CICM 2019

India Day One

After 48 hours, we touched down in New Delhi in the middle of the night. I got up and stretched, ‘I need to get off this plane’. My clothes smelled of some type of mixture of halitosis and airplane food and the bun I made of my hair hid the numerous tangles that only peanut butter could repair. Nonetheless, I knew that my heart and mind was set on doing God’s work, but I thought to myself, what does that even look like? What is my mission? Only He knew. As we went through customs, I held my breath through each security checkpoint. We all knew that our luggage didn’t hold what typical suitcases had. It was packed with crafts, Biblical character costumes, Bibles, and tons of candy. Thankfully, we made it through. As the sliding doors parted, the humidity hit me like a damp warm towel, yup, we were in India. Right outside, our CICM entourage was eagerly waiting and ready to greet us, with smiles and fresh flower wreaths made of Jasmine. My heart jumped. I was in the country for less than an hour and I’ve already felt a huge dose of humility and hospitality. We arrived at CICM New Delhi, unpacked, and took a quick nap before our first Sunday service took place. Our morning started with a quiet breakfast made by our homeboy Negi. He had the sweetest demeanor and was always on point with that masala chai tea. I quickly learned coffee was not a thing in India.

Following breakfast was Sunday service at CICM’s worship center. I walked inside the empty chapel and observed the empty room. The walls were bare, the plastic chairs were placed side by side and the stage was set with a podium with a cross on it. Minute by minute, the people came in, taking off their shoes and sat quietly, awaiting the time to come and worship. As they ushered us to sit on stage, we were once again greeted with fresh flowers. The music started, hands clapped, and God’s people sang the same song, repeatedly.

Worship here was simple. There weren’t multiple singers, state of the art instruments or strobe lights to cue the beats. It was simply the presence of Jesus that made this worship so special I took close looks at everyone in the chapel and connected with them as someone I personally knew. I felt their pain as I could feel their sickness and poverty, yet I felt the joy they had despite their circumstance. I felt their stress as parents wanting to provide for their families and I felt the victory as they put their trust in God. It was remarkable to witness and just worshipping with them, brought me to tears. When the music stopped, Brother Marcus shared the message of God’s promise. He shared how his heart hurt for the sufferings of the people in India but shared the message of hope in our redeemer. When the time to give came, everyone gave, and my heart ached. I thought about myself back in the U.S. hesitating to tithe, I knew I clearly had more to give. I was put in my place right then and there. I was inspired and humbled to see people who have so little give so much.

When the message was finished, the campus pastor called us up so that each person in the congregation could greet us. Each handshake got firmer and firmer. Each hug got better and better. Each smile got bigger and bigger. This wasn’t just a regular greeting; this was the overwhelming feeling of God’s grace thousands of miles from home. With every encounter, a warm ‘Jai Masih Ki' was said. This roughly means, ‘Praise God, Praise the Lord or God Bless You.’ My heart was full.

Service was finished and it was time to do “tourist” things. Friends, if you’ve never been to New Delhi, just know that you’re in for a wild ride for when the time comes. For New Delhi being the second wealthiest city in the country with a wealth of 450 billion, many parts of the city itself looked like a total war zone. Intersections lacked streetlights, the city streets were basically free for all, if there wasn’t a lane, you would make your own lane, litter filled the streets to the point where you couldn’t see the ground, you would spot people digging through trash, buildings were in shambles, and of course there was an occasional cow in the middle of the road making traffic that much better. Regardless of this chaos, New Delhi had an allure to it as sunshine poked through the treetops. We stopped at the Lotus Temple, a place of worship for the Baha’i faith. It was a beautiful temple, though my mind wandered from it. It could have been because of the overwhelming heat or that my heart was focused on the worship that I had experienced prior...or that I was hungry. Because I was hungry. We had our first, of many plates of naan, rice, and Chicken Tikka Masala.

The hours passed quickly, and it was time to attend a second service in New Delhi. This church was situated in the middle of one of Delhi’s several boroughs. The thing about this part of India is, that street names are far from visible. (This entire trip, I literally had no clue where I was.) We arrived at a torn down building surrounded by sewage remnants. There was a small feeling of chaos as we skipped to the entrance. I had to use the restroom and was brought up a flight of stairs that was not up to code that led me to a dark lit bathroom. I took a few moments and examined the sink, poorly made, lack of soap, a razor that was just used with rust forming on the sides and a damp shirt drying on a rack. This is their life, their reality and I’m a visitor, I thought. I went downstairs and found a group of empty sandals and shoes that lead into a large room filled with God’s people. I immediately felt HIs warmth and the love these people had for Jesus. As we sat in front of the crowds, I studied their faces, I looked closely at the colorful garments that filled the four walls. Our Father’s presence was HERE and pronounced. As we worshipped, the lights went out and no lie, my team member and I freaked out, just a bit. But they didn’t stop singing. They pulled their phones out and sang in the dark. At that moment, I felt like I could hear each individual voice crying out to God. Tears filled my eyes. I had such joy and admiration for my new brothers and sisters.

This was only the beginning.

India, Day Two

This morning, we met with pastors who fled their country to seek refuge and share The Gospel in India. We sat in silence as they shared their testimonies on how they came to Christ. One of them found Jesus through a military man who was stationed in their city. He was curious as to why this military man was sharing his faith without hesitation and was humbled that he opened his doors to a stranger. Another man shared how he read the Bible from front to back in a month and compared it to the religion he once followed, to find there were contradicting elements that he couldn't follow in his old ways anymore. Another shared that his own family disowned him for coming to Christ and threatened to kill him if he went back home. I was speechless and scoffed at my own life. I was scared to hop on a plane and these men have been risking their lives for the Gospel. I understand that this is their reality, not mine, and our place in geography plays an integral role in our lives in following Jesus, but it didn’t change the fact that I felt so...weak compared to them. I wanted to know them, listen to more stories, meet their wives and children. Sadly, our time together was short. We huddled and prayed for their protection and courage as they continued to share The Gospel in places it was absolutely forbidden.

India, Day Three

Our time in India was filled with lots of travel, by car and by train. To be frank, these commutes were tiring and uncomfortable. I know, complaining is what I shouldn’t be doing, but I’m being real. We took a domestic flight from New Delhi to Raipur in the State of Chhattisgarh. This stop holds an incredibly special place in my heart because this was the day, I witnessed God’s warriors in the flesh. This was the day that I had the honor of meeting pastors who shared their testimonies of their past, the day they followed God’s calling, how their life has changed and what they needed prayer for. I’m going to share each testimony to the best of my ability, their names and faces will not be shared in this post.

Pastor 1: This man grew up in a village in Central India to an incredibly wealthy and well-respected family. When he was a teenager, he was a bit of a rebel and was disowned in public by his father after he had an issue with drugs. When his father sent him away, he had nowhere to go and ended up taking shelter from a Christ Follower. As a roommate, they of course bonded and eventually, this man came to Christ. He had a spiritual awakening of God’s love and realized it was time for him to follow Jesus. This excited him and he was ready to go back to his old village and share The Good News with his old home, sadly this wasn’t well received, and he ended up starting his own ministry in a village nearby. As the ministry grew, and Christ Followers were multiplying, extremists were certainly not a fan. The threats came, the beatings after church services came, his 16-year-old daughter, was kidnapped and raped for three days, only to be dropped off for dead with a note that read “if you keep doing what you’re doing, something worse will happen.” You’d think that after all the suffering, he would deny God, and his level of faith would deplete, but it only made it stronger. His conviction and fight for the Name of Jesus grew. The church multiplied after each devastating event. What brought him to his knees and when he felt closest to defeat, was when his wife passed away from brain cancer. HIs tears hit the floor, and we started to pray. He didn’t ask us to pray for persecution to stop, he asked for prayers of courage and hedges of protection, for strength to keep spreading the Word like wildfire.

Pastor 2: This man grew up from an extremely poor family. On average, his work brought him $1 a day and ended up as a slave worker in India. Yes, slavery still exists. During one of his workdays, a pastor from CICM was traveling back to CICM headquarters and stopped to meet this man. The pastor made a deal with this man that he would offer him admission to Bible college, an education if he were to let go of his land, he gave it up for $10 and went off to learn more about the Gospel. In 1996, he was baptized, and God worked through him. He started churches in various villages and continues to preach the Gospel to various parts of India. In the beginning, this man saw no purpose and thought his life would end in slavery. God used his obedience and turned it for something greater.

Pastor 3: This man suffered from stomach pain for over 25 years. Since the pain wouldn’t stop, he contemplated suicide but found God was healed. When he was healed, he dedicated his life to Christ and pursued an education at CICM Bible College to learn more. After college, his ministry attracted those who were sick and needed healing. People came to this pastor in droves and when extremists heard about this, they considered it as a threat. They casted him out of the village he lived in and wouldn’t even allow him to attend his aunt’s funeral. Extremists beat him after he refused to convert and fined anyone who spoke to him. Whenever he started a new congregation, he faced persecution and churches were vandalized, but the churches still grew, and membership grew each time. This pastor was ready to end his life, but God put HIs hand on him. He used his sickness to heal others.

Pastor 4: This man grew up in the 3rd caste class and ended up as a leader of an extremist gang in his village. The village happened to be close to a Christian village that garnered the gang’s attention. They sent this man to go to the church in the village to figure out why the village was flourishing. They thought it was because of spells and witchcraft. So, he went. When he attended a service, he observed nothing out of the ordinary, except there was a cross in the middle of the room. He thought the cross was playing tricks on him, so he went back to the gang and said he will continue to investigate. His next visit, he asked the pastor how is it possible to get to that bible? The pastor said he would have to get baptized to obtain the bible. He got baptized, obtained the bible, and read it from front to back in 2 months, acknowledging that there was no witchcraft, and that they were just words. For this man, it changed when he started dreaming about bible verses and then had an illness. He ended up at a youth camp where Dr. Lall spoke a sermon that changed the course of his life. He was saved, and decided to go to Bible college, when this happened, he was of course kicked out of the gang. One of this man’s ministry led him to traveling up in the mountains to help heal a tribal leader’s son. As he journeyed back and forth, the tribal leader’s son was finally healed, and the leader placed his trust in this pastor. One day the pastor’s friend asked him where he was going, he told him that he was going to the top of the mountains and pointed towards the direction. His friend immediately called him crazy since he was ministering to actual cannibals. Wild, right? He shared with us that he was going to keep going until the entire tribe found Jesus, one family has been saved since he started, and he won’t stop until the entire tribe followed Christ.

And finally, a story from a pastor and members of his community that absolutely tore me apart. They shared their stories of persecution, particularly the attacks on Christianity in 2008. A pastor shared that his parents were killed in front of him, as the village he lived in was burned and a woman shared that she witnessed her father stabbed to death, then she and her mother were raped and left for dead while the village burned. She broke down crying because the memories were just too painful.

By the end of this evening with these pastors, who’ve shared their testimonies, their faith, the persecution they’ve gone through - it brought the most violent thoughts to my mind, tears hit the floor from our entire group, my heart ached and burned for these people and their families and my anger for the persecutors made my heart rate and blood boil. From this experience, these moments, I learned about two things:

God will meet you where you are.

God takes what the enemy meant for evil and turns it for good.

When the pastors asked for prayer, they never asked for the persecution to stop, but for God to equip them with courage, strength, good health, and protection so they CAN continue sharing The Gospel. I felt God’s presence in the room. I knew He was there, holding each pastor in His arms, comforting them, and wiping away their tears. We got on our knees, and prayed, man did we pray.

India, Day Four

This was the first day we experienced train travel in India, and our first day visiting a children’s ministry of CICM. Traveling by train in India, was an adventure and one for the books. First, there’s the train station. When walking towards your platform, its surroundings are chaos. Everywhere you turn, homeless individuals and families sleep in groups, children are sent out to ask for food, the blind and disabled are begging and solicitors follow your every move. The looks of hopelessness are looks I’ll never forget. When we got to our platform, I quickly learned that when traveling by train, you need to pay attention to your train ticket. Each class is significantly different than the other and if you end up with the wrong ticket, your journey may be incredibly uncomfortable. The train ride to the children’s home was a couple of hours, followed by a bumpy ride to a small village in Raigarh, home to the Raigarh Children’s Home for the Deaf, Blind and Mute. When my feet touched the ground, I felt my heart race. It only took a few steps to know that I was in the presence of God’s children and overwhelming love. A small bus was parked outside the simple white buildings, children’s clothes were air-drying, and tiny pairs of shoes sat neatly outside the main room where the children were. Our team gathered and walked inside, seeing hundreds of children timidly sitting down, awaiting their visitors! As we walked in, I tried to look at each face. They were quiet but curious. Shy, but eager. When we sat down, my purpose there was to simply be present and serve. As the teachers arranged each child in rows, we were instructed on how to serve each child their lunch. Each child received one plate and large pots of warm food were brought in. We took a pot and started to serve each child. They sat quietly, and patiently, waiting for us to drop the food on their plate. We prayed together and ate together. Some of my team members joined the kids on the floor and ate with our hands, making silly faces and getting the kids to laugh. We finished eating and it was time for the introductions. The teachers sat us in front of the classroom, introduced us to the kids and it was time for them to bless us with flower wreaths. Random children were called to the stage to give us a flower wreath. Their innocence and sweetness consumed me. My heart was melting, and my smile just kept getting bigger. A few kids even shyly touched my team member’s feet, which is the humblest way of asking for a blessing and seeing his face light up, brought me so much joy. There was a moment that broke me and made my heart literally ache. A little girl, with short hair, deep dark blue eyes, about four years old was the one I eyed when I first walked in. She ended up blessing me with flowers. I held her hands, and just cried. At that moment, I wanted to take her home, give her a better life, love her, and raise her. I knew at that point in time, it wasn’t up to me, and that she was exactly where she needed to be. In that moment, God humbled me, calling me out saying “you think YOU could give her a better life? Why would she need you when she has Me?” I held her, knowing that she would be protected and provided with everything she could ever need. The children laughed, we laughed. We sang a song for them and they started showing off their Bible knowledge. Let me tell you, they knew the Word] inside and out. In Hindu and in braille. They read their favorite scripture out loud in Hindu and read it in braille. Meanwhile, I'm still pulling up my bible app to find verses. When the children finished their presentations, the staff gave us a tour of the school grounds. The buildings were simple. There were two large rooms, one for the boys and the other for the girls. Each bed had a sheet over it and were placed right next to each other. The children’s belongings were in a backpack or a tin storage box. As our tour ended, we learned about the children’s home origins. It started with one pastor and his wife, who found an abandoned little girl near the railroad tracks. You see, what happens is when these children are born with a special need or are female, it is Hindu custom to consider that child cursed or a curse to your family. If you’re someone who’s low on the caste system, it makes sense to dispose of the child to get rid of the curse so your life can be better. Because of this, the child is left to die or fend for him or herself. When they grow up, they become beggars themselves and find ways to survive. Whether it’s through working for a handler who ends up abusing them or drinking chemicals to suppress the hunger, that’s what these children do to survive. What this CICM pastor did was rescue one, and then continued to rescue more. What started as one, is now 135 plus children, and counting. The Raigarh Children’s Home is a place for children with special needs to live and live for Christ. This visit was a reminder that as much as you think what happened to these children are horrible and condemn the perpetrators (which I keep doing) is that these are GOD’S children, and He knows exactly where they need to be, and they know WHOSE they are. It took me to travel thousands of miles to realize that their life isn’t as bad as we think it is, and how prideful are we to think that WE can give THEM a better life. This day left me with so much heartache but even more joy. Embrace the time God gave us together.

India, Day Five

This day was supposed to be canceled due to the weather. This specific Children’s Home is in the middle of a jungle, meaning unpaved roads, flooding and… tigers. Let’s be real, I was hoping to see a tiger in the wild. As we jumped into our SUV’s, we had no idea what God had in store for us. The ride was in a word, sketchy. As we went deeper into the jungle, anything that resembled a path began to disappear. We were driving on damp dirt roads that continued to lead us to remote and undiscovered parts of India. There were moments where we thought our vehicles would get stuck in the dirt and we would say “praise God!” whenever we got through each dip. As we drove through the jungle, we began to see more undiscovered villages and its people. Children playing in the water, women holding baskets with food, the life, huts made from clay and water...it was surreal. The land was natural and untouched, simple, and so different from reality back home. After a bumpy, wild, adventure of a ride, and a huge sigh of relief, we finally made it to the children’s home. When we got out of our vehicles, we all gave each other the same look of “omg that was insane…” I found myself, feeling worried. I found myself feeling anxious...apprehensive about the weather interfering with our journey back, that we wouldn’t be able to make it back safely...or heaven forbid, that we would have to stay the night at the children’s home. These thoughts raced through my mind as it started POURING. It literally started raining the minute we stepped into the children’s home. I was so nervous that I didn’t pay attention to the rows of children waiting for their visitors, I was so nervous that I didn't pay attention to each face that looked at me as I walked to the front of the room. I was so nervous that I could barely pay attention to the children reciting their bible verses to show us what they’ve learned I was so nervous that all I prayed for was for the rain to stop and for safety. I held my team members' hands and prayed. While I was praying in a panic, my team members read out loud a chapter of exodus, when God was leading Moses and the Jews away from the wrath of Egypt. The Jews, of course didn’t trust God, especially when they were up against the SEA. See the irony yet? I’m smiling and shaking my head while typing this because I remember how foolish I felt after the final verse was read out loud “The LORD will fight for you, you need only be still.” when they stopped at the word “still”, the rain stopped. I looked up and felt the Lord roll His eyes and realized, this adventure to this village was more for ME then it was for the children. For me to realize how little I trusted God to handle things FOR me. I felt so stupid but in awe of HIs sovereignty...all within 15 minutes. The sun came out and my eyes surveyed the multiple children directly in front of me. Our team knew that our time was short, so we took the time we had to bless the children with prayer. We toured the grounds to see what CICM had done to support the children. As we walked through the campus, my heart sank, the classroom was a single room, about 20x20 with a single chalkboard. The teacher’s office was a single dark room with a few desks. There were two large rooms, one for the girls, one for the boys. Each room was dimly lit with mosquito net protections hanging from the ceiling. My heart sank, I saw that the children were sleeping on the hard damp floors and that their belongings were rolled up against the wall. It hit me that they could fit their entire life in my backpack. We learned the story of how the children’s home started, the pastor, had come across children being abandoned in the middle of the jungle, and provided a home for them. As the numbers grew, they ran into a missionary from CICM. He saw all the work they’ve been doing by rescuing abandoned children and immediately rushed to aid. They helped get clothes on the children, feed them, educate them, and provide shelter for them. The children I met; they’ve never seen themselves on a camera. When I took their picture and showed them what they looked like, their face lit up. They had this smile that said, “you see me.” My heart melted. When it was time for us to leave, I didn’t want to say goodbye, I wanted to hold each child dear to me and let them know how much Jesus loves them, how they were never abandoned and how their home is with Christ. The funny thing is that I know they know this, but did I? The journey back home was beautiful, the sun was shining, and I smiled to myself, knowing that God is sovereign, and holds my life in His hands.

India, Day Six

The journey to Damoh. The day finally came for us to head over to CICM hq in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh., India. This trip was an 8-hour journey that allowed us to see the beautiful countryside of India. Though we didn’t visit a CICM ministry, we witnessed how far their reach was and their impact from the 8-hour train ride. During this train ride, my team and I experienced what you’d call “on the go blessings.” At each stop, CICM’s pastors jumped on the train, blessed us with flowers and brought us food, simply to let us know, that we were a blessing to

them. They traveled to the train stop in the middle of the day, to take less than 5 minutes to hop on and greet us. This experience was incredibly humbling, and I felt God’s love just pour into me through each smile, each hug, each blessing. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a band, LOADS of flowers, the staff of CICM and our names on a billboard. Hospitality was clearly their strength. I knew a little bit about their headquarters so ventured out a little bit after getting settled. As I walked around the campus, I was in awe of how much the Lord had been working in the city of Damoh. There were a few schools on campus, one for nursing, high school, elementary and middle school. As I walked down a dirt road, I heard laughter coming closer and closer. As I got closer to the laughter, I saw them, children, God’s children playing, laughing, and doing what children should do, being mischievous. They were so excited to see the “missionaries” who were coming to visit them. Their wide eyes, the innocent laughter and the activity of play warmed my heart. I felt so welcomed, so loved...His love. That same night, we attended our first gathering. It’s not part of CICM’s daily schedule, but this happens when missionaries visit. We began with worship, and introductions followed by devotion and prayer. I was humbled to hear them say thank YOU for coming all this way to see us, to visit us, to support us. I would think to myself, wait a minute, you guys, are the ones we should be thankful for. I found myself struggling, thinking of my privilege, being able to live in the USA while I knew my brothers and sisters across the Atlantic were suffering in so many ways. I found myself thinking, wait, am I really that privileged? Having excess but still not finding content in God’s grace? Or are they stronger, having less but having all they need at the same time?

India, Day Seven

The next few days at CICM were an absolute whirlwind. There was so much to unpack in so little time. We spent the next few days learning about each ministry; why and how it began and the impact and their goals.

Children’s Club: This is a weekly ministry where children are brought to CICM’s chapel for dinner and groceries. The team members gather vitamins, simple food like rice, beans and snacks as children and their mothers, sometimes fathers settle in the chapel. Each evening begins with prayer and then the team hands out food to each family that comes in. They don’t have to be Christians, but this is how CICM helps the widows, orphans and the oppressed. The people who come through are mostly single parents, a majority being women and abandoned children with family figures.

Mission Hospital: The tour of this hospital was a huge highlight of our visit to CICM. The hospital is staffed with nurses and doctors who are willing to take HUGE pay cuts so they can serve. The hospital doesn’t charge patients, rather it’s a pay what you can structure. They are the ONLY hospital in Damoh, a city of 1.2 million people that has a working elevator, a dialysis room, and an ICU. The hospital was even better than what the government had offered. I was amazed with how much this hospital was accomplishing, through donations! They had a dentist onsite, an MRI machine recently donated, and a new building being built to serve more patients. Right next to this amazing hospital was a giant church, CICM’s church. The building was white and large with a cross on it. Whenever people would come home after being taken care of or healed, they would tell their friends and family, it was all thanks to the church that had the cross on it.

Widows Ministry

Each week, widows travel for miles for food, medical care, and prayer. This ministry was an emotional one, as their stories are tragic. They are all single women, some with children, some who are completely alone, who’ve been abandoned, cast aside, or lost their husbands. They live in absolute poverty and receive less than $10 a month from the government. What broke my heart even more, was that their handlers pocketed a portion of the money and withheld the rest unless the widows performed sexual acts on their handler, or their children. We prayed with them, we said words of encouragement, but my heart was broken. As we handed out food and clothing, we said a prayer for each woman. Tears ran down my face as they hugged me and touched my face, saying blessings and wishing that God would continue to bless me. I was moved by the love that these women had for a stranger. For each woman I held, I felt her looking at me and saying “you see ME.”

Marketing & PR Ministry

CICM’s Marketing & PR department are made up of 4 people. Together, they film, edit, and publish all the photography and video for CICM. By now, you should understand how much work they do to properly convey CICM’s mission and impact in India and around the world!

Publishing Ministry

CICM’s Publishing Ministry is the only Bible publishing house in India. Their team translates children’s books, pamphlets, workbooks, Bible studies and Bibles in the multiple languages that the people of India speak. They’re doing everything they can to get The Gospel in people’s hands. They shared a story about how they discovered a dialect estimating that about 500 people in that village spoke it, when they went back to their headquarters to begin translating the Bible in that dialect, they received word, that over 50,000 spoke that language! They immediately got to work and began printing Bibles in that dialect and handed out the Bibles to everyone they could in that village.

CIBA

This ministry is CICM’s Bible Academy, a college for pastor training. 70% of their students have come from families who’ve disowned their children for following Christ. Since 2018, CIBA has had 117 + graduates. These graduates go and spread the Gospel in their villages, work normal jobs and become disciples of Christ or church plant.

Ignite

This ministry is a metaphor of a match lighting a fire. About training and raise up everyday people to share faith and make disciples that will multiply. Ignite has started over 800 churches. At a recent conference in Sri Lanka, 8,000 people heard The Gospel and 700 of them gave their lives to Christ. Since 2017, their training resulted in 3,000 more people giving their lives to Christ. Through Ignite, new believers receive training materials and basic lessons for them to go out and spread The Gospel.

Getting to Know Who Leads CICM

Part of our stay was to meet with each family member of CICM and learn about their story on their role at CICM. In meeting with each member, we learned about their passions, how each ministry grew and what their goals were for the years to come. I was inspired and had so much love for the Lall family. They could easily live in the United States, have a nice home, live the American dream...but in obedience they’ve made their home in central India, fulfilling their mission to share The Gospel in the most remote parts of the world.

Leper Colony

Our last day of mission work was spent at a Leper Colony in Meerut. These people are known as the “untouchables” because of an ancient disease they have called leprosy. The colonies we visited were found miles away from the city where the land they were placed on was away from anything that can help them get ahead. They were essentially invisible. Visiting this colony was hard because we could feel the darkness that still blankets the village. Each villager still harbors hopelessness in their eyes. I felt their pain emanate as we said our prayers. They wanted to be loved so badly to be a human being. I went into their homes, that were dark and dreary. I met families, whose children abandoned them and disowned them, I met a man who gave everything he had to his sons, and CICM pastors there left their high paying jobs to minister and provide aid for them. They get fed, medical care and build their own community and depend on each other. We prayed for blessings in every corner of the villages and looked at each person in the eyes to let them know that we see them, that Jesus sees them. When we left the colonies, I left with a heavy heart, praying that they would know Jesus and how much He loves them.

It’s been over a year since and I am still in awe of how God moved in my life during those two weeks. I went on the mission with zero expectations and prayed for God to reveal His miracles and glory to me, and man did I witness His marvelous works.

If my story inspired you, I encourage you to donate to CICM here: https://give.indiamission.org/give/182414/#!/donation/checkout