Why India?

I’m Leslie, and I am first and foremost a daughter of a God who truly loves me.  I love culture, food, art, people-watching, Samson (our 58lb puppy) and my husband (of course I love him most out of everything else I’ve listed here in this sentence, *smile*).  

So now that we’re beyond the formalities, let’s get to the meat of this post: so why India?

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I have a love relationship with different nations, their people, and their cultures. I’ve traveled to various places from short to extended periods of time, and what really fascinates me beyond the tourist attractions, architecture and food is the people of that nation. I am often reminded of what the Lord says to Hagar after she runs away from Sarai who mistreats her out of jealousy and spite for being able to conceive a child in Genesis 16: “…where have you come from, and where are you going?” What has shaped you to be the person you are today? What is God’s destiny over your life? Yes, while I believe that circumstances and one’s own decisions can contribute to shaping a person’s life, I also believe that it does not have to determine the fate of that individual. As our God spoke the heavens and earth into place, he also spoke destiny into every individual’s life the moment he/she was conceived and it’s our choice to walk into that in which we’ve been called.

We’ll be working with several orphanages and encouraging some of the churches in the region we will be going to. I desire to see and, in some small way, be a part of the destiny that God has called to the nation of India and her people. I’d love to see what God had in mind when he made her. In Hagar’s story, the Lord seeks Hagar out and makes a promise to her and her unborn son, despite the difficulties and suffering she’s had to endure in her life. In response, Hagar says to the Lord:  “You are the God who sees me, I have now seen the One who sees me.” My desire for these children is for them to encounter the God who sees them and calls them his beloved.