"10,000 Reasons"

 

"Bless the Lord Oh my Soul, Oh my soul, worship His holy name. Sing like never before, oh my soul. I worship His holy name."

That song is the one song that has continually come up throughout my 7 weeks in India. Many of you know, it holds a very special meaning in my life and in the life of my family. I still do not fully understand why God picked that song to be the one that constantly came up (because it wasn't easy at first), but I know there is a reason behind it. As I was thinking about writing my final blog while in India, the song was the first thing that popped into my head. The words of the song hold a lot of significance about my time here and what these last days have looked like.

The first verse talks about praising the Lord each day from morning til night no matter what happens that day. We never know what our days will bring, but this was especially true here in India. But no matter how joyful or depressing the day was, there was always "reasons to be singing when the evening comes."

The second verse talks about characteristics of God. His rich love was one of the things that I learned most about in the past 7 weeks. He blew my mind.

"For all your goodness, I will keep on singing. 10,000 Reasons for my heart to find." This is one of my favorite lines in the song. When I look back over my summer, there are definitely 10,000 reasons for my heart to sing. The relationships formed, experiences encountered, and lessons learned are true testimonies of that. I have seen the Lord work in some pretty remarkable ways. I am so thankful for this opportunity and everything I have learned and encountered this summer no matter how easy or difficult it was.

As I prepare to leave, I have so many emotions. Today is our last day of ministry. The goodbyes have not been easy or fun, but I can say my life has been touched and forever changed. I don't know if I'll ever see these women and children again, but my journey of love does not end there. I will continue to lift them up in prayer no matter how near or far we are. It is no longer only statistics, it is faces and relationships. My eyes have truly been  opened to the brokenness, hurt, and abuse they face everyday.

I have a lot of thoughts running through my head. It is crazy to me that in 5 days, I will be home. Talk about a whirlwind of emotions! I am very excited to see everyone and to sleep in my own bed, have a hot shower with water pressure, and eat meat or at least something other than rice. :) I am so thankful for these past 7 weeks, and I cannot believe that the next time I communicate with everyone, we will be on the same continent!

Here are some final prayer requests as I prepare to come home.
-safety as we travel these next couple of days and fly home
-smooth adjustments back and continued health
-God will continue to water the seeds that have been planted
-the women and the hurt and bondage they are faced with everyday
-peace with leaving India
-most importantly: God will continue to work in this city!

As I begin packing and everything is winding down, I am reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18-"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I pray that is encouragement for you as well.

I cannot wait to see all of you, share stories, and hear how the Lord has been working in your life this summer. We truly have 10,000 Reasons to praise the Lord. See you soon!
P.S. When I get home, asking me specific questions is extremely helpful as 7 weeks is a lot to sum up and talk about :)

"I am the vine, you are the branches"

Last week was crazy with 11 people living in the house, but it was such a fun week. It was a lot busier than usual but so many blessings came out of it. The beginning of the is week has been a lot of down time recovering from last week. It is getting more and more difficult to put into words and share everything that God is doing here. I'm doing a lot of processing and taking it all in. No doubt are there tons of stories, but it is so difficult to share via internet. But I wanted to share as best I could some of the blessings, stories, and happenings of this past week.

-Relationships at the aftercare center are growing so much. We've been there twice in the past week and both times were so enjoyable. Friendships have definitely formed. The girl I have gotten closest to asked me for a Bible on Friday, so we gave here one on Tuesday. i will never forget the smile on her face when she received it.

-Hanging out with the kids at the orphanage is always a blessing and highlight of my week. They are always so full of energy and joy:)

-We went shopping and out for dinner on Saturday with the team. They left on Sunday night. It was tough to see them go. We only knew each other for a week, but what a huge blessing they were. God placed them here at the perfect time, and they brought us so much joy and encouragement. We made some great memories together. (They also spoiled us like crazy:P)

-Random story: When we were out to eat on Saturday night, as we were leaving, a girl probably about 18 years old came up to our group and asked us to sing Happy Birthday to her uncle. Yes, we thought it was rather strange, but we did it anyway:)

-Our last dinner with the team we made and ate in the dark because the power went out which is a very normal occurrence here in India.

-Conversations with people at ministry sites and church have been so amazing and encouraging.

-Monday was a rest and recovery day, so we got to go to one of our favorite restaurants, go grocery shopping, watch a movie and hangout. It was a very much needed day.

-Tuesday, we spent the whole day with Jill because it was our last day together. We did a lot of fun things and then went with her to ministry in the afternoon. At night, we had a celebration/appreciation night for Jill and Lydia because it was our last night all together. (Jill left Wednesday for her visa run and comes back the day we leave, so saying goodbye to her was very tough.)

-Wednesday night, I taught tuitions by myself. I love those kids no matter how chaotic it may be :)

That is just a few of the happenings from the week. I cannot even believe that I only have 10 days left in India.

Here are some specific prayer requests for the last few days…
-that I would be fully present
-continued health and safety
-for all of the people I've formed relationships with and how to handle leaving without hurting people
-our future aftercare center
-open heart, eyes, and mind

"I am the Vine, you are the branches." Jesus said in John 15. This is the passage that we have been studying in depth during group devotions. He goes on to say, "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  I have grown to love this passage and it has proved to be true over and over again throughout my time. Everyday, God continues to produce more fruit and my prayer is that it will be fruit that will last even after I have to leave.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers! I cannot wait to talk to you all soon:)

Blown Away

WOW!!! That is all I can say about this past week. Honestly, I do not have the words to explain or describe everything that has happened this past week, but I can tell you one thing…it's been the best week yet! God continually blew me away this week on every level imaginable. I'm going to try and give you a brief overview of the week, but it won't be the full stories because i don't have enough time and right now, I don't know how to put everything into words. I will do my best summarize, but there are definitely some amazing stories to share when I get back. :) 

Thursday-Some of the girls did my hair at the stitching center and we had life skills class. We discussed what they thought the biggest problems and fears in their slum were…so insightful. We had tuitions which I always love and it is fun to see the kids multiple times a week. It was the 4th of July so we had our own celebration by having beef, watching an American movie and eating candy. 

Friday-While we were at the hospital, the three of us had some great conversations and got to know each other even better. We also got to spend a good amount of time talking with some of our favorite patients and learning more about their lives. At the aftercare center, the women did a watercolor emotions painting activity which said a lot about the feelings and reality these girls are facing. I sat with a group of about 4 and they were beginning to open up which was awesome but also broke my heart. We went out for supper to a fun Indian restaurant. Also, a lady who was visiting from the states brought us chocolates so we were pretty happy:)

Saturday-If I had to pick the best day of my time in India, I think this would be the one. This won't do it justice because there are so many stories about the day. I saw a monkey (which I really wanted to see at least one while I was here). We went to the orphanage and I got to play volleyball, sing worship songs, and hangout with the kids. Kids, volleyball, and music…3 of my favorite things all together!!! That night, saw Despicable Me 2 in 3D in the nicest theater I've ever been in. (Kind of had culture shock all over again when walking through the mall to get to the theater. Felt a lot like America.)

Sunday-our awesome team of 6 arrived and we had church. Both of which were huge blessings. The team is fantastic and such a huge encouragement. We've only known each other for a week, but it will be difficult to say good-bye on Sunday. 

Monday-this was our 1 month anniversary…crazy, I know! For the first time, we got to go out by ourselves which was so cool. We know we can survive in India:P In the afternoon, we went shopping and out to eat with the team. 

Tuesday-Had a prayer time over the house in which God was so powerful! We did nails at the stitching center and made bracelets with the women. It was a nice change of pace and something that we could all do together, making relationships even stronger. One of the girls specifically made a bracelet for me. (There is a big story behind that). We had tuitions again and our translator made us an amazing Indian dinner. 

Wednesday-The team spoiled us with desserts and chocolate while we made hygiene kits for all of the women at the centers. At the stitching center, I really connected with a new girl. She did my hair and designed my henna while we talked. She opened up a lot to me during that time, and I am still processing a lot of it.  

Thursday-went to IJM (International Justice Mission) in the morning…so cool to see how God is working through them as well. Got to play games with the patients at the hospital and cleaned in the orphanage. 

That is a VERY BRIEF overview of my week. Sorry if it doesn't make sense-i typed it super fast and a lot of it I am still processing. I cannot believe I only have about 2 weeks left on this journey…time is flying by. I know for a fact, it is not going to be easy to leave this country. 

Here are some prayer requests for the week…

-God would continue to work in amazing ways and that my eyes would be open to seeing them. 

-Give thanks for a fantastic week, true joy, and an amazing team. 

-that God will make the path clear for the necessary steps to take to have our own aftercare center

-the women would continue to open up to us

-Strength and wisdom when talking with the women

-that we would continue to give God all of the glory for the work He is doing

-Continued safety and health

Scripture that really spoke to me this week: Romans 15:13 and 1 John 4:7-21

Thank you all so much for your prayers! I can feel it here. I cannot wait to share stories with everyone when I return to the states. :)

Smiles

Smiling….that is something I have always loved and known was important, but throughout my time in India, I've realized how important it really is. I've noticed that multiple times I've written in my journal, "I love smiling at them or I love seeing the smiles on their faces." There were a lot of instances like that over the past week. 

Friday, we got to go to the aftercare center for the 2nd time. We had a chill afternoon with them trying to continue to build relationships. We painted their nails and the smiles on their faces were beautiful. 

At the HIV hospital, smiles covered the patients' faces when we played games with them on Monday. Also, seeing their faces light up with smiles when we go around visiting their rooms is something that words don't describe well. 

At the stitching center, the ladies always greet us with big smiles. Relationships are forming! It made me smile this week when a couple of the ladies taught me what they were learning, and I got to practice. It made them happy to be able to teach someone what they had just learned. 

The smiles that appear on the children's faces when they see us at Tuitions is one of the most beautiful sights. One of my favorite parts of the week is seeing those kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

In India, most women and children keep very straight faces and are taught to not show their emotions. That is one reason smiling is so important and impactful. If you smile at them, most of the time, you'll get a smile back. I try and smile at all of the women and children I see because not only do they not see it very much, but they love it and they have some of the most beautiful smiles. It always brightens my day!! Smiling is a way of communication that doesn't require language. It doesn't matter what language you speak, a smile is universal. And the best part…Satan can't stop it! So despite the language barrier, we can always smile. It's things like seeing smiles on the women and children's faces, whether at the centers, in the slum, walking down the street, or in our neighborhood, that reminds me, God is working here in India. :)

This week was harder for me (some personal battles along with it being 1 year since my cousin Shaun passed away), but here are a few extra things that made me smile…

-I got to Skype with my family 

-Eating an All-American BEEF bacon cheeseburger 

-Seeing another rainbow

-Having one of our translators cook us amazing Indian meals

-Singing "10,000 Reasons" in church on Sunday (I honestly didn't know whether to cry or smile. It was difficult to sing especially being the day after June 29. Walking out of church, I decided to smile because it was totally a God thing. We don't normally sing new worship songs and hadn't sang that one before, so I knew God had us sing it for a reason.) 

It is crazy to think my time here is half over already. Time is flying by. 

Here are some prayer requests for this week…

-that the bondages that the women face will be broken

-keep me and our team from spiritual attacks

-for next week as we have a team of 6 coming to join us

-encouragement for my leaders as they continue to make decisions for the organization

-God would be the center of our relationships

-Praise the Lord for safety and health!

I hope things are going well for everyone. Thank you for all of your support! Sending smiles from India! :)

Galations 5:6b-"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

P.S. Smile at someone today, it really makes a huge difference in your day and theirs :)