A Heart Changed

At 6:45 a.m. our team gathered to begin our day of volunteering at Mother Teresa’s. We would make our way down the mostly deserted streets to Mother’s House. It was there volunteers from around the world gathered daily for a breakfast consisting of two pieces of bread, a small banana, and a cup of chai tea. After awhile, a little bell would chime signaling a time for prayer and praise. Next, we would commute to the home/hospices we had been appointed previously by the Sisters.

The women of our team were assigned the morning shift at Shanti Dan, a home for mentally challenged women. On our first day, I learned of an opportunity to serve at a children’s home located just across the road. My heart jumped. I knew from the beginning I wanted to be with the children. Though I wasn’t privy to the stories of how these children came to be at Shanti Dan, I knew they weren’t considered orphans. Their parents brought them to Mother Teresa’s because they could no longer care for them. So now these precious ones have a place to live, a bed to sleep, and food to eat. Needless to say, I fell in madly in love with the each and every child at Shanti Dan. It would have been impossible to have felt anything but pure love for them. My mornings at Shanti Dan were joyous, and the best and easiest part of my day.

Our team spent the afternoons at Prem Dan, a hospice for the sick and dying. It was here that God taught me the most about serving others, about why I was on this trip in the first place. I grew to love my time of service at Prem Dan despite the challenges it provided. And, there were many challenges! From the smells that assaulted me when entering, the walk through the slums to get inside the facility, to the sights of patients in various stages of suffering, I was truly challenged to go beyond myself. My heart did eventually find joy in serving at Prem Dan. I massaged the arms, legs and feet of women whose bodies bore the evidence of a life so hard; served supper to them, and assisted wherever was needed. This work was fulfilling in a way I didn't expect. It was a joy different from what I found in my morning service with the children. While I went about these tasks, I often sang hymns to myself or prayed. If you have been following my blog about my trip to India, you know that I was in a deep struggle with myself, to manage my emotions, to control my impulses to get out of there. So, I prayed harder than I ever have because doing so was all I had to get me through the experience before me. I prayed for Him to allow me to see India through the eyes of Jesus, and to be His hands to the people I had come to serve. It was a process for sure, but God answered my prayer in abundance. What I saw when I arrived in India was filth, but with God's guidance I found the beauty. Instead of people, I began to see humans no different than me. Mercifully, God taught me how to serve the least of these, how to serve with a joy I did not have in the beginning of our trip. Like my teammates, I was called at various times to step out of my comfort zone, and God gave me the fortitude to do it.

Amazingly enough, God kept the best for last. He showed me just how He had answered my prayers of the week, and how my heart had been transformed as a result. On our last day, I had taken advantage of some down time to complete my bible study. God, in His oh so perfect timing, saved John 13 for me to study during my final hours in India. This is the chapter in Scripture that describes Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. God gave me this passage to read just as I had finished days of rubbing/massaging feet of women whose life has been so much more difficult than mine. Feet that bore the results of a life that even now is unimaginable to me. I wept as I read the words of Jesus in John 13:14:

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another's feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you."

Then the Lord led me to Philippians 2:3: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

And, in Philippians 2:5: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."

God is so good. I will never forget my time in India. And, I will forever be grateful for how sweet and faithful my Lord has proved Himself to be again and again.