Hey Yall, this is a super long email that I wrote to BSU collegiate missions about India. If ya wonder what happened over there...Read it!:
The India trip was SO Amazing! One of the greatest things that God taught me through the trip was just how much bigger He was than just the U.S. God showed me that there are many different kinds of people He has created and they each have a yearning in their hearts for something more than just this world. God has placed eternity in men's hearts (Eccl. 3:11). The first night we showed up in Mumbai as we rushed onto our van and out of the airport I couldn't get over how TOTALLY different from the US their culture was. Flying past cars and driving on the left side of the road with no care in the world for the lines which were clearly marked. As I stooped to look out the window (because of the amount of people in such a small van I had to stand) all I saw as we flew through the dimly light streets was hundreds of people sleeping on the sidewalk, most with only a sheet or small blanket. I was taken aback knowing that these people do this every night while I lie in my bed in my big home in America.
As we approached at the hotel we were staying at, I soon realized that we were the minority and I have never been a minority before. I felt as though God was so much closer and was protecting me from so many things while over there it was great. My prayer life increased the second I encountered the transportation and culture in India. At the hotel, we met our two Journeymen friends and were able to talk with them about how crazy this culture is compared to us.
The next day, we went to a Muslim mosque that was out about a 1/4 of a mile in the Arabian Sea. There was a raised concrete platform to walk out there on, but the water was splashing up on both sides and there was all kinds of trash in the water. As we walked out there we were only a small group compared to the multitudes bringing gifts to offer to Allah. We encountered many different beggars who held up their hands and would touch their mouths to tell us they were hungry and it was hard to stay focused on what we were doing when they begged. As we kept walking out to the mosque we saw groups of men who had been mangled in some way missing arms or legs or eyes who were all laying on the platform and chanting loudly together while holding up their hands. I soon found out that these men have had these things done to them in order to bring in more of a profit from onlookers. It was hard watching several people come and throw their gifts at the altar for Allah knowing that God deserves it all.
As the week went on we had orientation where we learned about the different religions there and how to talk with them. Alicia and Mandi were great and they helped us so much in understanding the culture as well as what to do with what we have experienced so far. They soon showed us that our goal was to work with college students and we could basically go wherever we wanted to hang out with them and just act like we had no idea we weren't allowed. We were there to become friends with students who don't know the King and tell them about the greatest thing that has ever happened to us. As we continued to make friends with the people we encountered at coffee shops and other hangout spots like futbol fields and basketball courts, we set up times to go hang out at other places.
It was great spending time with these students and being able to eventually share with them about our Maker and Lord. I developed strong friendships with international students at the university and was able to share His love in many ways. After one long conversation that turned spiritual, I was able to share His story with a few international students. Two being Buddhist and one a Yoga god worshipper. One of the Buddhist men soon asked me, "How do I have this eternal life?" So I told him and he then said, "How do I pray?" I made absolutely sure that he understood that forsaking all was necessary before he gave his life to the Son. I said, "Are you willing to endure persecution and many trials and are you ready for Satan to tempt you constantly?" and he said, "Yes, I will forsake all to follow the Son". So that night he surrendered to the Lord and received Him and I gave him a copy of the Word to read. He was very interested in meeting up with other believers every week. The other Buddhist young man said he was not quite ready to forsake all yet but wanted the Word. Now this young man has been emailing me questions about our Lord all the time and I have been able to strengthen this friendship from the US.