how was india?

i've been asked this question countless times in the last few weeks, and i've learned that it's absolutely impossible to answer well. i can't believe i've been back in the states for 2 1/2 weeks. part of me feels like these weeks have flown by, but part of me feels like india was 3 months ago. sometimes i even get that--did i really even go to india?--feeling. dr. stroope warned us that we might get that feeling, but i didn't want to believe him. i guess he was right. again.

i've recently been going through my journal from india over and over again trying to make myself remember different things i felt, experienced, and learned while i was there. there are some issues that are much more absolute to me now than they were before the trip, but there are other issues that have developed into even bigger and broader questions. i think i'll make a list (no one's surprised). obviously it won't be exhaustive--just a few things i'm thinking about and would love for you to think about too...

• living a lifestyle of spiritual devotion--not legalism, but discipline.
• seeking spiritual sensitivity.
• grasping the absolute necessity of prayer and scripture.
• living more simply.
• living slowly.
• recognizing jesus as the only way.
• knowing that jesus is enough.
• understanding who i am in light of who he is.
• recognizing his providence and grace.
• living with my hands open--i am entitled to nothing--everything is a gift.
• seeing people as stories.
• knowing my role as a witness.
• asking questions of gospel, conversion, salvation, mission.
• questioning my questions--am i asking arrogantly or humbly?

in mark 5, after jesus healed a demon-possessed man, the man--of course--wanted to follow him. instead of letting the man stay with him, jesus said to him, "go home to your friends and tell them how much the lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

when i get asked the token "how was india?" question, i love to talk about the colors, the smells, the food, the clothes, the people, and the culture of india... but maybe--like the demon-possessed man--my role is to declare god's mercy and faithfulness in my life.

agra and delhi.

before i can write about agra, i have to write about our train experience from varanasi to agra. our train was delayed, so we ended up hanging out on the train platform at the varanasi station for about 3 hours. i can't put into words how hot, sticky, and exhausted we all were. this place was literally the very bottom of the well. we all hit our absolute lowest point of the whole trip. there were fleas literally flying around the beggar children.... rats crawling all over the train tracks.... the most raunchy stench ever coming off of the tracks.... it was definitely the dirtiest and most unsafe i've felt the whole trip.

but good news: we made it. the funny thing is that agra is the most touristy city in india, so we wasted no time crawling up out of that well. we checked into a nice hotel (finally!!) and spent the afternoon touring around the TAJ MAHAL!!!! quite a contrast between the varanasi train station and the taj. there's a reason it's one of the seven wonders of the world....it's absolutely beautiful! the architecture is incredible...so extravagant, but so much attention to intricate detail. so of course we had a photo shoot....but not just with our team--indian men were literally lining up to take pictures with us girls. hilarious.

another highlight from agra was our team meeting yesterday morning. we've taken turns sharing our life stories, and yesterday was finally dr. stroope's turn. that man never fails to challenge and inspire me. after he shared, we took communion together--with naan (indian bread) and limca (an indian sprite-ish soda). it was such a sweet time of serving one another and talking about the suffering and death we'd seen around us in india, the suffering and death christ went through on the cross, and the suffering and death we're called to as his followers.

after a long bus ride yesterday afternoon, we made it to our last stop on the trip--delhi. today we went to a sikh temple, a bahai house of worship, and the place where ghandi was killed. super interesting stuff. tomorrow we're spending time with some of dr. stroope's friends that live here in delhi and do life with hindus. i'm eager to learn from them and excited about the MEXICAN FOOD that they're cooking for us!

late tomorrow night we'll head to the airport and end this journey through india. i can't believe it's almost over. our travel home will be about 24 hours total. crazy! please pray for safety and no delays.

delhi to hong kong to san francisco to dfw.....to birmingham. for those of you going to the hardekopf/hefner wedding this weekend, just know that i can't wait to see you.

varanasi. the holy city.

i can't really explain varanasi to you. this place is so surreal. it's the holiest city of hinduism. the ganges river is the holy water, the lifeblood of the city. hindus come from all over to worship in the ganges. good news: our hotel is literally right on the ganges, so we've gotten an up-close view of all the madness. a couple of times we've taken a boat out on the ganges to see it all from that perspective. the river is where life happens for these people. it's where the sacred and the secular intersect. people are bathing, brushing their teeth, washing their clothes, and performing worship rituals all right there next to each other. so crazy! last night we went to an arti, a worship celebration to the ganges. you can't even begin to fathom the number of people there. it was like a carnival--bells ringing, music playing, people selling things, beggars everywhere, holy men who look like they're dressed up in costumes.... it was sensory overload. so much to take in.

this city is also a big deal for buddhism. today we went out to the tree where buddha received his enlightenment....like where buddhism began. what?! pretty crazy.

on wednesday night, we met with one of stroope's friends, swammi. our time with him was worth the entire trip to india. he's a hindu christ-follower, and his perspective on what it means to follow jesus is absolutely fascinating. i was so challenged and inspired by him. i wish i had more time to go into more detail, but hopefully i can share more thoughts later.

stroope has been saying that this trip is like a journey into a well....and varanasi is the bottom of the well. it overwhelmed me at first, but now that we're about to leave, i think i can say that this has been my favorite city we've visited so far. there's just SO much going on here. so many people, so much devotion, so many stories....it's incredible.

tonight we have another overnight train experience...this time on our way to agra. tomorrow we'll see the taj mahal!!!! what in the world?! this country is amazing. can't wait to post pictures when i get back. i feel like my words fail at describing it.

thanks for your prayers. continue to pray for safety. pray that we'll maximize our last few days here. can't believe it's almost over!

just some thoughts.

quotes i've been thinking on:

"mission is the announcement of a fact. it is not the launching of a program. it is not the promulgation of a new doctrine. it is not a call to moral or religious reformation. it is, strictly speaking, a news-flash. something has happened. there is a new fact to be reckoned with. the kingdom, the reign of god, has come near." --lesslie newbigin.

"for not for this life and its concerns do we exist: this is only a pilgrimage, and its concerns are only for the temporary needs of the pilgrims. heaven is our country, hence our care should be about heavenly things." --john amos comenius.

"we have been created for greater things, to love and to be loved." --mother teresa.

things i will never get used to:

• dr. stroope eating with his hands.
• never ever ever not sweating.
• naked babies begging on the side of the road.
• massive amounts of street children.
• saying no to people asking for money or food.
• trash everywhere....i mean, literally everywhere.
• men peeing on the side of the road all the time.
• being stared at always.
• crazy traffic and psycho driving.
• elephants, camels, horses, donkeys, cows, dogs, cats.....everywhere. just hanging out in the middle of the street like they own the place...maybe because the cows actually do. the animals here are treated better than a lot of the people. terrible. oh but sidenote: i got to ride a camel on my last night in jaipur. yep. i freaked out.
  
• a BILLION people in this one country.
  
• favoring tea over coffee. no no no.
• no tex-mex.
  

questions i can't quit wrestling with:

• what is mission?
• what is the westerner's role in a place like this?
• what is the kingdom of god?
• what would it look like for the gospel to intersect this culture?
• is this way of life somehow ordered chaos or just a chaotic mess?
• do i love well? do i live with purpose?
• am i devoted to what i know is the truth even half as much as these people are devoted to golden calves, elephants, and handmade idols?
  
• do i really believe that god created every single one of these people?
• do i really believe that god loves every single one of these people?
• for someone who literally spends their entire life picking up trash and begging--what is their purpose? why where they created?
• is god going to save some of them?

just some thoughts. thanks for not thinking i'm crazy.

i can't come up with words to describe calcutta. the poverty here is so in-your-face, so intense, so unlike anything i've ever seen. seeing mother teresa's tomb and where she lived was kinda overwhelming for me. working in her house for disabled children is even more overwhelming. we're here until tuesday night when we'll take a train to varanasi. this trip is so unbelievable, but so good. thanks for your prayers.

jaipur. jai ho!

jaipur is such a cool city. the old part of the city is all painted PINK! they painted it back in the day as a sign of hospitality, and it still remains a dusty pink-ish color. pretty cool. so jaipur is in a desert, in the state of rhajasthan. just know that desert = CAMELS. y'all. like walking down the street in the middle of the road. so we're talking monkeys, camels, cows, horses, donkeys, elephants....not like at the zoo, but in the midst of everyday life.....what?!? this place is so unreal. i LOVE it.

dr. stroope has a friend here who loves on hindus in this city. it's been cool to get to know him and his team. they're doing a good thing. they have to be super careful with their cover, so i can't write much, but pray for them. if i were in their shoes, it would be so easy to be overwhelmed and feel so unbelievably hopeless....but they have such great faith. it's inspiring.

walked through the city this morning praying and reading scripture. talk about powerful. it was an incredible experience. so much going on here....so many people, so much life and energy. this place is so unique.

tonight we're going to the choki danni cultural center--lots of music, dancing, acrobats, elephants, food, etc. it's going to be AWESOME.

remember how i'm in INDIA?! it blows my mind every single day. pray that i'll make the most of every opportunity and take advantage of my time here.

headed to calcutta tomorrow morning. to walk and serve where mother teresa walked and served will be a dream come true. can't wait to write about it.