The Indo-foreigners Gang

So much has been happening. Sorry it took me so long to let you in on it. Most of my time outside of work is spent with Pastor Rakesh and Leni Paul. They have a ministry here in Ranchi, reaching out to the young people in the city. I’ve been able to take part in their Youth Impact program and Impact City Church that began several months ago. It has been such a blessing to join them in their vision to make an impact on young people, who can then impact their society here in Ranchi, and in India.
Leni is from Brazil, and she came to India a few years ago. She married Rakesh in 2006 and they moved to Ranchi about a month before I got here. It’s been great to talk with her about her experiences in India too. Some things about India just can’t be explained to Indians. And Indians can’t explain them either! It’s nice to have another “western” perspective. I’m sure that Brazil and the US are completely different cultures, but compared to India, they seem the same to me!
Rakesh and Leni have basically adopted me. Every week we’re going somewhere or doing something. Usually, Rakesh’s good friend Pastor Finni joins us. The four of us are together so much that we’ve been dubbed the “Indo-foreigners gang”. Many of our outings involve prayer meetings and Bible studies, but we also make time to just hang out. Every week, we travel across town to our other friends’ house to watch downloaded episodes of 24 in HD on their big screen. Never thought I’d do that in India! (By the way, I am now totally addicted to 24…I’m sure all of you 24 fans out there know exactly what I’m talking about!)
It is going to be very hard to leave this place and these people. I had prayed for connections and relationships to begin here. My prayer has been answered, and now I realize that having these relationships makes it so much harder to think about going away.
People keep asking me when I will return to Ranchi. It’s never a question of “if,” it’s “when?” And I wish I’d have an answer. I wish I could say, “January. In January I will come back to visit.” Or “in 2 years.” Sometimes I forget just how far away from Ohio India actually is. I can’t just come visit for a weekend. I really don’t know when I will return to see my Ranchians. I’m glad I still have 2 months before I leave.