Want to Go to India?
Several years ago, I got asked this exact question by some good friends that I go to church with in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. The guys belonged to a group of businessmen that went to different parts of the world to assist others in developing and funding micro businesses. They wanted yours truly to become a part of the team and join them on this mission trip and adventure. I had never been to India and the guys were hard selling me and I couldn’t resist so I jumped on board.
The team’s mission during this trip was to work with Jholdas (an international business as missions organization) and serve as coaches, by developing comprehensive business plans, for Bhutanese brothers and sisters who hoped to start micro-businesses in their hometown villages. The business plans were to be presented to a local funding agency and startup loans would be provided for the most qualified. The loans are paid back to the local program which enabled them to become self-sufficient and fund future projects. These potential businesses enabled their owners to expand through outreach and local church growth while supporting their families.
Bhutan is located in southern Asia and borders China and India. The country is about half the size of Indiana with a population of about 800,000. Bhutan translates to “The Land of the Thunder Dragon” due to violent storms from the Himalaya Mountains. At the time, we could not get visas to meet the students there, so they met us on the border in a town called Jaigon in northeast India.
The poverty that I saw along the way and especially in Jaigon was very difficult to believe and describe. How can so many people be in this bad of shape? A typical monthly wage for a person in this part of the world is about $70 U.S. Most of the people I saw were not making anywhere near that. It is hard to grasp how hard it is to make a living which helped me respect what it was our students were trying to accomplish. Most of the students were key members of their respective villages. They led many home churches and were well respected in their communities. Being able to help them was a privilege.
I had no idea what was in store for me, but I was excited about the opportunity. Buckle up! The story I am about to tell you is pretty amazing for a tire builders kid from Ohio.
But first…A joke to loosen things up a little:
A taxi passenger tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, drove up on the sidewalk, and screeched to a halt just inches from a shop window. For a second everything went quiet in the cab. Then the driver said, “Look, don’t ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!”
The passenger apologized. “I didn’t realize that a little tap would scare you so much.”
“Sorry,” the driver replied. “It’s not really your fault. Today is my first day as a taxi driver. I’ve been driving a hearse for the last 25 years.”
A Verse to Contemplate:
The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves - Proverbs 14:8 (NLT).
Have I Told You This One?
Ever want to pack up your laptop and hop on a plane, fly halfway around the world (and back) and work for a week for free? Me either, but that’s exactly what I did. This was not a small undertaking but I thought it was amazing that I could jump on a plane in Atlanta and be pretty much anywhere in the world in 24 hours or less. I also like telling stories so I assumed I would have a few things to share on this one. Boy, did I underestimate that! The longest trip I had been on previous to this was a trip to Hawaii which took about 10 hours non-stop.
This trip took over 40 hours and covered nearly 8,000 miles (in coach) including stops in New York, Dehli, Guwahati, and finally Bagdogra, India. The leg from New York to Dehli was about 16 hours. Two work days sitting on a plane just to get into country. I have a very difficult time sleeping on planes so I decided to take some Ambien to help me sleep at least 8 of those 16 hours. Well, it worked intially but when I woke up midflight I thought it would be about halfway and I discovered it had only been a few hours. I needed to use the facilities, so I got up and I swear I looked (and felt) like a bear that got drug darted. Remember Mutual Of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom? That was me! Only to top it off when I finally made it to the door, an older woman had failed to lock the door and I walked in on her in the midst of her doing her business. Now we both sounded like drugged bears! I saw the sun rise twice on the trip but only saw one “moon” (I’m sorry, I’ll show myself out).
As eventful as that trip was, the last leg of the journey, a four-hour drive to Jaigon, India, turned out to be the biggest adventure. At the Bagdogra Airport, we met up with two missionaries from Nepal that came to assist our team. We packed our gear in a hired car and headed out. Our driver apparently had spent some time in NASCAR since he drove like a maniac. We told him we would pay more for him to slow down but he must have had dinner plans. Traffic was unbelievable and the people drive insane. The road looked like the Indian Air Force used it to practice bombing runs. The rules of the road are simple…the biggest car wins. We were in a small Chevy SUV with about ten people stuffed inside and our gear was strapped to the top. We looked like we were on a safari. Horns are blowing nonstop and our driver would pull out into oncoming traffic on the two lane highway and dive back in at the last minute. At the beginning I was terrified but a few hours in I just sat back and accepted the fact that I was going to die or be horribly maimed. I could hardly keep my eyes open but the commute from hell kept me awake. I saw elephants being used to clear trees, straw huts, jungle and a whole bunch of other stuff I hadn’t seen before. Not many elephants in Atlanta.
After about three hours of the trip (death ride would be more accurate) we pulled up to a bridge and were told by armed military guards that one side was inoperable, and we had to wait our turn once the cars and trucks coming toward us had passed. That seemed simple enough but our driver (Dale Ernhardt’s cousin) decided to go just as an 18-wheeler was coming across the bridge at full speed. I’m assuming he thought he could make it before the truck got to us (He was VERY wrong!).
We were up against a fence that was there to keep cars from doing exactly what our driver was attempting to do when we got nailed by the truck which instantly blew out the back windows of the SUV as well as damaging the crud out of that side of the vehicle. To make it even more interesting, the truck decided NOT to stop and kept going after hitting us. Unfortunately (for him) he did this in front of the soldiers who were carrying weapons which they drew and ordered the truck to stop. He did not comply (BAD MOVE). Our driver and the soldiers turned around and proceeded to take us on a high speed chase on the wrong side of the road! Our driver pulled in front of the truck to make it stop (Yes, the same truck that just ran over us).
As we were checking various body parts to make sure we were still okay, the soldiers pull up and they are not happy with the truck driver and neither was Dale Ernhardt. The next thing we see is the truck driver heading for the jungle! We are in West Bengal India (as in BENGAL tiger) at night and the guy runs! The soldiers then proceed to drag the man riding shotgun out of the truck and proceed to beat him with a huge stick in the back of the legs and knees. We realized we were not in Kansas anymore Toto!!! Yikes.
Everyone was fine and the car was drivable (although missing a back window now) so we headed on toward Jaigon once again after driving an hour back to the police station (hut) to file a accident report and then to negotiate with the driver who now wanted to charge us triple for the ride. Thank goodness for the missionaries who told him that he wasn’t getting a scheckle until he got us to our destination. We arrived at our “hotel” and were very happy to call it a day. Believe me, it was not Club Med but it looked great to me.
In the morning, we were informed that one of our students (a young mother) had been struck and killed by a drunk motorcycle rider and had passed away. We were deeply saddened by the news. It was sobering that forces may be at work to keep us from our mission and it was a reality check that things can get crazy in a hurry.
Over the next three days we developed five business plans along with sharing our faith and worshiping with our new Bhutanese friends. Each day started with a time of devotion, testimonies and prayer. A key part of the business plan was the importance of developing the kingdom impact statement. A kingdom impact statement is like a mission statement that indicates how the proposed business will further God’s kingdom. Recognizing that these business owners have a better chance of reaching their communities than we ever would, we provided our Bhutanese brothers and sisters with the tools to fish both physically and spiritually.
We may have cranked out some business plans and helped them to formulate their ideas into a definitive plan, but they impressed each of us with their hearts for service, worship, and love for Jesus in a country where Christians make up about less than 1% of the population. The country is about 75% Buddhist and 25% Hindu. It was humbling and motivating to observe the sincere worship of Christians who live in an environment that is much different than mine. To hear others worship and pray to God in their language was a special experience. It certainly made me realize that He is multi-lingual! Although I did not understand the language I did not need the services of the translator to know what was being said.
It was hard to believe how fast the week went. Before we knew it was time to head back. I struggled all week with negative feelings about the conditions, poverty, tough travel, lack of sleep, how this will make a difference, etc. I came to realize that it is not about me and my comfort but it is about sacrifice and faith and being awed that God would use someone like me to complete His work.
Before I left, my mom called me and was concerned about the trip (maybe she knew something!). I told her that I was going to be fine no matter what happens. If I was doing what God wanted me to do and if He decided to take me there, what better way to go out doing what He wanted me to do. Thankfully, we made it back home safely. First thing I did on the way home was to pull into Wendys for a double cheeseburger. Our Indian brothers and sisters aren’t big on hamburgers!
A Prayer:
Father, I desire to reap a harvest pleasing to you, but I admit that I can only do so through the power of Your Spirit. Give me the strength to sow eternal fruit.
Book Recommendation:
Through The Eyes of a Lion - Facing Impossible Pain Finding Incredible Power by Levi Lusko (2015)
Music Recommendation:
In Color by Cheap Trick (1977)