Little Flock in December.... but why?

Well this has been a truly crazy month....

I went to Little Flock in the beginning of the month and spent two weeks there. It was an absolutely amazing trip and even though I was skeptical to go for so short a time when I'm leaving again in May I knew God wanted me there and so I went. I say this so easily, but really I spent about a month arguing with myself and God about why in the world I would possibly make this trip for so short a time. But as time went on it became more and more evident that I was going to go; whether I thought it a good idea or not.

While there I spent the time with an amazing couple who I never would have met without our shared love for Little Flock and the surrounding village. It was so much fun getting to work with them and learn how to make cottage railings. I learned to weld.... well kinda. I wasn't very good at it but I learned the general concept. I also learned that welding in a scarf and sandals is very difficult and painful on the toes. I also learned that drill bits get very hot when being used... unfortunately I learned that the hard way (not to mention I should've already known that)

Seems safe... right? I mean who needs insulation  on welding
cables.... it's totally overrated. 

But that aside the trip was absolutely amazing and affirming in so many ways. First of all I got to have some amazing conversations with the staff (in English and Tamil!) about their lives and their pasts. It was really humbling to be invited into their lives and their stories through the things they shared. I also got to follow up on some very deep and sometimes painful conversations I'd had with a few of the kids over the summer and see how they've progressed and processed what we discussed before. This was an amazing experience because I honestly never thought I would be able to be used in these ways since I've never considered myself good with kids until I began letting God use me at Little Flock. These past two years have been such a time of growth in myself and I am so grateful that I opened myself up to God's will for my life instead of holding onto my preconceived notions of what I was good at. I was also able to speak with two more of the kids there about some very serious issues they have happening in their lives and I was asked by both of them to do further discussion and prayer when I return. Both of these kids were ones I never thought would even be willing to speak to me about non-serious things and definitely not anything on a deeper level. However being able to sit with them and discuss things and listen to them share was a truly amazing (a different kind of amazing) thing to do.

I also was able to spend some time simply observing life in India. I got to see the women from the village again and see some of the damage from the recent floods. It was heart breaking to see the damage and the need for help yet no body willing or able to help them. Going into Chennai I was able to see some of the heavier affected areas of the floods and the clean-up that was underway.

A big part of this trip and something I think was a major reason God brought me to India for this short time was that I had a lot of time to simply observe Little Flock and assess my time there and assess what God has put on my heart and where He seems to want me. I realized, as I have before but something I do a great job at convincing myself I'm wrong about, that I love life at Little Flock. But its more than simply loving life there, I have a deeper sense of the life that Little Flock could provide to the children and employees there. I have a deeper sense of God's longing to take hold and work there and truly change the hearts and lives of so many. I love being there because I know that God is at work there and I know that He is going to accomplish great things and I also know that He has some purpose for using me in that accomplishment. Everyday that I was there I would spend time in reflection and prayer and every time I was able to see this thread of what God has done at Little Flock and things I have done and experienced and how they all tied in together. I'm not saying I am perfectly fit to life there, there are many cultural things that I still do not understand and will take many many years to understand. But everyday I felt God whispering to me... see... see how I am at work in this place.... do you see My fingerprint here.... do you see how I wove these things together... It was an incredible time of self reflection and self assessment and of relinquishing control over my own abilities and ideas to God and simply saying okay... "God put me where You want me and teach me to fully rely on You for guidance and for actions. I trust You."

I think one of the best memories of this trip was watching 6 of  the
boys turn the clothes washing station into a "swimming pool" and
spend about thirty minutes playing in it. They had so much fun!!!

All in all the trip to India was amazing and was then followed by an amazing experience at Urbana. So to sum it up this May, God willing, I will be returning to Little Flock for at least 3 years. There are many things that need to be worked out between now and then but I know that if that is where God wants me then I will be there; if it is not then I will be wherever He does want me.

Thanks for reading this and again if you made it to the end I am very impressed and appreciative of your willingness to devote your time to reading my thoughts. I ask for your continued support through prayer as I begin this transition period of preparing to move abroad. Thank you and God bless.