Saturday, August 18, 2012

Inspiration In the Midst of Discouragement.

I've been reading biographies about Indian missionaries from long ago. It's about time I learned something about the history of Christianity in this country of mine. I first read a book about a woman named Ida Scudder who was American but born and raised in South India because her parents were missionaries and she always said she'd never follow in their footsteps yet she started the first women's doctor colleges in India and did a lot for the sick women and children of India. Then there was this guy named Sundar Singh who had a crazy life story. He was disowned by his Sikh family because he converted to follow Jesus and ended up walking from village to village in North India and Tibet for many years with nothing but his robe, a blanket, and a copy of the New Testament.

Dr. Ida Scudder

just a little glimpse at the beginning of Sundar's ministry.

These two life stories really inspired me and encouraged me to really seek God's will for my time in India. Sure, I'm staffing the SBS and it's awesome and takes a lot of time and many of these students go home or go out with real truth on their lips. However, I am beginning to see an importance of also getting to know and loving the local people here.

A few challenges have arisen as of late. One being our electricity bill seems to keep getting higher and higher which can't possibly be possible. We are not using any more electricity than usual and I heard they raised the prices for electricity but that should not double our bill every month! Two months ago it was one thing, then last month it was double, and now this month it was double the last one! It's just not possible.

But in the midst of all that God is of course saying, "trust me."

Easier said than done.

I also need a plane ticket to go home in November which I know will be provided somehow, but right now looking at it it's easy to get discouraged. Not to mention all of Romel's immigration stuff is coming up and even I have to apply for a different Indian visa and change my name on all my stuff when I go home. All these things take a lot of time, energy, and of course money.

But in the midst of all these thoughts God is of course saying, "seriously, trust me."

While I'm home I'll be hoping to find a full-time temp job asap so that I can make money to pay for visas and more plane tickets and things we really need like external hard-drives and sheets.

It isn't easy living this sort of life, but if I lived comfortably in the U.S. with a full-time job and a car and enough money to pay for insurance and rent and even entertainment then my faith would be very small. I would have no need to depend on God for anything. Here I am given a great and difficult opportunity to truly put all my trust in Him because really, there's no other option but also, there's no other person or being I'd want to put all my trust in.

Those two very different Indian missionaries got everything they needed. Sadhu Sundar Singh never really needed anything or asked for anything yet God brought him food, shelter, and he even went to Europe and England twice and the U.S. once! Dr. Ida Scudder needed millions of dollars to start hospitals and schools in India and God provided everything. I only need a couple thousand dollars, how puny does that look in comparison?

Also, if I never came to India I wouldn't be married to an incredibly attractive dark-skinned, brown eyed man and I wouldn't get to see this beautiful country when I leave my house.







The man himself.



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