Theres a place which you can either love or hate. But dont trust your ears for words can only deceive. Don't trust your eyes for images can hide the truth. Rather trust your heart, and let it follow the narrow roads. Sing to the music and be engulfed by a sea of culture and beauty. But be warned, once you get a taste of the rich, spicy culture, you may not want to leave.
The image I had of India was one of total poverty, sickness and a lot of interesting smells. Being pushed from all sides and always having someone breathing down your neck. (Let's just say at that stage I started forming a picture of India through stories I've heard through the grape vine.)
See as you push past the wall of words and dive deeper into the belly of the so called "beast", you discover a softer side of India. Suddenly the crowded streets brings a strange kind of comfort to your soul and all the little shops start to tell a story. The rich smells of spices and incense become like a welcoming aroma. Suddenly I was reminded of what a friend once told me. "You have to capture both the beauty and the darker side of a country". And once again I was reminded how true that is, especially for a country like this.
It's so easy just to focus on all the horrible things here because,to our minds, there is so much horrible happenings here. But as you push those aside it's like you find a whole new country. A country filled with the most beautiful of stories and colors. Everything but the dull, busy and smelly country that will drive most people running in the opposite direction, or to the nearest drug store to buy a lot of antiseptic whipes. (I was one of those people)
I was welcomed with open arms and bright smiles by people I thought to be rude. Once again showing me that the image I had was completely wrong. I saw what raw love looks like, I saw Gods love.
I saw it in the eyes of the Orphans. In the joy of their smiles and the way they all welcomed us. I felt His love for them in my own heart. And till now I still don't know how to explain how big His love is for us all. The way they adopted us as their family astounds me. And once again just made me realise that family is more than the people you've grown up with, they are the people who share the Fathers love for each and everyone of us. Though it broke my heart to see and hear all the stories those children had to go through. But it gave me hope to know that they are walking a path with God. At an age where I still didn't know God, they know Him. It made me realise that they are more privileged than I will ever be. It helped me understand the full meaning of God's grace. I saw God in India.
So far my journey in India is far from finished, it has only just begun. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us all during our last stretch of our journey. I saw God in India, now it's time to know Him in India. This is where my journey starts. And this is where my heart was lost. Will I ever find it again? I don't know, but it will be one heck of a journey.