Hyderabad (Part 1): When I am Weak, He is Strong


Namaskaaramu! Greetings from India!
After spending a week in Orissa, I traveled to Hyderabad, which is a city in the state of Telangana. There, I met up with a couple other ladies from the U.S. who I would spend a week with, teaching kids how to play volleyball. My initial task was to make sure they got settled into the hotel and had everything they needed. This was my first opportunity to act as hostess of a team, and though I was exhausted from traveling (as were they), we all managed to settle in and spend time resting before our busy week began.

I went to sleep in my hotel room, excited about spending the next day (a Sunday) attending a church service, and spending some time playing games with the kids. But, I woke up in the wee hours of the morning with a major stomach virus (essentially traveler’s food poisoning). I ended up spending the entire day in my room nursing myself back to health. Not exactly what I had in mind for the first day in the city, or really for any part of my time in India!

Monday, I felt much better, and went with everyone else to tour the organization which was our connection to teaching volleyball. I was super impressed with the work being done. After only ten years since its beginning, it has grown exponentially, and works to improve the lives of hundreds (even thousands!) of people – primarily by working to educate women and children (though some men do participate in their educational classes), helping them and their families become self-sufficient.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we visited various schools in the area to do mini volleyball camps. All of us took on teaching groups of boys and girls, with our team leader taking on the more advanced players. I felt so underqualified for the task, because 1) I haven’t really played volleyball at all over the past ten years, and 2) even when I was playing volleyball, which was a youth group weekly activity in the summers, I was terrible at it. I mean, I know how to serve and all the basics, but actually putting all those elements together and playing a game? Not a pretty sight.
But, somehow, in spite of my weakness in playing volleyball, the kids in my groups did learn a few things, and from what I was hearing, gained a little bit of an interest in playing the game (at least for fun).

Friday, the team I was with went on a tour of some sites in Hyderabad, including Golkonda Fort. While the walk up the steps to the top of the hill on which the fort was located was arduous, I loved seeing the beautiful views overlooking the city. And the fort, which was constructed in medieval times, contained exquisite remnants of Indian architecture. As someone who is fascinated by history and architecture, I appreciated seeing this piece of Indian history.

One of the things I am learning on this trip to India is that I do and always will have areas of weakness (whether it is a lack of skills or knowledge, or periods of sickness). But, God is greater than all of that.
It is in my weakness, my failings, and my sickness that His power is made evident. Some days it is hard to see that, but that truth still remains.


“Therefore, in order to keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
~ 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10 (NIV)

India 2017: Part 5


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.™

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