I haven't been a very good listener in my lifetime. I constantly act too quickly without sitting still enough to digest what's being said. So, the fact that I heard the calling to plan a missions trip to India was definitely a surprise. I should also admit, it took me a while to really hear and understand what was being said.
It all began with a documentary. It seems to me that documentaries tend to ruffle feathers. I can remember my freshman year of college and the life changing "Super Size Me." I did not eat fast food for a year after I saw that. Truly, I think there is something about the truth (depending on ones perception) that comes from these types of movies. God seems to speak to me through documentaries, showing me realities I refuse to recognize.
Imagine children raised in complete poverty. The only income their parents make are from what women make from working in brothels or in prostitution. Because of this child's "heritage" they are unable to attend the local schools. Imagine that. Children reliving the same cycle their parents and grandparents did, all because of a label. All because of a family heritage they had no choice in.
Needless to say, after I saw the documentary "Born into Brothels" I wanted to fly to India, start a school, and only allow kids who were outcasts to attend. This I would say was the seed God planted in me.
For a couple years after, I kept feeling a special connection to India and the issue of sex-trafficking, but I didn't do much. During these years I spent studying to be a teacher. I also spent time teaching in an urban school where a lot of issues arose due to poverty and lack of opportunities. Even though I didn't act on that itch to help the kids in the Brothels of India have educational opportunities, I never forgot about it.
Let's skip to 2010. I started seeing more news about sex trafficking around the world. I began to wonder if I could find any mission trips that focused specifically on helping sex-trade victims in India. To my dismay there was nothing. No one seemed to care about this global issue, and if they did then these trips were extremely selective and secretive. As I prayed I began to search for christian organizations that worked with women and girls in India who were victims of the sex-trade. I found one. Of all the websites and organizations, only one popped up into my search engine.
I wrote an email, asking about missions opportunities this organization had, yet nothing... Months passed and I waited. I thought this was God's way of closing the door on this desire. Maybe I wasn't hearing Him right. Maybe I was fighting a cause solely based off zeal and passion for people less fortunate than me. Maybe I was being too specific. Maybe I was creating my own calling. All these questions and doubts flooded my mind and I gave up.
Then... a couple months later I emailed again. This time I got a response. One that excitedly invited me and anyone else to join their mission in India. I had heard the call, and God was beginning to put this journey into motion.
What lay ahead I could not have known. Being team leader, finding a team, raising money, getting there. All of these steps provided giant piles of obstacles and God just keeps blowing them down, letting me walk effortlessly through.
It took me three years to truly hear and act on the calling God had put on my heart. And even though I saw Him working and moving I still doubted and wondered if it was real.
How did I know it was God's voice whispering into my heart? Simple, all the obstacles created by the world disappeared the moment I chose to follow.
I invite you to join me as I answer God's call on my life and take this journey to India. It will be full of doubt, frustrations, fears, joy, miracles, and God's great glory. But one thing will be constant, God's constant work and devotion to make this a remarkable adventure!
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