I cannot believe it's only been 15 days since I first set foot in India! I could go home today and be forever changed by the things I've seen and experienced. But praise God I get to spend 50 more days here! :D
The first couple days here were a little laid back because we were trying to recover from jet lag. We went clothes shopping because we cannot wear american clothes whenever we are doing ministry (which is 6 days a week). It's taken me a while to get used to the Indian clothes but it's kind of fun now. It was very nice to be able to wear jeans on our day off though!
I love the food here!!! It's not as spicy as I was prepared for. My favorite thing I've had is the homemade peanut butter the Vijaya makes us for breakfast sometimes! It's the most delicious thing I've ever eaten.
We are staying at a YWAM base here in Hyderabad. Some of the ministry we've done in Hyderabad is: We went to a Christian AIDS clinic (I can't remember the Hindi name but it means Hope in english ), we will be going there every week to help out with different things. We've been to two different slums here. The first one we went to I got to do house visits with a couple other YWAMers and a translator. We prayed for a few people and had a good talk with one lady (who is married to the same man as her sister!) she was very open to Christianity and she has a pretty amazing story! We went to another slum this week, which is one we were planning on going to last week but had to change our plans because a 17 year old girl poured gasoline on herself and set herself on fire because of some family issue. I got to play with the kids this time! I love them so much......they were so precious. I braided the girl's hair, played guitar, danced with them and gave them piggy back rides. My favorite thing was just holding them. One baby girl I held for a while and finally got her to smile! They call us Acca which is a term of endearment for and older sibling. Joseph told them my name was Jyoti (which is the Indian name he gave me a couple months ago), it means light. I love when they call me Jyoti :) I really hope we'll be going back to that slum.
We went to two orphanages yesterday (where I got to play cricket for the first time), my heart was broken for the children. Many of them are sick and almost all of them have been affected by AIDS in some way.
We did some house visits this morning and got to share testimonies with some families.
We just got back from Mumbai a couple days ago. It was a 15 hour bus ride there. We spent 2 days with a bunch of girls whose mothers are all in prostitution. These girls have all been saved from living the same lives as their mothers. I really bonded with a girl named Mumtaz. She was the oldest and she stayed in my cabin. We got to take the girls kyaking and rock climbing and do other fun stuff like painting their nails :) It was hard to say goodbye to those girls!
We also had the oportunity while we were in Mumbai to go to the red light district.
I have so much more to say but I have to go practice with Kevin for worship tonight....
please be praying that we'll be able to process things the right way and that we'll continue to let God break our hearts.
Oh my, that is incredible. I've been dying for an update and that is amazing! Seize every day Amber.... I can't wait to see your pictures, hear your stories and listen to all that God has done in you and thru you there! What a chance of a lifetime!!!! Praying for your safety with great intensity too, we heard about a stampede in India yesterday, didn't sound like it was near you, but it sounded scary.
ReplyDeleteLove you so much and we are soooo proud of you! Keep the stories coming, love hearing them!
Aunt Heather
Awesome! It is so good to hear from you. I know God is doing some incredible things in & thru you. I'd love to see some pictures too. Remember that camera you had to have? We are praying that you can process & still keep a soft heart. I love you, mom.
ReplyDeleteIt is so amazing hearing about all that God is doing and how he is using you! What an incredible journey! Your love for India and people is really inspiring. I'm praying for you!Keep it up. =]
ReplyDelete-Lindsey
Yo sis! Part of me is jealous that I can't be with you guys but the other (much larger) part of me is unspeakabley proud of you! It just takes my breath away to see the ways that God is getting to the nitty gritty in your life and shaping you to look more and more like Him. I really believe that your stories and adventures are going to be powerful tools to help wake up our generation. I haven't talked to the other guys about it but I really want you to pray about coming with us to speak at some of our shows during the summer. I think your mission field may be bigger than you realize... I love you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to see you but I know that you are right in the center of where God wants you. Live where He has you, don't hold anything back:) -Preston
ReplyDeleteAmber you Rock!! Thank you for being His hands and feet. I am very proud of you and I am looking forward to hearing more of how God is using you. Summer Camp is July 9-13th, would love to have you for part or all of camp. You have some amazing things to share and the youth could really benefit from it. Blessings Amber----John
ReplyDeleteDearest Precious Amber (Jyoti :o)... I love your new name! Now you are light and joy! What an awesome combination!! I believe that you guys don't know the half of what is being accomplished through your love and witness there. God is taking every one of your hugs, smiles, prayers, tears, laughter with the children, and comfort to the oppressed, and making an eternal difference through you. I know that feeling of being overwhelmed with the needs that you see all around you, every day. I am praying that you will see through His eyes each and every day and you will accomplish His purposes. As you do that, He can make the eternal difference for every person you touch and meet. We are so proud of you, Amber. I pray that you will have daily personal encounters with your Lord, just as Jesus did every day, with His heavenly Father, when He was giving out to so many people each day. He always gave out of His overflow time with The Father. That's how He was able to stay filled up and not overwhelmed. May your personal daily encounters with Jesus keep you built up also. I love you, dear girl! We pray for you constantly. Our church is doing a week of 24/7 prayer right now and I posted a prayer request for you, so many people are praying for you! ;o)
ReplyDeleteMuch love and many prayers, Safta