Bangalore, INDIA: Yes! I AM IN INDIA! [Have you gotten sick of hearing that yet? Hopefully not!]
How did I get to India? A very good question…
When I left the US I never imagined myself in Asia, let alone in India, but like with much of this trip a ‘chance’ encounter led to an entire new set of adventures. Within two weeks of leaving the country, I found myself attending a conference in Turkey where I was introduced to Shelley, an amazing and dynamic woman who I longed to spend more time with. Swapping email addresses we have stayed in contact throughout these past few months and when she emailed me with an opportunity to travel with her to work with a team in South East Asia, I knew I had to go! That was several months ago and now I find myself here in the southern tip of India with a fantastic team of people from the US, working alongside a dedicated group of locals with one common purpose.
Each member of our team has found themselves here through very different circumstances and it is clear that we were all designed to be here working together. Betty, the oldest member of our team has one of the most inspiring stories. At the age of 65 she is still a ball of energy and enthusiasm, traveling to all corners of the world this women simply cannot be stopped. A week before the trip she went to the doctors where they discovered a mass on her lung. Her doctor asked her to return for another test and the findings would determine whether or not she could participate on the team. Her pastor said that she would not be able to go unless she was given a clean bill of health. Returning to the doctors three days later they were mystified to discover that the large mass had vanished. Without explanation she was healthy once again and cleared to travel with the team to India. The team and our ministry would not be the same without her presence here.
Our time in India has rapidly drawn to a close, completing 3 women’s conferences in two different languages in two different locations, interacting with over 2,000 women and spending two other days in ministry. Each of the conferences were powerful in different ways, but none more so then yesterday’s conference at Kolar Gold Field. A once booming gold mining town, the area now stands as a struggling city after the mines closed and the big money pulled out 20 years ago. Many of the residents there live in grave poverty surviving with no work and no food – I don’t know how they do it. Our conference there was our largest one yet, serving over 1500 women in their native language of Tamil. Dancing up front with the children was by far the best part of the day and by the end of the conference I had become best friends with Ashwari, a beautiful little 6 year old girl who crawled up into my lap for the last 2 hours of the meeting. I have been so blessed by the lives of the women in this country and their stories which will break your heart and build your faith. I know this will not be my last time in this country.
Over the past 2 days everyone in our team except for me, has fallen ill. They are in various stages of recovery after some contaminated food or water sent their systems into shock. Having already endured all forms of stomach illness I have been unaffected, thankfully!
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