Before India

---

Well, this is the start of the processing of my time in India. I am now starting to read back through my journal entries from my travels to, from and while in India. I miss the country so much, but it is amazing to remember all the memories and the things that God did. Will there be tears from reading these memories? Yes, but that is natural and probably cleansing. Even before my team and I arrived in India, God was showing himself to me, and how he led me through things to get me to where I am today. One of the first stories is from being in the Amsterdam airport. I have been there before, when my family and I were short-term missionaries in France for seven months.

It is funny to think that I was in Amsterdam almost 8 ½ years ago, my how times flies. Everything started to coming back to me from when my family and were there on out way to France. Oh France, how I miss it. To think that at first I didn’t want to go, then I did and God changed my life. That is where God opened my eyes to global missions, traveling and how beautiful other cultures are. Just think if my family and I had not followed God’s calling to go to France, I might not have gone to DTS let alone to India for almost two months. God is so amazing and how he leads us down the path of life that he has for us, but we must follow that.

The day before my team and I left for India, I had sort of a very strange panic attack, if that’s what you would call it. We were on the way to volunteer at a place in Minneapolis called Marie Sandvik Center to do some last minute volunteer work before we left the country for outreach. On the radio we were listening to a song from the soundtrack of the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”. I thought to myself “Hmm, wouldn’t it be a great experience to go to India. Wait a second we are going tomorrow! Oh my word we are leaving for India for seven weeks tomorrow! Whoa!” I was literally freaking out. I had trouble breathing and felt like I was losing my mind! It was crazy what was going on! The next morning, I woke up after only getting about 4 1/2 hours of sleep, it was New Years Eve the night before so all of us YWAMers stayed up to celebrate. The thing is though; I woke up with such a peace and Excitement in my heart about India, what God was going to do there and through me and in me! I had continually been handing over the whole outreach and myself to him. I wanted to shine with the Holy Spirit blasting through me! Not only that, but also the words of the Lord pouring out of my mouth to minister to the many people I would come in contact with in India, and wherever else he may take me. But I realized this as I am sitting here typing. That should be my prayer and yours every single day of our lives. Don’t reserve that “spirit” of the letting the Lord just work through us for missions. Our whole life is a mission for Christ and the Kingdom! Let Christ burst through while we are at the grocery store or the library. Wherever we are, let Christ shine!

I love how God reveals things about himself at random moments. Watching father and sons interact with each other is probably one of my favorite things. There was a pair at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport and the father had his arms around his son. I could tell that he loved his son just with how he was holding him. Then, the boy’s mother walked up and made the boy laugh! The son’s smile and laugh were so beautiful! Then, much later when we were in the Amsterdam airport, a father and son had another interaction. The boy leaped into his father’s arms and the father smiled with joy and tossed his son into the air and the son let out joyous laughter! These two instances reminded me of the father heart of God. We should leap into his arms with confidence and he will toss us into his plans that he has for us with joy! Oh how the Lord loves us so much that he rejoices over us!

---