“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
-Isaiah 61:1-3
The first time I went to India, I did not want to go. I love travel and had been on several mission trips that I enjoyed, but I had no curiosity about India.
It seemed so far away, so cloudy. I didn't even have a clear picture of it in my mind. All I knew was that I didn't want to see it.
In fact, I believe my voice said out loud (oh silly me), "I would never go to India!"
Then Pastor Jaipaul Papabathini visited Crossroads Church. I didn't know who he was. I didn't even realize he was at the church as a pastor/speaker/missionary. But he met me before the service and talked to me for a moment. Before our conversation ended, he said, "I know this may sound strange, but I have a feeling we will meet again. I will see you again in India!"
I was taken aback by this statement, and tried to brush it off. What was he, crazy? I was never going to India. Why would I?
However, over the next few months people kept bringing India to my attention. Strangers asked me questions about the culture (why??), classmates confused my mission trips to England with India (what??), and a friend told me about her experiences there, out of the blue.
Huh.
Then my church held an informational meeting about a medical mission trip to India. They were conducting a free vision and dental clinic for people who had no access to medical care. I had worked as a sanitary technician for a dentist during college, so one of the pastors approached me and suggested I think about going. They could use my skills in the dental clinic, he said.
I hesitated, but I attended the informational meeting anyway. I felt a tugging in my heart, a kind of nagging feeling that I should maybe sign up to go. Perhaps it was the right thing to do, to use my knowledge to help others who needed it.
But I was reluctant. I looked for a way out, and I found one. I was set to be the Maid of Honor in a wedding that took place during the same dates as the trip! Perfect! A perfect out!
I told the pastor, "I would go, but I am committed to this wedding. The only way I could do it is if the wedding dates were changed."
I knew that could never happen, so--to free myself from guilt--I told God, I will go if the wedding is changed. But otherwise I am staying home. And I will not think about India anymore.
A very short time later, the wedding was called off completely.
The impossible had happened, and I had to keep my promise to God.
So--after reading Isaiah 61 and claiming it as God's plan of restoration to me and for me--I packed a bag and flew to India; it changed my life.
I fell in love with India and have gone back as often as I possibly could since then. New Hope Ministries works the way Jesus intended His servants to work: by responsibly assisting orphans and widows, by spreading the gospel in word and deed, by transforming their community. The plan that I fought has been a beautiful one, a plan that challenged me, broke me, and showed me what love really means. I have embraced it and look forward to seeing more ashes changed to beauty, sorrow changed to joy, and the Lord glorified in it all.
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