Two Years: Part 1

February 8-21, 2011 happened two years ago.  It's is really hard to believe so much time has passed by.  

But you might be wondering what I'm referring to. 

Two years ago a group of four girls and two adults went to India for a short term mission trip.  The group consisted of myself, my friend Elizabeth and her parents (Mr. & Mrs. L), and my friends Kat and (her cousin) Mykaela.  This would be the first really big experience for me going outside the country, flying (for fifteen hours...it got kinda long.), and ultimately it was one the biggest times of spiritual growth.  It was unbelievably hard for me to be separated from my family for just two weeks, especially in a country that is in such a spiritual depression.  But no matter how hard or how broken we all were, our sincerest prayer was that God was use us, and that He would be glorified in everything.  

Kovalum, India

The first place we visited was called Kovalum.  We were all quite exhausted—India being eleven hours ahead of America—and it was ten in the morning.  Needless to say, we were all jumbled up from lack of sleep.  However, I will never forget that first car ride.  We zoomed down those filthy dirt roads at breakneck speed; nearly missing it seemed like every other car, wagon, or cow that was on or near the road.  Arriving at our hotel about thirty to forty-five minutes later, us girls, barely keeping our eyes open, piled into one of the hotel rooms.  Even though we were utterly and absolutely drained, we couldn’t help cracking jokes, talking a mile-a-minute, and giggling and laughing like maniacs.  Then we crashed. :)

Us girls. :)

Nevertheless, Kovalum will forever remain near and dear to my heart.  Sitting only about one hundred feet from the ocean, this exotic town is filled with the sound of sea-gulls, the smell of spices, and a glorious view of rocky cliffs and tall trees. Us girls explored the little shops and tried on all different kinds of scarves, jewelry, and shoes—prickling our noses at the vast fishy smells.  We marveled at the busyness, and yet the tranquil peace, that this small tourist town held.  It was a wonderful, relaxing place to get over our jet-lag and prepare for the rest of the trip.  But before we left, I had an experience I will never forget:

"I remember clearly when I first saw the crippled, homeless man coming to beg from me.  He walked using his worn, dark, callused hands—dragging what stumps of legs he had remaining behind him.  As he crouched in front of me asking for “just one ‘Merican dolla,” I felt like running away.  I couldn’t bear to see him.  It tore at me from the inside.  My stomach tied in knots and I couldn’t get any kind of communication to come out of my mouth.  Again, I felt overwhelmed, but for a different reason entirely than that at the airport: I was terrified of this lowly, mutilated man.  My heart wept for him.  When he reached out his hand towards me, I felt as if he was giving me a taste of the pure hopelessness that shone through his eyes.  I had never known, truly known, what it was to be without faith or comfort.  I had never truly known what it was like to be in utter, total despair.  In the two minutes I stood there, still feeling that soft breeze from the ocean, my heart—and life—forever changed.  But this was just the beginning.  Throughout the whole course of this trip, my heart was repeatedly broken into pieces by Him who I call my Savior.  But, it was also this One who made me whole again."-taken from my journal

It really is hard to describe everything.  I mean, it's been two years and I still can't fully comprehend all that God taught us.  But it is so amazing to look back on my life before the trip, and then on my life afterwards.  To look back and see how God orchestrated absolutely everything in our lives at just the right moments, just the right times.  To look back and see how He still does this--no matter what we're going through.  

These people are such an amazing people.  But without their hearts given to God, they will be forever lost.  But you know, so will everyone.  If we do not realize the incredible sacrifice that Jesus paid for our sin, if we do not repent of this sin, we will be lost.  When I realize that all the sin I've ever committed or will commit is completely paid for, I'm overwhelmed.  Overwhelmed by His grace. 

This theme of grace continued throughout all the trip.  But it wasn't the only thing that we realized as a group--so many other aspects of God and His relationship with us continued to astonish and bless us.  And one of those many blessing, were "the girls" of the charity home we were to visit.

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Because I tend to be quite wordy and like to explain absolutely and positively everything, and because it's realllly hard to decided between pictures, I've decided to split this into parts.  Hence, the "part 1" part of my title. ;)  Also, all photos were taken by either myself, the girls, or Mr.& Mrs. L.