God has been moving here in a way that I’ve never seen. The moment I stepped off the plane I knew this was going to change my life, but as the days have passed, I’ve found out why. I’ve seen and experienced things here that I didn’t think were possible, both good and bad. From masses of crippled, homeless people to the gospel being presented and many responding. God has used this trip to shape how I look at the world. Before coming over I knew that we would experience poverty, but not to this degree. At night, there are hundreds of homeless people lined up on the sidewalks sleeping. There are little kids that don’t beg for money, but for food. In America, our everyday things are luxuries to the rest of the world. I’ve had ice cold water once in two weeks. I’m reminded of the countless times at home that I didn’t drink the water because it was from the tap or because it wasn’t cold enough. If you drink tap water here, you puke for two days. Today we hand washed our clothes…and it was hard work. The majority of the world do that everyday, but I get frustrated because my machine won’t work fast enough. My prayer is that I will never forget this place or these people, that my heart would stay broken the way it has been for the past two weeks, and that God would continue to fill my heart with a desire to reach the lost, not only in India, but in Martinsburg and anywhere else that He places me.
While I’ve seen the worst possible conditions, I’ve also seen some amazing things too. There are not many Christians in India, but the few God has, He is using completely for His glory. If there is one thing that I will never forget, it’s the people that we have labored with. It is easy for us to come here and sacrificially serve knowing that we will return home in month. But these people, they’re here for good. There are five people that have shown me what it means to serve and to count others more significant than yourself: Pastor Barra, Suprio, Ashish, Cacunda, and Sauren. I’m sure I butchered their names, but they deserve mentioning. Each one has served in a different way, and through them God has taught me many lessons about life and the faith.
The three of us are definitely missing home and our families, but we are still focused on the mission at hand. The gospel has gone out many times and each time, God has saved people. He is good, and just the idea of Him choosing us, a bunch of lowly dudes, to share his salvation with those far from him across the world just blows my mind. I’ve been reading in Acts about Paul’s conversion, and we are right there with him. We have not earned the right to labor for the gospel, but He’s gracious, and we’re grateful.
So for the team, I just want to thank you guys for lifting us up in prayer, it has been felt. I’ve heard people say that they’ve felt prayer before and I’ve always wondered what that felt like…well now I know. It’s incredible. I’m extremely thankful to have such an awesome church family. Please continue to pray for us that would be unified and that nothing would separate the bond that we have formed. I loved Luke and Ross before this trip, but it has only grown stronger. Their love for God and people continually push me to do the same. I’d also ask you to pray for our health and endurance. This work is extremely fun and rewarding, but at times it can become tiring walking long distances in extreme heat. We’ve each had the opportunity to share the gospel with churches and villages about twice a day when we go out, so also pray that we’d be spirit led and proclaim God’s goodness with boldness. We love you guys and can’t wait to share everything God’s been doing here.
