See you later, South Asia

(this was written about 10 days ago...sorry for my laziness)

I’m currently sitting on a train on my way to Germany. Let me tell you…this train is significantly different than any train I’ve been on in the past 11 months. This is the train I have become accustomed to:

Just a little crowded.

This is the train that I’m on:

Luxury

Bascially, I’m undergoing some serious culture shock. I was walking around Brussels yesterday and no one was looking at me. I know longer stand out in a crowd. It’s really bizarre. I’m finding that India and Europe have very few things in common and my brain doesn’t really know how to respond.

I’m sorry that it has taken me so long to update my blog. I was having a hard time processing the fact that I was leaving this job that I had dreamed about for years and not only that, but leaving people that I have come to love so dearly. Therefore, I processed as little as possible in order to stay emotionally stable. Sounds healthy, right? It’s ok, I’ve had 4 days of Rachel time. Yes, I’m desperately missing people, but this time alone has been really good as I’ve just been able to pray and prepare for going home. I’m strangely already missing the insanity of living in India. I’ve decided to make a list of things that I will miss and things that I really won’t miss at all.

We will start with things I will miss.

1.)   The people. Not every person…there are many strange people that I encountered daily on the streets that I truly won’t miss, BUT I got to know some truly amazing people this year. I would go so far to say that I became friends with some modern day heroes. My co-workers are truly changing the world and I believe if you asked many of our clients who their heroes were, they would probably name someone in my office. I’m already missing my office! It’s only been a week, but I sure do miss them. I also made some pretty stellar friends outside of the office, but I need to stop rambling before I lose your attention.

My precious team.

2.)   The excitement. Every time I left my apartment I could count on something weird happening. This is a very entertaining way to live life.

3.)   The food. Yes, believe it or not, I will miss Indian food. Have you had butter chicken masala before? If your answer is no, immediately get up from you computer and go to your nearest Indian restaurant. You won’t regret it. I was also miss the cost of food. America is about to shock me.

4.)   The brokenness. Everywhere I would go around the city, I would encounter the brokenness of the world and immediately be reminded of our desperate need for a Savior. India does not try to hide its brokenness, which is something America is really good at. It’s so much easier to pretend you have everything together, right? WRONG. It’s so freeing to openly be broken.

5.)   The life of the city. I was walking down the streets in Brussels yesterday and felt like I was walking through a ghost town. One time, I didn’t see another human for 5 minutes. It was so creepy! India would never allow that. It used to overwhelm me to always be surrounded by people, then I found comfort in it. Indians find so much joy in community...I love that.

6.)   Tender coconuts. Oh the joy of drinking a coconut as I walk down the road.

7.)   My fruit and vegetable stand. I just love fresh produce and my friends who work behind the counter.

8.)   Ideal Beach. Never a disappointment.

9.)   The train. You just see some really entertaining people…there is NEVER a dull moment on the train.

Things I won’t miss:

1.)   I’ve said this before and I will say it again…I WILL NOT MISS EASTERN TOILETS. It’s only been in the past few months that I’ve found this utter disdain for them, but it happened. American knees are just not made for them. Too much information? Maybe, but it’s the truth.

2.)   Men peeing on the road at all times. Enough said.

3.)   The smells. There are just a lot of really bad smells. A lot of that probably has to do with #2. When the world is your toilet, the roads/rivers/sidewalks/everthing outside starts smelling.

4.)   Only drinking bottled water. I really miss sticking my face in the faucet.

5.)   Cockroachs popping up out of my drain. My heart rate would shoot up every time. It would usually result in me calling my mom or dad for moral support. Constantly watching out for cockroaches, rats, spiders, etc is just no fun.. I will miss the cows and goats on the side of the road though…and even a few street dogs that I have come to love.

6.)   Wearing pants in the 502 degree weather. I can’t wait to give my shoulders and knees some air! Whoo hoo!

7.)   Regularly vomiting. It’s just unnerving to regularly throw up for no apparent reason. It’s been like 3 weeks though…maybe even 4! Go Rachel!

I'm currently back in Tulsa trying to figure out what's next! The only direction I have for the next 3 months is that I have many weddings to attend. That's the extent of my knowledge. 

My India Scar

Where is time going? I feel like I live in a time vacuum...maybe I do. Time moving this quickly is stirring some weird emotions within me. I have 6 weeks left here in South Asia. I can't think about this too much or I will immediately start crying, yet I so look forward to the comforts of home and the love from my friends and family. I sure do miss those relationships, but have found some pretty precious friendships here. I'm in a weird place mentally. 

How can you not be sad to leave a place where cows just roam where they like?

A few weeks ago, some of my friends and I went to dinner with some believers that are doing some serious ministry here in South Asia. They are amazing prayer warriors for this broken country and are so motivated to make Jesus' name known here. I was so encouraged by their work and challenged by the love they have for their people here. They were praying over our group of friends before we had dinner and the man praying over us prayed that we would always have a "South Asian scar on our hearts. " I loved that. He prayed that this scar would never let us forget to intercede for this incredibly broken country that is in such desperate need of restoration. I pondered this phrase a lot... "a south asian scar on my heart." How could my heart not be scarred for life? I have seen too much brokenness, experienced too much darkness, and been loved by to many people to leave unaffected. The song Albertine, by Brooke Fraser has been playing over and over in my head as I think about going home.

Now that i have seen, I am responsible

Faith without deeds is dead

now that I have held you in my arms, I cannot let go

I am on a plane across a distant seas

But I carry you in me

and the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet

I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been

I will keep my word

I will tell them Albertine (inserts many different client's names here) 

Therefore, I think I will keep this scar around for the rest of my life.

Child beggars at the train station

Some of our clients...I wish I could post their sweet faces...confidenitality :-)

I was able to go on my first rescue operation last week. It was way more exciting then I was expecting, but also hurt my heart way more than expected. We were able to rescue over 30 people in two different operations...in one day. I was on the logistics team, so we were in charge of getting food for all the rescued once they exited the facilities. Unfortunately, my blonde hair was drawing too much attention in the village, so I had to lay in the back seat of the car for quite some time. I was amused/sweating profusely at this situation. Once we arrived at the government office, we had 30 newly rescued people sitting on the floor waiting for their first meal in freedom in over 5 years. I was shocked to see so many children and to hear the stories of them working in the rock quarry and rice mills when our team arrived to rescue them. Within a few hours they were all issued release certificates and 1000 rupees by a government official. This was such a beautiful moment and one I will never forget. There is nothing as beautiful as watching someone walk into freedom with the largest grin on their face...finally receiving money that they can spend on whatever they please. Their "debts" are wiped away...they are free. I wish I could play the image for you that plays in my head. It was wonderful. Unfortunately, the day took a very sad turn. The next step was dropping our new clients off in their home villages. My group returned our clients to two different villages. The first drop was easy and they were received warmly by their home village. The second victim drop did not go so well. Once we arrived at the village, we realized that these clients were clearly not welcome here. The village leader and the rice mill owner saw the rescue on the news and knew they would be returning to the village. Within 30 minutes of being in the village, a mob formed around our car, leaving us unable to leave. We were being yelled at to not let these clients stay in this village. They were no longer accepted there. Why? Because the rice mill owner has too much power over the leaders in this village. I was heart broken. Just hours after entering freedom, they were surrounded by 50 angry men telling them they are no longer welcome in their homes. Not everyone saw them as victims nor cared about them. After two hours of waiting and contacting government officials to send the police, the police FINALLY showed up. This was frustrating, because the police would not come with our phone calls...only if the government officials called. I felt so helpless...not so much for myself, but for our clients. God, without a doubt, protected us. The mob did not get violent for which I am thankful, but they did take away the little dignity that our clients had. I was angry...I think i still am. I have been so spoiled as an American. If I was ever in danger in the states I would call 911 and expect police to be there in 5 minutes. South Asia is a bit different. The police don't answer unless they want. So what if our car was surrounded by 50 angry men? So what if our clients were so scared that their former owner was there yelling at them? In South Asia, especially in the villages, you take of yourself. This was a very harsh reality for me. I hate that not everyone can feel protected. I hate that their day of freedom was tainted because of a power struggle...because they are in such a low caste.

This situation has laid heavy on my heart for over a week now. It's one of those situations that is so huge that it is hard for me to see hope in. I'm thankful to believe and know a God that can change all situations for his good. My God has the power to change the justice in South Asia as broken as it may be. Jesus will come back and all will be made whole. Praise God for that. May these scars always be on my heart.

As usual, I would like to end on a funny note. Last weekend, Margaret and I headed down to Auroville (hippy town) to meet some friends who are living in Bangalore. We decided it would be fun to take a cheap means of transportation....the government bus. It was quite a full bus...as you can see on the right. We were amused with ourselves for take a 4 hour, jam packed, non-a/c bus ride. I mean you have try it at least once, right? Well did eventually make it to Pondicherry/Auroville and we were in for a treat. Auroville is a town in which everyone has chosen to live in peace and as one nation. There are people from 40 (i think) different countries who have become one nation. It was wild. People are so nice, but it is definitely an interesting way to live. I just had to share this letter that I saw posted on a bulletin board in Auroville. It made me laugh so hard, because their lives are SO different from mine. This is not a letter I would've have written as a 8 year old.

Peace, light, love, and trees to all.

Love, love, love

I, Rachel Read, am finally beginning to like….maybe even love South Asia. Don’t get me wrong, my time here has been fantastic, but I’ve never actually loved the place. Sorry to all the natives who are reading this. BUT I realized this week “wow, it may be 5 million degrees outside (people talk about May like it’s cursed…that’s how hot it is) but this place is finally growing on me”…it only took 8 months.

Let me tell you why this place has grown on me.

1.)   There is so much life here. It’s never quiet and you are never alone…that’s what happens when you live in a city of, plus or minus, 10 million people. People are always on the streets....and cows, goats, and stray dogs. If they aren’t, you are in trouble, because either a tsunami is about to hit or you are out way too late for you own good. 

2.)   In spite of how dirty the city may be, there are some seriously beautiful places down south. Wow. A few of us interns went down south to the tip of South Asia with our friends, Anju and Gitu, a few weeks ago…it was beautiful. We had many adventures on this trip. Dr/Father Sabu took us on a safari in the mountains. I was maybe a too little optimistic about seeing a tiger…or maybe an elephant…or even a leopard…but we did get to see lots of deer and a giant lizard. We also had the opportunity to have leeches crawl up our feet while we were on a hike. It was truly a hilarious experience. Seriously. I cried out of laughter for a good 2 hours.  

Look at that view. Pure beauty.

And we got to climbs trees...one of my favorite things to do.

3.)   I love IJM. Seriously. I love my co workers, I love God’s faithfulness to this organization, I love the work we do, and I LOVE our clients. We had another Freedom Training last week. Let me tell you…it was really hot. 3 days of no air conditioning. Wow, baby. I started thinking that maybe I was capable of living in the village or even in a apartment with no A/C. Umm no. May hit and I realized that I’m not as adaptable as I once thought. ANYWAYS, our clients make sitting in the heat worth it. The children at Freedom Training last week stole my heart and I will love them forever. Here is a picture of them after crafts one day. 

4.)   Although, the magic show has yet to happen, there is still some hope that it will happen. Maybe not though. Time will tell tonight.  I laughed out loud when I saw this billboard today advertising for the magic show. It’s these random situations that I find myself that bring me so much joy in this country.

I know it's hard to see, but it says PC Sorcar Magic Show. I laughed, then thought "what is my life?" Then i answered it and the answer was "random."

5.)   There is no doubt in my mind that this is the exact place I am supposed to be right now. Why not love it?!

While being here I have had to learn some difficult life lessons. One of those lessons being that we live in such a broken world. My head has always known this and I think even my heart has known this at times, but brokenness is so evident here in South Asia. America does a relatively good job of hiding the brokenness of our culture. Everything looks pretty on the outside…and many of us try to keep it that way. If we look ok on the outside, then maybe we can keep it together on the inside. That is not the case here. The poverty can not be hidden, nor can the pain of so many people that live here. It’s heartbreaking to drive down the streets after 10pm and actually see how many people are sleeping on the streets…whole families. I’ve been listening to the song by Caedmon’s Call. It says it all.

As usual, I would like to end with something random. Margaret, Bobbie, and Meredith have recently had a mouse problem in their apartment. His name is Albert and he's a bad bad mouse. They has been the thorn in their side for quite some time now, so they bought a trap this week. Yesterday morning was the day Albert was caught in the trap. Margaret called me and said "Rachel, I think Albert's in the trap and I'm too scared to get him out." She goes on to tell me that Blessy and Joby are going to come over soon, but I say "it's ok I'll come over, I think I'm brave enough to take him out of your pantry." Ok, let's go ahead and discuss my western mindset. In America, traps kill. In America, mice are about 2 inches long...maybe. I'm thinking, we had a few mice in my house growing up, yeah they were scary then, but I'm 25, i can handle this. Ok, I get to the girl's apartment and this "mouse" in a "trap" is very much alive. 1.) This mouse is a rat. 2.) This trap is a cage, not a kill trap. I still decided to be brave. Here is the video.

This video refuses to work, so you may just have to look at Facebook :-)

Yes, you may not think this is funny. That's ok, I do.

Joby is one manly man...the next video is not for the faint of heart. If you are a lover of mice, then don't  watch the following video. You could cry. sorry PETA. 

Goodbye Albert.

I love each of you and miss you dearly. Don't be a stranger. I always love emails/life updates :-)

Redemption

Redemption: The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. 

Redemption has been the theme of my month...I love this theme! There are few things that are more beautiful/encouraging than witnessing the act of being redeemed.

But now, this is what the Lord says-

He who created you, Jacob-

He who formed you, Israel;

"Do not fear, for I have redeemd you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine."

Isaiah 43:7

I have fun friends:-)

THEY HAVE GRASS IN KOLKATA

Things got goofy at the Aftercare home...I know it's blurry but we have stickers all over our face.

TGI Fridays in Delhi. Bless you, Delhi.

Finally made it up to the Taj Mahal...pretty spectacular!

This is what I long to share with our clients in South Asia. I want to say "Please don't fear anymore! You are redeemed, you are the chosen ones. We have summoned you out of slavery...by name. We knew your names before we met you, we longed for your freedom and prayed for your freedom before we even saw you." Not only is this my desire, but this is God's desire for his people! Not only these who have recently come out of slavery, but for us! He has saved us from our sin, he has summoned us by name, and He evens calls us his own. I don't deserve this kind of grace. Whether I deserve it or not, this is beautiful. Every time I meet a new group of clients that has recently been rescued, I am blown away by God's faithfulness. I am witnessing redemption....it may be in the a worldly since, but God's hand is all over this redemption.

I visited some friends in Kolkata a few weeks ago and was blown away by some of the redemption that his happening in this city. South Asia has a long way to go in the fight for justice, but their is truly an army of people fighting for justice in this part of the world. I was able to visit a few different NGO's while I was in Kolkata and it was so rewarding to see their work. Freeset is an organization that gives women in the sex trade an alternative to prostitution. They currently have over 200 employees that have come out of the sex trade and learned a new trade. They teach these women how to make t-shirts and jute bags. I took a tour of this building and their work is unreal. These women were just waiting for an alternative to prostitution and Freeset is offering that to them! Hundred of women are coming to them saying they are ready for a new life. REDEMPTION!!! I also had the opportunity to visit an aftercare home for minors. We spent a few hours one afternoon decorating Easter eggs, singing, and just being goofy. Some of these girls have been out of the sex trade for a few years and some were only rescued a few days before. I was overjoyed to see their smiling faces and praised God that they are free and that they are safe. They do not have to live in fear in this aftercare home. They are protected, loved, and getting help. Isn't God good?

Here are a few pictures from my trip:

I have to end with a weird story...as usual. While I was in Kolkata Neesha, Margaret and I wer eating at a pizza place and a random man cam up to me and said "are you a ballerina?" I said "well, not currently, but I have danced in the past. To be quite honest with you all, I did ballet in 4th grade and that's my only ballet experience, BUT I really wanted to know why he was asking me this question. He went on to tell me that he wanted the 3 of us to be on a television show that he is filming. This tv show happens to be a magic show...we will be assistants. I was skeptical, but of course, I committed. After watching a few of his youtube videos, I came to realize that he is a legit magician. His family is pretty well known in these parts for doing magic. He has flown to my city and we will be filming in the next few weeks. Random, right? What is my life?

Love to all! I hope and pray that each of you are doing well!

A whirlwind of a month...

This past month has been full of many good times, but has been challenging... as expected. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again….life here is always an adventure.

Last month I met up with Mallory Dalton(who is currently in Abu Dhabi) in Thailand for my visa run. We had an insane amount of fun. It was such a blessing to reunite with my best friend all the way across the world. We spent about 4 days on the island of Koh Chang. Koh Chang is absolutely unreal. There may be a more beautiful place in the world, but I’m not sure what that place would be. Koh Chang had beach, mountains, and jungle. It was AMAZING. One day we got to ride elephants in the jungle, then go swimming with them. It kind of feels like a dream now. Here are some pictures from the trip! It was raining during the trek with the elephants, so I didn’t get pictures. Sad day.

Love.

At the beginning of March, my parents came to visit, which was so much fun. Watching them become familiar with this culture was so fun for me...especially their first auto rickshaw ride. An auto rickshaw is a bit like Mario Cart. It was very special having them here to meet all my friends and just see life. This was also the first time that I have had the opportunity to do all the touristy things that this city has to offer…which isn’t very much. The most amusing touristy thing we did was visit the museum/national art gallery down the street from my apartment. I think what happened with this museum was someone thought to themselves "hmmm, we are city of 10,000,000-14,000,000 (no one really knows the number), we should probably have a museum like every other big city in the world, but what would be put in it?" Let me tell you what they put it in it...Barbie Dolls. To be fair, this was the children's portion of the museum, but Barbies? Come on. The entire first floor of the museum had windows dedicated to different countries and the Barbie Dolls were dressed in appropriate attire for each country. It was weird...but I loved it. The highlight of the trip for me had to have been the weekend at Ideal Beach. It was just nice to relax on the beach and have an escape from the heat. 

Sorry Dave, another family picture without you :-)

St. Thomas Mount overlooking the city! Apparently, the apostle Thomas died here.

John Wesley visiting Mahabalipuram

The most random thing we did was probably visiting the crocodile bank. There were hundreds upon hundreds of crocodiles. Don't worry, I bought a t-shirt.

And they had big scary snakes. I hate them...I see enough of them in the village.

I love when my worlds collide. Some of my favorite people in the world. It was absolutely priceless having my parents meet all these people that I love so much.

I am sad to say that my roommate Kyleigh is leaving me on Sunday to go back to the states. I hate that that's going to happen. We have been doing as many fun things as possible before she leaves,  so the weekend after my parents left we headed to Mumbai. Mumbai is amazing. I forgot to take pictures, except for one night. Unfortunately, the only picture I took was of a couple of ginormous pigs eating out of a dumpster. I was thoroughly amused, but I have a feeling the general population won't laugh as hard, therefore I won't take the time to post it. 

This past week we had Freedom Training with 58 of our clients who have been rescued this year. I don't even know how to convey this week to you through blogging. It was intense, yet God's grace and goodness was so evident to me throughout this week. We had a pretty rough group of kids. They took part of my heart by the end of the week, but they have been through way too many tough situations for their young age. Their were a few younger girls that I connected with and I was shocked by how hardened they were for being 8-10 years old. I guess I shouldn't be shocked just based on the fact that they have been raised in slavery, but they are children! These girls didn't have that childlike innocence or playfulness that so many children have and this completely tore at my heart. It's funny though, because just when I thought they are hardened to most things in life, one of the young girls cried throughout the entirety of Finding Nemo, because she was so sad that Nemo couldn't find his dad. Precious. She still does have a childlike heart! I have to be vague due to confidentiality, but God's favor has been overwhelmingly evident with this group. There were some serious disclosures and healing that went on last week and I am absolutely humbled to have witnessed it. Have I mentioned that I still can't believe God is letting me work for IJM? Bah! He's so good! The highlight of last week (besides being overwhelmed by God's goodness) was the dance party that Alex, Neesha (the other Aftercare Fellows) and I had with all the kids. We did not have air conditioning and it's been in the mid 90's, but we danced our faces off. I just love thinking about the fact that they had been in slavery a month before and here we were we were laughing and dancing like crazy in a sauna-like room. SO FUN! I have some pretty awesome dance moves to show off when i get home.

I will end the blog with a few things I don't understand about this country:

1.) Isn't there a better way to save power than to have 2 hour power outages every single day in the middle of the afternoon? And then once a month we have the opportunity to go 8 hours without power? I'm not exactly complaining, but am more baffled that so many big cities DON'T have to have these planned power outages.

2.) How is it possible that I have been chased by a rabid pack of dogs on two different occasions and been able to escape? The oddest thing about it is there are people sleeping on the sidewalk and they don't mess with them. I think they see my white skin from afar. Not fair. 

3.) How are their cockroaches the size of small dogs and rats the size of small children? Seriously, I don't get it. I'm almost to the point where I don't freak out when I see these creatures, because it's completely bizarre that these beasts can become so unnaturally large.

Thank you so much for following me on this journey. I love you all. If there is anything specific you would like to see me blog about, let me know and I will see what I can do :-).