Hey guys!
The south of India was almost like entering a whole new world compared to the north. It was filled with excitement, hard times and lots and lots of ministry. This was definitely NOT a vacation, it was a time to be stretched and allow God to work in the lives of the people around us. We joked the whole time that the terms "time off" and "plan" should not be in the dictionary. Here are a couple things I want to share with all you fine people reading, enjoy :)
Look at the day and then look at the grace for that day. Our minds try and comprehend the vastness of this earth, oceans, land and seas. And yet we can't even comprehend the amount of people on this tiny planet we call our own. While I was staring at the stars, standing on the edge of the Indian Ocean I wondered why our God comes after us, imagining the beauty of space and what it looks like from Fathers perspective. My mind was blown, again, and the rattle inside my own head needed a break from the constant motion of thoughts. From stars, to people and cultures, I wondered how life rotates like the earth and how the bigness of it all related to me. Our world is so small to what our Father sees and yet He wants to use me to change it. You see, when new experiences and craziness hits a life like mine, it tends to shake things up and then things I didn't know were there just come out. Like the times we had no idea what we were doing until we were doing it. Or when we walked into the middle of a village and had the opportunity to tell others about Jesus, the 15 house meetings we went to, the 2,000 tracks we handed out, the 10 open airs, 5 people giving their lives to Christ, the sermons I preached, the classes we taught and so much more! This is NOT NORMAL LIFE. I think Jesus is waiting for us to get out of "normality" so that He can teach us, so that our inside can be shaken and He can come in to fill it with His truth. He is waiting to teach us, to fill us with His wisdom and often times I ask for Him to teach me. But, I don't want it to be hard, I would ask "God why do I have to go all the way to India for you to teach me this?" And He says "Because you wouldn't have learned it back home." Father is looking for us to get out of our comfort zone, so that He can input His truth and His strongholds in our lives.
I have so much more to say and I am sure I will put my thoughts into blog form when I arrive back in the States. But, thank you soooo much for every bit of support (financially and prayer wise)!!! You all mean so much to me! =)
I'm going to try and explain to you what has happened over the past 6 weeks as my team and I have traveled from Darjeeling (Northern India) to Pondicherry (Southern India). Here's my explanation in a couple words: You know what you consider normal? I had to forget all of it and start over. :)
India was crazy! But so amazing. We first arrived in Kalkutta, a very large Indian city where the sights, the sounds, the driving and the smells were completely foreign to all of us. We took a 10 hour train ride overnight to a jeep that took us up into the Himalayan foothills of Darjeeling. It was one of the craziest driving experiences ever! From cows, goats and monkeys in the middle of the road, to driving very fast on the edge of a cliff, we made it safely. The views in the mountains were AMAZING. On clear days we were staring at the 3rd largest mountain in the world (Kangchenjunga). We took a 12K hike (7.5miles) uphill, where we walked through the clouds and saw this!
The south of India was almost like entering a whole new world compared to the north. It was filled with excitement, hard times and lots and lots of ministry. This was definitely NOT a vacation, it was a time to be stretched and allow God to work in the lives of the people around us. We joked the whole time that the terms "time off" and "plan" should not be in the dictionary. Here are a couple things I want to share with all you fine people reading, enjoy :)
Look at the day and then look at the grace for that day. Our minds try and comprehend the vastness of this earth, oceans, land and seas. And yet we can't even comprehend the amount of people on this tiny planet we call our own. While I was staring at the stars, standing on the edge of the Indian Ocean I wondered why our God comes after us, imagining the beauty of space and what it looks like from Fathers perspective. My mind was blown, again, and the rattle inside my own head needed a break from the constant motion of thoughts. From stars, to people and cultures, I wondered how life rotates like the earth and how the bigness of it all related to me. Our world is so small to what our Father sees and yet He wants to use me to change it. You see, when new experiences and craziness hits a life like mine, it tends to shake things up and then things I didn't know were there just come out. Like the times we had no idea what we were doing until we were doing it. Or when we walked into the middle of a village and had the opportunity to tell others about Jesus, the 15 house meetings we went to, the 2,000 tracks we handed out, the 10 open airs, 5 people giving their lives to Christ, the sermons I preached, the classes we taught and so much more! This is NOT NORMAL LIFE. I think Jesus is waiting for us to get out of "normality" so that He can teach us, so that our inside can be shaken and He can come in to fill it with His truth. He is waiting to teach us, to fill us with His wisdom and often times I ask for Him to teach me. But, I don't want it to be hard, I would ask "God why do I have to go all the way to India for you to teach me this?" And He says "Because you wouldn't have learned it back home." Father is looking for us to get out of our comfort zone, so that He can input His truth and His strongholds in our lives.
I have so much more to say and I am sure I will put my thoughts into blog form when I arrive back in the States. But, thank you soooo much for every bit of support (financially and prayer wise)!!! You all mean so much to me! =)
Me giving my testimony in Darjeeling.
Indian village
Jacob (one of our team members) sharing about Jesus in a village
Our team and the Indian Ocean
