Bittersweet Symphony

That’s life. With each hello, we still feel the weight of those awful goodbyes. Amidst the happiness that comes with reuniting with loved ones, there’s an overcast of sadness that clouds the air. When I set out for India 5 weeks ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All of us can attest to the fact that we had been given minimal detail as to what we would be doing; however, our Father had called us and we responded. We went to make an impact on the people of that country, but had no idea of the impact they would have on us. We went to teach the children of the slum, unaware of how much they would teach us. We went to share the greatness of God’s love with the people who have exemplified God’s love to us. We went to teach humility and we were humbled. We went to serve, and we were served. You want proof of our Father’s existence? Just spend one day talking to Aunty and Uncle. Spend a day talking to Tori and Chelsi. Spend one moment with Grace and you will ask our Father, “How can you create something so beautiful? You must be real!” WE MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH! And yes Shaun and Sonny, I’m crying while writing this.

On our last day at the ministry, we planned to wash the feet of the children just as JC washed the feet of his disciples in John 13. We ran up and down the house an hour before we left and searched for buckets and towels. Satisfied with the 5 buckets we had found and the two towels that had been shredded into 5, we left for the ministry. I had been preparing all day, but over the trip, I had learned that no amount of preparation would compare to power of our Father’s Spirit working in me while I spoke. Having reached, we made the familiar trek through the narrow slum streets. We marched up the stairs, still not sure of how we were going to get water, but totally relying on JC to provide. As we entered, the familiar “Hello Aunty, Hello Uncle!” rang through our ears. After two songs (“Father Abraham” and “Running Over”), the children were told to sit down and back up. Immediately, I felt a calling to read through John 13:1-17 instead of summarizing it. Its power would have been lost had I tried to sum up the gravity of JC’s actions and the Word, in itself is sufficient in displaying the face of JC. Having read the passage in English, Deepa (one of the students) read it in Kannada. They were given a few seconds to let the message sink in. After, we discussed the nature of our savior’s actions. How could JC, our redeemer and savior of the universe, bow down at the feet of mere men and take up the role of a servant? Clearly, there is no room for pride in our Father’s kingdom if He can humble himself to the lowliest position of a servant. And yet scum like me walk the earth basking in an ambiance of pride and arrogance. Oh Father forgive us! The children didn’t seem to truly understand so I asked them, “Which of you will take up the role of a servant?” “Who will come up and wash the feet of others?” “Who will come up and wash our feet?”

As uncle translated this, I could see the look of confusion on his face as the plan had always been for the children to wash our feet. Several children hesitantly put their hands in the air. I then invited five of them to come up and do as they had said. We filled five buckets with water, sat in stools, and the children sat on their knees at our feet. All at once, before they could start, we grabbed their hands and put them in the stools. I then explained that we would instead be washing their feet. For each of the 60-70 students, we prayed over them and then washed their feet clean. Some resisted at first, but we explained that we wanted to do this. One particular child who resisted, Pradeep, brought tears to my eyes. This is the same guy who asked about the meaning of “the Word” in John 1:1. Once Daniel had finished washing his feet, Pradeep asked Daniel if he could wash his feet. After a slight hesitation, Daniel agreed. “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). He understood the message! If that had been the only miracle of the day, I would’ve been happy enough. That was already enough to move me, but our Father wasn’t done yet.

After all the children’s feet had been washed, one-by-one they approached us and asked to wash our feet. They formed lines in front of our buckets! With the spirit of a servant they washed our feet clean. When the water had gotten too dirty, they replaced it with clean water and kept going. One-by-one, we each started crying. “Uncle, why are you crying?” How could I not cry?

Eventually, we had to stop because it was getting late. Something stuck out to me about Pradeep. I felt a strong desire from within to give him my Bible, but quickly dismissed the idea as ludicrous. How could I give one child a gift and not the others? After the footwashing, some of the students had words of thanks to us as we were leaving the next day. I told myself that if Pradeep got up, that would be enough of a sign for me. I would give him my Bible. After all, Pradeep was too shy and there was no way he would get up and say anything. Wrong. The last person to speak was Pradeep. In accordance with his personality, he got up and spoke a few mumbled words of thanks. He was one of four people in a midst of about 100 children to say something. “Ok, ok Father, you win. If I get the opportunity to give him my Bible, I will, but there is no way I will be able to get a few minutes with him.” Wrong again. As we were cleaning up, Pradeep grabbed the buckets and escorted us to our car, walking with us every step of the way. With no other excuse available, I made my way to him and said, “I don’t know why, but I have been instructed to give this to you.” He quickly waved his hands and said, “No, uncle, its ok”. Paying no attention to his words, I put the book in his hands and said, “I hope it helps you find the meaning behind John 1:1.”

The children surrounded us outside the ministry and asked for our autographs. We each wrote down a Bible verse and then wrote our name below. Everyone wanted pictures with us and kept posing around us hoping that Alex would direct the camera in their direction. We must have taken more pictures that day than all the other days combined. Finally able to get in the car, the children still ran behind the car as we were leaving. When we reached home, we were greeted by a surprise party. Balloons, signs, food, dancing, and friends; what more could we want? Our new family spent a night of celebrating. We created 3 music videos, which I hope never reach the internet, for my sake. Haha, who am I kidding, I want to see them on Facebook. Shaun and Sonny spent the night with us. The entire next day was spent preparing a typical American meal for lunch. It was good to have our attention focused on something else that way we didn’t think about the sadness that was about to befall us. Eventually, however, it was time to leave. After giving everyone a hug and saying a family prayer, we left. Our journey was problem-free, but our hearts were in turmoil. On the flight, Daniel said, “I know we are landing at 6 AM Eastern time, but what time is that at home.” That place has become a home to all of us. And these people have become our new family. Our prayers and thoughts go out to all of you. We hope that we will see you all soon. We hope that you all will be touched by everything that our Father has done. We hope that more people will become witnesses of our Father’s grace. We hope that we will be reunited some day with our new family. “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Romans 8:25). So patiently we will wait for all these things. Our hope is in JC, and not once has he disappointed me.

Grace and Peace.

Real Change

As I sit and think about my time coming to a close here, many questions circulate through my mind. What am I supposed to do with all these experiences I’ve had over the past month? How am I supposed to communicate what I’ve witnessed, felt, and experienced to people who have not been here? How will my stories affect the people who hear them? Will these people really change or will they say “I’m glad you had fun over there” and continue sipping on their $5 coffee? Will they actually realize that they are part of a small minority of the world that lives such a comfortable lifestyle? Will they realize that despite their own thoughts on their amount of money, the rest of the world views them as rich? Can anything I say change the way people live?

I say no. People are so focused on their own comfort that my words will fall on deaf ears. The Father’s words, however, can change people. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of (the Father) is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Father makes the poor rich, the weak strong, the sick healthy, the unrighteous righteous, and the rebel a servant. The Father has changed my life tremendously, and I’ve seen him do the same thing in lives here as well. These children worship the Father with a passion that many in the States would not even be able to recognize. Sure their knowledge of the Word may not be as deep as people’s back home, but I’m glad that many of the kids do understand JC’s gift and have made him the center of their lives. I’m honored to teach the rest of the Word to enhance these children’s knowledge of the Father they already love. This does not mean all the children are believe in JC. I’d venture to say the majority still does not have JC as the center of their lives, so I will continue to pray that their hearts be opened to JC’s love and mercy. I also pray that the believers be kept safe against the attacks of the evil one and they may continue to grow in their relationships with JC. I urge others to pray the same prayers for these children. Pray without ceasing. Look to the Father for guidance for everything.

Romans 10:14-15

Colossians 2:4-6

Hebrews 12:1-3

Philippians 1:9-11

We Will Remember

Monday was Independence Day…in America. Nonetheless, we celebrated here with a group of our fellow Americans. We made a trip to an amusement park called Wonderla with a family from America that has been living here for the last 6 years, the Mirabellas. Amidst the roller coasters, the water slides, wave pool, and rain disco, we had a great July 4^th! I will let you know; however, that these awesome experiences did not come without a tinge of awkwardness. “What’s more awkward than being the only white people in the park?” one might ask. And I answer, being the only brown person with the white people. I’ll spare you the details so that we can move onto a much more interesting story.

We returned to the slums on Tuesday to teach. Daniel and Alex spent all of their time with the second oldest group while I went straight up to the top floor. In my mind, I had prepared to teach math as I had become accustomed to this routine. Entering the room, I was greeted by the familiar, “Praise the Lord, uncle!” by every student. I returned the greeting and took a seat on a nearby stool. About five girls had surrounded the stool. I, thinking that they needed help with homework, asked them if they had any questions. They nodded their heads and just smiled. Asha, one of the girls, told me that they had already finished their homework. Another girl, Sindhu, approached me and said, “Uncle, we have memorized the verse! Can you test us?” I had completely forgotten about the memory verse and yet these girls had not only remembered, but went home and actually memorized them! I responded with a smile and asked her to recite the verse. She stumbled a few times, but got the general gist of the verse (Galations 2:20 in case you forgot). The next girl, Meena, said it almost perfectly, in English! Deepa recited the verse perfectly in the local language. Each one was so excited. Their hunger for the Word was not only prevalent, but also contagious. They said, “Uncle, can you give us another verse?” Oh, I was so happy! Each of them gave me their notebooks and I copied down Ephesians 2:8-10. Delighted, they asked me to explain the verses. So they were told about salvation through our Father’s grace, about our inability to be saved through works, about our Father’s gift, and about the good works that come about as a result of faith in JC. Honestly, my heart leapt for joy and I’m not even really sure what that means.

Another boy came up to me and said, “Uncle, John 1:1 talks about ‘the Word’. I don’t understand this. Can you explain?” Overwhelmed with joy at his curiosity I started to explain some very complicated theological viewpoints on the matter. I went back to Genesis 1 with the creation of the world and discussed the creative nature of our Father’s word. I then took it a step too far when discussing the Greek terminology of “Logos” and its ties to the principle of reason. Luckily, Tori and Chelsi were there to stop me because I probably would’ve kept going. I finally told the boy that if he really wanted to understand more, he would have to read the Word and pray. He seemed satisfied by that. Next, they wanted to hear a story from the Word, the story of JC’s birth. Man, I loved this day!

Blessed be the name of our Father! Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:105 says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”. Psalm 119:130 says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Our Father has taught me, through these children, the meaning of these verses. My brothers and sisters in JC, I want to encourage each and every one of you to seek earnestly the meaning behind our Father’s words. Seek and pray for only then will your hunger be filled and only then will your thirst be quenched. Praise be to our Father, for our prayers have been heard and answered! Praise be to the son, JC, and may the children of this slum believe that he is the Son who has redeemed all those who believe. May you be blessed, reader, for your continual support for this journey over the past month. Our journey has nearly come to an end. Remember, however, that for many of these children, their journey has just begun. Thus, as new brothers and sisters in JC, they need our continual prayer.

Grace and Peace.

Awake My Soul

This Sunday morning began much earlier that our other Sundays. Alex and Daniel made a trip to the slums early in the morning (at 6:30) to Skype with a camp back home. I woke up at 8 and got ready for church. A missionary family that is staying here came to pick us up at 9:45 and took us with them to their church. We climbed the stairs of an ordinary building and reached a room on the second floor filled with about 50 people. We took our seats as the pastor began speaking. The pastor referred to every member of his congregation as Brother or Sister and he knew every person by name. Not only did he know their names, but he also knew what was going on in their lives and what to pray for. This church truly epitomizes the definition of fellowship. It was like worshipping together as one large family. At periodic times throughout the service, any random member of the congregation would boldly pray out loud for our Father’s glory. Even in the middle of one of the worship songs, the band stopped playing and brought to the congregation’s attention a verse that had just come to his mind. The service was truly spectacular and the people’s faith is so genuine. At the end of the service, tea was brought out so that the members of the congregation could enjoy fellowship over a cup of tea. This is not unusual for many churches outside of the US. Upon leaving the church, we returned home, napped, and then got ready to head to the slums for ministry. Alex, Daniel, and I went straight up to the oldest group and started off with a few songs. The group gradually grew to a little over 100 children! When the Tori and Chelsi arrived, Alex started telling the story of Saul’s Conversion while we acted it out. The children learned of God’s ability to turn the least likely of us into witnesses for his glory and of Ananias’ obedience to God. They were able to retell the story in their own language while some of their peers acted it out. They also had verse memory today (Galations 2:20) and became aware of the concept of becoming a new creation in JC. After I had gone through the verse with them, some of the girls asked if they could borrow my copy of the Word. Unsure of what they were doing, I permitted them to take it. They took out a sheet of paper and copied down the verse so that they could memorize it at home. This truly warmed my heart! Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”. It is my prayer that these children commit our Father’s word, which is sufficient in portraying His glory, to their hearts so that they may “meditate on [His] decrees” (Psalm 119:48). Please pray for the children, that they might know their creator. Pray that our Father will awaken their souls to his presence and that He will be glorified. Pray that they will delight in His glory.

Grace and Peace.

TI Squared

Piled into a rickshaw with six people and a driver, there was nothing we could really do except laugh. With Alex upfront sharing a seat with the driver and five people sharing the back seat, you can imagine the humor of the situation. Better yet, you don’t have to imagine it…we took a picture. As ridiculous as this scene appeared to us, this situation is part of the normal routine for many of the people here. Needless to say, each day brings with it new experiences and yesterday brought many.

What started off as a normal Thursday of waking up at 4:45 AM and heading to the ministry to Skype with some camps back home turned into an eventful and eye-opening evening. The top floor was packed early that morning with tired yet joyful children. The children waved to the campers and sang a song based off of Psalm 23. After, the campers raised the arms, pointed their palms to the east, and prayed for the children, for the slums, for the glory of our Father. In between the two Skype sessions, Daniel was asked to “entertain” the children. Thus, he did one of those things that he does best: dance. The children were amused by his dancing (for those who want to know, he did “The Wop”). By the time we returned to the ministry at 5:30 PM, many children were asking him to dance again.

This trip to the slum was different in that both Suresh uncle and Latha aunty did not accompany us as they were both busy looking for a building to lease for Sunday morning worship. Thus, we just decided to spend about 30 minutes with each level. The youngest group was first. Their immaturity was prevalent and grasping their attention was, at times, difficult. We did our best; however to teach them English and Math. Confident that they had grasped an understanding of addition, we sang “Running Over”, prayed for them, and made our way to the next floor. The teacher was in the middle of a math lesson with the 5^th graders so Daniel and Alex taught English to the 4^th graders while I aided the teacher. They were learning even and odd numbers, in case you were wondering. I really respect the amount of enthusiasm that these children have for education. Its something that I think we are missing back at home. Tori ventured into our room to tell us that it was about time to head up to the top level with the oldest kids.

As I got up there, I noticed that there were about twice as many people as normal. A group of 8^th graders in the back needed help with math so I made my way through the crowd and tried to explain the concept of Base Number Conversion.

When Alex and Daniel joined us, we decided to start worship. We sang “Peace Like a River” and then Daniel started telling the story of The Prodigal Son while we acted it out. The extent of their attention was amazing, especially since our normal translators were not with us. After, Daniel asked them questions about the story and not only did they answer correctly, but they also seemed to identify with the story. All of us at one point identify closely with the younger son, but our Father, whose mercy has no limits, has rescued us through JC even while we were sinking in the depths of our own sin. What happened afterward was nothing short of miraculous. The principal led the children in worship in their own language. Their passion filled the air as they screamed out “Hallelujah!” at the top of their lungs, hands clapping, eyes closed, in complete reverence to the greater force at work. We all felt it. It must have been the presence of our Father because nothing else could be that beautiful. We left later than normal and without a car.

The principal stood with us as we waited for a rickshaw, but none came. No problem, after about 15 minutes of waiting, a small bus filled with people pulled up and the driver exchanged a few words with the principal. We were told to climb in and find a place to stand. “When in Rome”, right? So we did what we were told. For a second, I thought he was sending us on our own so I quietly whispered to Daniel to pretend that I spoke the language so that we wouldn't get ripped off. At that moment, I saw the principal in the bus with us and allowed my anxiety to leave. The bus made its way down the familiar streets and stopped at a much busier intersection. At that point, we were told to get out. After doing so, we gave the driver 30 rupees and waited for a rickshaw. When one pulled up, I assumed that we would send half of the group in that one and half in the other. Wrong. We all piled in, which brings us back to the description at the beginning of this post. Having reached home, we paid the driver, crossed the street, entered through the door, and ate dinner. In reference to the movie Blood Diamond where This Is Africa (“TIA”) is used, the term “TI²” (pronounced “T-I-Squared”) has become a standing joke amongst the five of us. Basically, we have learned to expect the unexpected here.

On a more serious note, Suresh uncle and Latha aunty have informed us that they may have found a building to worship in on Sunday. They hope to use this structure to build a church. Praise be to our Father! The story of how they came upon this building is another miracle and deserves a story for itself; however, I believe I have finally succeeded in overstepping your previous demands for brevity and will thus save the details. I only ask that you continue to pray for this building and construction of the new church. Uncle talked to us today about his desires to fill that place with those lost souls who do not yet know of our Father and His son, JC. Please pray that our Father’s will be done and that He will send those souls that He was chosen to this place.

Grace and Peace.