Rooftops

Hey Hey Hey!

About a week ago my friends & I arrived to India, and man, it has been incredible. Though we have moved around several times in the past two weeks, this time has been my favorite so far.

The first couple nights we arrived into India, we stayed at a hotel that looked like a giant white castle. As soon as I walked in I felt this place was filled with peace! I came to find out that it is a hotel that runs Christian conferences and is a place where missionary teams from all over the world come to stay from time to time. It feels as if it is a safe haven, a place of rest for people to come to.

Learning about the persecution that professing Christians in India face has opened my eyes up more the the reality of brokenness in this world. It saddens my heart that this is going on, but never less these people are resilient & steadfast in their inner convictions about the father, son & holy spirit. It has been inspiring to say the least.

We have had the privilege to partner with several Christian ministries here and my perspective has widened on the endless possibilities in what it can look like to serve the Lord on a variety of contexts.

For about 6 days, we went village to village with locals & celebrated together, ate rice & curry together, honored each other, & went door to door praying and encouraging the local believers, & taking part in sharing the gospel to some families who had not heard the gospel before. At one village, a friend of mine stood up in front of the crowd and shared the gospel message to the village, & over a dozen of people gave their lives to Jesus that night. To take part in this & also encourage the local pastor, I could hardly believe it before my eyes, what an honor it was to take part in such times as these!

From these praying moments & times of fellowship, my friends & I witnessed physical healings like stomach pains going away, headaches leaving, partially deaf ears being opened, a man with a lame leg walking without a cane, & many children being taught on that they too can pray for each other. It was one of the most beautiful models of discipleship I have experienced so far.. I personally gained so much from these times too!

During prayer times over families in the village, my friends & I also asked God for a word to encourage them with. Whether that was speaking a verse from the bible, or affirming them in their identity in Christ, it brought tears to my eyes to see their faces light up. These are the times I will never forget & will leave a mark on my heart forever.

There were opportunities to step up & encourage leaders & local pastors around the area too in every village. It was so humbling to see that God would use a small gal like me & a group of 41 people to partner with a mission of people who have dedicated their lives to Jesus, willingly knowing that they are sacrificing some safety & some sense of security for the sake of the gospel.

Through this time I have made special connections and have loved meeting so many people from India. The culture, the dress, the colors, the smiles on peoples faces, it has all been so good! Oh & the flowers! One of India’s traditions in honoring visitors is to adorn them in flowers. I felt like a gypsy flower child walking around, wearing the traditional Kurta wear with flowers in my hair and around my neck, almost everyday! They smelled so good too!

One of my favorite memories was being welcomed by a village with the elders beating the drums so so sooooo loud! It was a literal parade they had set up for us, & we danced a good portion of the evening to the beat of the drums with them. We were one with the locals. We were walking in unity. We were dancing in Joy. Some of these villages had not had visitors come in over decades. Some of these people were seeing Americans for the first time in their lives. This blew my mind! never less, it was the first time I was seeing locals from India who lived in villages, so to me, it felt just as cool! They would say that they were honored to meet us, but we would say it right back to them just as much!

The past week I have also been tenting on the rooftop of a building we were staying at. Though it was hot enough to drip sweat at night, the star gazing has been super fun (if I could keep my eyes awake long enough haha!) It was so refreshing & my favorite place to sleep so far! Waking up & spending time with God in reflection & prayer on the rooftop is also a memory that will never fade. There was so much goodness that happened in those times.

Every night, for the past 2 weeks I have fallen asleep thanking Jesus & laying in awe of “I can’t believe I get to do this”.

I feel as if I am walking in more and more freedom. My steps feel lighter, & I sense that the thoughts that once used to spin in my head and torment me constantly, are fading away. I am dumbfounded by the goodness of God.

Currently, we are back from the villages & are staying at the “white castle hotel” that we originally stayed at upon arrival to India. This is located in the City of Hyderabad. For the next few days we will be participating in a conference event called “the awakening”. This is a time for the squad and I to intentionally reflect, rejuvinate, & get equipped for the next several months. We will be listening in on sessions to improve our spiritual growth, spending much time in worship & prayer, & also spend intentional time with one another.

After the awakening conference, we will then split into small groups, & head out to differnet parts of India. My group & I will be heading to the North side. More details on that to come soon!

Something I have been growing more into is discovering all that Holy Spirit has to offer. I feel as if my heart is more open to learning & getting closer with this connection & it has been really an exciting adventure living into that. As a believer it says in the bible we have an advocate, counselor, friend, & guider through Holy Spirit. Something that speaks life & truth only. Something that calls me higher into being the best version of Kailey I can be. Something that teaches me how to walk more like Jesus does. This is SO cool! & I am in a place in my heart where I want to take hold of the gift of Holy Spirit as much as I possibly can! It is an adventure for sure & might sound silly, but I am excited about getting to the point where I can say Holy Spirit is my best friend.

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative–that is, the Holy Spirit–he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” John 14:26

Thanks for tuning in, another blog will be coming around soon!

With great love & gratitude,
Kailey