“And it’s going home on furlough when you feel like you have just begun.”

“And it’s going home on furlough when you feel like you have just begun.”

I think I had just begun to settle into my new way of life in India when it was time for me to come back home. The roads didn’t freak me out. The smells were just normal. The food was yummy and cook-able. I think one day I could actually do this myself.

It’s not that the country is the best in the world. They government is corrupt. The people are not always the most welcoming and honest to outsiders. It smells and trash is piled u everywhere. There are major population control problems. The largest population of orphans in the world live within its borders.

You have to go where God is calling you. If you try to fight that, even if means going to a smelly, corrupt country, you will never get over it. Trying to deny what God is calling you to do or to run from it just doesn’t work out. Take it all in stride. Whether it is learning to love someone when it’s hard, giving up a luxury, or moving to a foreign country, if He has called you there, He will prepare the way.

The same promise that God gives to Abraham, He has given to us:

“The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”

Genesis 12:1

Why in the World?

When I was reentering the USA I had to answer some immigration questions. I had talked with the officer and left him quite confused.

I’m sure his thoughts were something like:
Why would an 18 year-old girl travel to India for 3 weeks by herself? Why would she go and not really purchase that much stuff? What could one do to fill 3 whole weeks ‘touring’ a country?

Thankfully what I have to tell that officer is not al

l there was to my trip.

I got to do so much more. He probably wouldn’t have understood, actually I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t.

“Where there is no vision the people cast off restraint”

He could not understand.

I got to be part of a move of God. I saw people being

transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lives were changed and destinies altered.

Foreigners entered a land that they had never given thought to before. They will never be the same. How could they? They left their country, their families, and gave up their idea of a regular Christmas to experience India and begin a partnership. Forever their lives will be tied to God’s work in India. They can no longer pretend that all they know is their own country and lifestyle.

The nearly 30 visitors to Nagpur, India, have seen part of how God is working in India. They now carry the vision of this ministry. I pray that all of us, me included, will fervently lift up the work of God and that we would join with the body of Christ, that we would never be able to forget what we saw during our trip, and that we could accurately portray the vision of this ministry.

Kyle

During my time this year in India, I got to interact with and get to know the Crossroads team that was there. One of the people I came to know better was Kyle Wilkinson. If you don't know him, you probably should. He is a true worshipper in so many senses of the word. He leads worship through music but he also uses his everyday life interactions to express his worship.

He recently wrote a blog about his experience while being in India.

Please take the time to watch his videos and check out some of his pictures (which are partially mine). He will help you see a fresh, new perspective on this whole thing.

http://kylewilkinson.tumblr.com/

WOW

Wow, oh, wow. It has been forever since I've posted. Most of that is due to my 3 weeks in India and then my slow jet-lag recovery.

So, you may be thinking, "How was India for the 3rd time?"

My answer w

ould either be short and to the point or more likely long and full of fun stories. Hopefully over the next few posts, I can fill you in.

Probably one of the best things that made this trip so different than my previous two was the amount of time and quality of time that I got to spend with the female Bible students and children. I stayed in a house just up the road from their hostel and thus we were always back

and forth to their hostel. I was able to interact with them on a more normal playing field. I was no longer just another visiting American, I was a

neighbor and friend.

Another awesome part of my 'job' while in India this Christmas was that my responsibility was these three kids. They are absolutely wonderful children. I got to play a behind-the-scenes role by helping take care of the kids, do laundry, cook, and clean. Since I was working on some of the household duties, this freed up time for my family, Rachel and Amol, to really pour their time and effort into the Crossroads team.

I am really thankful that God allowed me to be a part of Christmas 2010 in India! He has continued to work in my heart, clarifying my call and placing bigger dreams in my heart.

More to come!

I'm going to India

Today I leave for India.

I am overwhelmed with excitement and expectation of what God is going to do in me and through me. This trip has been a long-time coming and yet it feels like I just got back from my first Christmas in India.

I am going in with few expectations but just with an expecting heart. I know that HE has something special to teach me while I am gone.

I know I am going to struggle. It is hard to be gone to another country and culture for almost a month, living in a house with 3 small children, and having a roommate. All of that is overcome with patience and understanding.

I love the fact that I get to pour into three missionary kids' lives. They are the future hope of India. They get a unique perspective into how ministry is run within their country. They speak the language and understand the locals, thus being perfectly positioned to minster. The potential of those three is awesome. God has great things in mind for them.

I plan to return to America as a refined Chai Wallah. I should be able to host a huge party, cook for them, and make them all tea. I might even learn how to cook some Indian food! Anyone feeling an Indian night coming on?

I plan (internet willing) to keep posting at least a few times during my trip (and of course afterwards). I would love to let you see my daily life, the beautiful culture I get to be a part of, the family I get to have Christmas with, and anything else that may be part of Christmas in India 2010!

Please keep me in your prayers as I travel today and during the duration of my trip. The Crossroads Worldwide Team will follow me, leaving out next Thursday. Pray that I and the team would bond with one another, travel well, stay healthy, and most of all be sensitive to HIS guiding and teaching during our time in India.

emBRACE India

These are for sale ($1.50) and proceeds are going to benefit my trip to India this year and the ministry that I am going to work with and you've probably read about on here before, Crosspoint of India.

The bracelets are a mustard yellow and everyone knows yellow is a neutral, so you can wear it with anything and everything!

I leave in 8 days for my 3-week trip to Central India. I have been overwhelmed by God's goodness in my support raising. My trip is fully paid for and the plans are falling into place.

Thank you for your prayers and support. I am believing God for big things this Christmas season in India.

*Let me know if you are interested in purchasing bracelets in support of this amazing ministry.

"Is Adoption The Only Way?"

Check out a friend of mine's blog. She has some great things to say on adoption and family:

http://aneverydaytarheel.blogspot.com/2010/11/is-adoption-only-way.html

In honor of my dinner outing tonight:

I had the chance to TrySomethingDifferent (we call them TSDs) tonight with a group of Honors students. We visited a South Indian restaurant near Charlotte. The food was very authentic and delicious. Here are some images of just a few meals that I had while visiting India in 2009.

Where all the magic is made:

Who ever said you couldn't have chicken curry and birthday cake?

Some of the best times were spent just sitting on the floor, drinking chai, and hearing the Family tell stories.

Chokardani: a fun outing with a plate of food filled like this:

A dosa with my adventurous teammates

A second lunch of the day: PB&J with chai and masala flavor chips.

Skyline

It can be so powerful to take some time and pray over a city. One time during my first trip to India, for our group morning devotions, we had a time of worship and then spread out around our rooftop and prayed over all corners of the city. We took time to pray for God to move mightily in the people of Nagpur. It was amazing individually and as a team to pour our hearts out over the city. That can cause you to really fall in love with a skyline.

www.crosspointofindia.org

The Power of Your Heart

Pooja is a sweet-spirited girl that I met on my first trip to India. She, at the time, was one of the children in the children's home and was attending school. She had been in the children's home since very close to the opening of it. Her English was good, which made it much easier to talk to her. One of the best things that I learned quickly about Pooja was her giving heart. She could have done what most kids would have and just used her English to hog the time of the team members by talking us herself. Instead, she became a bit of a translator for us. When we were in a group setting, she would gladly help interface between the languages. She gave the chance to many of the girls to talk with us and us with them, that wouldn't have happened before.

When I returned the next year, Pooja was still living in the children's home but had completed her regular schooling (our equivalent of graduating high school) and had started her year in the Bible school. Her English was better than ever and because of her willingness to serve, the ministry had given her a job that utilized her gifts. I know God has blessed her because of her servant's heart.

I am also thankful for the insight I gained while getting to know Pooja. She has a quite voice but leads the girls that live in the children's home. She allowed me to ask quite a few questions in our time together. Oddly enough, her name Pooja means worship. Right now I don't remember all the specifics of her story, maybe I'll tell it sometime. I do know that it is amazing how her given name reflects her total attitude of worship, even in the small tasks.

www.crosspointofindia.org

Vikky

From time to time I will be telling a story of a student in the Bible college or a child from the

children's home. Here is one:

Vikky was one of the original boys in the Crosspoint of India children's home. He was the oldest at that time. He was born into a Hindu family. Before he had even turned 1 year old, his father was killed by a street dog. His young mother, wanting to remarry, sent him to live with his grandparents. They were old and in poor health and struggled to care for him. His grandmother cared for him until she was able to get him into the children's home. He grew up there, finishing school and growing spiritually.

Vikky loves music. He plays piano and drums. He completed the ministry's 1 year Bible school program while still in high school. He has succeeded in school and shown great interest in ministry as he grows older.

This year he will be attending a Bible college in another part of India. He i

ntends to complete his schooling and then return to be part of the Crosspoint school's leadership. He truly is a man with a heart for his own country and people. He could pretty much anything, but he has chosen to return to the ministry that changed his life.

www.crosspointofindia.org

*Photos courtesy of Rachel P.

The Gospel

One of the very first things I was told in preparation for my first trip to India was to always be prepared to share the Gospel. These are a few pictures of one evening that after working on cementing the wall (on the land for the Crosspoint of India future children's home), my team had an opportunity to sit down with the construction workers and flat-out share the good news of Jesus.

December 2008, my team was asked to tell the workers of the 'good news' that we have and to sing a worship song to help prove our point. One team member told the story of the salvation of men from Genesis, with the fall, to Revelation, and the 2nd coming of Christ. He stated it all so plainly that the men, who had probably never heard any portion of the Bible, could understand it all. We then sang the song "Mighty to Save" (by Hillsong) with our one acoustic guitar. Those few moments are forever ingrained in my mind.

We didn't have a huge revival among the workers, no one gave their life to Christ, and from the looks of it, nothing really happened BUT I know that God was working in their hearts. I don't know all the results from what was said that day but I'm believing that the seed was planted. Also each of us that sat there that day learned a valuable lesson. By being prepared and willing to share the Gospel at anytime, lives can be changed, destinies altered, and our own perspectives shifted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-08YZF87OBQ

This December

My journey with India started in December 2008. I have visited the country of India twice in the last two years and I am going back this year! December 10th, 2010, I am flying out by myself (via France, where I've never been before). This makes me a little nervous and super excited. It will be unlike the others before this. Instead of going on a team for a team trip, I will be going by myself and living a more day-to-day life. My main responsibilities will be behind the scenes working with the family there.

The main cost for this trip to India will be my airfare. This isn't just so you give me money (which isn't a bad idea either) but since this blog is all about India, I thought keeping you updated on what God is leading me through. I will continue to keep you updated on fund raising and as the time comes closer for me to leave.

www.crosspointofindia.org

A Ministry I Love

Here is a video that I and a small team created about the ministry Crosspoint of India. This ministry, located in Central India, takes in the most hopeless orphans in India. The culture despises and looks down on these children but Crosspoint brings them in to their homes and raise them up to pursue Christ.

www.crosspointofindia.org

The Heart of This All

Two years ago this coming Christmas, I stepped foot into a land that was most unfamiliar. I felt totally out of place. Having grown up in a missionary family and traveling the world, I normally was right at home in most international situations. This place was unlike anything I had every seen, heard, or smelled before. (If you've ever been to India, you know exactly what smell I mean.)

India. It is a land of 1,139,964,932 people and 35 million orphans, this place really is unlike anywhere else.

The brokenness and spiritual gravity is evident. Everywhere you go,

shrines are built to any number of Hindu gods. People give most of

what they can earn to make sacrifices. The government is divided

and biased. People go everyday without food and clean drinking

water. This is a place that will effect you.

This blog is an outpouring of my heart for India, the ways

God is burdening me for the people, update you on how HE is moving,

and some media pieces to help you better see and understand.

www.crosspointofindia.org