I remember landing in Mumbai feeling very owerwhelmed, knowing in the back of my mind that we only have R1500 in our budget for five days in India, a layover that truly caught us by surprise. The R1500 was needed for accommodation, transport and food for nine people. So we started our journey, first making our way through customs and soon to the streets of Mumbai, carrying our 20-23kg bags, walking to the very cheap accommodation our travel team has booked for us. We were not walking very long when God's provision already showed up in the form of two taxi drivers giving us free lifts, first to his shop and then to the place we would stay.
After the brief visit at the taxi drivers shop we finally arrived at the the place we would stay for the five days, only to find out the hostel is only for men and because we have six girls our team, we would not be able to stay there. The owner of the hostel felt very bad for the misunderstanding and soon ushered us to five other hostels to find us a place to stay, but these places were all out of our budget.
After a couple of hours we almost gave up but finally serrenderd and submitted to the Lord not knowing what to do. I sometimes wonder why it takes us so long to trust and to rest in the Lord. When we finally stop to try and do things out of our own power, I think that is when God shows up. After a while our travel team remembered that they spoke to a person beforehand about a possible Couch Surfing opportunity, when local people can host you for a certain amount of time for free. One of the people in the Hostel was willing to lend us his phone and we could arrange with the person to maybe host us. Ankit, the person that would host us explained he would be willing to do so and he would reach us in about 45 min.
When Ankit arrived he was a bit surprised to the fact that we are nine people, but soon he was escorting us through the busy streets and trains to his house, all with the bags on our back. Arriving at his house, let's just say his mom was not happy with him bringing home nine strangers to their small apartment, but still was willing for us to sleep there for only one night, on their terrace. That night as our group was talking, one of our girls shared that she was able to speak to another lady on the train on the way to Ankit's house who gave her a number of another possible couch surfer. I think God is really in the business of divine timing and divine appointments. We spoke to Ankit about the other couch surfer and soon we arranged a meeting with him the following night.
We were greeted by Pi and his wife the next evening, the couple who would maybe host us. We had our meeting in one of the two restaurants they own and explained to them who we were. Pi and his wife seemed very inthusiastic about hosting us and confirmed it the next day. He also explained that they would not be home during the day and usually work very late, he explained that we can then be there at night but during the day we can maybe explore and travel around India during our layover. After prayer and some finance meetings we could see that maybe if we plan right, we can make the budget work with cheap local food and transport.
When we settled in at Pi and his wife's house, our days started to form a routine. We would wake up the morning, eat breakfast and we would be off traveling during the day with Ankit, who eagerly wanted to spend time with us, showing us all the best sites and cheapest places to go and then spending time with Pi and his wife at night, sleeping at their house.
It was amazing for me to see how a unexpected destination could turn out to be exactly where we need to be. It reminded me of when Paul got stuck on Malta on his way to Rome, it was not where he wanted to be, but exactly where God wanted him. We were able to spend so much time with the people hosting us. It even felt like God was really preparing their hearts long before we even came to India, it seemed like God had our time in India perfectly planned.Our group and our hosts soon became very close showing each other much love, respect and kindness. We shared many meals, stories, our different believes and we were even able to share things about Jesus with them. During the lasts days of our stay in India Ankit, Pi and Prianca, Pi's wife, took a day of from work to spend it with us. We explored some places in India with them and even enjoyed some Indian ice cream. Pi and Prianca explained that they really needed the time we were with them, that they are always working very hard and the time we were there, they were able to take a break, they told us the five days we were there was such a great blessing to them. The last day we sayed our final goodbyes and they were even willing for us to pray for them. I am so grateful for the friends we made in India and also for God's provision around every corner. God seems to work the same way with money as He works with loathes and fish!!!