I was part of a
short term mission team to India in July this year. It was my first mission
trip and I signed up because my kids are now independent. I have always wanted to join a team that would expose me to new
cultures and provide me with the opportunity to be involved in community work
for the Lord. I must say that I got what I was hoping for and much more. Yes, I admit that it was a challenging experience, but God has been faithful to provide all I needed to serve him. It was my first time raising funds in
Australia and God provided me with a faithful team from my Life Group and friends to help me achieve my
target.
In India, we had the opportunity to reach out to
orphans and children from the slums and villages with balloon sculpting,
worship, bible stories and games. I was glad I had the opportunity to connect
with those beautiful children who had such lovely and friendly smiles. We
travelled far into the villages to meet eager villagers who greeted us with
garlands of flowers and baskets of mangoes. The fear of the discomforts we may encounter and the extreme heat were
soon forgotten when we saw how fervent they were in their love for God. There
were times when we had to be discerning in areas where our local mission partners were working on establishing
relationship in unreached areas. However, God was always watching over us and
protecting us. The presence of God and his protection became very real in the mission field.
I am now back in Australia, amazed at what God has taught me and helped me
accomplish. I never thought I had it in me to do the things we did over there.
I am grateful for the friendships I have been able to forge both here and in India. I thank God for
the team members with whom I had learnt so much from and for all the fun that
we shared together in those two weeks.