Day 8

Namaste,

In the last two days it has pretty much rained the whole time, this is the joy of the monsoon season! The last couple of days have been interesting as the team have got over the high of arriving in Goa and are relying on God's strength to get them through the day.

At 8:45 we get picked up in a bright yellow bus by a guy called Lucky - what an awesome name - and we travel the short but memorable journey to the small boys home. As you drive down the hill supposedly on the left side of the road you are fixated on the colourful houses surrounded by cows, stray dogs and litter all over the floor.

Yesterday was the day that we finished painting a room in the small boys home. We also realised that the consequences of getting paint all over the floor was that we had to get down on our hands and knees and scrub the worst of it off!

In the evening we went and joined the worship team as we rehearsed for the service on Sunday morning. As we walked through the door of a small room cluttered with instruments and cables we were immediately struck by how hot it already was.

Then we plugged our instruments in and began to make some noise the stench of smelly boys (and maybe a few girls) became even more apparent. Though the smell was bad, it was incredible to join with worshippers from the other side of the world but yet still be united by one God.

Today we embarked on an adventure to a spice farm where we had a tour around 2 out of 150 acres of land and also had a bath on an elephant. This involved sitting on the elephant as it picked up water with its trunk, spraying it all over you.

As a team we would love you to pray for:
  - continued protection from sickness
  -  renewed energy
  - sleep
  - good quality time with the girls as we spend more time at their home.

We hope you are our well and we look forward to sharing with you again soon!

Love from the SMGoa team

Are men

93 days till we go…..

The idea of going to Goa in 93 days at the moment feel more like an idea than a reality. That doesn't mean I’m not excited to go, don’t get me wrong every time I think about it I get butterflies in my tummy and a load of incredible memories come flooding back but there are a couple of hurdles to jump through before I feel like the idea can become a reality. These are mainly my exams that are taking up most of my time and energy but also Lark in the Park and all the preparation that has to come before we leave to go to Goa; like the preparation to be able to lead worship out there. Finishing my exams and doing all the other stuff that comes before going on mission is incredible though because it builds up the excitement and anticipation for what is to come. Iit creates time to press into what God has instore for us to do in Goa and to seek direction for what is to come as well as the way it will unravel. 

At the moment I have just over £100 to raise which I am very happy with. When I signed up to go to Goa I had no idea how to raise the money and it almost put me off applying but then I realised that I had nothing to fear because if it was Gods plan for me to go then he would find a way and he has and I have learned a couple of things along the way (most of which I’m still learning). My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13 and it says 'I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength' and this is what I'm learning, to find strength from a place outside of myself and to rest in that place before I even clean my teeth in the morning. 

Although there is great excitement about going and every time I think of it my heart starts racing, there is something in me that is slightly apprehensive about going. Partly I think it's the food, I don’t really like curry and when I went to Goa the first time I found that I wasn't really eating much. Last time I went this wasn't so much of an issue but I still found it difficult to eat curry every day. Although, not liking curry does make me appreciate things like chips and gravy! 

This year I've been really challenged by how much stuff I take with me. Last time I went I had far to many clothes and ended up not even wearing some of them. This year I don't want that mentality of having my clothes as almost a type of comfort blanket, to be challenged and I want to act on it. My goal this year is to try and only take a hand luggage bag worth of clothes and other stuff for me and to live off the very basics, to embrace the idea of not having a whole wardrobe of clothes to choose from. This will then allow me to use the extra space to bless Bethesda Life Centre and the people that I encounter along the journey in India. 

I went to Goa on mission in 2011 and 2012 and I went with the mentality that it was for my benefit; that I would come back changed and I got caught up in how it would impact me. I almost lost sight of the real reason we were there but now I'm realising that this isn't really the case. There is plenty of time for me to receive but for two and a half weeks I am laying my life down and fixing my eyes on something bigger, I'm there to serve the King of Kings in a way that is going to make an impact far bigger than I could ever imagine. As long as my eyes are fixed on Jesus and my heart is surrendered to Him and in a place ready to serve then what I get out of it is an added bonus. 

If you are a person who loves to bless people by interceding for them, then please do pray for me, that I would be live out of a place of strength in God rather than my own strength but that also I would be walking in the gift that he has given me even before I go so that I would be best equipped and living most effectively for him. 

My first thoughts.....

Just the thought of going back to India fills me with an overflow of excitement about what is to come! To be able to go with a team, where many of them haven't been before is even more incredible, to be able to walk with them as they capture God's vision and heart for BLC is an incredible privilege and in turn to see them serve Martin and Beena from that overflow of  love.

For me personally I'm really looking forward to going back and seeing the kids and youth again and to re-learn what it means to fully rely on God and his provision because they demonstrate that in such a powerful and challenging way.

This year I really want to invest in my relationships with the older girls because I never really made an effort before. I often used to get distracted by the younger ones because they are a lot more outgoing and so it is much easier to play with them and get to know them but with the older ones it involves a lot more effort to make a conversation and to be able to go deep and share the good and the bad things about life for me and as a 16 year old in a western culture but also to find out more about what life is like for them and the massive contrast between their lives and my life.

What I am learning, in India but also in general life is that often the older the person the more they value your time, love and support. In India this might be the older girls and guys from their homes but also the youth in the church. They are more impacted by our love and friendliness than the younger ones. They will remember what we said and the way that we chose to interact with them and break down the barriers that might get in the way. I find this especially challenging because it means that I have to put myself in a slightly awkward and vulnerable situation to be able to break down those barriers and start a lasting relationship.

I'm quite an excitable person and being excited is a good thing, but I'm learning that there is a right place and a right time. One thing that I am going to have to be really aware of is that many people on the team this year have never been before. I'm going to have to make that conscious decision to think about how they are feeling at times and to contain my excitement, as hard as that may be!

I have been to India on mission twice before and both times I have had an incredible time and have really enjoyed serving BLC and Martin and Beena but for me the lasting change and impact has been when I got home. The first time I went it completely transformed my perspective on life and the way I treated people. I began to see the world with God's eyes and so when I came home I was able to be more patient and loving towards people because I wasn't seeing them from a worldly perspective but from a godly one. As I changed the way I lived people noticed and in a good way, they asked questions and treated me with a lot more respect and love because that was the way I was treating them and it felt good and encouraging!  I also learnt that the things I own are not mine and they I don't deserve them but everything is a gift from God and I should treat them as a gift and not take them for granted.

Going back this year I hope it will have just as big an impact on me as it has in past years! I want to be challenged in the way that I live and view life. I want to be part of bringing God's kingdom to earth and the only way I'm going to be able to do that is by getting close to him and sharing in his joy and in his pain and acting on what I am feeling in a just, gentle and bold way for his kingdom!

Anna