Challenges & Blessings

So I have this ongoing mental list of things that I miss, besides the obvious of friends and family (and puppy!), or things that I feel like I took for granted in America. Here are a few of them:

1. Driving

2. Communicating SO easily with everyone

3. The simpleness in doing daily tasks

4. Cow's milk

5. Knowing what is socially appropriate

6. Having things that are familiar to me

7. Exercising in public

I've come to this conclusion: It is so much more challenging to "live" in India than to "stay" in India. I think this is true for just about anywhere in the world. Anyone can "stay" anywhere for a few weeks. But when it comes to "living" anywhere, that is a lot more challenging. I literally have to ask for strength from my Father everyday just for the living challenges, and even more so spiritually in this place. I'm not saying that this place is terrible because I love it. And I'm not saying that each day of living here is horrible because it definitely is not. We have been blessed in so many ways since we have been here. But we just want to share a completely honest post with you about life here. There are many challenges of living in a culture that is not your own. But the blessings of living here outnumber the challenges by so many! So here we go..

COOKING

If you haven't guessed, cooking can be a challenge. Just about everything I cook (or at least want to cook) has to be made from scratch. For example, I made veggies (corn and zucchini) in the skillet for dinner the other night. Sounds simple enough, right? 

This is the process.. Go to the market and haggle prices with the workers to get the veggies that you need without getting totally ripped off. Come home and wash my veggies with filtered water and bleach to clean them. Then rinse them with filtered water. I want to have corn so I need to shuck it and get all the little hairs off. Then I boil them on the stove to cook them and then let them cool enough that I can touch them without getting burned (learned that the hard way). Once cooled I use a knife to cut the kernels off and put them in the skillet along with the peeled and chopped land gourd (that I thought was zucchini).

Not too difficult just time consuming. But through learning this new way of cooking, I have found out how much I LOVE baking from scratch! Snicker doodles, brownies, banana bread and oatmeal cookies are just a few things I've baked so far. I have yet to master anything requiring yeast that needs to rise... But cooking is the challenge and learning how much I love baking from scratch is the blessing!!

LEFT vs. RIGHT

Which side of the street do we drive on? Which side of the set of escalators in the mall takes us up? Which side do you move to when you are walking straight toward someone? In America the answer is right. You always go to your right. In India, the answer is left. Or really wherever you can find room. Needless to say, we have made lots of apologies after running into lots of people. I guess it's a good thing we don't drive here. (:

MISSING THE FAMILIAR

At times it can be overwhelming that everything in India is new to us. New food, new places, new sights, new smells, new home, new ways of doing things, new friends, and new family. We are finding that new definitely isn't bad, it's just new. We have new "normals." When I'm having one of those days when everything seems foreign to me (because it is) and I just want to see something familiar I look up. No matter where I am in the world the sky always seems to be the same. Whether it is the sun and the clouds or the night sky with bright stars and moon (which we actually saw the other night!!), it is familiar to my eyes. And even more so than the sky, one thing we can trust to be constant when everything else is new and different is our Father. He is the same in America and in India, and in the rest of the universe. He is doing amazing things here and now, the same time He is doing amazing things in the states. How awesome is that? I find so much peace in knowing this simple truth.

SPIRITUAL

We have shared some pictures, but the spiritual state of this place is magnified compared to the states. On literally almost every corner are Hindu temples filled with stone idols. At the highest point in the city is a Jain temple. One of the largest mosques in the world is located in our city. If you are having a conversation with someone you just met and it doesn't turn spiritual, some might consider that to be weird. Religion is everywhere and in your face here. From the buildings to giant statues, and from the jewelry people wear to the incense burning in most shops, you can't miss it.

We are reminded of Psalm 115:2-8,

"Why do the nations say, 'Where is their God?'

Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.

They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;

they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell;

they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk;

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them."

This is the sad reality. But we have hope in what Revelation 7 proclaims.

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

            ‘Salvation belongs to our God,

            Who sits on the throne,

            And to the Lamb.’”

Just a couple of weeks ago, our friend, who comes from a "Cousin" background, became our Brother. Praise Him! Our hearts overflow with joy because of the things we get to see our Father doing here. Keep lifting us and the people here up!

There are so many more things we want to share with you that we are blessed to witness our Father doing here. We can't share them on our blog so we will have to share them with you when we return! 

I want to end with something Father has been teaching me...

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..."

This verse is one of those verses that everyone has memorized. It's one that I knew before I even stepped foot into a church. I've known it for years but over the past few weeks God has really been teaching me what it means... 

This verse says to "Trust in the Lord." Okay, I trust Him, He is good right? The easy part is to trust Him. But then there is the next part, "with all your heart..." To trust Him with all your heart is a little bit harder. That means without any doubt in our hearts we have to trust Him. We have to trust Him completely and wholeheartedly. That's more challenging. And finally this verse says to "lean not on your own understanding." Now that part is like a slap in the face for me. Because I can trust in the Lord and I can even trust in Him with my whole heart.. But to trust in Him with my whole heart and to lean not on my own understanding is HARD.

So many times, even when I'm trusting the Lord, I'm still trying to figure it out, to understand the situation. Especially since I've been here in India. I trust that God is good and that He is sovereign over everything.  He has shown that to me over and over again in my life. Praise Jesus for that! But I still don't understand why some things are the way that they are. I don't understand why some people believe and some don't even care to listen. I don't understand why God allows the enemy to have such a grip on this place. I don't understand why God allows us to be attacked by the enemy when we are here for His glory alone. I don't understand so many things.. 

But then I can hear the Lord reminding me... "Sarah, you don't need to understand. That's the beauty in trusting Me. You trust Me with all your heart, knowing that I'm totally sovereign." And if I really trust that, then there is no need for my human understanding. Understanding doesn't and won't satisfy my heart. He is the only one who satisfies me.

We love India. Things that I am thankful for here:

1. New friends

2. Hot showers

3. Encouraging husband

4. Joy even in challenges

5. Uncountable blessings