Earaches and Frustrations

I finally went to an Indian doctor and got ear drops and antibiotics for my ear ache

Living in a foreign country is difficult:

I know the past month this frustration has been elevated particularly because I just got back from the US and I have also had an ear infection and cold the past week.  However, Satan uses being a foreigner in many ways, including fear.  Something as simple as fear of going out to the market or to talk to someone because we can't speak the same language or they might not fully understand my Hindi or we don't have anything to talk about.

Another recent frustration:

I am so tempted to be complacent because sometimes I think that nothing I'm doing really matters (maybe we all feel that way sometimes). I've noticed that when I'm not doing something well or I'm putting it on the backburner, it means I have come to believe that it doesn't matter.  This past week God gave me a reality check on many aspects of my life - from teaching Victoria to relationships with Indians.  I hate half-assing my life...pardon the language. Not because I want to please other people, but because it means that somewhere along the way I've come to believe the lie that "it" doesn't matter.

Victoria matters. Jeff and Trish being confident that their daughter is learning matters.  My friend Chhokey, who isn't a Christian, matters. My friend Munnu, who is a Christian, matters.  Indians knowing Jesus matters.

Your story tells everything about you...your materials, actions, and words.  I want to live my life like I really believe those things matter.

Pakistan and India floods

So it's been raining here for the past 10 days straight...literally. Good thing I love when it rains in India or I would be completely depressed! This morning, the blue skies were a welcome sight at 7am when I woke up.

However, for many people across India and Pakistan it has been more than just a depressing few days without the sun. Even just the mud that it is creating washes people's houses away and makes the roads almost impossible to drive on. The potholes are so bad that you're thankful to be on smooth road for 30 seconds.

There are daily articles from Pakistan especially regarding the flooding. Pray that God would use this time of disaster to reveal Jesus to many people, the light in the midst of utter darkness. Pray for the people of Pakistan and India. Because I know many of you know firsthand the effects of a flood. Imagine it in a third world country.

¹⁶the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned." (Matt. 4:16)

BBC article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11060686

Young Life India

This is a little taste of the Young Life training I went to in Bangalore (south India) in May. Please pray with me for Indian leaders in Siliguri who are passionate about young people knowing Jesus. It is my hope that God raises up these people in order to start Young Life in Siliguri.

Meg's Journal from Aug 13 - BACK IN INDIA

It's Friday the 13th! AH! Haha! I'm in the Delhi domestic airport. Thankful for familiarity this morning. Being a foreigner is difficult here, so even small things like listening to Needtobreathe (an American band) or knowing my way around the airport is a blessing and a comfort. Even toilet paper in the bathrooms! Ha!

But I'm also reminded that Jesus is my anchor, my refuge, my strong tower. Oh Father, how thankful I am for your presence and your peace. I literally could not survive without it! This life would be utterly meaningless without you, without your grace!

"I have told you these things, so that in Me (Jesus) you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world" (John 16:33)

Here's some pics from the last few days:

I spent a day in Delhi with some friends before returning to Siliguri. My first experience on the Delhi Metro! Crazy! It's surprisingly nice and only costs about 50 cents to ride a long way! My only complaint...it's WAY crowded. Guess I should accept that, knowing there's 17 million people in Delhi :)

This is my friend Annabel (right) with my new teenage friend, Julie. She got a kick out of the fact that my 2 roommates in college were Julie's.

These are the girls and leader (she's a believer) from a program called "Horizon." These girls came from really tough backgrounds and are being helped to get education and jobs. The organization (called Catalyst) is extremely effective but does not have proper funds to hire new staff, so they're not able to bring in more girls. I'm praying about giving to their ministry. It's cool to see how Indians are being used as the hands and feet of Jesus here.

Come!

Seems I've been reading a lot about living water lately. Thought I'd share.

"My people have committed 2 sins:

They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water,

and have dug their own cisterns,

broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 2:13)

Most of the time, we are unknowingly digging our own cisterns, looking to something that will satisfy this innate thirst that we all have. Yet, we don't realize our own brokenness and inability to produce satisfaction. Jesus says that he offers a spring of water that will never run dry. This is unfathomable to us who can only dig cisterns that are broken and wanting. It is almost unexplainable, this spring of living and eternal water. And yet, God gives us opportunity to tell others about this living water - Jesus - because we've experienced it first hand.

"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!'

And let him who hears say, 'Come!'

Whoever is thirsty, let him come;

and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." (Rev. 22:17)

This water is not exclusive. It doesn't discriminate. It's for whoever who is willing to admit that they are thirsty and cannot dig a satisfying cistern for themselves.

The cool thing about the Revelation passage is that not just the Spirit invites people to come, but the BRIDE OF CHRIST (that's us) also invites people to come and taste of this living water!

My dad is on a World Changers trip with my old church's youth group in New York. And my mom said that yesterday he told someone about this living water, Jesus, and they said, "YES! I WANT THAT LIVING WATER - THAT SPRING OF ETERNAL LIFE!" That is stinkin' awesome!!! The bride of Christ said, "Come!" Not out of force or pride, but out of love and out of personal, deep experience of living water in his own life. And now this new brother in Christ also has the opportunity to say "Come!" because he has experienced the forgiveness and renewal of living water that will never run dry.

I've heard countless stories like that this summer where us broken people are being redeemed because we're letting Jesus fill our brokenness.

TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD!

Indian Culture 101

It has occurred to me over the past weeks that I am so immersed in Indian Culture that I assume that my friends/family in the US know the things I know and have learned about India/Indians. However, this is a very wrong assumption. Although they have seen pictures, they have not experienced the clash of 2 very different cultures. Yes, maybe they know that Indians eat rice all the time, that many women wear sari's, and they don't use toilet paper. But those are general stereotypes, knowledge gained from movies or media articles.

So I've decided to give people a little taste of Indian culture. But please know this: India is just as, if not more, diverse as America and the differences in culture between the south, east, west, hills, city, country, villages, etc are enormous. And I look forward to learning more about these differences myself as I have opportunity to visit different parts of India.

The infamous "squatty potty" - found in most houses. And no, no toilet paper. I'll let you come to your own conclusions. *Hint-they eat with their right hand :)

These jolly little chairs are found in many Indian houses...I think they're mostly in the North, but not really sure. Haven't been in the South much - although I'm going to Bangalore next week!

Masala! (spices)

Most people burn their trash...hence the horrible pollution. Not sure what the cities do. Surely they have some kind of garbage system

Ok, not sure what this stuff is called. But yes, it is a leaf with some mint and other stuff that's "good for digestion" - they wrap it up into a small little package and you just eat it. Kinda weird to straight up eat a leaf.

Example of Indian light switches. The red light is to tell you if the power is on/off...it goes off quite often here, especially during monsoon season. The controller is for the AC, which we don't use very much at all b/c it's so expensive. The round button is for the fan, which we use a lot. The dome thing at the bottom is the mosquito repellant plug-in. VITAL.

Indian bathroom. All Indian households have plenty of buckets...one of which they use for "bucket baths." Get a cup and you're good to go - only uses maybe a few cups per bath. Water Conservation 101. I recommend this method for Nashville's current flooding/water shortage! However, it's difficult to use this method when trying to wash my hair...it's like a sponge and takes a bunch of water to even get wet. So I usually have to use the shower.

Water Heater. Also very important. Turn it on at least 15 minutes before your shower and you're good to go with hot water.

Dish rack and water filter/water bottles. Since we don't drink the water straight out of the tap, we fill these bottles daily for drinking/cooking.

ps - we get excited when we get American treats...like POP ROCKS!!! haha!

Football!

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