Wow!
Where to start?
Friendship.
Yes, that is where I will start.
Friendship is shaking my hand every moment and home is being placed beneath my feet. Even as a first day visitor, to a household that was filled with the chaos of logistics and departure for a 9 day trip we were going to take, I was still comfortable, welcomed, and served. But I have never felt welcomed or served as a guest is for the duration of a visit, but as a family member that will be sticking around. I feel this way because the habit of their kindness is timeless; they treat me as they treat themselves because the origin of their hospitality is Jesus. The household is a family ministry, which is kind of foreign to me. Everyone has their part in a house that welcomes new, non-biological family members. For instance, there are a couple young men who come to learn about the bible. They will often eat, play and sleep here as well. Their concept of Christian ministry does not have a wall that separates itself from family or personal life. The three are a trinity.
By this time (May 22nd) both of my teammates have arrived-- Matt and Aaron. They are two studs from Tennessee that I am fond of already. We are similar in many ways, a lot like brothers with all our jokes, annoyances, games and love. Another example of this Christian family's welcoming of "new, non-biological family members" is us, these silly triplets from America. We will be based here (leaving and returning frequently) in Chennai, India, throughout the summer.
Tomorrow is the final day of the 9 day trip I mentioned above. 5 members of the Asir family, 2 friends in the ministry, and Matt & I, left Chennai the morning after we arrived. Which seemed to predict the nature of the trip. We will have to be very flexible on a trip that promises stretching of our desire for home to be "what is familiar". Easier said than done, seeing as this is a human desire and we are humans. We had a 4 hour car ride with the 9 of us to Yelagiri, a "hill station" they call it. I am not totally sure what that implies, but from my experience it was a community that rested in the nest of mountains. We were there for 4 days, which included a 3 day conference for many of our organization's sponsors. The organization that I am a part of this summer is called Word For The World. It was started 21 years ago by the family who is hosting Matt, Aaron & I-- the Asir family. The Asirs are natively Indian, living in the state of Tamil Nadu, and have responded to God's call to minister throughout India despite many hindrances. God's call was and is to share the gosple with people who are socially oppressed. Please look at their website: http://wfw.org.in/
The conference was filled with meeting people who love Jesus and are obeying his leading in their lives!
From Yelagiri we drove to the city of Coimbatore, a trip nearly double in duration by an awesome rain storm. In Coimbatore I finally felt the breathtaking force of the multitudes of people and the religious diversity of India. I read before I left that India is 80% practicing Hindu. And Hinduism is very diverse itself. The next biggest religion here is Islam, followed by Christianity, which accounts for about 2% of the population.
Currently, I am at a Christian retreat center that we are using to hold a Word For The World conference for mainly the southern region missionaries. A couple of the missionaries here we will be staying with later in the summer. It has been wonderful to develope those relationship and be an encouragement and be encouraged by brothers and sisters who trust in Jesus. Also, I have loved being in the city and among people who do not know Jesus. And a familiar challenge has arose during the beginnings of this summer: balancing team relationships with host-family relationships, relationships with our future hosts, and with the beloved people I meet each day.
There are times of convicting conversation with people and with my Lord Jesus and times of peaceful solitude and reflection. There are times to try new things like jackfruit and jellyfish fruit (my name for an odd palm fruit, pronounced something like "nahngu") and times to try enjoy old things like fried food and waiting. Times to serve and times to be served (although this can be a simultaneous miracle), and times to take up new opportunities but, more often, times to be taken up by new opportunities.
By God's great grace I am being taught. Also, by his doing, I am learning that obedience to God leads to trust in Jesus, and trust in Him leads to obedience. Trust that God will fulfill his promise in us to make us like Jesus and raise us from sin. But these things both come from a relationship with God that requires Christ to raise our hearts from the greatest sin-- unbelief-- and grace us with the belief and love for God that were Christ's obedience and trust of God.
I love you all.
Abundant peace to you,
Anders
Where to start?
Friendship.
Yes, that is where I will start.
Friendship is shaking my hand every moment and home is being placed beneath my feet. Even as a first day visitor, to a household that was filled with the chaos of logistics and departure for a 9 day trip we were going to take, I was still comfortable, welcomed, and served. But I have never felt welcomed or served as a guest is for the duration of a visit, but as a family member that will be sticking around. I feel this way because the habit of their kindness is timeless; they treat me as they treat themselves because the origin of their hospitality is Jesus. The household is a family ministry, which is kind of foreign to me. Everyone has their part in a house that welcomes new, non-biological family members. For instance, there are a couple young men who come to learn about the bible. They will often eat, play and sleep here as well. Their concept of Christian ministry does not have a wall that separates itself from family or personal life. The three are a trinity.
By this time (May 22nd) both of my teammates have arrived-- Matt and Aaron. They are two studs from Tennessee that I am fond of already. We are similar in many ways, a lot like brothers with all our jokes, annoyances, games and love. Another example of this Christian family's welcoming of "new, non-biological family members" is us, these silly triplets from America. We will be based here (leaving and returning frequently) in Chennai, India, throughout the summer.
Tomorrow is the final day of the 9 day trip I mentioned above. 5 members of the Asir family, 2 friends in the ministry, and Matt & I, left Chennai the morning after we arrived. Which seemed to predict the nature of the trip. We will have to be very flexible on a trip that promises stretching of our desire for home to be "what is familiar". Easier said than done, seeing as this is a human desire and we are humans. We had a 4 hour car ride with the 9 of us to Yelagiri, a "hill station" they call it. I am not totally sure what that implies, but from my experience it was a community that rested in the nest of mountains. We were there for 4 days, which included a 3 day conference for many of our organization's sponsors. The organization that I am a part of this summer is called Word For The World. It was started 21 years ago by the family who is hosting Matt, Aaron & I-- the Asir family. The Asirs are natively Indian, living in the state of Tamil Nadu, and have responded to God's call to minister throughout India despite many hindrances. God's call was and is to share the gosple with people who are socially oppressed. Please look at their website: http://wfw.org.in/
The conference was filled with meeting people who love Jesus and are obeying his leading in their lives!
From Yelagiri we drove to the city of Coimbatore, a trip nearly double in duration by an awesome rain storm. In Coimbatore I finally felt the breathtaking force of the multitudes of people and the religious diversity of India. I read before I left that India is 80% practicing Hindu. And Hinduism is very diverse itself. The next biggest religion here is Islam, followed by Christianity, which accounts for about 2% of the population.
Currently, I am at a Christian retreat center that we are using to hold a Word For The World conference for mainly the southern region missionaries. A couple of the missionaries here we will be staying with later in the summer. It has been wonderful to develope those relationship and be an encouragement and be encouraged by brothers and sisters who trust in Jesus. Also, I have loved being in the city and among people who do not know Jesus. And a familiar challenge has arose during the beginnings of this summer: balancing team relationships with host-family relationships, relationships with our future hosts, and with the beloved people I meet each day.
There are times of convicting conversation with people and with my Lord Jesus and times of peaceful solitude and reflection. There are times to try new things like jackfruit and jellyfish fruit (my name for an odd palm fruit, pronounced something like "nahngu") and times to try enjoy old things like fried food and waiting. Times to serve and times to be served (although this can be a simultaneous miracle), and times to take up new opportunities but, more often, times to be taken up by new opportunities.
By God's great grace I am being taught. Also, by his doing, I am learning that obedience to God leads to trust in Jesus, and trust in Him leads to obedience. Trust that God will fulfill his promise in us to make us like Jesus and raise us from sin. But these things both come from a relationship with God that requires Christ to raise our hearts from the greatest sin-- unbelief-- and grace us with the belief and love for God that were Christ's obedience and trust of God.
I love you all.
Abundant peace to you,
Anders
