Life Through the Eyes of a Child

This is JesLeah...2 1/2 year old daughter of Pastor John and Leah in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.  John and Leah are church planters turned leadership for India Gospel League (IGL) in Andhra Pradesh and they work tirelessly to spread the Gospel.

We first met them in the van that picked us up at the Vijayawada airport the day before the conference. JesLeah was just recovering from a sickness and was tired and cuddly...and wanted NOTHING to do with the 5 white women that wanted to invade her space!  She was curious of course, but didn't want to interact with us. I tried to play peek-a-boo between the seats with her, but every time I caught her looking back at us, she turned around and would fall asleep on her mother's lap.

I took it as my personal goal to get her to like me and play with me before we left India!  I knew it was going to be a lot of work, but I was determined!  Luckily there were 5 of us working on her so it didn't take too long!

On the first morning of the conference, we were greeted with this!  Still shy and not wanting to interact with us, but more more bold and happy!

 Sitting on the front row of the church with her mom, Leah, who had coordinated the conference, JesLeah was directly in my line of sight the entire time!  Sometimes I got shy smiles and sometimes I was completely ignored, but I wasn't ready to give up hope yet!  I started taking note of how JesLeah was seeing the world and was fascinated.

**Side note, I love little kids. A lot.  I work with them every day at school for a reason.  I see them interact with each other and with adults all of the time.  I know their natural progression of learning and how absorbent they are when they are young.  But these two little girls taught me a lot of object lessons in the 2 days that we were together!**

As a young child, I remember being just like this.  Standing on the pew and looking at everyone around me to make sure I was doing "church" right.  These little eyes saw EVERYTHING and she took it all in without saying much at all. 

                                                  

This picture embodies the Scripture in Proverbs 22..."train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it".  With parents in the ministry, JesLeah is going to be surrounded with God-fearing people all of her life and she will be taught the things of God.  My prayer for her is that she will embrace the love of her Heavenly Father as she does her earthly father and will not turn away from the lifestyle she's been raised in.

Her mother's parents are both deceased and Pratibha has taken Leah under her wing as a daughter so JesLeah is her adopted granddaughter.  You can see the joy in JesLeah's face at being with grandmother, but then she squirmed down off her lap and ran around!

As a soloist came up to sing a song that JesLeah knew, the preacher's kid got up on the stage and grabbed a microphone to sing along!  She completely upstaged the beautiful woman that was sharing her heart in song and loved every second of the attention!

We were able to get to know John, Leah, and JesLeah better during our lunch breaks at the conference.  We learned more of their story and of the miracle of life that JesLeah is.  Told by the doctors to remove the "tumor" that was growing in her, Leah knew to trust and wait on the Lord.  When she was born, they were told not to take any pictures because JesLeah was sick and wouldn't live.  As you can tell even by still photographs, this spunky 2 1/2 year old is alive and well!  She even tells people at this age that she is going to be a missionary doctor when she grows up!

As we were praying over our hostess after lunch, this sweet child's face held me entranced...the sincerity of her face says it all.  Her childlike faith is a lesson to us all.

Needless to say, we were able to finally wear down her walls!  She acted like many other 2 year olds I know before too long!  Her mother would tell her to do something and she did the opposite!  She was asked to sit down and she got up and ran!  It's just how it happens sometimes!

JesLeah speaks multiple languages already in her young age...I only know English.  But I do know the language of smiles and tickles is fairly universal without much explaining!  And just like all kids...they love the tickles, then want down to run away, only to come back for more!

And because my "friends" were so kind to capture this moment on film, I'll share it with the rest of you.  This little monkey brought me a cookie during tea time and then wanted to dance!  I had the cookie in my mouth just like she did and we mirrored each other's movements for a good 5 minutes before we were both laughing too much to continue.  

This picture was taken during our final moments with JesLeah.  And this photo speaks volumes to me in a physical and spiritual way.  This little girl is in and out of many homes and churches and doesn't have a true schedule to her day.  She comes into contact with so many people and she entertains and loves them all.  But at the end of the day, she wants to be on her daddy's lap.  She is safe and secure there (no need for a car seat!) and knows that he will take care of her.  

Women With A Mission Conference

As a team, our primary focus of our trip was the Women With A Mission conference in Akividu, Andhra Pradesh.  That was the job that we were brought to India to do...share the Word, share His love, and give encouragement to our sisters in Christ during a 3-day conference focused on "The Body of Christ".  At one point in our months of preparation, we were given the impression that we would be speaking to upwards of 500 women...most of us were relieved when we arrived and had only 250 women to listen to us!

I think that I can speak for most of our team in saying that public speaking in front of large groups of people is not an everyday occurrence in our lives and that this was taking us out of our comfort zones a bit.  However, we knew from the beginning that this was our goal and purpose and knew to pray and rely on the Holy Spirit to speak through us.

After all of the travel changes and difficulties that we had just getting to the town, we knew that satan was not only trying to discourage us, he was working overtime to discourage the leaders and the women that would be traveling great distances to come and be with us.  BUT GOD...He is much greater and more powerful than satan ever could think of being and the next morning, the church was filled with His people gathering together to worship and learn together.  

Because many of the women were coming from different areas of the state, not all of them arrived at the same time.  One TRUCKLOAD of ladies arrived after our team had taken our seats on the stage.  Prati, the national director for Women With A Mission, leaned over and pointed out the sight to me.  I grabbed my camera and rushed out the door to capture these 30 women climbing down out of the back of a truck with their "luggage" for the next 3 days.  I only was able to snap a few pictures before these women were coming down the sidewalk past me and towards the church.  

Each one of these women chose to make eye contact with the crazy, white chick with a camera and some even reached out to hug me or shake my hand saying "Namaste" or "Praise the Lord" as they passed by.   In that very moment, God set my vision on "her".  "Her" was not one specific woman, but it was recognizing each one of these ladies as an INDIVIDUAL.

India as a whole is overwhelming to think about...it's the second most populated country in the world, it's on the complete opposite side of the world, it is a Hindu nation, their culture is different from mine, they eat a lot of curry and gravies, and they speak a lot of different languages that I have NO CLUE about!  I was overwhelmed about having to present myself in front of so many people and God made sure I knew that it was just about "her".  I wasn't coming to change the masses, I was coming for "her".  In my human-ness, I really wish I knew who she was, which woman it was that came to hear whatever it was that God said through me, but it doesn't matter.  As long as I was obedient, I pray that He was able to use me some way, some how to touch a life. 

This post is just all over the place and random, but there is just so much of the scene to capture and I just CAN'T seem to transport you to that moment in time!

As our team of 6 (5 from Wichita and Prati) sat on the stage and looked out over the sea of faces eager to learn, I sat there trying to figure out what made us special.  In the US, women may take off work for a 3-day weekend mega conference like Beth Moore or Women of Faith.  In India, we were the "mega-conference" in a modest Baptist church filled with plastic chairs and a praise band of electric drums and a synthesizer.  And I realized that it had nothing to do with the crazy blond, the 2 red heads, and 2 brunettes from America...it had everything to do with the life and love that we have because of Christ.  They were thirsty to hear from God.  They would have come to the conference regardless of WHO was there...that was humbling and terrifying all at once because I really didn't want to screw up whatever it was that God was going to do!

In the last several years in my job, I have had to learn how to be a public speaker of sorts. I do not enjoy it, but I do it because it's part of my job description.  I have become more comfortable sharing about specific things because they are part of my daily routine, my "specialties" per se.  I can stand up and fill at least an hour with anecdotes and suggestions without any notice in these areas, but other things require me to study, prepare, write notes, do power points and outlines, and still I forget things and am not as fluid in speaking.  As I got my speaking "assignments" for India, I knew I'd have to study, prepare, write notes, etc in order to present anything of worth to these women.  I hadn't done enough preparation and I knew it.  And unfortunately, my spiritual life and quiet times don't rival Beth Moore and Billy Graham's to where I have Scripture memorized, stored up, and ready to go off the cuff.  I had two different sections of "The Body of Christ" to teach and share with these women...each of them were supposed to last an hour.  Um, I think clocks run much slower in India than they do in the US!  It sure felt like an hour or two or three...but I'm pretty sure my watch showed that I only spoke for 20 minutes the first time and a bit over 1/2 an hour the second time.  

As a last minute addition to our curriculum for the conference, I also "volunteered" for a 2-hour inspirational message slot.  I really don't know that I thought that through, but I'm always saying "I can" to things whether I WANT to do them or not!  I have been given the ability so I suppose I need to do something with it.  I didn't have a clue what I was going to say that would be "inspirational" to a bunch of Indian women and then God rescued me!  On the morning of the second of 3 days of the conference, we were told that once again, our schedule was changing!  We were having to end the conference early in order to be able to leave the area we were in due to the uprising happening throughout the state.  So, we were going to cram the last 2 days of the conference into 1!  I quickly offered up "some" (MOST) of my inspirational message time so that we could cover all of the curriculum for the conference and allow us some time to pray over these women that were going to commit to reaching 2 other people in their village for Christ in the coming year.  What an amazing task!

This was the concentration of our trip, a conference focused on women.  We were able to connect with them in spite of our cultural, language, and socio-economic differences.  The power of the Holy Spirit filled that church and touched lives in a mighty way.  There really are no words to describe how much unity we had with them as they sang in Telugu and we just clapped along with them.  There were times when we got to praising the One True God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever...the same God in Kansas and India...the Almighty Redeemer that set our feet to dancing...and we were home.  

Expectations...What Does That Really Mean?

One of the most asked questions upon returning from a trip is, "was it what you expected?".  As we have said from day one, we weren't going to have expectations, we were going to throw the agenda out the window, and just go with the flow.  Whatever God had in store for us, that's what we wanted, not to be following a schedule from day to day and minute to minute.  And it's a good thing we went with that mindset!  It's almost laughable to look at our "original" schedule from March because what really happened didn't fit into that "box".  I guess I will say that my expectation in this was to go, take a few pictures, hug a few Indians, pray, and teach.  Those all happened, so I guess I should just answer "yes" when I am asked if it was what I expected.  But really, that would be a complete and utter lie!

I didn't expect this trip to be so EASY.

3 flights that were a total of 24 hours. Sitting for a very long time on a plane and trying to keep myself entertained and occupied shouldn't have been easy.  All of our flights were on time or early, all of our luggage arrived without difficulty, and we met up with the last member of our team at the Bangalore airport. Our travel was easy.

Our first night, we arrived at 1:30 am.  We were beat and ready to sleep!  We got comfy beds, semi-hot showers, bottled water, and air conditioning.  It was easy.

After we got a little rest (10 1/2 hour time difference), we got into a van for a 5 hour trip south to IGL's headquarters in Salem, Tamil Nadu. As we traveled, we stopped for a lunch buffet at a nice hotel.  Even if we couldn't pronounce most of the dishes and some didn't look as appetizing as others, it was still easy.

Sharing sleeping quarters with 2 other women when I'm used to my own space...it was easy.

Being goofy and loving on kids...it was easy.

Giving a small gift...it was easy.

Praying for others...it was easy.

Sharing smiles and high fives...it was easy.

Speaking to a church full of women (and a few men)...it was easy.
**yes, I was quite nervous before the first session, but the second I stood up there, I had no nerves.  I probably spoke a little too quickly and didn't cover as much material as I should have, but it was still easy.

I expected the Holy Spirit to lead us and He did.  There were times when it didn't always make sense, like the 2 hour drive that took 6 and we were stuck in the midst of riots and traffic jams.  But in the midst of that, an opportunity to minister came from two of our team knocking on a stranger's door to use the squatty potty!  And a chance for us to seek God and see Him move the 'mountain' that was in front of us.  Yet, it was still easy.

So, I guess it was what I expected, yet nothing at all what I expected.

I expected to look into the face of a child and feel such a compassion for that child...and a desire for them to grow up in the Lord and make a difference.  It happened.

I expected to see sorrow and hope in the eyes of women.  It happened.

I expected to see hunger for support and encouragement and knowledge of things of God.  It happened.

When we expect from God, He shows up and doesn't disappoint!  In fact, He goes far above and beyond our expectations.  He takes us out of our normal comfort zones and then provides us comfort in Him.  He loves us so much.  When He asks us to do something, we just have to be willing and He will provide everything we need...finances, training, support, encouragement, courage, and words in our mouths.  Our job is to say "Yes"...sometimes it is to GO, sometimes to STAY, sometimes to step up where we are.  Obedience is our job, everything else is up to Him!

So, yes, India was what I expected.
So, no, India was not what I expected.

I came away having learned and been blessed by the people I went to teach and love.

- Candy Girl

Changed?

!ndia...was I really just there a week ago?  On one hand it seems like a dream that we were there, on the other, it is a real slap in the face.

Missions SHOULD change us - it SHOULD show us the blessings we have, the excess we have, and what we can share with others - it SHOULD cause us to re-prioritize - it SHOULD change us, but does it?

The five of us come from all walks of life; a housewife, retired hairdresser, freelance artist, bank employee, and school psychologist.  We all have families, homes, vehicles and would be considered "middle class".  I can't speak for all of us, but I know I have never been truly persecuted for my faith - made fun of, left out of things, etc., but not truly persecuted.  We have so much - and not just physical items and wealth.  We have religious freedom...which many times we take for granted.  In India, they have religious freedom, but it definitely isn't a equal freedom.

As we drove down the streets, there were Hindu gods and temples everywhere...some large, some small...we learned that an individual or group can put up a god or temple on any piece of government property at any time without approval.  Yet, if a Christian organization wants to purchase land for a church, the price can double or triple and the paperwork can be tied up for a long time before it is granted.  Our Christian brothers and sisters are trying to change their world, but it is more difficult than we realize.  90% of the Indian population is Hindu and the government is Hindu.  Christians make up 2%-5% of the population which is awesome, but because so much of their culture is Hindu, it is difficult at times to separate out the religion from the culture.

During one of our many highway miles, we were talking with Pratibha (our hostess) and she expressed her sorrow for America and for the path we are headed down.  "Equality" - what a word.  It is the cry of America right now it seems...that we are all equal.  That we treat one another in such a way that no one is offended, but some of the things that are happening in our country SHOULD offend us, but are we (am I?) willing to speak up and stand up for what I believe in?  Or are we willing to just let those with the louder voice to get what they want and at what price?

I don't know yet if this experience has CHANGED me...I would love to say that it did, but I know that I'm still processing through so much.  Yes, India is a third world country - the dirt, trash, filth, and poverty is everywhere you look.  I was extremely grateful for all of the amenities that we were able to have as we traveled (beds, air conditioning, western toilets, bottled water, soap, etc), but I know that many people that we spent time with don't have those things.  I came home to a beautiful home, a puppy dog, food in my cabinets, a family that loves and supports me, a job, a car, and so much more.  When God calls me to give these things up for Him, I will.  It won't always be easy, but I know it can be done. When He asks me to use of my "wealth" for others, I will...because I can.  And not because I can, but through His strength all things are possible.

What I truly hope to take away from this experience is to model THEIR hunger for Jesus and the things that are in His Word.  Some of the women we talked to can't read or write, but they hear it and are able to recite it and share it with others so that the Truth goes forth.  As I sat in our large church building this morning with orchestra, large choir, lights, video screens, etc, I was humbled.  I missed the simplicity of the place I was in just 7 days ago.  Yet, my surroundings don't matter.  What mattered was that the Word of God was preached and that I take that and apply it to my life - to better myself and to reach out to those around me.

So, my prayer is that God continues to CHANGE me each and every day - not just because I walked in India, but because He is the One I follow after.

- Candy Girl

Making Up for Lost Time

Well, it has been quiet here in blog land this week...mostly due to a lack of internet availability.  But also because my focus has been on being here, being present, being in the moment.  

There are SO many stories to share and I hope that we will have several different perspectives posted here for you to read. I've been trying for single day synopses to keep you in the loop, but each day has held so much within it that I don't know that we can ever fully capture this trip.

I have learned that I shouldn't really blog about things because then they happen!  Earlier I ended a post about traveling to the conference and praying that it was uneventful...the next day, it took us all day to reach our destination that should have been a total of 5 hours (flight and drive time)!  I also wrote about the beauty of being flexible...then our ENTIRE schedule got rearranged due to the planned strikes and lack of ability to get out of the country on Saturday.  Now, I'm leery of sharing my thoughts!

There have been so many lessons learned on this trip - but full reliance on God and His plan is first and foremost.  There have been some moments when we could have been fearful or anxious, yet we were at total peace.  There were times when we had no idea what was coming next, yet we knew that we would be guided.  We have been very well taken care of on this trip.  We have had nice lodging, lots of food (everything here is a "gravy"), and safety!

God has orchestrated every single step we have taken - it is utterly and completely obvious and everyone here can see it.  We have spoken often of how many people are praying for us and that we can see the favor of God on this trip.  Please do not quit praying just because our formalized ministry part is over.  There is still time for us to encounter others that need His love and we are more than willing to share it!  

We have 24 more hours on Indian soil while here in Bangalore...then our 27 hour trek back home...still a long ways away!  More blog posts will come...after sleep!

Endless Days, Enduring Drive, Enamored Devotion

It's MY (Holly) turn to write!

Until now, I have been too captivated by my surroundings to focus on writing and sharing this adventure with you.  But after the endless day yesterday, I have to share.

Since landing in the country of India, the time diffference and lack of sleep have not been a concern for me.  I feel like I have stepped into a whole other realm.  So, let me try and explain.

Rough terrain, hours in a vehicle, and a couple of hours of sleep; to get in a plane for a couple of hours, drive what was supposed to be two hours, ended up to be in the midst of a riot, which delayed our destination and detoured our van down one road which caused us to back up in reverse nearly 6 blocks to get away from that area.  We turned down an alley thinking we could go forward to get out of the riot (fighting over the possible division of the state of Andrha Predesh) realizing the road didn't go through. We nearly hit a man on a scooter when we heard the thud of his hand hit the side of our van.  Our precious pastor, John, who was with us, in his Indian tongue said "so souddy, so souddy (sorry)".  We take another turn into yet another road block.  

At this point, we have been in the van for 4 1/2 hours and I have to pee SO bad that I nearly wet my pants! I even considered using a ziploc baggie as a toilet!  One of our detours ended up in an alley in front of what "HAPPENED" to be the home of recent converts to Christianity.  Pastor John hopped out of the van and went to ask if a couple of us could use their bathroom.  They graciously agreed and we ran to their home.  I took off my shoes at the front door and made my way to the squatty potty, hole in the floor.  On the way out they asked, "would you pree for us?" and pray I did.  

Before I go on, I first have to tell you all of the images that are in my mind as well as my camera, but I want to interpret what I saw from my heart.  It was the boy with the bat that caused my eyes to well with tears after seeing so much filth, dirt, trash, huts, and half-clothed people; rice fields with laborers working diligently for, who knows, wages or maybe a plate of food; and women in sarees walking, some barefoot, some with tattered flip-flops, some with vessels of water sitting desparately on their heads as they make their way to who knows where.  The images brought a flood gate of tears to my eyes in this six hour drive through these many villages and towns before we arrived at our final destination.  My eyes were fixed out my window taking in all that I feel like God wanted me to see.  But it was the boy with the bat...........

On what should have been a two hour drive, I feel that God delayed "the time" once again so that my eyes would open.  "What do you want me to see?", I asked God.  "Besides what is obvious?"  After wearing out a camera battery for the hundreds of pictures I took along the way, then stealing Candy's camera and adding another few hundred, I realized it wasn't about the pictures, it was what penetrated my heart.  These people do not know the difference of what I so commonly take for granted.  First, my love for God because I only have One and not a billion (we saw many temples along the road with creature-like gods).  And second, my simple, common wealth.  I have a washing machine and don't have to beat my clothes along the banks of the river; I buy groceries at a store with a concrete floor instead of a tin roof sitting on 4 sticks to cover the produce picked by the merchant.  I'm blessed.  We're blessed.  

So, about the boy with the bat.  It wasn't a bat at all, at least not like we know.  It was a really fat stick and he was in a muddy, patchy-grassed field with other boys laughing, hitting this ball, and jumping.  Then I realized his stick. He doesn't notice that it doesn't have "value" like those we buy in America, but it does have value to him and his friends as they enjoy their time together.  Even after we drove past, his image sticks in my head and it is still there. I don't know if he loves his life, but I love it that God has placed me here to see that He can bring hope to a nation, a place, to depravation.  Not because of me, not because of the team, but because of Him.  

What if surroundings never change?  But a heart can.  That changes everything.

I have to go get ready now...we begin the conference today.  I am the first to speak and as hundreds of pairs of eyes will stare back at me, I can only pray that God will use me, a willing vessel, to share His words and His love to change a heart.

India Gospel League

Our Monday was spent touring some of the facilities and grounds of the India Gospel League (IGL).  We were able to get a very quick glance across the spectrum of services and work that they do.

We started with a walking tour of the campus which includes:

* primary, secondary, and community college schools

* hospital for cancer and other terminally ill patients

* Sewing center to make items for resale in the city

* Concrete block and steel manufacturing

* Monkeys

Yep, monkeys.  And we were all pretty darn excited about those goofy little creatures playing in the trees!  I can't wait to post pictures for you! 

We then went into town to see the offices of IGL.  They currently have 50 or so employees in the home office and they greeted us warmly with flower leis that were beautiful and aromatic!

After meeting them all and hearing from them about what they do in the rural settings, we were able to shop for a few things that had been made in their development centers...of course, we couldn't pass any of that up!  The guys with us were definitely done with our shopping excursion more quickly than we were!  

Unfortunately, we have not had the opportunity to meet the head honcho for IGL, Rev. Sam Stephens as our schedule and his schedule have both changed...flexibility is the key to life! But we have gotten to spend time with his wife, Prati, and she continues on with us to the conference so we will get to know her better!  

Tomorrow is more travel to get to the conference site so we pray that it is uneventful!  Thank you all for continuing to pray!

-Candy Girl