There and Back Again: India and Beyond

After my three week stint in Hyderabad, I returned to Orissa, where I would spend the next five weeks teaching in the school and renewing friendships. It was wonderful to have more time to learn more about how God has been moving there during the past four years since I last visited. As I have mentioned in previous posts, it was in this place that I first fell in love with India and its people. After the past four years of ups and downs, and continual confusion as to where God may be calling me, it was fitting to end my second trip to India by spending time in the place where it all began, and doing many of the same things I did during my last time there. My whole experience over the past summer in India has taught me so much about myself and revealed many significant things to me about what God is calling me to do. While in Orissa, I spent most of the daytime teaching English, as well as substitute teaching for other subjects whenever the need arose. I was delighted to inter...

Photo credit: Sundeep Goel As I had mentioned in my previous post, I spent my first week in Hyderabad working with a sports ministry team teaching volleyball and playing games. After the team left to return to the States, I remained in the city where I spent the next two weeks with the Indian organization we had been partnered with. During the rest of my stay in Hyderabad, I was able to further explore the organization and participate in its ministries. On my first day (which was a Saturday), I was asked to share at a women’s Bible study, so I prepared a study on John 15 and what it means to abide in the True Vine. It was a joy to fellowship with the group of ladies and to hear testimonies of God moving in the hearts of women in India. The next day, I and another intern attended church with the family who founded the organization. I was surprised by the fact that the church service so closely resembled a Western megachurch service in the stage setup, service format, us...