"Love in Action"

That is the phrase that describes what Rahab's Rope is all about. I had kind of forgotten the exact words until the other day when I was on their website again exploring. The first thing my eyes were drawn to was that phrase. Needless to say I was blown away. Over the past week, I felt God teaching me little things about His love and loving others. This was just another reminder that God knew what He was doing sending me to India. I had also been getting a little bit nervous about the whole trip and questioning whether I was really the right person for this. Besides, how much do I really know about human trafficking or life without the love of God? I continued to ask God to equip me for this journey. After watching some videos about Rahab's Rope and exploring their site, I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace. The women and children need love. They need to be loved with no strings attached. I can do that. With God's help, I can love with the love of Christ. That in itself might be why God is sending me to India. It may not be something that you can physically measure like painting or doing repairs, but it is something that fits who I am. I am very relationship oriented, so knowing that is what Rahab's Rope is all about makes me excited. There will be a language barrier but it's the little things like sitting beside someone or even a smile that will help me bond with the women and children. There is a lot of love at Rahab's Rope and I cannot wait to be a part of it. I have no doubt that at times it will be extremely difficult, but I am confident that God will be my guide.

Here are a few facts about where I will be spending my summer.
-India has an estimated 1.16 billion people and Bangalore alone has over 8 million people. Just a bit bigger than Sully :)
-India is over 80% Hindu and only about 2.5% Christianity.
-There are 16 major languages and about 844 dialects. In Bangalore, the main language is Kanada. English is widely spoken and taught in most schools, but both their and my accents will be an issue. Not very often am I told that I have an accent.
-The weather will be 70-80 degrees with high humidity. I'll be there during monsoon season, so will probably  experience a good amount of rain.
-Bangalore is known for being the most livable city in India and is known as the Garden City.
-It is the Information Technology capital of Asia.
-Although it is very international with most needs available, the diversity is very large. India is booming economically but there are also over 300 million people that live on less than $1 a day.

-South Asia is home to the world's largest population of slaves. Trafficking into forced prostitution victimizes more children in India than any other country in the world. Approximately 200 girls and women in India enter sex work everyday. Rahab's Rope rescues them from the streets. These are the women and children I'll be working with. Bangalore is the home of the aftercare center for Rahab's Rope. The beautiful women and children there are the ones I will be blessed to share God's love with.
Here is the promo video for Rahab's Rope. The statistics are heart-wrenching.

As I talk to more people and ask for their prayers, I am reminded of the verse in I Thessalonians that says to "pray continually." A few specific prayer requests that I would ask you to join me in prayer for would be for the women, children, and staff that I will get to know at Rahab's Rope. Pray that we may form relationships despite any language barriers or anything else, that our hearts may be opened, and they may be able to experience Christ's love. Also, I ask that you pray for those who are still out in the streets and haven't been rescued yet. Human trafficking is real and there are new victims every day. I would also ask that you pray for me-packing, preparation, calmed nerves, health, my heart, and contentment as I can almost count on my fingers the number of days until I leave.

Music is a huge part of my life. Whether through piano or singing, it is a way I feel connected with God. I love music, so I also have a lot of favorite songs. Over the past few months, I've heard some excellent worship songs that I felt would be fitting for my trip, but yesterday at work, there was one song imparticular that seemed to always catch my attention. I probably heard it at least 5 times throughout the day. By about the third time, I stopped and truly listened to the words and immediately knew why I had fallen in love with it. This song is one of my biggest prayers for my SOS.

Now that I've written a novel, I should probably wrap it up. But I was reading an email from a friend today and was reminded that God's plan is perfect and He knows what He's doing and exactly what we need. We may think we know, but in reality, we have no idea. There have been a lot of little reminders lately in my life that God takes care of me down to the tiniest details. His love is greater than we could ever imagine. I am so thankful for all of the encouragement, support, and kind words everyone has blessed me with as I prepare to leave in just a little over a week. I have five days of work left, six days at home and to prepare, and before I know it, I'll be boarding my plane at the Des Moines airport.

Counting My Blessings

Well it's officially summer! I have been out of school for 1 week which means only 3 weeks until I leave to go to the other side of the world. This will be my first time out of the country, so I am a little nervous but more excited. It will be very different to not be in a little Dutch town, but rather to see a whole new part of God's world. I'll be getting on the plane before I know it.

It seems like just yesterday, I received the letter that I would be a part of the SOS (Summer of Service) team at Northwestern. Looking back, I realized that it has already been 6 months and God has been faithful through it all. When this all began, I was pretty set on going somewhere in Africa. After committing to what I thought was the perfect trip to Kenya, I found out in March that was not going to happen (If you don't know the story, feel free to ask me about it sometime).  I was extremely disappointed, but after a few weeks, I realized God had a better plan. Through a few connections and after lots of prayer, I applied and was accepted to go to India with Rahab's Rope. This whole journey has been a process, but I can now say I am confident that Bangalore, India is where God wants me this summer.

Throughout the semester, the SOS team would meet on Monday nights to prepare culturally, spiritually and mentally. These meetings were such a blessing! I have made 17 new friends who will be going all over the world working with different organizations. I ask that you pray for them as well as a couple have already left and the rest will be leaving around the same time as me. One of these friends is a girl that I have gotten extremely close to over the past few months and am excited to spend the summer with in India. Kelsey and I have been on this journey together as we went from not knowing each other, to beginning to prepare for Kenya, to many tears and laughs, to finally deciding to go to India...all of which have involved many hours of conversations and prayer together. I cannot wait to see how our friendship grows even more throughout the summer!

There is so much I would like to share about the many blessings that I have experienced over the past few months, but I guess I will just have to pick a few. This opportunity in itself has been such a blessing! I had a tough semester but having the support of the team and many friends made it a lot more manageable. I have been blessed with some amazing friends! (The end of the year "see you laters" were not much fun.) 

 Megan and I (This will be the longest we have ever been apart)

The beautiful girls I was blessed to live with this year.

Along with the weekly SOS meetings, we had a SOS Commissioning Service in April. This was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. I was blessed by the support of my family, friends, and people from the NWC community. So thankful my mom, dad, sister and grandma could be there. 

My host parents

Another blessing was receiving a binder full of encouraging notes for when I am gone. Thank you to everyone who contributed!! I cannot wait to read them. (Kara currently has the binder, so I'm not tempted to look through it before I leave.)  

During finals week, we had a prayer meeting which the Holy Spirit was very present at. We prayer for each member of the team and lit individual candles and placed them on the map. What an awesome picture! 

Another huge blessing is logistics. Passport here, visa came this week, plane ticket purchased, got all of my immunizations on Thursday (4 shots in one day isn't the most fun), and the best part, 100% of my support is raised. THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who contributed!! Both the financial and prayer support that I have received so far has been unbelievable. (If you still would like to contribute financially, talk to me.) Most of all though, I ask for your continued prayer support throughout the summer!! I cannot do it alone. Prayer is the most important part of this whole trip, so I ask you to stand alongside me in prayer. In the next few weeks and when I am gone, my blog will be my main form of communication. But if you would like to be on my email list for prayer updates, please send me your email address. My email is darci.jansen10@gmail.com. 

Lastly, it is a blessing to be home. Junior year of college complete and one month to prepare for my trip! Between working, spending time with friends and family, going to ballgames, and all the preparation both physically and spiritually, I have no doubt that these 3 weeks will fly! Next on my agenda is continue learning about India and begin packing. Let the countdown begin...23 days :)