Pictures

Here are some pictures from the last week:

 

 

A view of the city from the metro
 

some more views from around the city
 

 

 

 

Baby Esther and her sweet mother *Asha

 

 

 



Wall art is everywhere

 

 Flowers are most commonly used for puja (idol worship) as prayer offerings
 

 

These are some friends we met in town that we were able to share with. We plan on meeting up again, so please pray that we will have more opportunities to share with them, and that they will be receptive to the Good News
 

 

Coconut milk from the street wala is always good!



This is our favorite dosa guy, (a dosa is basically the Indian burrito) also known as the dosa Nazi. Our goal is to make him smile before December.... it's not working yet.



Begging is unfortunately a part of everyday life here. A lot of beggars will have a small child or multiple children with them

My teammate Lauren and I got stuck in a monsoon, but thankfully our dupata (scarf) turns into a hijab very easily! 



 

This is an auto rickshaw, our most common form of travel. Getting in one of these is an experience every single time

 

 

 

 

Going Into The Darkness

"Does it not stir up our hearts, to go forth and help them... to leave our luxury, our exceeding abundant light, and go to them that sit in darkness?" - Amy Carmichael

 

 

Sometimes it's hard to understand the vast lostness of this world. Especially for me, having grown up in the middle of the "bible belt" in a Christian family, with a loving church family, always surrounded by a solid network of believers. I've heard of UPG's and UUPG's. I've always known that billions of people in this world don't know Jesus. But sometimes, that fact stays in my head, but has a hard time reaching my heart. I hear the statistics, the facts, but do I truly understand what that means? I have been convicted lately that I have been so complacent about sharing the Good News. I know how many people on this earth so desperately need to hear the Truth that I know so well, yet I neglect to share it daily. I've spent so many days in America, in my comfortable bubble, content with just talking to my Christian friends about Jesus and about how much I love Him, going to my awesome church, continually being filled up, and only occasionally pouring into someone else, mostly when it's convenient. But He has called me to so much more than that. The Lord has been opening my eyes daily to the true need, the urgent need for the Gospel to be heard among the nations. How can I sit another day, in my luxury and abundant light, knowing that so many are sitting in utter darkness? I can't. If I want to be obedient to my Father, I just can't. Nearly 4 billion people haven't been reached with the gospel. As I walk out of my door, in this bright and vibrant culture, with beautiful people surrounding me, I know that 98% or more of the people I encounter are included in that 4 billion. The hard truth is that they are headed toward eternal separation from Jesus Christ, without the slightest knowledge of who He is. The Lord is breaking my heart for these people, for the lost in general. He is giving me more of an understanding of His desire to be known and praised by the nations, and growing in me a desire to see just that. He doesn't need my help to reach the nations. His word is clear that that in the end, there will be people representing every nation, tribe, people, and tongue, praising our Father, no matter what I do. He also makes it clear, though, that to be obedient to Him we are to go and make disciples. I wasn't born into the family I was, in the country I was, in all my comfort and knowledge of Him, to keep the Gospel to myself. He did not die just to save me, or just for my friends and family. He did not die just for Americans. He died for this beautiful, broken world. So my challenge, to myself, and to whoever may read this, is to be intentional daily about sharing the Good News with those who have never heard it. It doesn't matter if that is in America, or in South Asia. People all over this world sit in darkness. They need to know Jesus, and we can share Him with them. Lets leave our luxury, our exceeding abundant light, and go to them that sit in darkness.

First Week In

And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand"

Romans 15:20,21

 

Around this time last year I was sitting in Zimbabwe doing my QT when I read this verse, and felt the Lord speaking to my heart. From that day He began to grow in me a desire to spread His truth in an area of the world where most people didn't even know His name. So here I am, in a country where around 2% of the 1.237 billion people living here know Him. It's so sweet to see how He has worked in my heart this past year to get me here. I've been reminded of this verse and how it was put on my heart so many times since arriving in this wonderful country. People don't know about Jesus. A LOT of people don't know about Jesus, but hearts are seeking for truth, and that's exactly what my sweet Jesus is. I'm overwhelmed daily with the thought of even being here. Can I really make a difference when there are so many people who need to hear the Good News? Thankfully if I learned anything at orientation it was the reminder that we are charged with the job of scattering and watering seeds, but with full knowledge that only the Lord can make them grow. I'm very excited for these next six months. I know it will be incredibly challenging, that I will be stretched and grown, and at times be incredibly heart broken and home sick. But I also know that God is at work in this place. There are people ready to hear the Truth and accept it, and I'm excited to see how He chooses to work.

 

 

 

 

Here are some pictures from this week:

 

 

women at a local mosque waiting to break fast for Ramadan

women often put makeup on their baby boys to make them look like girls so that they will not be kidnapped. the red on her face, and the red bracelet both show that she has been to the temple and prayed that day.

 

Hindu's come to this temple and tie these ribbons, as a sign of prayer

 

Henna designs used to tell bible stories

 

my teammate Lauren using her henna design to tell a bible story to some friends we met in town

A Hindu "holy city" where people come to bathe in this river, hoping to wash their sins away

 

a statue of shiva, a Hindu god, watching over the holy city

we're getting used to seeing cows on the streets

a view from the flat we stayed at in the capitol

Just a common street view

a few of my teammates, Taylor, Lauren, and Madison