Down Under & Back Again: February 2011

The last month of my Outreach was spent in Chennai, India (previously known as Madras) which is in Southern India. I had no idea what I was in for, but I had watched enough Bollywood videos before I got there to be super excited. I could have never imagined. People always ask me "How was it over there?" or they say "I could never go to a third world country, how did you do it?". But you know what? By God's grace, when we arrived in the Chennai airport, it was such an easy transition. Yes, it was exactly like you would imagine it in some ways. It was dirty in some areas, extremely impoverished, soldiers holding gigantic guns, thick aroma filled humid air, tons of people, and if they had a bathroom it was a squatty-potty. In other ways there was extreme extravagance, fine jewelry and linens, awesome food, the most vibrant colors I've ever seen, and the coolest people I've ever met. So if you truly want to know how it was in a third world country: It was AMAZING and I loved every minute of it. The pros outweighed the cons.

There were really hard parts of our time in India. I live close to the Mexico border here at home, and so a lot of these things I had seen. I still to this day have a hard time saying "no" to a baby begging for money, even though I know they are slaves. I have a hard time haggling a street vendor, even though I know I'm being overcharged. I had the hardest time not taking home all of those beautiful boys and girls who were orphans, gypsies, and enslaved. I cannot resist hugging a leper when they come up and pray for me, when I was are there to pray for them. I cannot deny the power of the Holy Spirit when I walk into a small room of people praising, dancing, crying and singing to the Lord, in such a sincere way...like I have never seen. I cannot but help feeling dirty and greedy every now and again, realizing how little I needed over there, and how much I cherish my "things" here. While I was in India, I felt more like the woman God created me to be, than I have ever been in the United States.

India is the wake up call to the nations. A people group who has Nothing, provides Everything for others. They should me what selflessness looks like. It didn't matter if we went to a big church or a small church, a rich peoples house or a homeless house...whatever they had, they gave it to us. In a family of 6, in a 4 room house...the family we stayed with, opened up their rooms for 12 of us. The grandparents slept on the floors outside so we could have a place to stay. The grandma, Maggie, got up at 5am every morning to make sure we ate before a long day of work. It didn't matter who they were, when we came, they gave us the best they had, even if they didn't get to eat. How Biblical is that? Didn't Jesus say "Love your neighbors as yourself"? Exactly. They showed us how to do that.

Jesus, thank you for the people in India. Protect them, bless them, and prosper them. Walk with them through the hard times, and spread your name and your Gospel through the land Spirit.

My time in India and Thailand brought my passions to life and to the surface. Many will say why did you go to University if you aren't going to use your degree? Many will see my choice to be a missionary and live out the Gospel as a failure or a "phase" I'm in. But I don't, because I know this is who I am and where I am supposed to be.