Hot Mess Days

It’s been 6.5 months since I first set foot on Indian soil. Looking back, I think I had an expectation that by now, I would have things pretty much figured out and that this beautiful, messy country would make some sort of sense. By now, I would be able to properly construct the defined boxes in my mind into which I could file every experience of the upcoming months. By now, I would know how to speak Hindi and would understand the cultural context of every joke; cows in the street would no longer surprise me, and no spice would be too spicy. More importantly, by now I would have learned to really love people, forgiving with ease, with an unending supply of gratitude for these precious months that I have been given here with IJM.

I sit here, thinking about those original, unsaid expectations. And I giggle.

There are many days that I come into work, looking and feeling like a hot mess. Vegetable vendors still manage to rip me off and the heat makes me cranky. I get annoyed by children begging on the road who refuse to leave me alone. And then, like a perfect hypocrite, I am frustrated by the opulent Audi-and-Armani lifestyles of the “new money” families in this city and their decidedly blind eyes toward the poor. I routinely get honked at in the road and I offend people more often than I realize, and I still cannot make a perfect dal with rice.

…It is precisely in this messy space that grace has repeatedly crept in over the past month and tenderly reminded me to laugh.

Here are some ways of those reminders:

                - On Wednesday, I saw my friend’s leg get healed. As in, her leg grew before my very eyes. I laugh because I forget just how powerful God is and that being on his “team” means that not even the huge, systematic sicknesses like sexual trafficking and bonded labour have a chance of survival against what He is doing in the world.

                - Ever since the arrival of our office’s first Fellow (she is now also my roommate!), she has made it her goal to use positive reinforcement with auto drivers who agree to charge us a fare rate*. I laugh, as I see sweaty auto drivers smile with surprise at her cheers, and I am reminded that auto drivers are people too and that commuting can be an uplifting experience, instead of a battle of the wills over a mere 10 rupees.

                -In Bangkok, I was overwhelmed by the amount of sexual tourism that has permeated the city. On multiple occasions, I had menus of various sex acts shoved into my face, at which point I was prompted to choose one. And yet, I was able to rendezvous with a college friend who is now living in Bangkok with the sole purpose of loving on lady boy prostitutes. I laugh because I am reminded that God is finding ways to love “even the least of these”, despite the fact that they are overlooked by the rest of the world.

Despite my best efforts to focus solely on the ways that I and the world epically fail over this last month, Grace has poked and prodded its way into my field of vision, obscuring my view of the mirror.  I think He wants to teach me to laugh, or at the very least, to smile in hope, as I watch Him move in this country.

Tons of exciting things are going on with IJM’s work in South Asia right now. As our Communication capabilities have grown, so has our reach to both the policy-makers and to the general public grown. Every week, more non-profits are learning how to connect current and released bonded labourers to government benefits. In this month, the Bandhua 1947 Campaign has made leaps and bounds toward finishing a draft of the Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act rules that they plan to present to the government later this year. In the midst of these exciting progresses, I have been asked by my bosses to take on more responsibility in the area of program design and Knowledge Management. I am thrilled by the faith they show in my potential to contribute to the office and am looking forward to more formally transitioning into the new role.

If you pray, pray for me this week as I make decisions about next year. I have the opportunity to extend my stay here and continue to invest in this Campaign and I want to make a wise choice. Pray also for my office, as we plan events and work toward better enforcement of a long-forgotten law. Pray that my roommate and I make space to relax and recharge after a long work week. Finally, I am doing some travel with a friend in the coming weeks to Sri Lanka and around India. Pray for safety as we take trains, board planes, and catch taxis.

To those of you who have continued to prayerfully and financially support me this year, thank you. Thank you for allowing me to invest in really exciting work. Thank you for making it possible for me to live, surrounded by people bursting with Hope. Thank you for believing that God can work through me. It’s just too great!

Sincerely,

Alice

*Fare rate. Fair rate. Get it?

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