Healing

On our way to Pastor Kuldeep's house after our village ministry in the van, he was sharing three stories about healing. Some of us were asleep when he was telling these stories but Elder John filled us in later. One of the stories he was sharing was actually about the woman in the village that we had just met. She had a hole in her heart, and she had no aids, no hope. As she was suffering, people came to pray for her, and she was healed by the Lord. She was so amazed by this miraculous healing in her life that she shared this story to the people in the village and witnessed the power of God. As soon as I heard this, my heart literally cringed and sank. I felt like I had a hole in my heart.

While Pastor Kuldeep was sharing about the last healing story, suddenly one of the pastors in the van got a phone call. This was when we were woken up by what sounded like a series of painful sobs of a woman. Confused and startled, we woke up and started to join others in prayer without fully knowing what was going on. After the voice over the phone had quieted down we were told that it was actually the wife of one of the pastors in the van who had called in the middle of the healing stories. She was suffering in pain, and had called her husband for prayer.

Why is it so hard to believe that something like this happened, even though it happened right in front of my eyes, and to the people I physically met and shook hands with? Why is it a surprise? Didn't I always believe that Our God is a real God who works miracles every day? I have heard so many stories about miraculous healings such as this even in my own family, so why is it so hard to have faith that God does heal? Why do we not expect this kind of healing in places like North America? Isn't God the same mighty powerful God in every country, every corner of the earth?

God is real. God listens. and He heals.

I need to be the first one to have that mustard seed size of faith.

Dinner at Kuldeeps

Pastor Kuldeep graciously invited us after the village ministry for dinner


Curry, curd and vegetables :)

Chai Tea... the best I've ever had.

My lovely roommates.

We love Chai!

Biajar village, Shahpura.

We are here at someone's small front yard after a long, steep drive up the hills. All the children and adults and their friends in the village came to see us. We only have one hour, and then we must go. It is still bright, but the night is fast approaching. The eyes of the villagers sparkle, their smiles shy but complete.

They say, Tank you, (for taking our pictures).

I say, Thank you, (for letting me take beautiful pictures of you).

It is raining...but it is not rain. It is God's mercy. We are not worried about the rain washing our make up away cause we do not have any on. We are not worried about getting ourselves wet and dirty because we are already drenched in rain and dirt. We simply enjoy the falling rain, letting it wash away the humidity, heat and sweats away.

We sing and d a n c e in the rain.

We sing and dance in God's mercy.

Mercy is falling, is falling, is f a l l i n g...

Mercy is falling like sweet spring rain...
Mercy is falling, is falling all over me...

And the sun started to go down...

I reach out my hand to one child and everyone surrounds me to hold my pale, white wrist.

I point my camera to one child and everyone immediately gathers around in excited chatters and poses happily for photos. I say my name once, and everyone starts to scream out their names. Then we all break out into a laughter. We do not know what we are laughing at, but we seem to be having a very good time anyway. We can't verbally communicate beyond asking each others name and age, but there is a much deeper and joyful bond that develops between our hearts, and it is something that stems from our common love for Christ.

The world I see through the window, behind the curtains...

I am amused by India.

India is amused by me.
I suddenly realize that I am a foreigner here,

as I see them staring at us or excitedly pointing at us.

I am in the bus, looking out the window,

carefully and blankly observing every scene, every sight, every person.

I feel as though I am watching a very long film.

Everything out the window looks chaotic enough to appear picturesque.

It aches that I cannot capture everything I see with my camera.

So instead, I sit back and capture every moment with my eyes.

I try to embed everything in my heart. I don't want to forget anything.

We are told to close the curtains.

We must be invisible during the daylight.

Money

''It can build a ministry, and it can destroy a ministry.

That's money."

- Akash.

When he said this, my heart was broken.

Two weeks is not enough

Pastor Chun is the first Korean missionary to settle and start a ministry in the city of Jaipur. He has a beautiful wife who cooks amazing Korean food with Indian ingredients, and three adorable, energetic children. He speaks softly, but his childlike passion and firm conviction speaks much louder than his words.

This morning, he was sharing a little about his calling and journey into India and his initial struggles in starting and maintaining a ministry in Jaipur, where no Korean missionaries have ever paved a way before him, and where Christians continue to be persecuted. Every step of his ongoing journey requires full dependence in God, because there are constant obstacles, persecutions and spiritual battles. Now they have a few Indian staff in training to do ministry work in the villages, and also a mission training centre where the staff can have access to various resources and short term mission teams can stay. They've come a long way in establishing stable resources for ministry but they still have a long way to go. As I listened to Pastor Chun's testimony, I felt a strong conviction in my heart.

This is what it means to live for Christ.

I have not been living for Christ.

Pastor Chun also expressed that they are in great need of people. Northern India needs people to help, to volunteer, to educate, to minister and to pray for healing and freedom of the land. That's why, he said, it's important for short term mission teams (like us) to experience and to share the heart and the passion of India so that more people from other parts of the world may develop love, or even an interest for India. That's when I realized that two weeks maybe a long time, but it is not enough. It's barely long enough to get a glimpse of what India is really like.

I would like to come back to India. For more than two weeks. Perhaps for a month or two. Pastor Chun said that many missionaries' wives get barber certification so that they can earn side money and also minister to the people on the streets while cutting peoples' hair.

Maybe I can learn how to cut hair. (Though I am not sure about this since I can't even cut an apple or a piece of paper the right way)

Maybe I can teach English and worship.

Maybe I can travel through the villages to take photos and videos.

Maybe, just maybe, I will be back one day.

My Reality

I feel like the past three days in India,

the children and the chaotic streets of India is my reality.

Everything back homes seems like a blur, a dream.

And once I return, I will probably feel as though my two weeks in India were a dream.

But I want to take India with me, because this is reality.

Reality that I want to continue living in even when I am back in Toronto.

Reality that I should never abandon or forget.

Akash's Testimony.

Akash is a young man being trained under Pastor Chun and assisting him in village ministries. His name means Sky. He comes from a wealthy background, and His father was a Brahmin. Their family was rather well-off and happy, and did not feel the need for anything else. Until one day the family business started to go very wrong. When everything started to fall apart despite all of their hard works, Akash decided to intentionally make 'wrong turns', because clearly, doing the right things as he knew it was not working out for him. So he decided to go to church, which his family was very against. Akasha told us that the first time he followed his friend to a church, he met God, and was saved- he wanted to dedicate his whole life into ministry. He sold his business, and he went against his parents wishes to pursue ministry for God. Akash happily concluded the story by telling us that both his parents are now very supportive of his ministry works. Akash is one of the nicest, purest souls you will ever meet, and he has the most unadulterated, genuine smile that immediately warms up peoples hearts. I love it when he says, "I really love my wife" with sparkles in his eyes and a foolish grin.

* My after-mints:

What have I been living for?

Am I responding to God's calling?

Is my life a testimony of God's grace, authority and love?

Am I able to say that I love someone with the same amount of joy and confidence?

God allows for things to get out of control, just to show that He is in control.

Guitar

My first horrible (but colorful) attempt at drawing tabs.

and Youngrae had to draw me new ones that would actually help.

Young-rae's teaching me theory.

Summer's teaching me practical chords and taking me through songs.

Sarah and and Janet are teaching me strumming.

I have learned two songs today! Yippie :)