Joy in the Trials

Last week was a really tough week.

Honestly, it’s just been a really tough month.

March started off good, Mid-debrief went beautifully. It was
great to head into the city and regroup, refocus, and remember what American
food tasted like. We grew closer as a team there, and talked about how we
wanted to continue to grow and what we wanted to accomplish for the last two
months. So I was more than excited when debrief ended and we could get back to
Barasat and put those plans into action.

As soon as we stepped foot in Barasat though, things started
to go downhill. And I should have known they would have. The minute Satan sees
God’s people excited, and re energized to share the Gospel, he attacks.

And so the trials began.

Homesickness has been a battle of mine every since I got
here. I love it here, but any time I start to have a down day, Satan likes to
put the homesickness back into my head. So I’m constantly praying against it.
After mid-debrief though it got worse.

Being in the city, sleeping on a bed, made me think I should
be getting on a plane to go home, not back to a mosquito filled house and my
sleeping pad on the floor. So I was really having trouble re-focusing on the
kids and our ministry.

So that has been a constant struggle.

And then a week ago we found out that Lynette was going
home.

 If you have read her
blog then you know she has been going weeks without sleeping at night and it
has been making her so weak. We had been praying healing over her (We still are
Lynette!) for such a long time, and just when we thought the doctors had
figured it out, and she would feel a little better, she would relapse. So AIM
decided it was best for her to head back to the States to get the best medical
attention.

We knew her leaving was a possibility but we thought it was
Plan Z not Plan B. So that was really hard for all of us. We knew that that was
the best decision, but that was definitely the last thing we wanted to happen.

So it’s been an interesting month, but last week takes the
cake.

Whether it was the outer struggle as we all battled colds,
or whether it was the inner struggle, as we dealt with news from home and
battled the lies that Satan told us, the entire team was working through
something last week.

And then we had to say goodbye to Lynette on Tuesday.

Definitely wasn’t my favorite day. Watching a team member
leave, someone you now call your sister, it’s not easy. Plus it made my
homesickness worse. Watching her pack, and say goodbye to the kids, it felt
like we should have all been going home with her.

As if that wasn’t enough two days later my dad emailed me
and told me that my boyfriend had got into a pretty serious car accident.

It could have been worse, so I’m thanking God that it wasn’t, but I felt so helpless. I was thousands of miles of way with absolutely
no way of being there for him.

At that moment, the last place I wanted to be was India.

And that my friends, was when the straw broke the camel’s
back.

Normal knee jerk reaction would have been to give in, give
up, and book a flight home.

But then that means I would have been letting Satan win.

He wanted me to give in to his attacks. He wanted me to give
up and succumb to the lies he was putting in my head, admit that I wasn’t strong enough to handle the struggles I was facing. He wanted me to go home and
forget all about what God brought me to India to do.

So instead I went with prayer and praise.

I prayed for comfort, peace in all things, and strength.

And I praised God for what He was letting me go through.

In Romans 5:3 it says “We can rejoice too, when we run into
problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”

Echoing Romans, James 1:2-3 says “…when troubles come your
way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your
faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

Joy.

During tough times, weird sicknesses, and just really down
days, it’s incredibly easy not to have joy.

But I know I should have joy for two reasons.

Mainly because trials give me a chance to grow in my faith;
it gives me the opportunity to lean on God, to rely on Him for strength, and
realize that I can’t rely on anyone but Him to get me through my struggles. I
know I can’t get through it on my own. It also gives me the chance to seek Him,
to listen and trust; He doesn’t give me anything I can’t handle. And I know
through it all He will be glorified.

And I find joy in that.

The last reason is because Satan is scared. The only reason
he is attacking my team and I, is because we are impacting the people here;
rather God is impacting the people here. And he wants it to stop, so he is
throwing everything he can at us to make us lose focus and quit.But God is moving
and working in this place. We have been a witness to so many healings; people
come up to us now and ask for prayer. They know why we are here, and know who
we serve, and Satan hates it.

And oh do I find great joy in that.

Now I’m not saying last week didn’t have any tears, because
it did; and a lot of frustration.

And I know these trials aren’t over, in fact they will
probably get worse in the weeks to come.

But as soon as they come, I’m giving to give all to God. All
the burdens, and stress, and worry that comes with it all; He can handle it.

He will ease my mind, strengthen my heart, and comfort my
spirit.

And I will be able to focus on the mission that He has
called me here to do.

Because I know He is control, He has me in the palm of His
hand, and He is more powerful than mere man, and definitely more powerful than
Satan.

He’s got my back.

And I find joy in that.