09 December 2009

It's About Time for an Update!

He was maybe seven or eight years old… this tiny, frail little boy. He stood outside the auto as his father negotiated with the driver where to go. His big, dark brown eyes gazed into mine. He never looked away. As he was trying to get into the auto I picked him up and unlike every other child he did not squirm, scream, panic or fight me. He let me pick him up and place him by my side. He seemed comfortable with me. He placed his little hand on my knee and leaned his head on me. From first glance you could tell that he and his father both had HIV/AIDS. It was written all over their appearance. For the next 20 minutes as we drove into the village he rested on me and I felt peace.
It’s little stories like these that kindle my heart for the people of India. My heart breaks at times too, like one evening I watched three street children roam around bare foot on broken glass searching through the trash. I wanted to know what had brought them to this place of abandonment. I wanted to help them and restore them.
I’ve been here in India for about two months now. It doesn’t seem long, but when I look back on the things I have done, I am amazed. I am not on outreach here. I am living and working with Youth With A Mission as a missionary. My ministry is not physically touching people or feeding the sick or evangelism everyday, but it is office work.
“How can office work be ministry?” you might be asking yourself. In many ways! I am freeing up a lot of people to be the hands and feet of Jesus. So far I have created a brochure and promotional video for YWAM-Hyderabad’s upcoming Urban Discipleship Training School. I have also assited the school leader in going and speaking to youth groups and churches about the upcoming school. I have created the base newsletter and am creating a YWAM-Hyderabad report. As we are closing the year, we are looking forward to starting a monthly staff enrichment program in January and sending some of the City Office staff out for an outreach. I am excited to be apart of these things here.
In a week the base will be released for Christmas break and I will travel up to Darjeerling to visit my friend, Amy. I will spend a little over two weeks there. I am looking forward to spending my first Christmas away from home with my best friend! Please pray for my journey. I leave Hyderabad on December 15 and arrive back January 1.
I Pray you all are doing well and enjoying this holiday season. Peace to you and your family!