Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask of imagine…And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!” (Ephesians 3:20; Psalm 90:17)
Going into these past few weeks, these two verses were my prayer for all that we would see and be a part of and do while we were in India. Sure enough, as I will tell you later on, He is faithful to answer the prayers we lift up in faith, trusting that He is a God who answers.
At 4:00 pm on March 11, 16 of us left with our bags packed to mark the beginning of a journey that has changed my life and, I am sure I speak the truth in saying, the lives of every one of the 15 others with me. As we piled into the van here at camp the excitement began to grow just thinking about how far we were going to be from home and all the things we had no idea we would get to see and do, we drove about half an hour to the ferry and went over to the mainland where we stayed the first night in a church not too far from the airport. While we were there we got to hang out and talk and pray about all that was to come; also, Amelia put my hair into many little braids (so very handy in taking care of hair that you don’t get to wash for a long time!). We got to bed at a reasonable time (which meant crashing on the floor and some chairs in the church) and had a pretty broken sleep, at least I did, as the excitement continued to build.
The next morning was not too early as we got up and headed over to the airport in two trips because we did not all fit together with our packs into the one van that we now had because Kristie was leaving her car with someone at the church to take care of it. When we were all there we said our farewells to JimBad before hanging out for a bit in the lobby area. Eventually we made our way to the check-in lines and said goodbye to our big packs until Delhi. Making our way through security went very well and without incident, except that Eric was the recipient of a “random search”. We found some food after locating our departure gate and before much longer were seated on the plane that would take us to Japan.
That flight was a little crowded but we all managed to be rather close together anyways. The coolest part of that flight was the fact that we left Vancouver in the morning and flew through the whole day and managed to get to Tokyo Narita at a time when we should have been in darkness but came instead just as the sun was rising again there, so we had 48 hours with out a sunset and a night-time. Interesting. Jayme, Eric, and I had bought the same word search book together before leaving the Vancouver airport so that we could have races during the flight, we only ever had one, but it was awesome because I won about five minutes before the next person even finished the puzzle! Plus we had these awesome remote controls that allowed us to watch movies, TV, the view outside the plane, listen to music, and play video games…the sick part was that there was just about 9.5 hours worth of movies (which was the length of the flight) and I do believe that those movies as well as a bit of video gaming and a little chat time is exactly what filled up the whole flight…yeah, gross.
When we got to Japan, it didn’t really feel as though we had come so far, but looking at a map showed the proof. It was pretty sweet to be in Japan even though we did not get to go out and do much in the way of exploration, but we did get to go to this cool little noodle house and have some amazing dinner there, and I really do mean that it was good, plus the familiarity of a soothing Coca Cola to drink was great after looking at food labels and such that made no sense because they were totally not understandable! But the food was incredible anyways.
The next day we got up and headed back to the airport, through security without a hitch once again and on to our departure gate and eventually onto our very much less packed flight to Delhi, we had so much extra space on that flight that I was able to have my own row the whole time and I used it to journal and to relax and even read a paper! I found some encouragement as I read through some of Isaiah where it was talking about being a servant of God; they were verses which I believe did well for me to hear before the trip that was to come.
On that flight I got to look out the window to see both mount Fuji and mount Everest (at very different times because they are not that close together) it was pretty crazy and let me just say that Everest is a beast and I have a new respect for those who have both succeeded and failed at attempting to conquer it! Danielle ended up getting sick on this flight, it may have been the food or she just got a little bit of air sickness or whatever, she was ok the next day though. Praise God for that!
When we landed it was a little bit surreal, we stepped off and it was much warmer right away and already the smells were very different but not in a bad kind of way at all. You certainly knew that you were no longer in Canada when you say armed guards walking around with automatic rifles all over the place, it was something you would see in movies and I almost found myself looking for a camera setup somewhere, the guns hardly looked real to my eyes! I was also reminded that we were far from home when I went to refill a water bottle from a water filter thing that would be totally safe at home and had to think twice and leave the water bottle there because really we have no idea where that water came from and what could be in it. It would not have been fun to be sick the first day in the country! As we walked out of the secure area we met up with friends (whose names I will not say, because it is still important to make sure that they stay safe) and we headed out to the YMCA that we got to stay at.
The traffic was something else that was such a clear sign of where we were, the lines meant nothing as all the cars darted in and out trying to pass everything in front of them, and the noise was incredible as people honk all the time, not because of road rage or anything like that, rather just because it is a courtesy in letting people know you are close behind, in fact many times over the duration of our time there we saw bumper stickers which sai
d “horn please” haha it was so funny and it took a while to get used to, but still I don’t think I ever felt like I was not safe, the Lord had His hands on us the whole time and there was nothing to worry about. We were able to spend a couple of nights in Delhi and spent some time in the street markets where people would constantly come up and try to sell you things from their hands, but if you stay on the sidewalk right next to the shops they can not bother you too much as they are not allowed up there. And yet some of them were small kids and we got to talk to them, because they knew quite a bit of English, and we bought some of the little things that they were selling to try and help them out.
Eventually it was time to head out of that big city so we hopped on a train (in a part of town that to any North American would look rather sketchy and very much not like there was a major train station anywhere near that area).
It was a few hours on the ride, it began with a wonderful orange sunrise, but as I sat at the window I do not think that I looked in for more that five collective minutes on the whole ride as there was always something to look at outside; from the cows, to the slums,
the people squatting in the fields and next to the train tracks, the countless people always on their way somewhere, the garbage all over the landscape and the birds that are always swarming overhead. To the nice looking fields and farmlands where things seem more peaceful, and the mud areas where the Dalits work all day long to make bricks…so many things, stuff which you had no idea about and things which you can see in movies and TV shows whenever you turn on a set. The ride made me think so much about the way that we live back here in Canada and North America in general compared to so many of the conditions in which they live over there. We are so incredibly blessed, and so pathetically ignorant to those blessings, we think we need so much, always looking to buy the next new thing, we don’t need that, imagine if we lived simply and instead of fulfilling all our pointless wants we chose to support others and help provide for their needs…what a different world we would live in. Yet human nature makes it so hard for us all to let go of those desires. Lord save us from ourselves!
When we arrived at our destination, those things just continued to add up. We have made it to a place called Haridwar which is basically a Mecca for Hinduism. Our first stop was at a huge statue idol of their destroyer god Shiva, there was a man sitting und
erneath it and people came up to be blessed by him as they worshipped the empty statue, as we went on from there we saw so much more blind following of the lies which they believe and live by so adamantly over there. I found myself being filled with anger and pity and compassion and so much more all at the same time. As we walked by each little statue it was all I could do to keep myself from smashing it and showing them the emptiness of what they were worshipping, to show them that those things have no true power of the Lord of all things. We went up to the place at the Ganges river where many many people were dipping themselves in ceremonial washing, thinking that they were being forgiven through that, children, elderly, people in their prime of life, everyone was doing something in relation to the things they are so blinded by. There were beggars and people badly deformed I had tears as I looked into the windows of the souls from behind my darkened sunglasses and saw emptiness. It was devastating; I did not understand how people can live for such things, have such emptiness and not acknowledge that it is not true. Yet even they say that their gods are demons and they follow them out of fear alone. Such is the power of the enemy in those places, yet let the light of the love of the Lord shine there and all things will be made new, and we were part of shining that light, preparing the way. God save your children from an eternity without you, you know them so intimately, bring them back to you, and let the little light we brought be enough to reach some! A lesson I learned on this trip, which started here, is how important it is to keep anger, even righteous anger, out of the way of loving people the way God loves them!
A true blessing came later in the day as we headed up to the home of our won
derful hosts, when we stopped at the Moravian School, it was so clear that the presence of God was prevalent in that place, right when we drove through the gates you could physically feel all the oppression from the rest of the day simply lifted off of you and instead had a sense of peace and love and knowing that Jesus Reigns in that place. The Lord’s timing is impeccable, to end the day on an up note rather than letting it go by simply with what we had seen and felt before. Praise the Lord for He is Good!
After spending a little bit of time at that school and seeing kids who are being freed from the lies their families have so long believed in, we headed to our final destination of the day and settled in to the hotel before heading to the house for dinner and to be introduced to the rest of the team. Dinner was great and we had a chance to talk about the day gone by before heading back to the hotel for bed. The next day was great as we got up and saw the spectacular view that the city had to offer as it sat on the top of a hill. We spent some time talking in the yard at the house before lunch and then headed down to the bizarre where we did a little more shopping for things to bring home for people. Something which I will make note of here is the fact that no matter where we went, people always stopped everything they were doing to stare at us as long as we were in their line of sight. It wasn’t so bad in this place as it is more of a tourist place and I think people like us are a little more common but even as we would drive from place to place on the bus there was always someone staring back in at us. And a smile and a wave proved to be the most universal language one can have and all can know.
Going into these past few weeks, these two verses were my prayer for all that we would see and be a part of and do while we were in India. Sure enough, as I will tell you later on, He is faithful to answer the prayers we lift up in faith, trusting that He is a God who answers.
At 4:00 pm on March 11, 16 of us left with our bags packed to mark the beginning of a journey that has changed my life and, I am sure I speak the truth in saying, the lives of every one of the 15 others with me. As we piled into the van here at camp the excitement began to grow just thinking about how far we were going to be from home and all the things we had no idea we would get to see and do, we drove about half an hour to the ferry and went over to the mainland where we stayed the first night in a church not too far from the airport. While we were there we got to hang out and talk and pray about all that was to come; also, Amelia put my hair into many little braids (so very handy in taking care of hair that you don’t get to wash for a long time!). We got to bed at a reasonable time (which meant crashing on the floor and some chairs in the church) and had a pretty broken sleep, at least I did, as the excitement continued to build.
The next morning was not too early as we got up and headed over to the airport in two trips because we did not all fit together with our packs into the one van that we now had because Kristie was leaving her car with someone at the church to take care of it. When we were all there we said our farewells to JimBad before hanging out for a bit in the lobby area. Eventually we made our way to the check-in lines and said goodbye to our big packs until Delhi. Making our way through security went very well and without incident, except that Eric was the recipient of a “random search”. We found some food after locating our departure gate and before much longer were seated on the plane that would take us to Japan.
That flight was a little crowded but we all managed to be rather close together anyways. The coolest part of that flight was the fact that we left Vancouver in the morning and flew through the whole day and managed to get to Tokyo Narita at a time when we should have been in darkness but came instead just as the sun was rising again there, so we had 48 hours with out a sunset and a night-time. Interesting. Jayme, Eric, and I had bought the same word search book together before leaving the Vancouver airport so that we could have races during the flight, we only ever had one, but it was awesome because I won about five minutes before the next person even finished the puzzle! Plus we had these awesome remote controls that allowed us to watch movies, TV, the view outside the plane, listen to music, and play video games…the sick part was that there was just about 9.5 hours worth of movies (which was the length of the flight) and I do believe that those movies as well as a bit of video gaming and a little chat time is exactly what filled up the whole flight…yeah, gross.
When we got to Japan, it didn’t really feel as though we had come so far, but looking at a map showed the proof. It was pretty sweet to be in Japan even though we did not get to go out and do much in the way of exploration, but we did get to go to this cool little noodle house and have some amazing dinner there, and I really do mean that it was good, plus the familiarity of a soothing Coca Cola to drink was great after looking at food labels and such that made no sense because they were totally not understandable! But the food was incredible anyways.
The next day we got up and headed back to the airport, through security without a hitch once again and on to our departure gate and eventually onto our very much less packed flight to Delhi, we had so much extra space on that flight that I was able to have my own row the whole time and I used it to journal and to relax and even read a paper! I found some encouragement as I read through some of Isaiah where it was talking about being a servant of God; they were verses which I believe did well for me to hear before the trip that was to come.
On that flight I got to look out the window to see both mount Fuji and mount Everest (at very different times because they are not that close together) it was pretty crazy and let me just say that Everest is a beast and I have a new respect for those who have both succeeded and failed at attempting to conquer it! Danielle ended up getting sick on this flight, it may have been the food or she just got a little bit of air sickness or whatever, she was ok the next day though. Praise God for that!
When we landed it was a little bit surreal, we stepped off and it was much warmer right away and already the smells were very different but not in a bad kind of way at all. You certainly knew that you were no longer in Canada when you say armed guards walking around with automatic rifles all over the place, it was something you would see in movies and I almost found myself looking for a camera setup somewhere, the guns hardly looked real to my eyes! I was also reminded that we were far from home when I went to refill a water bottle from a water filter thing that would be totally safe at home and had to think twice and leave the water bottle there because really we have no idea where that water came from and what could be in it. It would not have been fun to be sick the first day in the country! As we walked out of the secure area we met up with friends (whose names I will not say, because it is still important to make sure that they stay safe) and we headed out to the YMCA that we got to stay at.
The traffic was something else that was such a clear sign of where we were, the lines meant nothing as all the cars darted in and out trying to pass everything in front of them, and the noise was incredible as people honk all the time, not because of road rage or anything like that, rather just because it is a courtesy in letting people know you are close behind, in fact many times over the duration of our time there we saw bumper stickers which sai
d “horn please” haha it was so funny and it took a while to get used to, but still I don’t think I ever felt like I was not safe, the Lord had His hands on us the whole time and there was nothing to worry about. We were able to spend a couple of nights in Delhi and spent some time in the street markets where people would constantly come up and try to sell you things from their hands, but if you stay on the sidewalk right next to the shops they can not bother you too much as they are not allowed up there. And yet some of them were small kids and we got to talk to them, because they knew quite a bit of English, and we bought some of the little things that they were selling to try and help them out.Eventually it was time to head out of that big city so we hopped on a train (in a part of town that to any North American would look rather sketchy and very much not like there was a major train station anywhere near that area).
It was a few hours on the ride, it began with a wonderful orange sunrise, but as I sat at the window I do not think that I looked in for more that five collective minutes on the whole ride as there was always something to look at outside; from the cows, to the slums,
the people squatting in the fields and next to the train tracks, the countless people always on their way somewhere, the garbage all over the landscape and the birds that are always swarming overhead. To the nice looking fields and farmlands where things seem more peaceful, and the mud areas where the Dalits work all day long to make bricks…so many things, stuff which you had no idea about and things which you can see in movies and TV shows whenever you turn on a set. The ride made me think so much about the way that we live back here in Canada and North America in general compared to so many of the conditions in which they live over there. We are so incredibly blessed, and so pathetically ignorant to those blessings, we think we need so much, always looking to buy the next new thing, we don’t need that, imagine if we lived simply and instead of fulfilling all our pointless wants we chose to support others and help provide for their needs…what a different world we would live in. Yet human nature makes it so hard for us all to let go of those desires. Lord save us from ourselves!When we arrived at our destination, those things just continued to add up. We have made it to a place called Haridwar which is basically a Mecca for Hinduism. Our first stop was at a huge statue idol of their destroyer god Shiva, there was a man sitting und
erneath it and people came up to be blessed by him as they worshipped the empty statue, as we went on from there we saw so much more blind following of the lies which they believe and live by so adamantly over there. I found myself being filled with anger and pity and compassion and so much more all at the same time. As we walked by each little statue it was all I could do to keep myself from smashing it and showing them the emptiness of what they were worshipping, to show them that those things have no true power of the Lord of all things. We went up to the place at the Ganges river where many many people were dipping themselves in ceremonial washing, thinking that they were being forgiven through that, children, elderly, people in their prime of life, everyone was doing something in relation to the things they are so blinded by. There were beggars and people badly deformed I had tears as I looked into the windows of the souls from behind my darkened sunglasses and saw emptiness. It was devastating; I did not understand how people can live for such things, have such emptiness and not acknowledge that it is not true. Yet even they say that their gods are demons and they follow them out of fear alone. Such is the power of the enemy in those places, yet let the light of the love of the Lord shine there and all things will be made new, and we were part of shining that light, preparing the way. God save your children from an eternity without you, you know them so intimately, bring them back to you, and let the little light we brought be enough to reach some! A lesson I learned on this trip, which started here, is how important it is to keep anger, even righteous anger, out of the way of loving people the way God loves them!A true blessing came later in the day as we headed up to the home of our won
derful hosts, when we stopped at the Moravian School, it was so clear that the presence of God was prevalent in that place, right when we drove through the gates you could physically feel all the oppression from the rest of the day simply lifted off of you and instead had a sense of peace and love and knowing that Jesus Reigns in that place. The Lord’s timing is impeccable, to end the day on an up note rather than letting it go by simply with what we had seen and felt before. Praise the Lord for He is Good!After spending a little bit of time at that school and seeing kids who are being freed from the lies their families have so long believed in, we headed to our final destination of the day and settled in to the hotel before heading to the house for dinner and to be introduced to the rest of the team. Dinner was great and we had a chance to talk about the day gone by before heading back to the hotel for bed. The next day was great as we got up and saw the spectacular view that the city had to offer as it sat on the top of a hill. We spent some time talking in the yard at the house before lunch and then headed down to the bizarre where we did a little more shopping for things to bring home for people. Something which I will make note of here is the fact that no matter where we went, people always stopped everything they were doing to stare at us as long as we were in their line of sight. It wasn’t so bad in this place as it is more of a tourist place and I think people like us are a little more common but even as we would drive from place to place on the bus there was always someone staring back in at us. And a smile and a wave proved to be the most universal language one can have and all can know.
(at this point there will be no more pictures on here i am sorry, they are not loading properly...i may try to put on more another day as a separate blog but for now i have to ask you to look on facebook for the pictures. sorry and thank you!!)
After a couple of nights at this place we set out with the team to begin our trekking, the bus ride was long and very windy on the roads but the view was incredible, beyond words really and even pictures do not do it justice. Jeremiah ended up getting very motion sick so we eventually had to stop with three hours of driving to be finished the next morning, because he was at the point of puking out the window even as we drove along. It was ok though because it gave us a chance to play with some kids who we would not have met otherwise and shine some light into still another place along the way. God let your presence never leave that place or the memories of those people! The next morning we got back on the bus and finished that drive, met up with some of our porters and hopped into some jeeps to drive the last 11 or so km which took about 45 minutes just because of the terrain, true off-roading in the Himalayan foothills. It was great, and super dusty and extremely close to the edge of the road, but again there was no feeling of fear or insecurity as we knew that the Lord had his hands on us.
From our final destination to which we would arrive by vehicle we strapped on our packs and prepared to head out…then it began to rain and we huddled together in cover to wait out those clouds first, and Tom thought to pray for more struggles, for sickness to come, for rain to come, for things to be hard. While I agree in a way that I did not want to have it easy on this trip, I almost feel like the Lord had that in mind already anyways, so others chose to pray for mercy instead. Haha and sure enough the winds picked up as if to say, you asked for it, things will be a challenge, but know I (He) am with you always. Very cool. (no need for me to mention that along the trip people did feel sick and everyone was exhausted, we took fun in reminding Tom that he prayed for it every time he talked about it, haha...praise God for the way in which Tom was able to hike so well on his ankle!) Eventually we were able to set out and after a couple of hours and a very steep Jacob’s Ladder switchback straight up area, we made it to our first village spot where we set up to stay the night. That night Dan and Jayme and I had dish duty and we managed to have a lot of fun doing it and a tonne of laughter was had, it was awesome, and then we had another nightly time of sharing in the dark on the deck under the stars before going to bed.
The next morning we were up and back on the trail again to reach our second village destination, it took us a lot longer that day and the way was steeper near the end of the day’s journey, plus we had been getting higher in altitude so that had begun to play a large factor in the fatigue. Yet we all made it there safe and sound and went out to play with the kids, right before we had we heard news that the Good News Message was being shared in the next room so we prayed for a good 15 minutes before heading out to be with the kids and upon returning for dinner we learned that salvation had come to the family and one or two other people who were our porters, I was so excited that I turned and told everyone I could see around me about it…then as we were having dinner I began to feel a little sick, I don’t know why or how but that was exactly what I needed that night, as I was laying in bed drinking rehydration water the others were downstairs celebrating with those new to the Family and I finally broke for the people, I teared up, I cried and I realized that my prayers had been answered, I had cried out that I wanted to see something to show what it was God was doing in these far away places, and there it was, that was what we had gone for, even if we had not gotten to see it happen and it had taken a few more years, that’s where the hope of the nation lies, in each family turning to the Lord one at a time and then speaking into the lives of others. That night I went to bed feeling a little better physically but much better spiritually. Praise the Lord!
The morning came and I was feeling much better, I was able to down three pancakes for breakfast and thought I was good to carry my pack for the day, but only a little while in it was clear that I was not 100% strong so one of the porters ended up taking my load for me, it was a blow to my pride and a humbling experience, to see the others be able to struggle through and then think how hard it was even for me yet I did not have my pack on me, even if I had been a little off the night before, I wanted to prove that I could do it. Yet I could not, none of us could by our own strength, it was something bigger than us which lifted our feet and placed them each step of the way. I learned that day that no matter how tired you think you are, as long as you keep going there is no measure to how far you can go when you lean on the strength of one who will provide precisely what you need and not an ounce more. And then we reached the end point and everything was wonderful…and very cold so we all huddled in our beds until dinner and then returned to them again right after eating! Haha, but what an amazing view from there. The might peaks of the Himalayas all around and knowing we had made it that far, even with the threatening snow which had begun to fall on us as we went. And made the blossoming trees along the way look so magical. As though we were walking though the LOTR writings or the land of Narnia itself.
That night as we shared again during the nightly session, I told about the feelings I had experienced in Haridwar and along the way up and at the school and how feeling sick the night before had brought me to the breaking point and one of the others spoke into my life when he said that we can not truly love the way God loves, nor do the work fully which He has called us to do until we have been broken for the people the way that He is broken for them. There is so much truth in that and Praise God that he did all it took to make me realize that. I realized the hope that is in that place, that as people travel to those places looking to worship emptiness, they will find Christ-loving people instead. Praise the Lord! The Kristie challenged me with the question “are you willing to labour for Him, even if you do not get to see the fruits of it in your lifetime on earth?” Lord I am willing, make my heart always willing to follow you one faithful step at a time no matter where you lead me!
You called me
To live for you
You made my life
To be lived in you
You took my doubts
And my fears away
Show me how
To love like you
You showed me
Your brokenness
Now write it on my heart
Teach me how
To follow you
Show me the steps
To take in you
You called me
Here I am
We got to spend a couple of days up in that amazing place, before waking one morning to a fresh dump of snow which we proceeded to hike through on the way out, the way it made the whole place look literally made me stop in my tracks more than once to look around and take it all in. the Lord painted a masterpiece that day and we got to be in it…and then further down the snow turned to slush and then mud and water like a little river on the trail and at points it was a little annoying and the downhill was getting to my knees, but I was carrying my own load and the Lord got us through safe and sound again back to the village we had gone out from. The village where I met a young girl named Lalita who has become very special to my heart and who I will commit to pray for as long as I live. She has the eyes of a leader, Lord make her a leader for you! I gave to her the soccer jersey which Andre had given me to give to someone special in India, it had to be her! And she went and put it away as soon as she got it and then came back out to play more games. Games which we played together showing the love of God right beside the empty temple which will one day be destroyed and forgotten because of the great things the Lord has planned for those places and those people, people with some of the most beautiful faces I have ever seen. I pray for them with hope.
The following day we chose to hike all the way back to the jeeps which would take us to the bus, it was very sunny that day and we had all burned the previous day because of the reflection of sun off the snow, but it was ok and even through the heat we struggled and enjoyed the whole time, conversations and breathlessness equally enjoyed all the way out. By the end of it we knew we had done a great thing, but not on our own, and not for ourselves, all the altitude illness which had been experienced, the sunburns, and the bumps and bruises we might have had from little falls or anything like that felt fine in the end. We made it back to the bus, spent the night there, where Alivia and I got to take care of one of our leaders who ended up getting sick and we got to see an Indian thunder storm and met some local dogs who were calm and friendly that came into the hotel to seek shelter from the storm. Had another sharing time and then went to bed.
The next day we had an amazing drive through rain and sun all the way back to the city and got to reflect on our times spent in the mountains. Luckily this time no one got too sick from the bendy roads. We got back and had an amazing dinner and lovely homemade pies for dessert before getting a very good night of sleep. The following day we went back to the house and had some solo time where we wrote letter for ourselves which will be sent to us in a few months to remind us of all we learned and saw while we were there, so that we might not forget. Then we headed out in cabs, did a little shopping, some got their noses pierced and then we hit up an Indian McDonalds (chicken burgers all around) and then headed to the train station to make our way back to Delhi so that we could fly out the following day on our way back to Japan. As much of those days came with reluctant farewells to people we had come to love and respect, people we will never forget, people who shared with us the story of their lives and have become part of the story of our own, it was close to tears and yet there is so much joy in knowing that we are part of the same eternal family, I will not go into more detail about those days. Our last goodbye was said at the airport as we made our way to our departure gate and then on to the flight which was not to packed and looked down as India faded into the distance, sleep came on that flight for a little while and then we were up and off the flight again in Japan for a few hours to sleep and shower at the hotel before continuing on the journey home.
(oh random notes: Chai tastes the best in India, hot tang is amazing, Japan has the best McDonalds, make sure you have authentic sushi when you are in Japan – I failed to do this – don’t ever feel like you can not do something because the Lord will be your provision and in Him you can do all things, nothing is impossible to God…squatty potties are gross but you get used to them, we went to this place called the red fort and a place that is thelargest mosque in India where we had to wear colorfully polka dotted robes...ok that’s all…for now; PS you can find more pictures on facebook!)
That flight out from Japan to Vancouver was long but not unbearable even though it was very full, no sleep was had there but it was ok and we made it safely back, met with JimBad at the airport and were on our way home via the ferry. When we got back to camp we were received by people we had not seen in several weeks. It was good but it did not, and at times still does not feel like we are really back and that soon we will wake up back in Delhi or in our sleeping bags on the home of a kind village host. There is so much more that I could go into, but this blog is so long, and there is so much that is still being processed even now that needs to wait until I understand what the lessons were. I do know that on the way home it felt like Kaleo was something that had happened a long time ago and I know that I am ready for the next step, ready to follow in what the Lord has planned for me next. And excited to see what that is. And yet there is, I am sure, much more for me to learn before that happens, Lord let me be patient and still to learn all that you have left to teach me here. “It matters not the path on earth, my feet are made to trod; it only matters how I live: obedient to God.”
Please forgive me that I am not able to tell every single thing that went on, but I do not think that would be possible in any case, if you have questions or even just want to leave a comment *please by all means *leave a comment* and I will be sure to get back to you no doubt.
“Go tell it on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere”!!! AMEN!
After a couple of nights at this place we set out with the team to begin our trekking, the bus ride was long and very windy on the roads but the view was incredible, beyond words really and even pictures do not do it justice. Jeremiah ended up getting very motion sick so we eventually had to stop with three hours of driving to be finished the next morning, because he was at the point of puking out the window even as we drove along. It was ok though because it gave us a chance to play with some kids who we would not have met otherwise and shine some light into still another place along the way. God let your presence never leave that place or the memories of those people! The next morning we got back on the bus and finished that drive, met up with some of our porters and hopped into some jeeps to drive the last 11 or so km which took about 45 minutes just because of the terrain, true off-roading in the Himalayan foothills. It was great, and super dusty and extremely close to the edge of the road, but again there was no feeling of fear or insecurity as we knew that the Lord had his hands on us.
From our final destination to which we would arrive by vehicle we strapped on our packs and prepared to head out…then it began to rain and we huddled together in cover to wait out those clouds first, and Tom thought to pray for more struggles, for sickness to come, for rain to come, for things to be hard. While I agree in a way that I did not want to have it easy on this trip, I almost feel like the Lord had that in mind already anyways, so others chose to pray for mercy instead. Haha and sure enough the winds picked up as if to say, you asked for it, things will be a challenge, but know I (He) am with you always. Very cool. (no need for me to mention that along the trip people did feel sick and everyone was exhausted, we took fun in reminding Tom that he prayed for it every time he talked about it, haha...praise God for the way in which Tom was able to hike so well on his ankle!) Eventually we were able to set out and after a couple of hours and a very steep Jacob’s Ladder switchback straight up area, we made it to our first village spot where we set up to stay the night. That night Dan and Jayme and I had dish duty and we managed to have a lot of fun doing it and a tonne of laughter was had, it was awesome, and then we had another nightly time of sharing in the dark on the deck under the stars before going to bed.
The next morning we were up and back on the trail again to reach our second village destination, it took us a lot longer that day and the way was steeper near the end of the day’s journey, plus we had been getting higher in altitude so that had begun to play a large factor in the fatigue. Yet we all made it there safe and sound and went out to play with the kids, right before we had we heard news that the Good News Message was being shared in the next room so we prayed for a good 15 minutes before heading out to be with the kids and upon returning for dinner we learned that salvation had come to the family and one or two other people who were our porters, I was so excited that I turned and told everyone I could see around me about it…then as we were having dinner I began to feel a little sick, I don’t know why or how but that was exactly what I needed that night, as I was laying in bed drinking rehydration water the others were downstairs celebrating with those new to the Family and I finally broke for the people, I teared up, I cried and I realized that my prayers had been answered, I had cried out that I wanted to see something to show what it was God was doing in these far away places, and there it was, that was what we had gone for, even if we had not gotten to see it happen and it had taken a few more years, that’s where the hope of the nation lies, in each family turning to the Lord one at a time and then speaking into the lives of others. That night I went to bed feeling a little better physically but much better spiritually. Praise the Lord!
The morning came and I was feeling much better, I was able to down three pancakes for breakfast and thought I was good to carry my pack for the day, but only a little while in it was clear that I was not 100% strong so one of the porters ended up taking my load for me, it was a blow to my pride and a humbling experience, to see the others be able to struggle through and then think how hard it was even for me yet I did not have my pack on me, even if I had been a little off the night before, I wanted to prove that I could do it. Yet I could not, none of us could by our own strength, it was something bigger than us which lifted our feet and placed them each step of the way. I learned that day that no matter how tired you think you are, as long as you keep going there is no measure to how far you can go when you lean on the strength of one who will provide precisely what you need and not an ounce more. And then we reached the end point and everything was wonderful…and very cold so we all huddled in our beds until dinner and then returned to them again right after eating! Haha, but what an amazing view from there. The might peaks of the Himalayas all around and knowing we had made it that far, even with the threatening snow which had begun to fall on us as we went. And made the blossoming trees along the way look so magical. As though we were walking though the LOTR writings or the land of Narnia itself.
That night as we shared again during the nightly session, I told about the feelings I had experienced in Haridwar and along the way up and at the school and how feeling sick the night before had brought me to the breaking point and one of the others spoke into my life when he said that we can not truly love the way God loves, nor do the work fully which He has called us to do until we have been broken for the people the way that He is broken for them. There is so much truth in that and Praise God that he did all it took to make me realize that. I realized the hope that is in that place, that as people travel to those places looking to worship emptiness, they will find Christ-loving people instead. Praise the Lord! The Kristie challenged me with the question “are you willing to labour for Him, even if you do not get to see the fruits of it in your lifetime on earth?” Lord I am willing, make my heart always willing to follow you one faithful step at a time no matter where you lead me!
You called me
To live for you
You made my life
To be lived in you
You took my doubts
And my fears away
Show me how
To love like you
You showed me
Your brokenness
Now write it on my heart
Teach me how
To follow you
Show me the steps
To take in you
You called me
Here I am
We got to spend a couple of days up in that amazing place, before waking one morning to a fresh dump of snow which we proceeded to hike through on the way out, the way it made the whole place look literally made me stop in my tracks more than once to look around and take it all in. the Lord painted a masterpiece that day and we got to be in it…and then further down the snow turned to slush and then mud and water like a little river on the trail and at points it was a little annoying and the downhill was getting to my knees, but I was carrying my own load and the Lord got us through safe and sound again back to the village we had gone out from. The village where I met a young girl named Lalita who has become very special to my heart and who I will commit to pray for as long as I live. She has the eyes of a leader, Lord make her a leader for you! I gave to her the soccer jersey which Andre had given me to give to someone special in India, it had to be her! And she went and put it away as soon as she got it and then came back out to play more games. Games which we played together showing the love of God right beside the empty temple which will one day be destroyed and forgotten because of the great things the Lord has planned for those places and those people, people with some of the most beautiful faces I have ever seen. I pray for them with hope.
The following day we chose to hike all the way back to the jeeps which would take us to the bus, it was very sunny that day and we had all burned the previous day because of the reflection of sun off the snow, but it was ok and even through the heat we struggled and enjoyed the whole time, conversations and breathlessness equally enjoyed all the way out. By the end of it we knew we had done a great thing, but not on our own, and not for ourselves, all the altitude illness which had been experienced, the sunburns, and the bumps and bruises we might have had from little falls or anything like that felt fine in the end. We made it back to the bus, spent the night there, where Alivia and I got to take care of one of our leaders who ended up getting sick and we got to see an Indian thunder storm and met some local dogs who were calm and friendly that came into the hotel to seek shelter from the storm. Had another sharing time and then went to bed.
The next day we had an amazing drive through rain and sun all the way back to the city and got to reflect on our times spent in the mountains. Luckily this time no one got too sick from the bendy roads. We got back and had an amazing dinner and lovely homemade pies for dessert before getting a very good night of sleep. The following day we went back to the house and had some solo time where we wrote letter for ourselves which will be sent to us in a few months to remind us of all we learned and saw while we were there, so that we might not forget. Then we headed out in cabs, did a little shopping, some got their noses pierced and then we hit up an Indian McDonalds (chicken burgers all around) and then headed to the train station to make our way back to Delhi so that we could fly out the following day on our way back to Japan. As much of those days came with reluctant farewells to people we had come to love and respect, people we will never forget, people who shared with us the story of their lives and have become part of the story of our own, it was close to tears and yet there is so much joy in knowing that we are part of the same eternal family, I will not go into more detail about those days. Our last goodbye was said at the airport as we made our way to our departure gate and then on to the flight which was not to packed and looked down as India faded into the distance, sleep came on that flight for a little while and then we were up and off the flight again in Japan for a few hours to sleep and shower at the hotel before continuing on the journey home.
(oh random notes: Chai tastes the best in India, hot tang is amazing, Japan has the best McDonalds, make sure you have authentic sushi when you are in Japan – I failed to do this – don’t ever feel like you can not do something because the Lord will be your provision and in Him you can do all things, nothing is impossible to God…squatty potties are gross but you get used to them, we went to this place called the red fort and a place that is thelargest mosque in India where we had to wear colorfully polka dotted robes...ok that’s all…for now; PS you can find more pictures on facebook!)
That flight out from Japan to Vancouver was long but not unbearable even though it was very full, no sleep was had there but it was ok and we made it safely back, met with JimBad at the airport and were on our way home via the ferry. When we got back to camp we were received by people we had not seen in several weeks. It was good but it did not, and at times still does not feel like we are really back and that soon we will wake up back in Delhi or in our sleeping bags on the home of a kind village host. There is so much more that I could go into, but this blog is so long, and there is so much that is still being processed even now that needs to wait until I understand what the lessons were. I do know that on the way home it felt like Kaleo was something that had happened a long time ago and I know that I am ready for the next step, ready to follow in what the Lord has planned for me next. And excited to see what that is. And yet there is, I am sure, much more for me to learn before that happens, Lord let me be patient and still to learn all that you have left to teach me here. “It matters not the path on earth, my feet are made to trod; it only matters how I live: obedient to God.”
Please forgive me that I am not able to tell every single thing that went on, but I do not think that would be possible in any case, if you have questions or even just want to leave a comment *please by all means *leave a comment* and I will be sure to get back to you no doubt.
“Go tell it on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere”!!! AMEN!
