16 Hours…

The following blog was written on April 13^th about our journey into the villages in India – a lot has happened since then as we are are now at our ministry in Nepal! I’ll be posting another blog soon with updates on life, but for now, on with the blog!

My squad and I have had the blessing of living at Trinity Seminary in Manipur, India for the past month or so and serve with Partnership Mission Society. It’s been an absolute blast filled with a welcoming community and opportunities to push ourselves in our relationships with the Lord.

John and Lawm are hosts of love, respect, and the warmest hearts imaginable. Their ministry stretches into villages 16 hours away, where we now have the opportunity to live and serve for the next 10 days. It’s beautiful to see how the Lord has blessed Partnership Mission Society’s fruitful ministry in multiple villages in India instead of one – the Lord moves through each and every kind of boundary so smoothly

Our journey to the villages began around 9:00am on April 12^th.  “Here’s the deal… some of us will be riding INside the car, while the rest will be joining the luggage in the back of the car.” With a smile on my face, I jumped in the back of the jeep-like vehicle and arranged myself as comfortably as possible on the bags beneath me. I wasn’t alone though –

 As the ride began, Elizabeth busted out her speaker and we naturally had a dance party. Everything from Jason Derulo to Ed Sheeran, it was a blast. (in the photo, it’s Elizabeth, Lexi, Gabby, and myself.)

I learned a lot from the 16 hours in the back of the car. For starters, a reminder: surrounding yourself with friends who love you for who you change the game. Our squad is a squad that surrounds one another with love and genuine friendship. My friends at home have walked with me for the majority of my life: seeing my ups and downs, my joy and my tears, and love me no matter what. God didn’t have to give us friendship, yet He did and continues to blow my mind with it.

Seeing His Earth with the sun’s light gave me a new appreciation. The Father molded the Earth to His perfection as easily as clay is molded by a potter. The valleys glow with His fingerprints and the mountains with His might. Each leaf on every single tree is handcrafted to the way He desires, painted a new color with a new season. Unique foliage grows in distinct places of the world depending on the climate. Roots of the tallest trees and most delicate plants dive deeper into the earth as each day blooms. The sounds of birds and insects, as well as the scents of humidity and leaves, dance through the air as we sped through; it’s difficult to appreciate the small moments while speeding through life instead of taking one step at a time.

The sun beat down as the day grew on, and my face was quickly tinted red. Not only did I notice this, but the entirety of my squad proceeded to let me know as well. Being told “WOAH, you are REALLY sunburnt!” is definitely one of my pet peeves, but I made it my goal to find the positive in hearing this over and over again. God didn’t have to place the sun in the exact spot He did to keep us perfectly warm, yet He chose to place it just where our bodies needed it to be. He also gave someone the knowledge on how to create sunscreen, which I put on soon after I was first told about being burnt. (I’m totally fine, Mum!) 

The sky has always been a favorite of mine. A new canvas for the Lord to show His glory in wild ways at every second of every day. Sunset began and proved this truth loud and clear. The distant mountains became a hue of a dusty pink, the clouds adding the effect that night would soon fall upon them. From a dusty pink came a lilac, which slowly became a deep blue. I knew that my favorite part of the sky would soon be visible, and wow. When the stars are the brightest lights around, you know you’ve hit the mark of nowhere. The warmth of the stars glowed brighter than I’ve ever seen them before, and that’s saying something. God decided to create stars to glow the night AND make them into different patterns and shapes; as well as designing each of them into a different size, temperature, and color. What even?? He reveals something new to me about Himself every time I gaze at the stars, which is another reason I love them so much. This time, I saw a new beauty in myself. The fact that I look at the stars in such amazement, but don’t always see Him in that way. Sometimes, I’ve angry with Him. BUT! He is the one who CREATED EACH AND EVERY STAR. We have no idea how many there truly are, but He knows. He created me in His image and for His purpose, just as He created the stars. They have their purpose, and I have mine. And He is the glory behind all of it.

Sitting on top of luggage in the back of a jeep-ish vehicle isn’t the most comfortable thing, especially when the paved roads disappear. Trying to sleep is a pointless act as your neck will never stay steady, and even trying to get comfortable leaves more bumps and bruises than you’d think. Each time I hit my head, or my arm, or my leg, or my face, I just had to laugh. “This is nowhere near as painful as childbirth…” were the words I kept hearing. Whether this was the Lord or not, it got me laughing, and that got me through.

Darkness and shadows played another role in what I learned. Toward the end of our drive, around 11:00 pm, our car was the last car in the caravan. Nothing behind us, no one behind us, no light behind us. Just shadows and a deep darkness. This made my stomach jolt with a weird feeling of insecurity. My mind went to every negative possibility: “what if our car falls off the road? What if we get into an accident? What if we get stuck in the mud? What if…” the list could go on and on. I had my music on full blast to try and keep me awake, and the song “Tremble” by Mosaic MSC came on. A line in this song literally says “Jesus, You make the darkness tremble.” That was enough to remind me how protected and loved I am by the Father; not even the darkness can deny Him. Shadows can and will be deceiving, I saw this in the trees as we drove past. Even in this, the truth of the Lord shines brighter than anything else can.

11:30pm hit as we arrived to the school we are staying in for the next few days, and we were greeted by the students and teachers with signs, a meal with chai, and loving smiles. We may have shown up a few hours later than they expected us, yet they still cared for us to the best of their ability. In serving us food, they served us with the love of the Lord despite our exhaustion. Their kindness it itself served as a reminder to serve well in these final months of the race, despite my exhaustion and craving to be home.

I know the Lord works in weird ways, but even in the back of a jeep?

Hey, I’ll take it. 

//

Thank you so much for reading my words! Praises be, my laptop is working again! Thank you for joining me in prayer! Wifi allowing, I’ll be posting a photo blog of some of my favorite photos from the past few weeks. We have indeed made it to our ministry in Nepal, Maya Himalaya! I’ll also be posting an update on our time here as the days continue. Month 9 is already speeding by… what a journey this has been and continues to be. 

Here’s what I’ve been jammin to!

“The Cave” by Mumford & Sons

“What Would I Do Without You” by Drew Halcomb and the Neighbors

and anything John Mayer!