My Thoughts on Our First Year in India

We’ve lived in India for a year - our first year..  whew! It was full of new experiences that brought lots of joy and lots of challenges to my comfort zone. I have definitely grown as a person and a follower of Jesus this year. My character has deepened as I deny myself daily, and my dependence on God has deepened as I come to him each morning empty and asking for everything needed for that day. I have been buffeted by Satan more strongly than ever. I have seen more idolatry than I ever wanted to. I have encouraged and discipled women in a second language and all this has been by the hand of God because he has been so faithful each day to walk with us and use us.

I was told life here would be harder- that I would be a bit lonelier, cooking would be harder, language learning would be a challenge, leaving Ezra each day for class would be heart-wrenching, and everything outside would be dirty and polluted. And all those were very true.

But other parts of life have been so much richer. My marriage is stronger because we are fighting with all of Christ’s strength in us to love each other really well, to be an entire support system for one another and to display Christ to a city of people who literally have no idea of his love for them. Our family time is better because we spend hours pouring into this community and we do it together. Ezra is a trooper, and we hope Madelyn will be too. We are the Cavo Family team, all of us. And my walk with God is so much better because I truly have to depend on him. Circumstances have unexpected bumps all the time, friends I used to lean on are a world a way, roles and places that made me feel comfortable are unfound in this society. God has been my fortress, my counselor, my friend, my comfort, my strength and he has filled me with his Spirit to be more bold, more hard-working, more compassionate, more meek, more loving and so many other beautiful things that I’m so very thankful for.

Our first year has been wonderful and challenging but I think our second will be even more. In our second year we will have our first baby in a foreign country without the family, friends and super trustworthy medical care in America. That’s been a hard one for me to swallow recently. I’ve never had to depend on God to the extent that I do now – to trust that he knows all that is ahead and has planned good things for us. I have to walk by faith that dire complications won’t come, and if they do that he will provide what we need in the midst of it. I’ll be honest, my faith is being tested, and its growing deeper.

In our second year we also hope to reach a strong level of language and really begin diving into the job we came here to do. There are so many questions, insecurities and hopes that fall into that area but I have faith that He has great plans ahead and even though we are weak vessels, he plans to fill us and move mountains.

So, I would describe our first year as.. wonderful. Not because it was always easy, but God used every great thing and every difficult thing to answer our prayers.. that he would make us into whatever he desired, and use us however he sees fit. I’m thankful for the million ways he provided for us this year and I’m more than excited to see what comes next. I pray this is the first of many years of living in this loud, intrusive, dirty city, waking up each day ready to be filled with joy, love and truth.. and share it boldly.