Finally...an update from my trip to India

I've been home from India for 2 months now and I still haven't posted anything about my time there.  The main reason why I haven't is because there is so many incredible stories and details that I get overwhelmed when I try to fit it into a blog post.  I really don't know where to begin, what to include, and how to summarize ten very long days into a short blog post.  This is my attempt:
The trip in May was my first trip ever to India.  I remember the first day I experienced so many emotions, smells, thoughts, and sounds that were new and unfamiliar.  I loved all of it:).  Three things stick out to me: the heat, the traffic, and crowds.
The heat: When we stepped outside for the first time at 1:30AM (Delhi time).  It was soooo HOT!  During our time there, the daytime temperature was around 110 to 115 degrees, and it "cooled off" to about 90-95 degrees at night.
The traffic:  It's like nothing we've ever experienced in the states.    Indians easily make a 2 lane street a 6 lane highway!  At one traffic light, it is likely that you'll see a few rickshaws, a cow that doesn't belong to anyone, people weaving through the traffic on foot, a man starring at you with his head pressed against your window, a bus that looks like it's been through a hail storm every day since purchased in 1967, and oh yeah, regular cars!  Horns are constantly blowing.  It's like they enjoy making music with one another as they drive. Literally, horns never stop blowing in the city!
The crowds:  Sooooo many people everywhere.  You can't escape a crowd in Delhi.  Many are homeless and just sit outside in the 115 degree heat all day. Some are laying down because they can't take the heat and have nowhere to go.  Children are working or begging.  (I'm not sure which is worse.) There's so many stories on each face.....The saddest part is that 98% of them (or more) are each day moving closer and closer to eternal death apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ, the only true Savior.  This is why I went to India.

I could write a lot of stories from my time there, but I will narrow it down to the two stories that impacted me most....
Meet Tripti:

We held a Vacation Bible School for "kids" age 0-18 every morning.  The majority of the children were from rural communities, and they could not speak English.  This was a challenge to me because I desperately wanted to communicate the beauty of the Gospel with them.  Thankfully, I had an interpreter for a lot of the time at Bible school, but there is something amazing about getting to share the Gospel with someone of a different nationality who has never heard it...in a language that both people understand.  I got to do this with Tripti.  Tripti, 16, heard from a friend that we were talking about Jesus, so she begged her Hindu family to allow her to come.  I don't think they knew about the Jesus part:).  They are very strict.  She was only able to come two days.  Tripti told me that she didn't believe there were many gods and that you must go to a temple to worship. (Hinduism) She wanted to know about this Jesus.  I was able to explain to her the true Gospel.  I gave her some resources, and she read them before coming back to Bible School.  My time with her was limited, but I could see so clearly that God was cultivating Tripti's heart in a way that is leading her to trust Him.  A day rarely goes by that I don't think of her and pray that God opens her eyes and she gives her very life for His Glory.

Meet Swarjit:

In the afternoons, our team of five girls went to a battered women's shelter to teach the book of Ruth and spend time with the women.  These women come from some amazingly horrific backgrounds.  Most have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, and we pray that others will be redeemed as well.  The women were so attentive during Bible study.  They desperately wanted to learn.  They were so kind to us.  We couldn't speak their language, and we had an interpreter for our study time.  Strangely, language didn't seem to be a barrier in making relationships.  They hugged and kissed us and spoke the few English words they knew to us.  They communicated often through translation how happy they were that we came all the way to India to teach them.  These women have felt worthless most of their lives.  For them to feel important enough for someone to travel to the other side of the world for them is incredible.  I was blessed so much by them.  Swarjit is one of those women.  Like Tripti, she's 16 years old.  There stories are totally different though.  Tripti is educated and somewhat wealthy....meaning she doesn't have to worry about where her next meal will come from.  Swarjit has experienced great loss and had to grow up very fast.  Her father passed away when she was a young child, and a religious group killed her younger brother.  She had to drop out of school to help her mother financially support her sisters.  School of any kind costs money in Delhi, so she can't go.  She held onto my arm while she poured her heart out to Gloria in tears.  It hurts me to know there are thousands of girls like her who, apart from Christ, will more than likely sell their bodies for money or end up in some other type of horrible desperate situation.  Praise be to God that Swarjit has been rescued and redeemed by the blood of Christ!  Pray that she will continue to grow in her relationship with Him and not give in to temptation while times are so difficult for her family.
There are so many stories from my short ten day experience that I wish I could include.  One woman was saved after hearing about redemption through Jesus Christ while studying Ruth.  That was a truly amazing day.  Their worship was so beautiful and sincere.  They pray with intensity and passion.  We in the western church could learn a lot from this.  They know so little yet pray and worship with such joy, trust, and passion.  We know so much, and we can be so passive, arrogant, and prideful.  I pray that you and I will let go of pride and live for Christ in a way that makes Him look like the Famous, Beautiful, Glorious, Exalted One that He is and us like the undignified, needy, desperate, finite servants we are.

"To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." Jude 25