Highlight Photos:(1) Exploring Hardiwar and Rishikesh, as heart-breaking as it was to see people worshipping stone.
(2) Meeting the Frank family and getting to play with Carrie and Grahm's kids.
(3) Seeing the Taj Mahal with my friends Jaclyn and Austin.
(4) Dancing with the children in the village.
(5) Being greeted by my family, grandma, and aunt, uncle, and cousin at the airport!
I currently sit in my sister’s condo in Denver, Colorado. I arrived here yesterday thanks to a caravan of my brother’s college buddies that allowed me to tag along (thanks Nic!). I have been consistently on the move the past week: from Mussoorie to Delhi to Agra to Fetapurh Sikri back to Agra and Delhi, on to Amsterdam, Detroit, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Madison, Fredonia, back to Cedar Rapids and finally to Denver! Tonight I’m going to Colorado Springs to stay with my friend Gwen and then tomorrow she’ll drive me to Manitou Springs where I’ll work on staff with Summit Ministries for four weeks (which I’m super excited about!).
It’s been an exhausting nine days but absolutely wonderful at the same time due to all of the amazing people I’ve been able to see. And amazingly enough, in spite of the busyness, I’ve had quite a bit of time to reflect on why God led me to India this summer. This is what he has shown me:
1) To grow in humility – In the past year, I’ve invested numerous hours researching and preparing for an inter-disciplinary project that I’ve come to call Academy GDB (Global Design Build). The core of the project has been about “teaching poor youth how to build.” One of the reasons I chose to serve in India is because of the breadth and depth of the poverty there: shanty-towns and slums are a regular sight throughout the country. Well, I’ve come to realize that inadequate housing in India is a complex problem. The fatalistic thinking of the Hindu worldview, claimed by 80% of the population, propels poverty. A beggar is a beggar because the gods have chosen that for him. I thought I understood India’s problem and how to fix it before I went there – now I realize that I knew very little and still have far more to learn. Though I plan on continuing the research that I’ve been doing in regards to Academy GDB (now with a team of IIT students beginning in August), I am much more comfortable admitting that my vision to teach the poor how to build will require more diverse research, continued cultural immersion, and a lot of patience.
2) To grow in hope – I spent four months living in Paris last fall and missed my family so much that I was convinced I would not live abroad for so long ever again. God changed my mind through this trip. I now have much hope that if he leads me abroad for a longer period, he would provide for me a Christ-centered family of believers like I had with eMi2.
3) To grow in confidence – Though I have played guitar since I was fifteen, I have rarely played in front of other people and there is almost always someone more gifted than me selected to lead worship. Well, one of the eMi2 staff named Huberth stored his guitar in the office and I was able to play it almost every day. Thanks to God’s kindness in providing me this instrument for me to practice with, I am now much more confident playing guitar in front of others and leading them in worship.
4) To learn more about eMi – I loved this internship more than any other work experience in the field of architecture. I loved the culture of the company, working for a client with such enormous faith in God, the staff and families in the eMi2 office, and the daily balance between building relationships and designing architecture. God-willing, I’d like to return to complete a four-month internship with eMi2; whether that’s before or after graduate school is still in God’s hands. If Academy GDB grows into an organization one day, I know that continuing to learn about and through eMi will be very beneficial.
5) To grow in gratitude – I have never been more grateful for the foundations of Western Civilization. Being in the East helped me recognize that our culture is founded upon the Bible, and therefore founded upon truth, unity and freedom. During one of the weekends, the other interns and I visited Hardiwar and Rishikesh, two cities considered holy to Hindus. The experience was unforgettable due to the devotion I witnessed men, women, and children displaying towards statues. I’ve realized that serving 330 million gods has produced in India a culture full of paradoxes. Serving multiple gods, each with unique priorities and values, has produced a people who turn against one another consistently with “me-first” attitudes. Christ is the only hope for this culture in the spiritual battle against Hinduism’s lies. Thankfully, he is working and it is anticipated that the new Indian census will report 8-12% of the current Indian population to be Christian!
I am confident that there are other reasons why I went to India that God will yet reveal to me. Thank you so much for participating in this journey through your prayers, financial partnership, and/or simply reading my blog. If you’re interested in checking out more of my photos on facebook, please visit http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1369538276850.2029006.1183500517.
Blessings always,
Hannah
