We were invited to dine “with” Sonika’s family for dinner yesterday evening. We looked forward to that. Like Jaskamal’s family, we had made a really good connection with them on our first trip to Ludhiana. As we were walking through our apartment complex to meet them for the ride to her house a man stopped driving and asked us where we were from. We could tell as soon as he spoke that he was American! He moved here over 20 years ago and happened to be from Indiana where Jeremi was born and raised! He invited us to visit him at his which is quite close to ours, please pray for the chance to do that.
When we arrived at Sonika’s house we were greeted with great enthusiasm by her parents and younger brother. They live in the back of her father’s shop and they escorted us through. Her father sells clay pots and idols. Her mother is a very religious Hindu. As we sat in the living room we observed a built in shallow bookcase with the curtain that covered it partly pulled back to reveal the trinkets and idols hidden behind it. This sort of thing has been in all the homes we’ve been in, but perhaps because we walked through an idol shop it stood out more acutely. Jeremi and I struggled as we sat fellowshipping and laughing with her family (her parents don’t speak English, but it amazes me how much you can still talk with people that you don’t share a common tongue with). It makes you want to stand up and sweep away all the idols, but with reflection I realized this is no different then at home. Idols come in many different shapes and sizes and some you can’t even see with eyes. Oh how our hearts crave comfort and we will seek that comfort in anything we can find. In America we are more subtle aren’t we? I don’t hide my idols behind curtains, but in my heart and there I bow down to all manner of comforts such as food, house, orderly family, etc. May God grant more grace to see these idols and turn to Him. But regardless of this, there is a darkness here, these people don’t have access to the gospel. Pray for laborers and pray with us that we would make a connection with a believer in this city if there is one to be found.
Since Sonika was with us when we ate at Jaskamal’s house and realized that the food was too spicy for us she told her mom to add no spice to the food…it was perfect, haha! They served us Indian style on her parents bed because that room had air conditioning. They of course didn’t eat with us, but served us completely. They cooked us so much and were a joy to be with. Like Jaskamal’s family they showered us with gifts and doted on Adoniram, him being the smallest. They served us ice cream for dessert…raisin and nut ice cream, I have never had that flavor before? As we were leaving Sonika’s mom asked us to stay the night with them! I laughed and said we didn’t have our clothes and she said they had clothes we could wear! Jeremi and I are pretty confident she was quite serious.
The schedule is tough on the kids. They were so exhausted last night. We didn’t get home until 11 PM. It is also a very foreign idea to them to require obedience from children. So much so that Sonika’s mom asked if Azariah had a fever because he wasn’t being naughty! They encourage disrespect in the littles so sometimes it is extremely difficult to manage Ianna and Adoniram in their small homes. They truly don’t mean to it is just completely a bizarre idea that a child could be respectful and pleasant. They indulge them and tease them and laugh when they are disrespectful, so that has been challenging. Pray for our children.