A Valentine's Day post: A Servant’s Love

The following post is one I wrote for the Ashraya Blog today and can also be viewed here. :) It has been a beautiful day here in Northern India.  We woke up to fluffy white snowflakes falling gracefully from the sky that together coated the ground  in the most heavenly of ways.

I slowly hiked the slushy roads to the bazaar, passing no one except the ‘coolies’ transporting groceries and other goods up and down the mountain to the people who ordered them- by foot. I am always impressed by their work. Single men sometimes carrying refrigerators or washing machines strapped to their backs.

As I anxiously watched these dedicated men with calculated steps trudge through the slippery snow, I was reminded of a quote by Mother Teresa:

“Love has a hem to her garment that reaches the very dust. It sweeps the streets and lanes, and because it can, it must.”

These men take on this laborious work many times because they have no other choice. Uneducated and without knowing how to read or write, they set out each day to support their families by carrying heavy loads that leave them hunchbacked and exhausted. Now that’s love.

The love of a devout servant is the most powerful love of all. It’s unrequited and  sacrificial. It doesn’t flash like the commercialized love of Valentine’s Day. It is quiet and unnoticed, but glorified by the One who loves us the most.

We at Ashraya Mission challenge you all (and ourselves!) to fill this Valentine’s Day with quiet acts of love like described by Mother Teresa. Love not because we can, but because we must.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Wind and Water

“I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at how beautiful that was because it meant you could swim in Him or have Him brush your face in a breeze.”

Donald Miller wrote that in his book Blue Like Jazz. He is an author who writes about Christianity in a "non-religious" way. His views on Christianity are very refreshing and relatable.

•   God is in the WIND.

Every time we step outside he wisps our hair into frenzied excitement, reminding us that His presence is everlasting.

•   God is in the WATER.

Every time we get thirsty we drink Him in to replenish our physical strength.

God is in everything. God is LOVE.

Chai, Laughter, and the Language of No Barriers

As I prepare for my exams that begin next week I try to find ways to keep me focused and alert. I try coffee, tea, caffeinated drinks, getting up to dance around my room like a clown, etc etc.  All of this to say, drinking coffee or tea makes me think of one of the most inspirational women I know. Her name is Rama Didi and she lives in Bijwason, Delhi, India. Rama Didi works at Asha Mission Children's Home.  She cooks, cleans, washes clothes, makes the WORLD'S BEST CHAI TEA, but most importantly she loves the 30+ children that live at Asha Mission.  She gets paid just a few rupees a week to work there, but the list of things to do everyday is endless.

My friend Andy whom I was in India with is quite the prankster.  He would do impersonations of our new Indian friends for Rama and she would absolutely die of laughter. She has the best laugh, it is so contagious!

This past summer I visited Asha Mission for 3 weeks. They were three of the happiest weeks of my life.  While there Rama Didi would invite me on little village excursions.  I got to go with her to visit her friends around the neighborhood, and once she had me accompany her to the local post office.  Rama Didi speaks very good English, but is sometimes shy to use it.

Anyway, I admire Rama Didi and all that she does. I do hope I get to see her again this summer. Oh! and she is engaged to be married to a Spanish Missionary who lives in Texas, how exciting!