Monday, October 29, 2012

Help Is On The Way


     
      Recently, I had the distinct privilege of serving in India with a small, but awesome team of women.  We grew close quickly as we spent literally every moment together in this foreign land.  Many nights we stayed up laughing, crying, praying and discussing all the events of the day.  On one such night we stayed up late rehashing the day’s activities.  As the night wore on everyone drifted off to sleep.  At some point in the night, I awoke to go to the restroom, which was located in our room, a mere 3 feet from one set of bunk beds.  Remember this; it will be important later in the story.  Several days earlier the door knob on the outside of the bathroom had become dislodged.  We tried to fix it to no avail.  At some point it simply fell off completely, we put it to the side and made a mental note to attempt a more thorough repair at a later date.  I believe it was 3 am when the inevitable happened, I went to open the door and the inside knob came off.  No worry, I thought to myself, I am resourceful, and I will simply find a way out.  No need to wake the team!  As I looked around I quickly realized there were no resources, no tools, nothing to pry the door open with, and nothing that could substitute as a tool.  Being raised by a self proclaimed MacGyver I was perplexed at this situation.  No tools, no resources, nothing!  I did not want to wake my team but unfortunately there was no way out!  I began with a slight knocking on the door, calling out, “guys, guys, anybody awake, hello?”  No answer.  I called out the window perpendicular to the window beside my team members heads.  “Guys, wake up, I am locked in the bathroom!”  No answer, no sound whatsoever.  I became a little more anxious as I realized no one could hear me and there was no place to rest in this Indian style bathroom.  Had I been home I may have crawled into the tub and called it a night.  It was hot and stale, and sweat began to run down my face.  There was nowhere to go and no where to rest.  My knocking went from slight and polite, to pounding and constant.  My voice grew louder as my frustration grew. “GUYS (pound, pound, pound!) WAKE UP, I AM TRAPPED!”  After a long while of frustration I prayed, “Lord, a little help please.” Finally, after 30 minutes of banging and yelling I heard a faint, “come in.”  Did my team member just say “come in?”  In disbelief I yelled back, “I CAN’T COME IN, I’M LOCKED IN THE BATHROOM!!!!!” I heard movement finally, muffled laughter and questions.  The laughter grew both on my side and theirs as they realized the situation.  I heard the rustling outside of the door.  Finally, my dear friend held up her cell phone to the quarter sized hole.  I could see the light and knew that they were now fully awake and ready to help.  They all admitted they had heard a faint knocking and had wished it would go away!  After a short while I was rescued. Afterward we laughed until we cried!




     The next morning we awoke to more laughter as we relived the crazy circumstances of the night before.  Unexpectedly, the Lord spoke softly to my heart.  He used the situation from the night before to impact my heart in a way nothing else could have done.  As I mentioned before, I am resourceful, and I come from a family of resourceful people.  A blessed life full of family, friends and love, never in want.  Yes there were hard times but I never went to bed hungry, I was never held against my will and there were always resources available for me to reach my goals.  The short time locked in that bathroom took me to a place of helplessness.  I had no resources for the first time in my life.  There was no way out.  I could not rest on my own strength.  Although I banged and yelled with all my might, no one could hear me.  And when they finally heard a faint sound, they turned over hoping it would just go away.  How many women trapped in the horror of human trafficking feel this way, not for 30 minutes, but constantly?  How many people hear their faint cries and simply turn away or wish for someone else to take care of the problem.  Helpless, hopeless and defeated for the first time I can ever remember.  Help lie a mere 3 feet away in some wonderful Christian women.  But they were asleep.  Is the church asleep, are we unable or unwilling to hear the cries of these women.  Like the sudden bright light shining through the quarter sized hole in the broken door, we can be that sign of hope for these women.  When they see the light of Jesus in us they will know that help is on the way.  In the form of a Jewish carpenter, who died to set them free?  Not just spiritually, but physically from the chains of human trafficking.

Blessings,
J - Volunteer Bangalore


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Our Savior Loves To Laugh

Rahab's Rope Volunteer - Goa, India


Growing up, I never thought of God as being a particularly humorous person. Strong, loving, and protecting, yes. A penchant for comedy? Not so much. Recently, however, it was made quite clear that our Savior does indeed love to laugh, while blessing us in the process.

Three of us work in a preschool during the morning, which takes two buses to get to. We had one day off due to a national holiday, which we used to get some much needed rest. Fully expecting school to be in session for the rest of the week, we got up, caught our buses, and greeted the children happily over the next two days. When Friday morning arrived, we got an unexpected surprise. As we were nearing our final stop, our team leader got a text from the school principal. Someone who had worked in government had passed away, therefore school was canceled. All we could do was smile and chuckle. The fact that school had been canceled was one thing - finding out 10 minutes before we got there was another.

If this had happened in the States, I would have been annoyed. 'Why didn't I find out sooner? I have to spend another bus fare just to go back? I could have slept in!' Instead, I imagined God's expression, smiling and chuckling as He handed my team the unexpected blessing of 5 extra hours of rest. He indeed has a sense of humor, and now I know that sometimes, His answers to prayer come in the form of a laugh.

Blessings,
SB - Goa Volunteer


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Ministering In A Place Of Chaos And Beauty


India is a place of contrast, chaos and contradiction. You don't have to be here long to see and understand it. Billboards of glamorous people and high rises stand over slums made from concrete, dirt and plastic siding. The people here are also a study in contrast, we have found beauty in an Aids clinic and also in the slums of Bangalore.

In the mornings, five of the ladies on the team begin the day by serving at an Aids clinic, while two of us get the awesome privilege of tutoring/teaching two little girls who live at the clinic. The young girls are two of twenty-two children who live at the facility. The two young girls are orphans, like all the girls in the facility, both parents having died from aids. We are teaching them the alphabet, numbers and colors. We also sing with them, tell them stories and just generally love on them. They are two beautiful jewels.

Rahab's Rope Volunteers - India



In the evening, our team heads out to the slums to minister to young girls ages 12 to 16. You have never seen such beautiful smiles. Their smiles are such a contrast to the ugliness of the poverty that surrounds them. We tell stories from the Bible, sing worship songs, and help the girls with their English. They are so smart!

Each one is learning at least two languages, math, science etc. What a blessing it is to hear their voices sing out songs to God, praises, and yet they live in a dark place filled with idolatry, superstition and a sense of hopelessness. There is so much pain here and yet we find ourselves singing and laughing... even dancing with these young girls. Wherever Jesus is, there is hope.

Please pray for these young girls, that They would truly give their hearts to the one true living God who created them and loves them so much.


Blessings,
Calvary Chapel East Anaheim Volunteers

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Quilt Making Class

Rahab's Rope Volunteers Teach Quilt Making
Today is one more day to take the opportunity to empty ourselves and to look to the One that gave it all for us, our Lord Jesus.

In the morning we went to the slums to work with the ladies. We are teaching them how to make quilts. As I'm writing this, I see their faces and see how happy and ready to learn they are. They are excited to learn how to cut an even square of fabric and how to sew a straight line. We want to teach them how to do excellent work so they can have a finished product that can be sold.

Along with sewing class, we sing with the girls, pray for them, and tell them stories from the Bible. Today we told them about the women who touch Jesus garment. We are praying every day that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them who Jesus is. That they would know that He is not another god but the Savior.


Blessings,
Calvary Chapel East Anaheim Volunteers