The old order of things, it’s passing…

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “IT IS DONE. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.  Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Revelation 21:1-7 (emphasis mine)

Sometimes I’m overwhelmed at the sights my eyes take in.  By God’s grace, He’s allowed me to see so much beauty in this city.  I haven’t written often about the darker side of things, but it’s there.  And sometimes it’s more than I can handle.  God’s heart must break daily over sin that leads to destruction when it’s so opposed to what He intended for us.  I imagine there are times when He has to turn His eyes away.  He must weep over what we’ve become.  How could beings made in His image stray so far?  My heart is so burdened by things I’ve seen and heard. 

This week there was a raid on beggars in Bangalore.  These desperate people get tiny babies (from where I don’t want to imagine), drug them so that they don’t cry, and use them to elicit sympathy from anyone who would spare a rupee or two.  The babies don’t look human.  I’ve seen them with my own eyes many times, and they are so small and helpless.  It turns my stomach to see them and think about their future.  The police took 300 babies this past week, and I’m assuming they’re now in orphanages, some likely with permanent physical and emotional damage from what they’ve endured already in their short lives.  Some of the beggars will be taken outside the city and left so that they don’t disturb anyone else.  Others will lay low for a few days and then return to the only thing they know.  Rejected and unwanted. 

On Saturday Brent and I went with friends to hand out food and blankets to homeless people.  We found a man lying in the middle of the road, passed out from a likely alcohol overdose, his lifeless body unseen by those stepping over and around him.  We placed a bag of food and a blanket beside him and walked away, hoping that no one would steal it before he regained consciousness.  Later Brent and I woke a man sleeping under a bridge to give him food and quickly noticed that he couldn’t even open the banana we brought him as all ten fingers were merely nubs, eroded by advancing leprosy.  This isn’t the body God intended for him.  Dirty and unloved.

I saw a dog today whose hours were likely numbered.  Bones protruded from his little sides as he walked by, instinctively searching for something to sustain him a little longer.  His fur was chewed off, I’m assuming from fleas.  Tumors on his body were probably painful and cancerous.    Unnoticed and invisible.

I pass people with no life in their tired, sad eyes.  They offer prayers to statues that are larger than life and utterly incapable of doing anything.  They are a putrid stench to the One true King.

What must our Creator think when He sees these things?  Each of these creatures was crafted by His very own hands.  They were planned with meticulous detail and created in their mother’s womb.  They have a fingerprint unlike any other human on this earth.  He knows how many hairs are on their heads.  And yet they’re broken.  Their bodies are dying and they fail to recognize their worth.  The earth groans as trash piles higher and higher and raw sewage fills the streets.

I’m overwhelmed by it all.  It feels hopeless at times.  And yet God knew all this before He created any of it.  He saw how things would progress over time, and He made us anyway.  He so badly wanted to be in relationship with us that He is willing to be hurt over and over by His precious creations for the chance to spend eternity with those who would choose Him. 

We are all without hope unless we know Him.  But once we do, hope is eternal and shines forth like the sun in brilliant radiance.  It cuts through the gray bleakness, directly to the hearts of those who love Him.  And for those who overcome, He’s promised a new heaven and a new earth.  We won’t see these sights anymore.  There will be no disease, no hurting, no evil, no exhaustion, no sorrow.  We’ll be with Him in an everlasting kingdom that He’s prepared for us. 

Once and for all, it will be done. 

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

God Likes to Ride in Cabs in Bangalore (by Brent)

Last week my father came to visit Savannah and myself in India. I was really excited for him to see the place Savannah and I have called home for the second half of the year. His flight came in at 1:20AM from Frankfurt, so I left my apartment at midnight to pick him up. On the way to the airport I began talking with the driver named Vishwanth, or rather he started talking with me. I know it sounds bad, but while living in India I’ve learned to only go beyond the formalities with locals that are conversational in English. It may seem like typical American arrogance, but it’s actually driven more out of practicality. Specifically saving both of our time with confusing conversations that sound like:

Brent “So did you grow up in Bangalore?”

Local Indian “Uh, yes sir”

Brent “That’s nice, what part of Bangalore are you from?”

Local Indian “Uh, yes sir”

Brent “No, I mean what part of Bangalore are you from? Where in Bangalore?”

Local Indian “Uh, yes sir, Bangalore”

Brent “OK thanks”

Based on our initial greetings, I thought Vishwanth was the type of guy I should just avoid conversation with. Boy was I wrong. Instead, Vishwanth initiated a conversation with me. He started with questions like “Where are you from sir?” and “How do you like Bangalore sir?” Then out of nowhere he straight asked me if I knew anything about Jesus. My response was “I know a lot of things about Yeshu (Jesus in Hindi). What do you know about Yeshu?” to which he replied “Yeshu was born in a cow barn and gave himself for the people”. What a perfect synopsis! On some further probing I realized that was the entirety of Vishwanth’s knowledge of Jesus. Vishwanth and I talked for the next hour about Jesus: why He came, what it’s like to know and be known by Him, why He had to die…. It was an amazing time with Vishwanth and as we were pulling up to the airport Vishwanth allowed me to pray for him. On the way home I spent most of the time catching up with my dad, but I made sure to ask Vishwanth if he could drive us to the airport the following night.

The next day, I told Savannah about the conversation I had with Vishwanth and she was excited. We spent the day praying that the gospel would work in Vishwanth’s heart and that fruit would come from the seeds that were sown. Since coming to India, God has taught us in deeper ways the necessity of prayer and being fervent in asking for the Spirit. This is so basic to Christianity, but often gets washed away with the knowledge and do-it-yourself focused culture of the U.S.

The night before our flight to Delhi, we set our alarms for 3:35 AM and tried to get to bed as early as possible. I was tired from picking my father up from the airport the night before and knew I didn’t have much time to sleep, but as soon as I laid my head on my pillow God told me he wanted me to give Vishwanth a Bible. He also told me to get up and start making notes in the Bible to help Vishwanth. So I apologized to Savannah, turned the lights back on, and started highlighting key passages. It took me about an hour, but I got some of the key verses and teachings highlighted and then went to sleep.

I awoke from my sleep at 3:33 AM, two minutes before my alarm went off. For some reason my body has this amazing ability to wake itself up moments before the alarm when I need to be somewhere important. Savannah, my father, and I staggered out of our beds, collected our belongings and met Vishwanth at his cab. A few minutes into the cab ride I asked Vishwanth if he had thought about what we talked about during our last cab ride. He said he had thought about Yeshu a lot and that in all his years in driving a taxi he had never had a conversation like ours. So we asked him if he had anymore questions which sparked a conversation that was clearly from the Spirit. So much so that it felt like one of those cheesy training videos from the 80s. Vishwanth asked questions like:

·   Why did Yeshu have to sacrifice Himself for the people?

·   What is the purpose of the cross?

·   Can Yeshu understand me if I speak in Kannada (local Indian dialect)?

·   What was Yeshu’s favorite food?

o  Our response was we don’t know, but He hung out with fishermen and there are several stories of Him eating fish

·   How do I have a relationship with Yeshu?

The last question was clearly the kicker and one that confirmed above all that the Spirit was working in Vishwanth’s heart. So as Vishwanth was asking the question I gave Savannah a quick nudge and told her to respond. She shook her head conveying a definitive “no”, ensuring that I would not confuse it with an Indian head bobble, meaning “OK”. I nudged her again and smiled to encourage her to try. Savannah slowly stepped out and began to tell Vishwanth how he could have a relationship with Jesus. This was a new experience for both Vishwanth and Savannah; Vishwanth hearing it for the first time and Savannah proclaiming it for the first time. After hearing Savannah, Vishwanth said he wanted to know God, so Savannah, my father, and I prayed that Jesus would reveal himself to Vishwanth and become part of Vishwanth’s life.

Vishwanth said he couldn’t explain the way he was feeling, but said he had a feeling of happiness that he had never felt before. He said that he would always remember us and pray that God would be with us. Then as we were pulling up to the airport he said my favorite line of the night “I like Mr. Yeshu. One thing that we have in common is that we both love fish! Fish is my favorite food and I will tell others about my new friend Mr. Yeshu.” What an amazing statement! It reminded me of people in the Bible that met Jesus and than immediately went and told all they knew about Jesus. As I write this, I am not sure if Vishwanth has told anybody about Jesus, read the Bible we gave him, or prayed to Jesus since we spoke, but hey it took Savannah a quarter of a century to tell someone about Jesus and I’ve gone through seasons where I refuse to pray or read the Bible. What I do know is God’s timing is perfect and He alone can move people’s hearts. I also know that He chose last week to move in me and my family’s hearts and graciously allowed us to be a part of His work in Vishwanth’s life.

Two sick kittens...

Brent and I enjoyed a great visit from my father in law this past week.  We showed him around our favorite spots in Bangalore, shared some great food, and visited Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Mahal.  It was so nice to see him, and he and Mama Louie sent some great treats from the States for us.  So fun!

The day that Steve was supposed to head back home (Tuesday), I started feeling really sick and didn’t get out of bed the entire day.  All I could do was lay there and moan.  It’s probably the 2^nd sickest I’ve ever been (the only other time was when I had the flu).  I thought I might die.  At around 4pm, Brent started feeling it.  Poor Steve took a cab to the airport by himself while Brent and I laid pitifully at the apartment trying to rest.  We had to sleep in different rooms that night, because he had the chills and I was sweating so we needed different room temperatures. 

We both spent the entire day yesterday laying in our separate rooms like weak kittens, occasionally calling out to each other “you ok?...I love you”.  It was pretty pathetic.  I’m not sure what in the world we ate that made us so sick, but it hit hard and furious.  What’s strange is that Dad Louie never got it, so he must have a crazy good immune system.

Brent’s better today (Thursday) and went back to work.  I’m still down but feeling slightly better, so I’m hoping that another day at home will help me get back to normal so that I can go back to work tomorrow.

I honestly think I’ve been sick more times in the last 3 months than I’ve been in the last 3 years combined.  It’s funny how every time someone says they’re sick at home, you automatically assume it’s a cold/flu type of thing.  I’ve come to realize that there’s a common understanding in India that when someone says they’re sick, it’s almost definitely a stomach issue.  Totally different meaning, and it makes me laugh that everyone knows exactly what you’re talking about when I say I’m home sick.  You have to get very comfortable with people discussing how frequently you’ve thrown up and/or had diarrhea like it’s nothing at all!  It’s just common vocabulary. 

Well the countdown is on.  I head home in 2 weeks and 5 days.  I can’t believe it!  Seems like I was just counting down the last 2 weeks before I came TO India!  Brent will come back 3 weeks after me.  I know he’s ready to come home too, so I’ll feel sad leaving him behind.  But he has a little more work to finish up, and those 3 weeks will fly. 

Well typing has taken the last remaining energy that I had, so now I have to rest so that my body can fight whatever this is off.  The silver lining is that we’ll have super-human immune systems and stomachs of steel when we come home!   

Fightin’ the thing through…

I’ve heard the story several times where a little boy finds a cocoon and sees that the butterfly is struggling diligently to free itself.  Feeling bad for the creature, he helps it out only to watch the butterfly die.  He learns that it’s in the struggle that the butterfly’s wings are strengthened.  I think that’s a great message, and God made it even more relevant to me today in a lesson He taught me during my prayer time.

I was asking Him how it’s possible to live a holy life and make obedient choices when you feel yourself caught in sin.  In those weakened times, it seems impossible to flee.  Your brain is clouded, and the crucified “self” is once again seeking control.  You just keep returning to your vomit (Proverbs 26:11).  I envision someone in that situation caught up in a brier patch, flailing to get free but caught so tightly that they just ware themselves out.  I asked Him why He wouldn’t just cut through the thorns and free the person so that they could walk out and get back on the path that leads to righteousness. 

And then that butterfly came to my mind.

You see, the butterfly had all it needed to survive.  God created it perfectly.  But it had to become stronger in order for all those parts to work properly.  In the same way, God’s already given us all the things we need to live as obedient children.  He’s given us a heart that’s inclined to follow Him (Ezekiel 36:26-27) and a spirit of self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).  But He also tells us that we must learn to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions (Titus 2:11-13).  There’s a learning process involved.  He’s provided what we need, but He isn’t just going to make us obedient.  We have to grow those muscles by practicing.  We learn to obey by obeying.  With each choice, we either draw nearer to Him or walk further away from Him.  When we make the right choice, He strengthens us and it becomes easier to make that choice the next time.

Now He’s certainly with us through the whole process.  We aren’t left on our own.  He encourages us with His Word, time spent with Him, His Spirit in us, and the body of believers.  But we can’t expect to become holy overnight.  We have to fight the thing out to strengthen the muscles so that we can run the race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1-3).

And we must also not forget that even a muscle-man can atrophy if his muscles aren’t used.  So regardless of any mountain tops we’ve been on, if we find ourselves in the valley and feeling weaker than a kitten, it’s time to start fighting again to “bulk back up”!

Don't become overwhelmed and anxious about living a holy life forever.  Commit to being obedient today.  Or for the next hour!  And then ask Him to help you.  After that time, thank Him for His faithfulness and re-commit.  Hours turn into days, and days turn into weeks, and pretty soon you're Hulk (by the grace of God, of course)!

A great weekend…

Brent and I enjoyed a really great weekend together.  On Saturday, we slept in a little and then got up and had dosa for breakfast.  After getting dressed, we went up to Kundalahalli gate and met Gargi at the tailor to get me measured for my saree.  Gargi took me shopping for the material several weeks ago, but I needed to get the top stitched before I could wear it (the rest of the saree is just fabric that you wrap around you).  The tailor is actually going to be able to stitch the whole thing in a way where all I’ll have to do is zip it up.  Most Indians wouldn’t do this, but for this rookie who doesn’t know how to wear a saree, it’ll be perfect!  I pick it up on Thursday morning and am planning to wear it to our office Christmas party on Thursday night.

Getting measured

Afterwards, we headed down to

MG Road

and stopped in front of Garuda mall for a picnic.  We’d packed peanut butter sandwiches, bananas, and water.  Once lunch was finished, we walked towards Amin’s shop for a visit.  On the way we passed two different homeless people asking for money/food.  One was a man who had lost a leg and the other was a woman who had a child with her.  There are homeless people all over the city, and we usually carry around little packs of cookies to hand out to them instead of money.  Sometimes they take them, but sometimes they hand them back and ask for money instead (which we don’t give).  The people on Saturday were really grateful for the cookies, and we got the idea to find an actual meal for them.  So we walked a little further up the road and found a food stand and ordered some egg rollers and orange juice.  When we brought the hot meal back to them, they smiled really big and were so thankful.  I loved being able to do that and show them love and that they’re valuable enough for someone to stop and give them something. 

Picnic-ing fools

We made one brief stop at a pet store to purchase a bag of milk bones for the little dog who lives outside our apartment.  We’ve “adopted” her and named her Prancer.  She’s so cute and just wags her little tail every time she sees us.  We finally made it to Amin’s shop and sat and visited for a while.  He told us all about Kashmir, his hometown, and we showed him pictures of our visit to Thailand.  While we were there, a couple came in looking for some Christmas presents for their families.  They were about our age, and the man was from Australia and the woman was from Colombia.  They were both living here, and it was really fun to get to know them.  They stayed in the shop for probably an hour or two, and we had a great visit and exchanged contact information.  The good news is that they bought a ton of stuff from Amin, which made our day (and his)!  We said goodbye to Amin for the day and headed to Matteo for some coffee and a quick snack.  We played a hand of Spades while we were there, but the waiter said that they didn’t allow cards.  We found out later from our friends that cards are looked at badly here since they’re so often associated with gambling.  Oops!

Being silly and displaying the bones we bought for Prancer

Our buddy, Amin (with his favorite cashews that we always bring when we visit)

Then we walked down the The Rex and saw Puss in Boots in 3D.  It was such a cute movie, and the Indians at the theater were very lively.  It’s definitely more of a “local” place (they have other theaters where Americans would go), but we wanted to experience this one.  Everyone laughed throughout and clapped at the end.  We went to Mainland China for dinner and then grabbed two chocolate pies to go (they’re individual sized) from Matteo and caught the bus back home.  Back at the apartment, we gave Prancer some of the bones we’d bought (she was so happy and took them so nicely from our hands), made coffee and ate our dessert and then played a few more hands of cards before going to sleep.

On Sunday, I taught church for the first time!  We’re studying Daniel, and I had chapter 3.  It was really fun, and everyone said they enjoyed the lesson.  Afterwards we went to lunch with friends and talked about ways that we want to minister to those in need here.  This particular couple really has a heart for that kind of ministry, so we’ve been helping them brainstorm ways to lead our church in that area.  We’ll be in Delhi this weekend, but we made plans for the following weekend to go with them to hand out blankets and food to homeless people.  I’m looking forward to that.  And we also all committed to learning how to say “God loves you” in the local language so that we could communicate at least a little with the people we interact with.

When I went grocery shopping that afternoon I found some Christmas decorations and purchased just a few things to make the apartment look a little more festive.  I also bought stockings for Brent and myself, and we’ve challenged each other to find gifts for 500 rupees or less (~$10) that we’ll put in each other’s stockings to open on Christmas morning.  I have no idea what I’m going to get him!

Our stockings hanging proudly alongside our Royal Challengers Bangalore flag (from the cricket game we went to a couple months ago)

We finished the night with dinner at a Korean restaurant and then ice cream at Naturals with James, Rubina, Nani, and Tilu.  We all enjoyed the food and company.  I said goodbye to Rubina tonight, as she'll be travelling until I leave. :(

 

All in all, it was a great weekend.  And to top it off, I came to work yesterday and had a card waiting for me from my sister!  That made my day!!  We’re looking forward to Brent’s dad visiting us this week.  He comes in late Wednesday night and will be here for about 7 days.  It’ll be so nice to see family and get to show him around the city.  We're also going to make a weekend trip up to Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Mahal (you just can't come all the way to India and not see that, right?).  Dad Louie will come to our Christmas party with us, so we'll have to get him some good Indian attire.  I can’t believe that I’m down to about 4 weeks here.  It’s flying!