God is good.

I began my 24th year in life by a grand adventure into Bharat (India). After many hours, maybe days, I don't even know how long it took, I arrived. Barely able to keep my eyelids open, I waited at the airport for an hour to be picked up. I shamefully walked back and forth through the line of drivers holding signs for the strangers they were to pick up multiple times. The women dressed in saris trying to go down the escalator but constantly failing and holding up loads of people was sheer entertainment for me. It brought a smile to my face each time I saw a new woman have her try. It was here modern India and the rest of her people mixed.
I can confidently tell you that God knows me well and loves me much. Oh, God knows me sooo well. There are more gardens than I can count on this campus. Everywhere I look, there are the MOST beautiful flowers ever. They aren’t your ordinary rose bushes, or other plain flowers, but they are the most beautiful, colorful, exotic flowers. My gaze is constantly fixed on the beautiful flowers that I pass as I walk. It is a constant reminder that God loves me.
Three times a day is like my most dreaded time of my sophomore year of High School when I first moved to Colorado-LUNCH. You know when you don’t have any friends-well, I didn’t, and you scan the cafeteria and wonder which batch of people you might try to sit with? It’s not so bad. It’s good that God has grown in me and I am not that shy sophomore anymore. I like it actually. I look around the cafeteria and wonder which group of girls I will meet today. It’s a hit or miss. Some meals I sit with girls who don’t speak English, and the conversation goes nowhere. Eating with strangers is a humbling experience. I feel like a fool as it takes me much longer than everyone else to finish my meal, as I have not perfected the hand shovel. Thankfully two groups have told me they really appreciate me eating their way. There is a group of 5 women from Bangalore and Kerala who are here for a VBS training camp and I have shared a few meals with them. They are in their 50’s probably and have the sweetest spirits. They were my first friends who welcomed me here. My most blessed meal was last night when I sat with three girls and found they were Masters of Divinity students who speak excellent English. I pray and hope I will remember their faces and be able to continue a friendship with them. When I do have the opportunity to talk with some girls, it always turns out so positive. I see their deep trust in God being in control of their lives. They confidently look up at the sky and tell me that God is in control. It has blessed me so much.
Another woman I have been so blessed by is Vanita, my coworker. We have spent the last two days sorting through Barbies (don’t ever send Barbie to India, they are far too scandalous. My other coworker Annimma told me that she did not want to teach such ways to the children), books, Matt and Creighton’s counting books, and whatever America has chosen to send to India. Some of the things we sort through is such junk. Toys we have no idea how to use, the Guiness Book of World Records 1985, or “How to prepare yourself for a roadtrip with your teenager”. Vanita and Annimma are so thankful for each item though. Their tender spirit of gratitude is so contagious. Throughout the day I hear Vanita speaking with God. “Lord help me sort through these books” “Give me the discernment to know how to sort these” “Oh Lord thank you for all these things”. It is the most precious and beautiful thing. We pray all the time. We pray when we begin the day, they stop and pray for people passing by, there is never a bad time to pray.
It’s only my third day here, but I feel God has taught me so much. I feel SO blessed to be here and so fortunate to have this experience. I also am so thankful for my time in the desert. After going through that quite difficult time, I have such a deeper appreciation for everything. I hope I never lose that. I am just so thankful for everything.
Slow down, smell the beautiful flowers. Live for the moment. Cherish the life you have been given. Thank the Lord for all things.