Once upon a time, there was a girl who took a leap of faith, a few expectations, and some hopes and dreams, shoved them into a single suitcase and boarded a plane. It didn’t feel real. It took quite a while to comprehend the fact that she was about to spend 17 hours on a plane that would take her to the other side of the world, where she would learn the importance of joy, simplicity, generosity, and experience… but we’ll get to that. She didn’t feel prepared but she knew God would transform her insecurities into her very own Wild Goose chase, and though she was nervous to see who she would be when she returned to familiar ground, she was excited for the journey ahead of her.
The Celtics called the Holy Spirit the “Wild Goose.” I’ve been reading a book by Mark Batterson called “Wild Goose Chase,” and it’s all about pursuing the Holy Spirit and pursuing the passions He instills in your heart. I’ve had this book since I finished up camp at Simpson Park last summer, and have only made it through a third of its pages since that time. It is one of those books with so much insight that you can only take in so much with every read. Anyway. I knew India was about to be my personal Wild Goose chase. During those long 17 hours, my heart was encouraged by sweet whispers reminding me that the next three weeks would include the unveiling of passions rooted deep within my heart. I was a bit nervous to dig them up because passions which are not acted upon are nothing more than nice things to think about. It’s like that awkward stage of a relationship when you know you like each other but aren’t yet willing to put yourself out there and take a chance on a really good thing. If you don’t put your passions to good use, what’s the point in having them? I think one of my hesitations in going to India was knowing I would learn a lot about myself and knowing also that I would be burdened to put myself out there. And simply, that scared me. Little did I know I was about to remove the term “comfort zone” from my vocabulary.
After three weeks of learning, loving, living, discovering, digging, and growing… I am starting to see the fruit of my time in India. (I like to imagine it as pomegranate, as this is a fruit I was introduced to in India and fell in LOVE with.) I have already felt called to put some of my growth into action and change some things in my life–both in a practical sense and a deeper sense. Those will come in another blog, when it’s not 4 am and I’m not still recovering from jet lag. I am certainly still adjusting to American life again. The food, the time difference, the time I’m able to spend with loved ones. “Overwhelming” is a word which best describes everything from the last four weeks. From initial culture shock, to difficult adjustment, to full immersion in the Indian culture, to preparation of coming home, to reflection, to re-adjustment… it has been a while since I have not felt overwhelmed. But one can be overwhelmed in good and bad ways, and I have certainly experienced both. More stories to come in future blogs.
Friends and family, I have certainly not forgotten about my blog and my promise to update you (especially those of you who I will not be able to see for a while) on my travels. Spring classes begin on Thursday, accompanied by a renewed busy schedule and dozens of assignments and meetings to steal my time away from India reflection. One day, however, hopefully within the next two weeks, I’ll have pictures posted, videos uploaded, and blogs written. In the meantime, know that my experience was well-worth it. God certainly used my lack of preparation to throw me into a wall of culture shock, but He never let go of my hand the entire time. I learned a lot about myself, about other people, and about how we all work together as similar creations with similar purposes. We serve a mighty, powerful God and it was such a blessing to see the work He is doing on the other side of the world. As my thoughts and reflections continue to flow, I will be updating them here. Stay tuned for more on my Wild Goose chase!
