What does Jesus see?

Here I am, sitting at the end of my day, reflecting on all it held. There were great people to meet and spend time with, times of worship and preaching, times of laughter and fellowship, food and shopping. And yet there is a moment that sticks in my mind that I find myself going back to at the end of the day.

My friends and I were at a stoplight riding in the back of an auto rickshaw in the late afternoon of the day. The traffic is whizzing by, in and out. The horns are endlessly honking and humanity is ev.ery.where. Out of the corner of my eye, across the intersection I see a small child. She is standing in the middle of the median, holding a plastic bag and scooping garbage into it. The small girl has no pants on, wild tangled hair, and is covered in dust. I look around at me. The cars continue to whizz by, the men try to sell us various goods at the red light. People wait for the bus, hail an auto rickshaw, go about their business.

I've been thinking about Jesus a lot. I guess when you teach the Bible, this is the joy and perk of the job. I often wonder what it is that Jesus sees, that touches his heart, that I often walk by and don't give any attention to. I wonder as God sees each hair on every person's head, even the wild mess of a mane this little girl has, what does God see in her that I gaze past, as soon as the light turns green and I carry on the normal course of life and never think about again? And how, in the seas of millions of people, can I go deeper in God's heart for the lost, the poor, the broken, the hurting and the shamed? 

Ni hao, Salaam, Namaste, Hello....from India!

So, call me an idiot, but I had no idea there were as many people groups as there are in Delhi. It's a collision of the world, a traffic jam of ideas, thoughts, religion, hopes, dreams, fatalism and existentialism, experience and thought...body soul and spirit trying to find their greatest good. Delhi is like the intersection of the world where everyone comes with their own mode of transportation and tries to make their way in the world.

I've been to Delhi probably 4-5 times but most of the time I was passing through, on my way somewhere else. This is the first time I've stopped, smelled the roses (among piles of garbage I guess) and spent more time with people. My initial impression on my previous trips was not so positive...I have stress-filled memories from those times and the only gifts I took away were parasites and numerous trips to the bathroom. My heart is much changed. Delhi has proven to be a place of possibilities, where God's spirit is moving and working, where people's lives are being transformed and truth CAN be found.

Our team arrived three weeks ago. From the time I started planning this outreach just in prayer and with an idea to this time, I feel like every step I take gets a little bit redirected. This has proven to be true of this whole outreach as we are not going to be continuing on to Central Asia as we had originally planned. But, God's opened up the door for ministering here. We have had opportunities to teach, preach, lead Bible Studies, pray for people, share the gospel a bit, and experience the many flavors and varieties of life that India has to offer.

We have spent most of our time with the Afghan people. I have to say, I have been near to tears many days seeing the realization of some personal prayers and dreams of mine become a reality right in front of my eyes. My stomach has been blessed with great Afghan food once again and I'm still convinced Afghan hospitality is the best in the world. And the friendships that have been formed just in these first three weeks, have the potential to be life-long friends. One thing that amazes me about times of outreach is as much as you step out to be a blessing, to serve others, to build others up, God has poured back into my life many times that. Today as a number of Afghan women laid hands on me and prayed blessings over me in their own language, I felt so humbled and blessed that God would call ordinary Danika from a tiny little town in Northern Minnesota, and send me half way around the world to a culture and people so completely different from my own and allow me to feel at home and see the Kingdom of God grow and blossom. I am one blessed woman.

So, here are some photos from my trip so far...to give you a taste of what I've been doing. Many of our times with the A people cannot be posted here so know there is a side of this trip where even more treasure and great times have been had but will not be included on this blog.

teaching prep in the cold of the morning....but with a hot cup of chai! 

Becca, myself and Aimy...the powerhouse women of our team

Preaching in a Hindi-speaking church

Lindsay, who is graciously allowing us women to stay in her home--a great new friend

Preparing Bible Overview teachings at the coffee shop....this is how I spent my birthday! 

Bible Overview teaching

Pilau....so good to eat Afghan food once again! 

So, what does God have in store next? We still have 5 weeks left here in India. Our plan is to travel and teach in a few different places, to build into those relationships we've already made, and to seek God for more opportunities to minister to the people here. My heart is so full on this trip...in many ways, I feel right at home and there are definite open doors for the future should I choose to walk through them. This will be a year of decision for me as to the path that lies ahead so if you think of it, please pray that God would direct me step-by-step and give me wisdom as I consider all the options to invest in both now on this trip, and in the future.