Reflections from My Trip to India – Communication and Communion with God

It has been a long time since I’ve written anything here, but I’ve been quite busy with teaching and a trip to India. For this entry, I thought I would include a few (among many) random reflections on my trip to India with my wife Joyce.

1) India is tremendously diverse. As soon as you try to say, “This is what India is like,” you likely get it wrong. We got the chance to visit four different states in two weeks, and each visit brought us to a new culture and language group. Languages like Malayalam in Kerala, Telegu in Andhra Pradesh, Kannad in Bangalore, and Hindi in New Delhi. Of course, you can find people who speak English and Hindi all throughout the country, but the reality is that there are numerous languages and different cultures in India, of which I only very briefly touched upon. This leads to my second reflection.

2) Clear Communication is Key in Relationships. Of course this does not just relate to one’s time in India –clear communication is key in all relationships. However, it is only when you are in a context where you are limited to communicate, that you realize how important communication is. Sadly, my abilities in languages like Malayalam are weak, so I’m thankful for family members (our parents were also visiting India) who were there with us and able to help us communicate. This is something I really want to improve on, and have been praying that God helps me with.

When you are limited in communication, you see how even non-verbal communication is important. For instance, in India hospitality is a highlighted value, and as soon as you visit with someone you will likely be treated with great hospitality. Since I was limited in my verbal communication with some, I couldn’t help but recognize the positive communication received non-verbally through their hospitality. While visiting family in Kerala, we visited somewhere between 6-10 homes EACH day. And in one day, we literally had 6 meals. Six. And the food of course was great. And to not take part in the food offered would, in my opinion, show your lack of appreciation of their hospitality. So, you gotta eat. Not a bad thing though, since the food was great.

Anyone who is in a relationship, whether courting, engaged, or married knows the importance of clear communication for sure – both verbal and non-verbal. Seeking to be better at communication should be an important endeavour of all – listening, asking questions, clarifying, and generally speaking in a way that makes sense to the hearer.

3) The Passionate Response to the Word of God at the IPC Annual Convention in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

During our time in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, we had the opportunity to celebrate with thousands of others who convened for the Indian Pentecostal Church of God’s annual convention. My cousin Rev. P. Noel Samuel is providing great leadership there, a ministry initially founded upon the ministry of my grandfather, Rev. P. M. Samuel. It was a 70th anniversary celebration.

Anyways, there was so much going on there, but I cannot help but remember the faces of the people who wanted prayer (see the first picture at the beginning of this post). I had the opportunity to share a few times for this convention.

The people’s response to the call to God and prayer through the various ministries going on was beyond what I could imagine. This experience reminds me of what the biblical writer states in Psalm 42:1: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” What I appreciated about the people at this convention was their humility and hunger for more of God in their life – and their passionate and sincere belief that God could truly make a difference in their life. They were very much a sharp contrast with some of us in the West, as I feel we can sometimes be a lot more cautious, suspicious, and generally doubtful. However, in Hebrews 11:6, the writer states, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (NIV).

How important it is for us to humbly come before God and seek Him with everything in us. We often wonder why God seems to powerfully move among people in various places of the world, but not so much in the West – may I suggest that one factor relates to this issue of humbly seeking after God. If you’re reading this, I encourage you to take some time today to seek Jesus in prayer with everything within you, He’s definitely worth it!

I could go on and on here, but let me conclude here. Feel free to comment if you like, whether you have been to India or not. However, if you have visited India, live in India – or some other country that may be similar –it would be great to hear your reflections on Christian spirituality in such contexts.