Comfort
We were excited by the large playground that would serve as a perfect dance floor for the chicken dance, not to mention the games! But just when we were ready to break out the speakers it started raining.
The children were quickly huddled inside. The benches and books were collected to keep them dry and we all watched as the storm clouds dumped but did not dampen our spirits. That is until I realized the sound of rushing water created a certain need for a certain type of facility!
What appeared as a nice fall shower, was actually a deluge. Our dreamed of dance floor was a lake with hidden traps of sucking mud and muck! Nothing like getting a good soaking on the way to relief.
We finished up the program inside the small sweltering school room. There were no desks, no tables and no electricity. When we arrived to see the children outside we assumed it was because of the program. It had nothing to do with us - it had everything to do with necessity.
The children were happy, we were happy and the King was surely watching.
We returned to the hotel for our lunch break, a dry change of clothes and supplies for our afternoon adventure. We traveled the same road, saw different cows, dogs, people, and even a gaggle (or herd) of monkeys. We went further into the unknown, down narrow roads that became pathways of rutted mud and rocks.
The van stopped in front of a concrete square that was the new village church. There was a roof that would keep us dry, and there were children and adults eager to hear. The Pastor's son, had been let out in the village square to gather more children for the program. They followed him down the lane like a Pied Piper and soon the 10 x 20 room was packed. The only thing that kept us from adding more to the audience was the angry ant hill that was competing for territory.
Our team leader grew enthusiastic seeing all our additions and hoped to have even longer program time. Time to share the Good News more clearly, time to engage the children while making the Gospel Bracelets, time to make sure they knew and understood how much God loves them. Like the earlier rain, time was not on our side. As the sun set, the "church under construction" grew dark and our program ended too soon. Rain or shine this day, the Gospel was proclaimed, the Name above all names was lifted up, the saving power of the blood of Christ was shared and the message of hope in what looks like a hopeless land was given.
"Comfort, oh comfort my people," says your God." Isaiah 40:1
"7 Days to a Happier You," read the headline of an email sent courtesy of Ladies Home Journal. Since I will be back in the "good old U S of A" by then, I wondered what would make the rest of the cyber audience "happier."
The list of articles included ways on how to "take time for YOU," enjoy a "stress free holiday," and "5 keys to a better marriage." The recommendations covered eating well, getting proper amounts of sleep and don't forget exercise. Leaving India did not make the list of suggestions.
There was little comfortable about our day. When the rain came down at the school yard, again my mind went to the leper-beggar community with little to protect them and their children against the onslaught of the elements. They don't have seven days to "be happier." There is no need to establish an exercise regimen because they walk everywhere they go. And while there are lots of holidays in the Hindu faith, celebrations for those we see don't include feasts to forestall famine.
The happiness "how to's" made me realize how American's have become a culture of comfort. We like to feel good and comfortable. Comfort covers every aspect of our lifestyle. We want comfortable housing, clothes, shoes, cars and weather. But our comfort is not God's comfort. The comfort the Bible refers to is knowledge of His character and goodness, His provision and protection. His mercy and His salvation. It is not about feeling good - it is a knowledge and understanding of love.
We came to India to share that comfort. We are experiencing His kind of happiness each day.
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