The Dream Begins (tomorrow!)

Tomorrow’s the day. I’ve been wanting to go to India for about four years, and tomorrow is the day I get to go. Crazy!

I’m getting more and more excited and nervous. I really have no idea as to what to expect. I realize that having no expectations can be a good thing when embarking on such an adventure, but it’s kind of nerve-wracking to have no idea of what my life will look like for the next three weeks in this third-world country.

I don’t know what the food will be like, but I’m not expecting to 1. get very much food or 2. like very much of the food. Rice? OK. Curry? Not so much. Besides, I’ve been told that the stench of India is such that you lose your appetite, even if you’re being served food that you really want. I’m praying that I’m not hungry….though, if I’m not hungry, it will probably be the first time in my entire life!

I don’ t know what the housing will look like either. We’re staying in the orphanage guest house, but what does that mean? There will be two girls to every room….we’ll have beds….but what’s the bathroom situation like at such a place? All I know is that we’re to bring TP with us, and the trains have squatty-potties from which you can see the tracks beneath you. Ugh. But it’s an adventure!

One of the first questions people ask me when they hear I’m leaving for India is: What will you be doing there? (That is, after they get past the initial shock that I’m going to the actual country of India.) My response: I have no idea. We will spend the first few days outside of the city of Chennai at the girls’ home, and then we’ll take a 14 hour train ride north to the boys’ home where we’ll spend the rest of our time. We’re to help wherever we see a need. Help the staff and children with English and pronunciation; help with homework; help clean up; teach basic nutrition information; play. There may even be some construction that takes place – we shall see!

Please pray for me as I travel. Pray that luggage would arrive on time, that we would be healthy, and joyful. Pray that Jackie, Lauren and I would pull together and fully depend on God. There are eight of us going to India, and we are the only three Christians. It’s so easy to get distracted by people and tasks and just life, in general, and neglect to spend quality time with God. I do not want that to happen on this trip. Pray for opportunities. Pray that this would be a great time of ministry, not only to the orphans and staff at HOINA but that the relationships built with Reagan, Lauren, Laura, Pryanka, and Tess would be such that they experience Christ’s love through us.

Thanks for your prayers…..God is good…..all the time…. Especially today!

The Good Life

I have two dream lives.

The one life I dream of is overseas, serving along side my husband on the mission field. There will be no matching dishes, expensive artwork on the walls, no fancy cars or comfy leather couches. Instead we will live with the poor and eat strange foods. We will trust God and fully depend on Him in order to pay our bills. People will drive us crazy. There will be a lot of giving and not much taking. It's a dream of an exciting and challenging adventure that seems to be where God is leading me....some day.....yes, it's a dream.

The other life I dream of is completely different. It's a big, beautiful house with the latest dishes, modern art on the red walls, and an SUV full of kids. It's freshly baked cookies in the oven, a pool in the backyard, and lots of lunch dates with friends, shopping, and exotic vacations.

How can I have two such drastic dreams for my future life? I told a friend that, and he said, "Kate, I think those two both fit your personality pretty well. Good luck finding a way to have both." Thanks. It's true though. I love both things. And this summer (this month, actually) I'm getting to experience both.

I just returned from a wonderful vacation to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina where I went sailing, ate a nice restaurants, listened to live music at the Harbour, went to a Jazz Corner, rode miles and miles on bikes, slept in, laid on the beach, swam in the warm Atlantic, and just enjoyed not having any responsibilities. It was all about me and relaxing and having fun...which I did a lot of! I didn't really spend a whole lot of time with God though. I praised Him for His beautiful creations, but I wasn't hungry for Him.

I hope that being in India (in two weeks!) will cause me to starve for Him; I want to only be satisfied by Him. In India, I think I'm going to be hungry a lot (I really depend on food for energy, and I'm hungry all the time as it is....eating spicey Indian food is going to be a real challenge). Maybe that is where God will truly be my supply. I think God's calling me to a life that is more like the dream I'll experience in India than in Hilton Head. He's got a plan.

It's always good to be reminded that God dreams bigger dreams for me than I can dream for myself.