Kairos
Mission Trip to India
Outside
My Comfort Zone
.
by
Stephen Giles
.
I hadn't thought of doing a summer mission trip
until James Munk, Director of Kairos North
America, shared with a group of us how he
got involved in doing mission work in India. He
spoke of the challenges in working with college
and high school young people in India and about
the mission there.
James said that one way we could serve the mission
in India was to participate in the May households
he was organizing. It sounded like a real
adventure and it hit at something within me. I
thought about it and then called James and said,
‘I’d like to go.’ Within about 10 minutes, James
was saying, ‘when you are in India…’ ‘Wow,’ I
thought, ‘I’m really going; I’m on the team!’
I was looking for adventure, which I thought maybe
that wasn’t a ‘spiritual’ enough reason to go.
James said no, it is good for young men to crave
adventure.
Soon, I was on my way to Bangalore, the capitol of
the state of Karnataka. It is an enormous city by
my standards (8.42 million). Besides James and
myself, our household included 12 Indian guys, one
Filipino, and one American doing a GAP Year in the
Philippines.
My first impressions of India: it was warm (even
at 1:00 am in the middle of the night) and there
was not much night traffic. Then morning came.
There are too many cars for the roads and it is
hot and noisy with scooters and motorcycles
everywhere. We walked around the neighborhood
which was really helpful for seeing Indian street
life. There are lots of street vendor stands with
fruits and other foods. You can buy a fresh
coconut, for example, cut the top, drink the milk,
scoop out the wonderful flesh.
Living in India made me re-evaluate distance and
speed. Driving an hour and a half would be normal
coming back from an evening activity. 30 mph would
be very fast (I don’t think I ever achieved that
on a scooter). Driving in the U.S. is so easy in
comparison: a two-lane road in India would have
three cars and a truck across the same two lanes.
My role was mainly to be part of the small group,
be a solid core member of the household, and
be a witness of a man ‘fired up’ for the Lord. I
also did the morning prayer meditations. James
told us on the team that we were an ‘authority’
just because we were there on behalf of the Sword
of the Spirit and knew how to apply the talks we
were hearing in our lives.
Our household did ‘memory-making trips.’ We
traveled to national parks and had adventures
together. We grew in trying new things. In our
household talk series, we heard about not making
decisions based on fear of discomfort or pain.
We took bucket ‘showers,’ had six guys sleeping on
the floor as well as three each in the two
bedrooms, and ate off our laps because we had no
table. Personal space was lacking so it was a
stretch for us all. I learned that it is OK to be
uncomfortable and that we have a very easy life in
the U.S. I learned what I actually need and what I
just want. We all learned to do dishes, cook, and
work on a task together (and stay until the job is
done). There were no moms to do stuff for us!
Looking back at my time in India, I can see that I
grew in an attitude of ‘gameness’: being willing
to do things outside my comfort zone. It was a lot
more fun when I was willing to try new things, new
foods, and be uncomfortable. Embracing that
attitude allowed me to take on more
responsibilities and do things that were ‘out
there,’ rather than sitting safely at home in the
air conditioning.
I grew as a disciple – I did things that felt a
little ‘unsafe’ like sharing the Gospel with
someone. I saw that being afraid or uncomfortable
keeps me from doing things for the Lord – not
really good reasons. I learned lessons by ‘doing,’
and not just from hearing a training presentation
or teaching.
I am presently doing a mission year in Detroit as
a staff worker for YouthWorks-Detroit,
and working with local youth in Detroit. However,
since I didn’t get sick in India and I got a
10-year visa, James said I am coming back!
Stephen
Giles grew up in the Work of Christ Community
in Lansing, Michigan USA and currently
serves with YouthWorks-Detroit.
To
learn more about Kairos
North America visit their web site
at: http://kairos-na.org/about/
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