Quick flashback to last March: I arrived in the Mumbai airport to a gush of air blistering with heat, mosquitos and the most potent smells I could ever imagine. I was stared down by the customs agent and stared at by every person in the terminal. As I waited for my bags to arrive on the baggage carousel, I felt every nerve squirm away from the hundreds of eyes that seemed to stare through me. I was consumed with fear. As my team took a 45 minute bus ride through the city of Mumbai, I saw people sleeping side by side on the sidewalk for endless miles. I felt like I was in a nightmare…and all I wanted to do was run away from the darkest place I had ever seen.
As difficult as those first days were, the Lord transformed my heart over the month that I spent in Mumbai. He allowed me to see India through His eyes, and I haven’t been the same since. The past year has been spent in preparation of returning to India and fulfilling the calling that the Lord had placed on my heart because of that transformation.
Flash forward: The morning of May 12th found me once again arriving in India. As our plane approached the runway, I was anxious; I wondered if the excitement I had anticipated for the past months would fade the moment the door of the airplane opened and my eyes and nose again experienced the shock that is India. I wanted so desperately to rediscover the love in my heart for this country and these people, but the whispers in my mind said, “you were crazy to do this! Remember the last time you arrived here? You’ll remember why you hated it as soon as you get back there…and this time you’re stuck for a lot longer than just a month!”
But the moment my feet hit Indian soil I was covered in peace. I breezed through the customs line by myself, and made my way down the escalator to the baggage claim. I was halfway there when the thought hit me, “oh, yeah…this is India. Maybe I should be a little more aware of who is around me!” But it wasn’t in fear. I think I laughed out loud at myself in that moment at how nonchalant I felt. It was normal. My team picked up our bags, made our way outside to meet our friends who were picking us up. As we drove the 30 minutes back to our guest house, each of our faces were plastered to a window of the van, watching the morning hustle and bustle of the city waking up. We were all squealing, excited, and joyful. I felt like my heart was going to explode with happiness at every familiar sight, sound and smell. At one point one of my teammates exclaimed, “guys, it’s like finally getting to the promised land!” and that did a pretty good job of summing up the emotions in my heart at that moment.
God is so good, and so faithful to equip us to what He is calling us to do. He has transformed my heart for this country from one of shock, fear and dread into one of incredible love…I can’t explain the way that I feel about this place. Coming back felt like coming home. Which is so comforting after leaving home and traveling so far away. He has prepared me for India, and India for me. Somehow we fit together…and I’m excited to see how that plays out in the days ahead. For right now, I’m just excited to be here. Every day is an adventure; whether it is figuring out the location of the nearest ATM, or running through a torrential rain on our way back from the grocery store with all of our groceries in hand (yes, that happened…today in fact!), it is an adventure. And I consider myself so blessed to be a part of it.
I’m reminded of lyrics from a song that we sung often on the World Race, and that ever since has reminded me of India:
“There’s no place I’d rather be, there’s no place I’d rather be, there’s no place I’d rather be, than here in Your love.”
Whether I am in Georgia, in India, or anywhere else in the world, I find that I’m at home when I am where the Lord has called me to be. And there’s no place I’d rather be.
