First Day in India!

It's the end of my first day in India and it has been amazing! We got up, had devotions and prayed as a team and then went exploring a bit outside.  We went walking for about an hour on the main street that our hotel is on.  It is very different from anywhere else I have ever been.  The first thing that is so different is how dirty it is.  The streets are lined with trash and dirt everywhere.  Walking along the streets we saw a house that was piled with trash and old cars in the front yard.  Another thing that is very different is the driving!! There are so many people on the roads and they like to honk! Alot :) I woke up this morning to the sound of honking from the streets outside.  At first I thought it was something rude but after talking to another member on my team, I found out that it's more for safely.  By honking, they let other drivers and pedestrians that they are there and to watch out for them because they might be trying to get by.  The roads are paved and have the usual lines that divide the traffic lanes, but it seems that those are more guidelines than law. No one abides by where the lines are, they just drive!

This afternoon Dr. P picked us up from our hotel and we went to his house for lunch. His wife made us some rice and chicken, and spicy chicken, and cucumbers, and watermelon, and then put more rice and chicken on our plates, and then a third time too. Haha needless to say i was very much full until dinner.  I felt bad for not finishing my meal but there was no way, she gave me so much! After lunch, Dr. P showed us his church building and bible school library. 

The final journey for the night was an hour and a half van ride to a leper colony.  It was the best part of the day.  I had been looking forward to visiting them since we began preparing for this trip in November but I had no idea what to expect.  I was nervous the whole way there wondering what they would think of us or even how I was suppose to interact with these people.  The moment I stepped out of the van, the people were surrounding the church building that Dr. P had established there and were also surrounding us, welcoming us and giving a gift of necklaces on each one of us.  That was the first thing that got me.  We came to love and serve these people and they are giving us gifts! Wow. We went into the church building and sat at the front of the church in chairs they provided for us.  Dr. P began to play his accordion and another pastor led them in song while we clapped along not knowing the words.  This was a truly overwhelming experience for me and even now I am still overwhelmed.  It was an amazing experience to be able to worship with God's people literally halfway around the world from me.  This is how God intended it to be.  God has such a great love for these people that we are usually so disconnected with.  But tonight I was able to connect with them in worship   and be in fellowship with them.  It reminded me how it says in Philippians 2:9-11: "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" and also in Revelation 7:9-10: "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" How amazing that day will be.  Really that is how it should be now and I think it grieves God that we aren't doing more as believers to reach out to the other body of believers around the world. 

After we preached the gospel, many came forward to be saved. Praise God.  And then we we're able to give them rice that we had brought for them and just hang out with them.  I didn't understand what they were saying but a couple people came to me and wanted me to pray for them.  They also loved getting their picture taken with us :) 

It was hard to say goodbye but I am so excited to see what God is going to do the rest of this week and tomorrow! 

Thanks for your prayers!