“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” is found in Matthew 28:19 and is the key reason for all mission work. This Spring Break I was fortunate enough to go half way across the world to spread the gospel to hopeless people who have never heard the name of Jesus. Less than two percent of people in India have heard about Jesus. The majority of people there are Hindu. Hindu’s have many Gods, most who are angry and unforgiving.
My youth team of 11 and I travelled 18 hours to enlighten the natives of India about the gospel of Jesus. We landed in Dharmapuri, India and drove three hours to Tamil Nadu, India. We went straight to church that day and that was the first time I came in contact with people from India.
â–º QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
They were all incredibly friendly and kind to us. There was a language barrier that was easily fixed by our helpful translators. Although our cultures are quite different, it was not hard to adjust to their culture.
I shared the gospel to over 300 people, but there was one particular moment that struck my heart. The final time I was able to share the gospel was to a large group of people in a church. I shared the story of the gospel and asked many if they were willing to ask Jesus to come into their life. Many raised their hands and accepted Jesus into their heart. Afterward, we went outside and played several games with the kids. We played anything from jump rope to soccer, which they enjoyed immensely. We played games for a few hours and then went back inside the church and gave gifts to all of the kids. Most kids here in the United States would complain about getting pens, paper, and crayons as gifts, but the children in India had such happiness in their eyes. Every child said, “Thank you.”
It was not until after that I found something heartbreaking about some of these kids. After playing we were shown a boy who was 18 years old and looked no older than 10 because he was HIV positive. Pastor Jabaraj showed us his office and inside I saw thousands of stacked folders. He pointed out the top shelf, which was overflowing with yellow folders, and told us that they were his patients that had passed away. As heartbreaking as it was, the pastor still had a smile on his face. He then shared that he had written the date in which the patient had accepted Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. Many of the patients accepted Jesus before they passed away.
That was the last village we visited before returning back to Dharmapuri. God certainly saved the best for last. That village alone taught me how grateful I should be that I have healthy parents and even grandparents. None of the children there had their parents. It also imparted me to be grateful for what I have and my own health. Going to India was an experience I cannot put into words and the pictures will never do it justice. Going overseas on a mission trip is something you must experience on your own. The faces of the kids and adults that I met in those 10 days will always be in my memories. I would say going to India is a once in a life time experience, but it is not. I have already booked my spot to go in the summer of 2013.
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