India: The Country of My Heart

Photo by Sven Scheuermeier on Unsplash

In the midst of all the preparations for my coming trip to India, I have neglected to take time to write! So, to prevent any further neglect in writing, I thought I would share some of my thoughts.

Yesterday, I was chatting with a friend from India and sharing with him how excited I am to be returning after so long. He asked me a question that I am sure others have wondered from time to time:

“What attracts you so much to India?”

My immediate response was “the people.” And that is exactly the case. Five years ago, I would never have imagined that I would travel to India, and certainly would never have guessed that the country and its people would leave such a lasting impression on my mind and heart.

During the first two years of my time in college, I was exposed to the reality of human trafficking and its exploitation of the poor and vulnerable. I have to admit that while I knew it was a horrible, tragic thing, I felt a bit indifferent. It’s not that I didn’t care at all, but that I felt so far removed from it that it wasn’t something I considered to be my responsibility to do anything about.

But something changed. The beginning of my sophomore year, I had asked God to give me a heart like His own – that of a servant, who cared deeply for others. And somewhere between that moment and the beginning of my junior year, my heart softened toward the poor, disenfranchised, abused, and all those who are vulnerable. Those first few weeks of my third year of college were extremely difficult as I was hit with the overwhelming knowledge that women around the world, and even in my own city, were being exploited by traffickers.

I could have allowed myself to further seclude myself from the whole thing, but instead, I chose to research more about trafficking and its roots, as well as how I might be able to play some part in fighting for these women and children (even men!) who are being targeted. That led me to search out summer internships which would allow me to travel overseas to work with organizations that are on the frontlines of international human trafficking prevention and rescue. I decided I wanted to see about going to either India or Thailand, countries where a large percentage of the world’s trafficking is being done.

I searched opportunities in India first, and came across this small organization based in the U.S. who partners with Indian organizations that are providing educational opportunities for children and women, empowering villages by providing sustainable economic resources, and caring for women who have been rescued.

A month later, I sent in my application and all required references and within a couple weeks, I had my response: I was being invited to intern in India! The next 6-7 months were filled with a flurry of activity as I wrapped up my year of college and prepared for my summer trip to India.

The day finally came when I set out for a country I had never been to where I would stay with a family who I had just met over Skype a couple days before. And my life has never been the same.

That summer totally reshaped my views on how mission work should be done, especially in the Asian and South Asian cultures, and allowed me to have a new lens with which to see the world, especially my own country. It opened my eyes to a nation full of people who do not know Jesus Christ, many of whom have never had the opportunity to hear of Him. And somewhere during my summer of living in an Indian Christian home, speaking with Hindus and Christians and walking the same dusty roads, meeting the local shop owners, teaching classes in a school, and playing badminton with the children residing in the hostel/orphanage located just above the room where I was staying, I fell in love with India – in all its beauty and even its suffering. India became the country of my heart.

As I countdown the few days left until my flight departs from the U.S. and make all the last minute preparations, I am reminded of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and its application for my own life.

As Paul says in Philippians 2:5-11:

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature  God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (NIV).

It is in the willingness of God’s people to humble themselves, and take on the suffering of the hurting and vulnerable around them, that God moves mightily to reach the nations with His message of healing and redemption. And it is that attitude I want to see in myself, not just in the way I interact with the Indians I will be meeting and spending time with this summer, but toward all the people God places in my path throughout the coming years. It is my hope and prayer that as God continues to draw my heart toward India and its people, that I will learn to love them even more deeply, to see each of them from His perspective, to walk with them in times of joy and sorrow.


India2017 Story: Part 2


Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™