"Because I live in India I..."

So I don’t think I’ve ever sweated this much in my entire life…like really. And I have no idea why my sweat smells like sourdough bread. But it does.

Anyways…

We’re currently in Sarnath—home of Buddha’s 1st sermon! We’ve spent the past week working at the Youth With A Mission [Y.W.A.M.] base cleaning the wounds of lepers, making handcrafts with widows and teaching pre-school through 8th grade at the school for all the missionary kids.

I’ve had the pleasure of teaching 3rd grade. I have three students—Simran, David and Laxmi. They’re all super spunky kids who are unafraid to let me know when the lessons are too BORING! This week we’ve learned everything from how to spell various English “–ar” words to how to identify the three main types of rock [sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic]. The school uses a group home school curriculum. The funny thing is it is a home school curriculum for students in Australia. While the Y.W.A.M. base hosts many international families, none of them are actually from Australia….So essentially we have kids from India, Holland and Malaysia learning about aboriginal dreams and trilobites and responding to homework prompts such as “Because I live in Austrailia I…” School is certainly amusing.

Before we journeyed to Sarnath, we spent the weekend in Varanasi partnering with the ministry of Pastor Jacob—one of Professor Lee’s old friends from previous travels. Pastor Jacob is originally from South Korea. He and his family now live in Varanasi where they minister to “the City of Light” through a home church and computer teaching.

During our few day stay, Pastor Jacob led us on intercessory prayer walks throughout the city. We visited several different temples as well as observed a traditional Hindu prayer ceremony on the ghats. I was amazed at the reverence and irreverence of it all. The Hindu religion has always intrigued me with its mysteriously disciplined practices. The incense. The swaying. The burnt flower offerings. It’s very beautiful to watch. Yet, at the same time, children were still trying to panhandle during the ceremony which was being broadcast behind the crowd on a flat screen T.V. Bizarre.

The more I learn about idol worship—the eerier the whole practice becomes. Praying over the temples was really hard. Some of the shrines we saw looked like they were straight out of a horror movie. Splattered paint. Animal feces. Deranged beggars. I really struggle to understand how anyone could believe that spooky manmade creations could help or harm them. But then again I think about how they must view our crosses and portraits of Jesus. I certainly feel the darkness. Now I wish to understand it.

During our temple tour, Pastor Jacob took us to B.H.U—the largest university in Varanasi—where we had the opportunity to meet with fellow college students to discuss the similarities and differences between our educational experiences. My group ended up being invited into the male dormoritory for future doctors where we shared a lovely afternoon chat over chai and Masala Munch—my new favorite treat! We learned a lot about Hindu beliefs and even got to share about Christianity. I think this conversation was the 1st time in my life that I actually had the opportunity to share the Gospel straight up. We exchanged contact information with the boys and are hoping to continue the exchange over Facebook once we return home. We also got a free motorcycle ride out of it!

Instead of listing my “highs” of the week, I thought this time I would share some definite “Dos” and “Don’ts” in case you ever find yourself in this part of India.

“Dos”
1. Sleep on the roof of your “rest house” [BUT only until 5:30 a.m. when the monkeys come…]
2. Order a Limca
3. Shop at Babba Bob
4. Get a parasite, name him Pedro, go to the Indian doctor, buy meds called “Vomstop” and then take them 3 times a day while chanting “Die, Pedro, die!”
5. Dance in the monsoon

“Don’ts”
1. Expect the fans to work
2. Eat at a restaurant called “Frolickin’ Family Fun”…it’s not frolickin’ nor fun
3. Take pictures with Buddha
4. Spank the cows
5. Flush the squatty potty

Prayer Requests
-Pastor Jacob's community ministry
-True Worship
-Y.W.A.M. Varanasi Staff
-Widows
-Lepers
-Individual & collective growth according to God's will
-Sisterhood
-Health
-Safety

Also, please pray for Kristin and her family. When we returned from our stint in the village, she received some tragic news. She is now safe at home, but we ALL miss her dearly.

Expect more musings, tales and insights from our 2nd week with Y.W.A.M. once we hit Calcutta. We're taking a train! :)