India Post #2

Sorry I wasn‘t able to post this last night like I promised (The Thunder game was just so intense!) But, I finally put it together. This post is definitely not as emotionally stirring as the last but it is a great example of faith that I feel as Christians we should take note of.

When my team and I commuted to a different province with many villages, we were able to speak with commercial sex workers, pimps, and lower/middle-class people about Jesus. (There are many stories I will tell about these visits later on!) The village life was very different from the city life in India. And I feel like going to more rural areas of India helped me capture the essence of Indian culture. But apparently as we were visiting this province in India there was a lot of political uprising happening. And this wasn’t any typical political conflict. What had happened was the political leader in that province was a devout Christian but was assassinated in a plain crash. This naturally led his son to be the next leader rising to power. But just like his father, he as well was a strong Christian. He also did very good things for the community and so many people loved him. But due to his faith he has been persecuted with false accusations and taken to jail. Because of this, it has started riots in that very region we were ministering in. So my group and I had to stay indoors to be safe, especially since we would attract attention because of our nationality. So as we were staying indoors we tuned in on the news and the Indians housing us translated what was being said.  And at one point the mother of this Christian political leader said, “My God knows my sons heart and my God is much stronger than what is happening.” Wow! What a testament of the power of God. It just shows that the Lord is working in powerful ways in India and I was blessed enough to witness it. The man that has been persecuted was also caught on the news getting out of a car with security saying “God Bless” to all of his loving citizens. He is on public television being falsely accused because of his religion but still has not given up his faith in God and his kindness towards others. I feel like there was no way I could not come back to America and share this great example with fellow Christians.

My team and I, soon after staying indoors, took the long way back around the province to the city to insure our safety. Prolonging the trip from 2 hours to 5 hours!

All of the riots I was caught in during my time at the villages really put in perspective the fear that is in that culture. I have had a lot of people ask me if I was ever felt scared of being in danger over there and I say, “Of course I was!” But it taught me to put my trust in God and in the nationals he provided for me. Something terrible could have gone wrong but what an example of the power of God that nothing didn’t. And even if something were to have gone wrong, like the persecuted political leader, I would still put my faith in Jesus.

“Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.” 1 Thessalonians 3:7

Thanks for Reading!

Karlie

India Post#1

“I am just following the story that the Author is writing”

This is a quote that has stuck with me ever since 2010, when I overheard a leader say it on my trip in China. I knew he meant it as God is writing this magnificent story that no human has control of. That we don’t know when, where, how, and who the spirit of Jesus will touch but we should just be his faithful followers that deliver the message.

That quote became very real to me on my India trip. It was heart breaking, uncomfortable, and tiring being over there and working with women and children whose lives have been affected by sex trafficking or HIV/Aids. But regardless, God has a story he is writing and I am just following the lines. And even if what has happened to these women is unfair and unjust, God has a plan. A BIG plan, of which I am only snippet.

There are many stories I would love to share about India but since it would take up approximately twenty pages of my blog, I am condensing it to a only a few that I will post within the next couple of days (so, I guess you could call it a series!). And due to the nature of the people my team worked with, I will not be disclosing the names of the organizations.

So we will call the first story's organization “Organization A.”

1.) Organization A is Christian based organization that works with HIV/Aids victims who are about to die, both adults and children.  Many HIV/ Aids victims in India are disowned by their families because of the honor/shame aspect in the culture. So this organization houses victims, has counselors, nurses, and cooks provided, and has services to tell about the hope found in Jesus. They even try to mend family relationships. This organization does a great job of being Christ-like. The president of the organization cleans toilets and does dirty work just as much as the next person; what amazing leadership! They also grow their own produce and have animals which the children help raise as a therapeutic outlet. It was incredible to just be on the campus. We got to see the children’s end of the summer program where they memorized scripture, danced to Christian songs, and told about what they learned. And lets just say I could not keep a single tear back. These children knew they had HIV/Aids and still sang the song  “Mighty to Save” with every ounce of their hearts. I know that song was real to them. And although young, they have a better perception of life than most adults. This is because they know this life is short, they know that Jesus saves, and they know heaven is just around the corner. These kids were the light to that organization even though the reality of death was something that faced the workers and victims everyday. They turned death around from mourning to celebrating because they would be meeting Jesus soon.

And I had the opportunity to teach these kids how to play the guitar! Mainly just a couple of simple chords (C,G,D,Em), but they soon started to learn how to play “Mighty to Save.” They were over-joyed when they combined the chords and the words of the song together. It gave me goosebumps and I wish I could worship God forever in that very moment.

Check my blog tomorrow for another story!

Thanks for reading!

Karlie