expreriences I had. However, there are a few things that stood out to me:
- The churches were SMALL, many were just one room (smaller than my bedroom in the States) and there was not room for chairs. People just packed in and sat next to one another on the ground.
- Many times, during service (which I usually couldn’t understand), the children sat up front and listened carefully for hours. I was ridiculously impressed with their patience. Although, many times, I spent the service watching some of the children turning around and smiling at me (I think Indian children have extra large smiles).
- Daily, I was greeted with a fresh handmade lei. It amazed me how often these people (who have nothing) found ways to give to us.
- The people in India know how to pray. They never failed to ask me for prayer, to pray for me, to pray for one another. They truely believe that all things are possible through Christ who lives within them and they demonstrtated so much faith.
- As I mentioned, I was amazed by the joy of the people I met. One man in particilar convicted me over and over again. His 6-month-old son had passed away a few weeks before (from a common cold). He was clearly sad; however, I heard him say several times that his son was a gift from the Lord and he was thankful for the gift of his son for those 6-months. He did not hesitate to doubt the Lord’s love for him and his family, despite the tragedy in their lives.
- I met many people that did not have a biblical understanding of adoption. First, they don’t really adopt because, as they say, they want their ”own” kids. IF they take in orphans, they do not adopt them and do not treat them as they are their own. In many cases, a widow that has children has a chance to remarry, so she abandons her children because she knows her new husband will abuse them since they are not ”his” and she wants a chance to ”start over”. Ugh… I was sick after several of these conversations. We really do live in a fallen world.
- Indian children love to dance… I really enjoyed watching them praise God during service, as well as join them in some dancing after.
- I went for a cruise on the Hooglie (aka Ganges) River. It was more than filthy and had a very distinct smell. It is still common practice to throw the remains of the dead (creamated or not) into the river. I also saw many people bathing in the river (It is still considered holy water).
- In the Ganges River, I saw several idols floating in the water. I asked why and was told it was because that is the only way they can discard the idols. Clearly, their idols deterrorate and rot over time… so the person will throw it in the holy river and make a new one (I guess a type of reincarnation). Hmm… I’m sure thankful that my God doesn’t rot…
- Idolatry is still very evident in India. Driving through a village I saw a huge monkey statute that I was told is the villages’ god. I felt like I was in old testiment times (this was just one of many examples I saw while there).
- Driving in India… let’s just say it’s crazy! I really think I almost died six or seven times a day.
- The Taj Mahal is beautiful… I really looks like you’re looking at a painting!
- Shalom Children’s Home
Here are the pictures from my trip!
