Guest Appearance from My Mother-in-Love!

(Kyle's mom came to visit us for 3 weeks in June. We asked her to write about her experiences here, and here is what she gleaned from her time in South Asia! Enjoy!)

As I reflect back on my three week trip to visit Kyle and Kathy, the one word that keeps popping up in my head is ‘faith’. To say I was in culture shock the first week would be putting it lightly. The mass chaos of rickshaws, bikes, autocabs, and cars weaving in and out on the streets (not to mention the water buffalo, cows, goats, and donkeys mixed in), the 115 degree weather that drenches you with sweat before you’ve gone 20 yards, the extreme poverty and living conditions of most of the population, and of course the culture and beliefs of the people themselves was extremely hard to comprehend. It is very different from my life here, and I do know how blessed I am (spoiled even), so faith becomes very important. I can honestly say that I saw that in action every day with Kyle and Kathy. You have to have faith to walk out the door every morning to deal with the day, and most importantly, you have to have faith in God that you will be making a difference, no matter how small, on the mass humanity that is lost and faithless in that city. It was overwhelming and sad for me to see all the people that don’t have that hope in their lives, and that is why I was so encouraged to see it being played out in Kyle and Kathy. I was amazed at the strength and courage God has given those two to continue His work. I know they will have days when they will think “why am I doing this?” or “is this really God’s plan for me?”, but I am relieved to say that I know God will encourage them and help them work through those days because of their faith.

 

“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.”  Philemon 1:4-6 ESV