“To Find the Gold in Mud!”

By Sarah, on mission in India

Before my arrival in India, I had a “perfect” image in my mind of what my mission was going to look like. How I thought the Indian people are, the way the food would taste, the things I knew I would struggle with, and the things I was sure would be easy for me. A few days was enough time to realize that I was wrong about many of the things I had imagined, and what was left for me is this reality that I have given 14 months to. The reality of India in all of its grit and glory! It turns out that eating with my hands, showering with frogs and spiders, and not being able to speak Tamil were bigger culture shocks than I could foresee. I’ve been humbled by the difficulty of the transition. However, I am reminded often that one of the greatest gifts of this mission, amidst the poverty we live in, is to “find the gold in mud!” That is, to find the goodness, the treasure, the presence of God, in the places we often want to turn our faces away from. Although the culture shock has been more difficult than I thought, in just three short weeks I am grateful to say that I have a glimpse of what it means to find this treasure.