I Left My Sandals…and My Heart…in India

Photo by Saksham Gangwar on Unsplash

I meant to write this “wrapping up” post within a few days of returning to the U.S., but alas, I found myself diving back into life in the States and becoming increasingly busy. So now, after a month-long hiatus, I am back to recap and share a few closing thoughts (which are in no way the end of the story, but rather what I hope will be a transition to the beginning of the next stage – figuring out what to do next and waiting for God’s direction).

As of this moment, I am in my dorm room, having just finished the first few days of my senior year of college. While I am excited about this school year, and anticipating all that God will do during the next months, I am dearly missing India.
I miss the sights – beautiful mountains in every direction I look, tropical plants in bloom, fields of rice and sugar cane; cows, chickens, dogs and monkeys wandering all over the place; the bustling market…
I miss the sounds – car, truck and motorcycle horns blowing; cattle mooing, chickens clucking, dogs barking; the laughter of children…
I miss my routine – being awakened every morning with the sound of drums and children’s voices singing during their morning prayer and devotions, quickly getting a bite to eat before joining the other teachers for our morning devotions, picking up the attendance register and heading the Standard VII class to take roll, teaching classes and interacting with the students during breaks, resting after lunch, playing games with the children afterwards, and joining the children for their evening prayer and devotions.
I miss church – the services full of prayer and praise, Scripture reading, the sharing of testimonies, and the sermon (yes, the elements are similar, but there is a different feel – it is less formal and centered more on prayer than the majority of American church gatherings).
Most of all, I miss the people – the pastor and his family, the children, my students, the staff and teachers, and all the people I had the privilege of meeting and getting to know during my stay…all of them are always on my heart and mind.

I chose the title to this post because it summarizes everything I am thinking and feeling perfectly. It is true that I left some of my sandals (and a few articles of clothing), but those are replaceable and do not really matter all that much. I can easily leave material items. More significantly, I left a big piece of my heart – and there is no way I will get it back, nor do I ever want to.
India, in all its beauty and tragedy, has forever engrained itself on my heart and I will never be the same person that I was before I traveled to the other side of the world and back again. God has given me such a deep love for the Indian people and a desire to do something about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with them. While I do not know what the future holds, and I have no idea whether I will serve the Lord overseas, stateside or even both, I do know there is more in store where India is concerned.

What have I learned throughout this entire experience? It may be obvious or expected, but I have learned a lot about India and its culture, as well as Hinduism and to a certain extent, the personal beliefs of some of the people there. I have even learned some of the language (well, a little Hindi, and a little Odia).
Most importantly, though, I have learned about the way God is working in the hearts of people in India, and the importance of indigenous ministries in reaching them with the Gospel. I have also had the wonderful opportunity to see what it would be like to live in India and serve on a more long-term basis, as well as have my eyes and heart opened to the many possibilities available for serving overseas and even stateside in supporting ministries like the one I interned with.

I am so incredibly thankful that God led me to spend my summer in India and that He provided a way for me to do so – using many of you to support me both through prayer and in providing the finances. I am also very thankful for all of you – without your prayers and giving, this would not have been possible.

Me and my Indian brothers and sisters


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