I'm not sure how I can accurately describe the last two weeks of my life.
What do you say when someone looks at you and says that God used you to answer their prayer? I spent the entire time in India feeling deeply humbled and unworthy, that God would choose to use me in such a way when He could have just as easily used someone else, and thanking God for the opportunity to return to a land and people I love so much.
After two long years, there's no way to describe the way I felt upon entering the gates of AH once again, of seeing the kids' faces light up as they spotted Connie and I our first day there… of hearing, "Kristen Auntie!" from the ones who remembered me. The little ones I spent so much time with years ago are now in kinder class… they are so big and I cannot believe they are in school!
So, let me tell you about the trip:
Connie and I left on August 21 and arrived in New Delhi the next night, the 22nd. Our host, Victor, picked us up and drove us to the team house, the old house I stayed in two years ago. It was fun seeing so many familiar sites–and so many new ones–getting reacquainted with people I'd known years ago and seeing how they were now. Victor's wife, Simini, was there waiting for us when we arrived, and the four of us sat down to plan the trip's schedule–after an INCREDIBLE dinner of chicken bryiani! YUM! I LOVE Indian food!
Tuesday morning, Connie and I went to AH.
It was a day of spending time with our hosts, with the children, arranging some last minute details, and just enjoying the day. We did the same the next day, Wednesday, then went to the airport to pick up the team. One participant missed a flight due to previous delays and didn't end up getting in until 4am on Thursday morning.
The team's first day in India, we went on a tour of Delhi. This was a way for them to acclimate to being in India, learn a little about the culture/history of the country, and observe this new land they were in. We went to the Lotis Temple, the Indira Ghandi Museum, the India Gate, Parliament/the President's House and the Red Fort. It was really HOT there and by the end of the day we were all really tired. For me, that day was a huge struggle. After a night of little sleep, on top of being jet-lagged and in a country of extreme heat, I found that wherever we were, we were surrounded by people who were pushing against us. It's probably one of the things I struggle with the most in India, how people just push and push and in order to move at all, you have to push back. I found myself getting really frustrated, until this one moment in the Indira Ghandi Museum, where I was claustrophobically gasping for breath in the crowd of people and fighting aggravation… when I realized that if for some reason something happened to everyone in the building at the moment we were in it, it was likely only the people on our team would spend eternity with Christ. Statistically, India is 3% Christian.
Suddenly the crowd didn't make me so angry.
The next day, the team spent the day at AH. We walked in the gate and were greeted by this:
Humbled.
While the older children were at school, the team met with Victor and Simini in the chapel, where they shared their testimonies with us and the vision of AH. They thanked us over and over to coming, "we love teams," they said, "And we've been praying for two years for another team to come."
Above us on the wall were the prayer requests the children have been praying for. And at the top of one of the lists, "Pray for a team to come".
These little children, with their immense faith, are being taught the beautiful truth that God hears and answers prayer. They prayed–and if you ever get the opportunity to hear them pray, it will forever change your life–believing that God hears them… and then on August 25, 2011, a team came… they saw God answer their prayer–and you, my friends, my family, supporters… you were a part of that. God used you to answer their prayers with a "Yes–a team will come!"
So, you tell me. How does it feel for God to use you to answer the prayers of 27 precious India children?
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be continued!
