arrival in india

I’ve packed my bags and moved onto my new home for the next 4 months-Jaipur, India. My time in Hawaii was absolutely lovely. Home is where the heart is and my heart is definitely in Hawaii, so I guess therefore Hawaii has become my home. My weeks in Hawaii were slammed packed with prayer, Bible studying, feeding 500-700 families a week, teaching swim/surf lessons to kids from shelters in Waianae (the Hawaiian side of the island that is loaded with drug abuse and homelessness) and my favorite-cruzing with the street and park dwellers of Wahiawa. Hospitality and being in the neighborhood as much as possible has been really heavy on my mind the past month. I’ve been pushed to love more and become more a part of the community. One day we prayed for the community of Wahiawa-the prostitutes, transvestites, alcoholics and drug addicts. During our time of prayer I thought of the idea of going up California street (the street where all the action takes place) and handing out flowers to the women we came across. I wasn’t going to let this idea get away from me, so that week a group of 5 of us left our apartments at 11:00 at night (I generally am in bed by 10, so this was a stretch for me) and walked up the streets and were ready to love anyone that came in our path. Right as we began our walk I was plagued with thoughts rolling through my head. I was afraid that maybe it would be offensive, or belittling to the women, or we would be rejected. The enemy always tries to destroy something good through confusion. We carried on though and I began to pray that I would come in contact with the women that came to our Friday BBQs in the park. Most of the girls we saw out that night were ladies that came to our BBQ. It was so exciting to see them at night, some of them were working the street and others were just cruzing. We also chilled outside the Texas Strip Bar with some of the local guys till early in the morning. It was so good to meet these people in the time of day that they thrive. The people of Wahiawa are such night owls. I know that giving the flowers to the girls really meant a lot to them. It was an action of pure love with no personal agenda attached.
There are many sides to my time in Hawaii. Sometimes I wonder if God has me cruzing with the street and park dwellers for their sake or mine? He tends to teach me more lessons than I could possibly teach them. Other than the social aspect of being in Hawaii, it was a time for me to prepare to come to India spiritually. The environment of Surfing the Nations always amps me up and sets me on the right course.
Now I am in India. I’m across the world far from anyone I know and yet I don’t feel like I’m in a foreign uncomfortable place. I haven’t really had the opportunity to get out into the community yet as we have been in orientation for the last few days but that will change soon. I will meet my host family on Friday. My mom is a yoga master, I don’t know much about my father, I have a sister and grandmother. That’s about the extent of the information I have been given. I am looking forward to all that God will teach me in India. My anticipation is that God will open my eyes to new things I have not seen before and drive my passion for the poor even deeper. My biggest prayer this summer has been for God to provide an Indian woman to be a mentor, friend and someone who teaches me about following Christ in India. You can be praying for God to reveal the ways He wants to use me within my study abroad group and in my community. I really have no expectations or ideas of how God will use me, but I wait patiently and hope God will unfold that secret in the right time.
Until more adventures head my way, make sure you love all those around you.