When it's all you have to give

Six days back our little band of seven said our final “see you latter” (for the time being) to what had begun to feel like home. Suresh once told us that it is only Christians that can use the term “see you later” without lying. This made saying goodbye not so painful. Our final week in Tenali was full of activity. We kept busy, with three different World Cup Cricket parties (an amazing experience to celebrate with our friends in both their defeat of Pakistan and then Sri Lanka to win the World Cup.)  We threw a celebration lunch for the teachers of the Harvest India public school in which we served them and their families a full Indian lunch. It was TONS of work and gave us an even more enhanced appreciation for how eager Harvest India staff has been to continually serve us. We celebrated Cory’s birthday, Lizzi’s 5 month pregnancy mark, and our going away all in one big bash at Suresh’s house. Taylor and I made a new friend that lives just down the street from our house and spent a considerable amount of time building a too short lived relationship. And finally we gave our final hugs, drank our final chai, and started the long trek to Hyderabad to begin our journey home.

In coming to India, Taylor and I clearly felt that God was calling us to this, but God wasn’t showing us anything past India. It has been our continual prayer that He would reveal to us what is next, and that it would be something with purpose; something that would use us both to the best of our abilities. As we watched the sunset each night we began to talk about what might be next for us. Taylor is able to go straight back into his job at REI, but would rather find something else. I have no open doors that I currently know of. We have dreamed and discussed the possibilities of settling back down in Orange County and looking for jobs, or moving to Redding for awhile to be near my ever expanding family as our nieces and nephews are growing too quickly. We have considered moving in with Taylor’s parents; which would also put us closer to my parents. We have considered beginning the process of moving back here to India for awhile. But in it all, God is irritatingly quiet. If anything, we feel (not hear) that God is asking us to be present in each day and not get lost in searching out the future.

God has given us an incredible opportunity to travel a bit more before returning home. Long story short, we have been given the opportunity to travel with Taylor’s parents and brother for three weeks throughout Europe. We were originally planning a few days in London and Ireland to visit some good friends of ours, but this has increased to include France and Switzerland. Beyond the great opp to spend time in Europe with Taylor’s family, it is not costing us more than our return ticket home as his parents are paying for all our travel and accommodations around Europe. I feel that this will be a time of rest. To shut down, be silent, not strive toward anything, while still being engaged with the world around us.

I have struggled with conflicting emotions as we have left Tenali. I am sad to leave, excited to reacquire some very missed comforts of home, missing my friends and family, scared to not know what is next, anxious at not knowing my purpose in each day, confused as to how to continue the lifestyle that we have been learning from. I left feeling like it wasn’t enough time.

Taylor, Crystal and I split from the rest of our team Wednesday morning. As Cory & Elana headed to Darjeeling (where we joined them Friday afternoon), Chris & Lizzi jumped on a plane for home, Crystal, Taylor and I took a quick 2 day trip into New Dehli to see the Taj Mahal. It was culture shock to see Dehli, the capital city, and how developed and organized it is. There are taxes on everything in Dehli, but you see where those tax rupees are going. It was shocking to not be able to call Suresh to get us out of a bind, or ask him for recommendations. It was shocking to take the metro and train and see the railway begger children. I found myself overwhelmed at the depravity of these little kids; knowing that they are more than likely part of a gang and the money they collect is doing them little good; knowing that they are going to grow into rough adults. I found myself repulsed at how dirty they were and annoyed at their persistence, while at the same time wanting to scoop them up and instill them with hope; to wipe the dirt from their faces, hose them off, and take them home. By the end of day two I wasn’t sure I could handle another street child persistently following us with his hand out asking for food.  And then God gave us a little glimmer of joy with the presence of three little girls. While awaiting our final train, after an incredibly long day, these three little girls came up with their hands out asking for rupees. My heart fell, until Crystal, in a moment of pure genius, put her hand out and asked the smaller one to give HER rupees. The little girl caught on and started to laugh. Crystal asked the little girl to dance, so she began to dance, and we danced with her. Nothing too fancy, mostly the hokey pokey and a few Bollywood moves we have seen. Then the camera came out (the ipod really as both ours & Crystals camera batteries were completely dead) and the girls LOVED it. They ate the attention up. They were laughing, posing and playing around. We tried to do a group shot, but the girls ended in a pile on the floor in laughter before Taylor could capture the moment. The police came and chased them off, only for them to return 20 seconds later. It was interesting to see the reactions of those around us. Westerners looked appalled and annoyed. This guy brought his granddaughter over to have her picture taken with us. And we….we rejoiced. I was reminded that it is the small things that count. God isn’t showing us how to change these girls lives, but He did give us the opportunity to change their next 20 minutes. To fill them with laughter and allow them to simply be little girls. To realize that sometimes it is the small stuff, sometimes its just a moment, and yet sometimes that is all you have to give.

 

New friends, Cobras & Sunsets

Up until about four weeks ago we were teaching weekly English courses at an all girls college. On our final day there Indu, a young girl, in broken English, told me that her family lives just down the way from our house in Tenali. While Indu lives on campus throughout the year, she would be returning to live with her parents once the school year was finished (one week before we depart.) I encouraged Indu to stop by our house when she was around. After a few weeks I kind of forgot, until three days ago when Indu showed up at our gate. In the past three days we have seen Indu quite a few times. Taylor and I have sat in her house, with her family, twice now, sipping Sprite and trying as hard as we can to have a decent conversation in all Indu's broken English and our very few Telugu words. Indu and her family are Hindu and very rooted in their beliefs. We are so sad to go with this relationship just now starting. Please pray with us that God would continue to work in their lives and reveal His Spirit to them.

Suresh shared an amazing miracle with us yesterday. Apparantly the residents at the Harvest India campus; including the Ashraya women, the RH children, and the multiple staffers, have reported cobra sightings over the last five years. Cobras are incredibly poisonous and absolutely to be feared here in India. They are territorial and their venom kills quickly. There is a Hindu god that represents the cobra. She is worshiped and given sacrifices in the hopes that she will keep her cobra from biting her followers.
Although it was rather costly, Suresh felt it was time to hire a crew to clean up the campus, cut down the overgrowth of trees and hunt some cobra. Sure enough a snake pit was found with a family of 5 cobras. From the size of one's head, he appeared to be very old; meaning he had probably been there longer than the RH children's home has been. The older the snake, the more potent the venom. PRAISE JESUS that in five years of having 300+ children living at the RH home, not a single cobra bite has occurred. This is truly a miracle.

Tonight, Taylor and I will enjoy our last sunset from the roof of what has begun to feel a little like home. It has been an amazing three months (more thoughts on that later) and we are torn on our feelings about leaving. It finally feels like we are getting our feet back under us, emotions are not running quite as high, and we are finding so much joy in the daily things. However, we are truly ready for a break. We can't wait to eat baguettes, nibble on cheese and enjoy cooler weather. We can't wait to hug our families or to sleep in our own bed again (our bed here is slightly more comfortable than rock hard & two twin beds - I Love Lucy style.) We have experienced God in truly new and amazing ways here. While we are ready to come home we have been given an opportunity to travel through Northern India for the next week, and then through Europe for three more weeks. God has been SO gracious and it is costing us next to nothing. India is not expensive to travel through and Europe is a gift from Taylor's parents. The Thompsons felt that this would be a good time for a family vacation and are meeting us, with Taylor's brother, in London. Taylor and I are overwhelmed by God's grace and the amazing opportunities He has allowed us to take part in. It feels slightly too good to be true that we are getting this dream vacation. We are going to take this time to visit a few friends, check out some awesome churches, and relax as a family.

We will be back in the States the evening of Wednesday, May 4th and can't wait to see you all face to face!

Our love and prayers are with you,
Taylor and Bethany

Breaking down the Wickets

A few days ago Taylor and I were asked by someone we greatly respect (my greatest encourager and exhorter, aka Mom) why there had been no blogging activity for nearly a month by just about anyone on our team. We realized that we too were guilty of not sitting down to update our friends or family on the ministry here in India. She also challenged us, asking that rather than simply posting on all the personal growth and fun stuff, that she would like to hear about the individual growth of those that we are reaching out to with the love of Jesus. We've spent the last five days wrestling over this, trying to sort through what kind of growth we have seen in others because of our presence. 

As we sit down to write, we still have no idea how to communicate it. 

This question has been a really tough one to answer. After three months, we are just beginning to break down enough cultural barriers to really understand those around us. We are not here long enough to accurately identify the growth. It is frustrating to not be able to put our experiences of this past month in a box and wrap a pretty bow around it. This past month has been full of ups quickly followed by a down, or a door closing in our face. There has been much that has happened, good and bad, so instead of trying to recap it all we will try to share some of the change that we have seen in those around us. 

Suresh is learning to say no to us. This is huge as it truly displays trust and a sense of family. 

The McCalls have had a rough time with Lizzi's morning sickness here. Chris has stepped up in some incredible ways and is constantly serving her. Some of the Harvest India pastors sat down with them and praised the example that Chris has been setting for them. A few commented that it made them want to serve their wives more.

Suresh met some opposition with the Harvest India board here when we devised a plan to hold an English church service on the construction site of the future church building. Some adamantly opposed the idea of holding services until it could be blessed and dedicated as a church building. We have been spending time each week at the construction site, holding devotionals and praying that the site would be seen as a church even now, in it's beginning stages. Praying that the church body would rise up, even as there are no walls to meet between. Praying that this church would not be defined by the walls that surround them, or the weekend services, but rather by their passion to change this city. We stood with and prayed for Suresh as he continued to push back. Last Saturday, we held the first Youth Conference at the construction site (so it may have been a small compromise in name only; it was fully a church service). We ended our service asking the youth to stand if a) they were excited about and would like to join in praying for and working towards a future church plant b) if God had placed a specific call towards ministry on their lives.We spent time praying over them; that God would continue to shape and form the vision he had given them, grant them wisdom, discernment and obedience as they continue to walk forward.

It might not sound big, but one of the greatest changes we have seen is the shift in the HI staff's interactions with us. The Indian culture loves to serve foreigners. Every RH team that comes is thrown by the level of service that the HI staff provides. There is constant door opening, flower giving, loads of food being served. We have tried multiple times to get our friends to sit at our table with us to eat a meal, and the common response is "no, I will eat when you are finished." A few days ago I was in a car with Suresh and about 5 of his staff members. I was slightly zoned out as they were all talking in Telugu and were were in the whirlwind ministry tour with RH pastors Andrew and Chris. Suresh piped up, "Bethany, Wednesday is the Cricket World Cup Semi-finals; India against Pakistan. The men would like to come watch the game at your house, because it is big and they can all watch together." YES!!! FINALLY A CHANCE TO SERVE THEM! I quickly agreed and added that we would have snacks, chai and coffee service throughout the day. A cricket match goes from about 2 - 10pm. Yes, a possible 8+ hours. This opportunity increased to included three days of games I figured it would be fun as our white guys have also grown to love the game. As soon as they arrived, our friend Arnol asked if it was true that we would be serving chai. It was such a blessing to hear them laugh & exclaim every time we walked out with a tray of snacks and tea. Night two we took things a step further and cooked them dinner - Chicken Fajitas with really spicy salsa (yes, real salsa.) Night three was the World Cup finals; India against Sri Lanka. It was a great celebration with our friends. Most encouraging was the chance to simply hang out with them, laugh, cheer, and continually serve them in whatever ways we could find. It was well received by our friends, and by day three they were comfortable letting us know when they wanted chai tea, or when they did not want any more salsa.

It is hard to put it on paper. It is hard to communicate the complexities of the change we have seen. So much is in process. We do promise to share this process with you over the next few weeks; as we sort through what we see God doing around us and through us each day. 

Love you, miss you, and are thankful for your love, support, friendship, and partnership

Taylor & Bethany

Highlights

Sunday February 13th :: Taylor, John & I attended a 1 year anniversary for a local village church. 9pm - midnight prayer and fasting, amazing service. However, as we were wrapping up they invited us to stay for dinner... at midnight. Surprisingly it was absolutely amazing food and we enjoyed every bite.  

Monday February 14th :: Passover feast with the team. Slightly difficult to get through the first part, but so interesting to watch 4 year old Nancy and 7 year old Vacintha as they were completely unfazed. Favorite part was the bitter herb curry that the Kumars made in lieu of simple bitter herbs. It was actually super tasty.

 

Wednesday February 16th :: Day at the beach. Lots of laughs with the team. Many encounters with nature. HBO on the hotel tv. Random cows sunbathing. NO MOSQUITOS. Body Surfing. A Cricket team on tour asking Taylor to teach them to swim. Being able to completely relax and unplug.

Thursday February 17th :: College Outreach at St. Peters. Bethany gave the message and didn't throw up or pass out from stage fright. Taylor found his calling as a game show host. 

Friday February 18th :: Taylor, John, Cory, Elana & Bethany visited another Harvest India Orphan home to catalogue the kids for sponsorship & learned much more of the heart behind these homes. Watched geckos hunt down a huge dragon fly. Saw a firefly indoors chillin on a chair. Came home and laughed hysterically when a large rat ran through a drain pipe and across our living room while John & Crystal tried to jump on the couch, only to find that it is not stable or intended to be jumped on. 

Saturday February 19th :: College Outreach at JMJ, a Catholic all girls school. Learned that Indian girls are COMPLETELY different when there are no Indian boys around.  By far the most fun College crowd we have had so far, as well as the largest. 

Sunday February 20th :: 7am - 9am church service at Ambedkar College (where we held our first College Outreach). Taylor shared a passage from Luke and encouraged the students that even when the storm rages around us, Christ is still in the boat with us. The president of the school totally affirmed Taylor for how pertinent the message was and then raved about his drumming, dancing, and guitar skills. Got to call Bethany's parents and wish her dad a happy birthday! 

Monday February 21st ::  Caught up with Suresh and began dreaming about future College Outreach events. Skyped with Todd and realized that we are more on track with our goals and objectives than we sometimes realize. Were invited to the 200 year birthday of the Bible Society of India in nearby Guntur. It was a Harvest India Crusade on Steroids, (not funded by HI). There were speakers & delegates from the US, Scotland, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. While we were excited to just sit in the crowd and 'blend in' we somehow ended up on the jumbo-tron half a dozen times. Guess we haven't quite figured out how to blend in just yet.

E. Billy Babu Brown Sheep

Exodus 12:1 -11 abridged
"Now the Lord spoke... '...On the 10th of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb...a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it... Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the 1st year...Now you shall keep it until the 14th day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight... then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire - it's head and it's entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire... It is the Lord's Passover... and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgement: I am the Lord."


We are continually amused by the similarities we see as we read the New Testament and as we walk through the streets of Tenali. Our grasp and understanding of Biblical concepts are challenged and expanded daily. Personally I've been spending a lot of time reading the book of Matthew, grasping for how Christ interacted with the multitudes of people that followed him, desperate for a miracle or to hear him teach. The massive amounts of people and the constant attention has been difficult for me and I wonder how Christ remained loving and attentive when there was so much demand.


In reading his One Year Bible, on January 30th, John Brokenshire came across Exodus 2 and the description of the Passover. He was struck by the symbolism of the community we are living in. He was struck at how important a shepherd's job truly is. He was struck by the symbolism of Christ as the lamb led to slaughter. And he was excited at God's response to the people's obedience - that He would execute judgement over all the gods of Egypt. 


In sharing this with the team, we began praying that God would execute judgement on all the gods of India. It has been a constant prayer that God would continue to draw our team closer together as family and continue to grant us unity and love. Somehow in all of that, we decided that on the 10th of this month we would purchase a lamb in it's first year, we would take special care of it until the 14th, and we would slaughter it and roast it together. It turns out a 1 year old lamb will feed about 50 people, so we are joining with Suresh's family, as well as with our India Residency members and a few Harvest India staff members. The 14th also happens to be Valentine's day.


Not totally sure of how we felt about getting to know our dinner, or participating in the slaughter, it has created some truly intimate conversations among our team. How do we handle decisions when the team is not in full agreement? Do we continue towards what a few feel convicted to participate in, and a few are uncomfortable with? At what point do decisions need to be unanimous? We've discussed morals, and comfort, boundaries and convictions. We have had to stop in the midst of plans and truly explore the reasons behind each of our feelings. What I initially thought a humorous experience (not thinking past visiting a field and picking a lamb), suddenly had deep and profound implications. The more I thought about it I realized that this might be a once in a lifetime experience, so I was in. 


So conversations began with Suresh. "No! You're crazy man." was Suresh's response. "You will ruin relations with me and ROCKHARBOR. They will think I am teaching you bad theology." But as we explained our hearts behind the reasons, he agreed and began negotiations with a local shepherd. 


John, Crystal, Taylor and I took the 30 minute trek, and arrived in a Hindu village that has not had much interaction with white people. They were not expecting us, so there were no crowds, flower garlands, or flying petals. It was amazing. We strolled down a dirt path, lined by small farms of water buffalo, goats and chickens.  We came to an open field and met the farmer, who was not expecting white people. He introduced us to his flock and pointed out the sheep within their first year. We learned that shepherds live nomadic lives here. They are hired by land owners to come camp out, live off the land, and allow their sheep to graze and fertilize the area. We thought of Christ and his nomadic ministry. We chose the sheep that was without defect and were glad that he was a far cry from the cute, white, fluffy image we all had in our minds. We haggled with the shepherd as he tried to peg us with the "white tax", jacking his quoted price up 1,000 Ruppees (about $20). I stood firm and refused to go above the price he gave Suresh on the phone.


And so I introduce you to E. Billy Babu Brown Sheep. E stands for Exodus. Babu is the Telugu word for little boy. Billy, Brown & Sheep just made sense to our American minds. 


We will celebrate all that God has done and will do this Monday, February 14th. While not everyone will participate in the preparation of our dinner, we are all very excited for our sheep kabobs (we aren't following to the letter of the Law as we are no longer under the laws of the Old Testament.) Our India friends will spice it up with Mutton Curry. Together we will worship, praise God, and pray for judgement on all the gods of India. 

The Shepherd and the  papa ram

E. Billy Babu hanging out while our money was counted

Taylor and RamRaj getting cozy in the van with E. Billy Babu

Be Prepared In Season and Out of Season

This Scriptural command has really rung true with us this past week. It being our fourth week here small irritations have not felt so small. It has been difficult to adjust to being completely dependent on others. We are fairly limited in where we can go without a translator or chaperone. Even within the walls of our own home, we often feel as if we are in a fishbowl. The kids in our neighborhood will gather in front of our gate yelling "Chris! Chris! Chris! Cory! Taylor! Taylor! Crystal! John!" It is pretty relentless and only gets more raucous when we poke our heads out to say hello. Walking down the street we are stared at, approached, and pointed at. Today during breakfast "Mama" (the grandmotherly lady who lives in our living room and helps take care of our house) came in with two relatives to introduce us. They wanted to meet us because they have never met a white person before. While this should be no more than a little annoyance, it is frustrating when it is all the time, even when you are still in your pajamas and have yet to shower.


However, we are slowly learning what true flexibility looks like. We are slowly learning to be patient, to have grace, and to be prepared at all times. We are learning to live outside of our agenda or itinerary and invite the Holy Spirit into every moment (for without Him, we would truly be able to do nothing.) It is in the down times that we find patience and grace more challenging to come by. While we want to shut down, we find ourselves surrounded by a culture that doesn't really ever shut down. A culture where children are in school 6 days a week. Where many laborers work 29 days and have 1 day off (2 if you include the holidays that fall every other week or so.) God has been stripping away the layers and showing us who He is when we are at the end of ourselves.


Yesterday we had the honor of celebrating with our new friend and personal chef Sunni and his wife Sunnita. Sunni had a great job working for a phone company. Previously he worked for a continental hotel - where he learned to make french fries, chicken burgers and steamed vegetables (thank you JESUS!) Sunni agreed to leave his stable job at the phone company and come to work for Harvest India as our cook. It was a leap of faith as his wife is pregnant and Harvest India cannot promise a steady salary. Since making the decision, Sunni claims that God has blessed him in many ways. His marriage was full of conflict and is now full of peace and joy. Sunnita's high risk pregnancy stabilized and the doctors are declaring that the baby now has a healthy heart. Sunni has seen God work in miraculous ways and is so thankful. Last night he threw a celebration dinner in which all of their family came from out of town to join in on. To celebrate the coming of their first child as well as all that God has granted them these past few weeks. Sunni asked us to attend. We knew he was excited about it, and although we were not thrilled about a late night or interrupting our already laid out plans we decided to go. We thought we would be simply attending, but alas we were treated as honorable guests. We were asked to each give a word of encouragement to Sunnita. Thankfully Christina and Suresh were there and they took the stage to preach the Word.


This has not been the first time that we have found ourselves spontaneously asked to preach, to pray for healing, or to give encouragement. Tenali, India feels so near to the descriptions in the new testament. The people are so eager for the Holy Spirit. They believe in the power of prayer and will fight their way through crowds to be prayed for. And there seem to be crowds just about everywhere. We are viewed as disciples and are challenged to begin living as such. To be prepared. To be in communion with the Holy Spirit. To lay down our own lives and be prepared to advance the Kingdom in every moment.

1 year

Sunday Taylor and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. We had grand ideas about going to the beach (an hour away) and getting a hotel but decided it was a risk to get a hotel sight unseen, and too much to ask of Suresh to free up a driver for us. Sunday he was essentially juggling 5 different teams. Between the Residency Team, John's parents, two women from Prescott, Arizona, the 17 person team from Cornerstone Church in Phoenix, and the 15 person team from Holland; the Harvest India staff has been working on all cylinders. Taylor and I opted to stay with the team, and we are glad we did.


Highlights of the day ::
1. Being kidnapped by Suresh. While we thought we were on our way to join the CORNERSTONE team for breakfast we suddenly realized that this was not the way to Suresh's house. Sneaky Sneaky Suresh had other plans which included a very impoverished village and us dedicating a fresh water well.

2. Meeting the CORNERSTONE team and hearing their heart to join Harvest India in supporting village church plants.
3. Attending church in our common room as a team by listening to a ROCKHARBOR podcast on freedom from anxiety - timely, very timely.
4. Anniversary photos by Elana Grace. Thanks E! 

 

5. Celebrating with a little taste of home.