I was just listening to the recorded satellite call from India to the Green
> Campus at the 11:00 service. I know now why people kept asking me if I was
> OK. I mentioned that I hadn't been able to stop crying long enough to think
> of a story that would make the congregation cry. The truth is that I had
> packed away my emotions to deal with at a later date. They weren't all bad,
> just too much for right then.
>
> I was crying for many reasons, I'll bet you would be able to understand some
> of them.
>
> I was crying out of sheer gratitude to God for bringing us to India. The
> people were so kind and beautiful. We were honored every day by many people
> in different parts of the country. It was so humbling to be given flower
> garlands and chai by people who live in dung huts. They give so freely. It
> was a great picture for us.
>
> I was crying out of nervous anticipation. I still couldn't believe that we
> could be of use to God in a place like this where we knew nothing about
> everything! We had to completely live in the Faith that God was with us and
> that He knew what was going on, what He would have us do and that He would
> take care of the details. It was a great exercise for us all.
>
> I was crying out of exhaustion. It was mentally draining to have to take in
> so much in so short a time. Physically it was hot, we were in a different
> time zone and all of the food had curry in it! We learned that life is
> about more than comfort. It was a good lesson on how to re-focus our
> priorities.
>
> I was crying because I think Christ would have cried. There were so many
> faithful people there. They were extremely dutiful in completing the task
> that their religion had for them to do. They would get up early in the
> morning to pray, work in the fields all day and then still be at the temple
> until late at night. Their allegiance was to the wrong god. They just
> don't know the One True God. They were wasting all of their God given
> actions of Worship and Submission and Honor on man made statues and ideas of
> many gods that are trinkets that they sell at roadside stands. It was so
> shameful to measure our little "service projects" to the REAL GOD to their
> service life to statues!
>
> I was crying because each and every day, God blessed each one of us
> individually and in such a special way. He knew just what each one of us
> needed and provided exactly that. I know after a particularly hard day, we
> were on the roof of our uncompleted hotel. We looked out and saw a
> magnificent sunset. "You have done well today. I am right here, don't
> worry." Were the words that came to my heart. What an encouragement at the
> end of a long day.
>
> I was crying from laughing so hard. God sure has a great sense of humor.
> We knew he must have been laughing when we drove through the city of Mumbai,
> or saw me trying to get on the elephant or when we ordered "the American
> Breakfast" or when we did the Chicken Dance at the Good Shepherd School or
> when we got a relaxing massage, or even when the waiter brought me "more
> coffee" to the meeting room in the basement of the hotel! Who wouldn't have
> had to laugh so hard you cried.
>
> When things touch my heart I cry. It seemed that in India, everything
> touched my heart in very different special ways. I think that each one of
> those things was put there to touch my heart because God thought I needed to
> be touched and changed by them. I think that He knew exactly what would
> make me cry and planned it that way. That made me cry too!
>
> Campus at the 11:00 service. I know now why people kept asking me if I was
> OK. I mentioned that I hadn't been able to stop crying long enough to think
> of a story that would make the congregation cry. The truth is that I had
> packed away my emotions to deal with at a later date. They weren't all bad,
> just too much for right then.
>
> I was crying for many reasons, I'll bet you would be able to understand some
> of them.
>
> I was crying out of sheer gratitude to God for bringing us to India. The
> people were so kind and beautiful. We were honored every day by many people
> in different parts of the country. It was so humbling to be given flower
> garlands and chai by people who live in dung huts. They give so freely. It
> was a great picture for us.
>
> I was crying out of nervous anticipation. I still couldn't believe that we
> could be of use to God in a place like this where we knew nothing about
> everything! We had to completely live in the Faith that God was with us and
> that He knew what was going on, what He would have us do and that He would
> take care of the details. It was a great exercise for us all.
>
> I was crying out of exhaustion. It was mentally draining to have to take in
> so much in so short a time. Physically it was hot, we were in a different
> time zone and all of the food had curry in it! We learned that life is
> about more than comfort. It was a good lesson on how to re-focus our
> priorities.
>
> I was crying because I think Christ would have cried. There were so many
> faithful people there. They were extremely dutiful in completing the task
> that their religion had for them to do. They would get up early in the
> morning to pray, work in the fields all day and then still be at the temple
> until late at night. Their allegiance was to the wrong god. They just
> don't know the One True God. They were wasting all of their God given
> actions of Worship and Submission and Honor on man made statues and ideas of
> many gods that are trinkets that they sell at roadside stands. It was so
> shameful to measure our little "service projects" to the REAL GOD to their
> service life to statues!
>
> I was crying because each and every day, God blessed each one of us
> individually and in such a special way. He knew just what each one of us
> needed and provided exactly that. I know after a particularly hard day, we
> were on the roof of our uncompleted hotel. We looked out and saw a
> magnificent sunset. "You have done well today. I am right here, don't
> worry." Were the words that came to my heart. What an encouragement at the
> end of a long day.
>
> I was crying from laughing so hard. God sure has a great sense of humor.
> We knew he must have been laughing when we drove through the city of Mumbai,
> or saw me trying to get on the elephant or when we ordered "the American
> Breakfast" or when we did the Chicken Dance at the Good Shepherd School or
> when we got a relaxing massage, or even when the waiter brought me "more
> coffee" to the meeting room in the basement of the hotel! Who wouldn't have
> had to laugh so hard you cried.
>
> When things touch my heart I cry. It seemed that in India, everything
> touched my heart in very different special ways. I think that each one of
> those things was put there to touch my heart because God thought I needed to
> be touched and changed by them. I think that He knew exactly what would
> make me cry and planned it that way. That made me cry too!
>
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