Immersion Testimony by Olivia Lasater
Hello everyone!
I felt prompted by the Lord this week to write a testimony about my immersion in India this past summer. I wrote some updates while we were abroad, which you can still find and read on the “mission updates” page if you need some inspiration and rejoicing at the good work God has been doing! After some time has passed, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on my experience and form words to pen what I’ve experienced and witnessed.
There is so much good I could say, too much for me to put into one post. But for the sake of testifying about the excellencies of him who has called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light, I am writing some of my highlights and most impactful moments from our trip for you to read, below!
This is a testimony about how the Word of God never returns empty, but It accomplishes that which God purposes and it succeeds in the thing for which he sends it. (Is 55:11)
First, I want to thank the Lord for a safe and productive trip. He was with us the whole time, providing everything we needed. Secondly, I want to thank Mr. Garner specifically, for trusting the Lord and our team to go, helping our team throughout our trip even while he was leading Summer Internship, giving us advice for logistics, and always reminding us to daily seek the Lord for his guidance. He helped to ensure our safety, and gave wisdom, help in decision-making, and much more.
I also want to thank Mrs. Garner for her scripture and spirit-filled texts of encouragement that comforted our team, along with her prayers. I’m also very thankful to Mr. Dailey for the extensive Bible teaching he gave from the moment he got to India to the moment we left. His Bible teaching refreshed us and our entire team, as he helped us debrief what we had seen, to help us instead, see from God’s perspective.
Overall, it was a privilege to get to serve with our team in India alongside Lily and Alison (my Immersion 1 group), an opportunity that I don’t take lightly. Not everyone gets the opportunity to serve the Lord in that capacity, and I can confidently say that I am changed for the better on the other side of this trip. My conviction to this vocation deepened, and my hope for God’s Kingdom was, challenged.
The majority of our time was spent with Mahima and Blessy, who we became very close with as we spent each day together. We weekly spent time with the whole team that was present while Manohar and Sneha were in UG: Iada, Dilip, Deepak, Rajib, Mahima, Blessy, Marc, and Swati (Dilip’s girlfriend, who had a powerful transformation throughout the trip)
One of the most special aspects of our trip was that we were able to facilitate what we do here, with everyone there. We were weekly leading Bible studies, Worship nights (with Lily leading worship songs in Hindi!!), Prayer nights, and times of fellowship. Additionally, we had the opportunity to plan a Bible retreat for the cooperatives at the end of our time, where we also had a banqueting table together.
This summer was a true test of what was in us. We all had previous experiences on mission abroad where we were able to fall back on our leaders to show us what to do, but now- we had to rely on what was instilled in us, the Word written on our hearts.
<Mahima and Lily on our outing to visit a Temple
As a result of this, I am here to testify that the Biblical education each one of us has received from the Institute for GOD gave us everything we needed to do well. We knew how to navigate challenging situations to the best of our ability because we had seen the examples of our leaders and teachers and been taught the Word for ourselves.
At one point on our mission, we found ourselves sitting in a courtyard with 3 other women who taught at a school in a slum, (some who had been teaching there for 10+ years). We listened to them and shared in return out of our own experiences. We discussed everything from their challenges of teaching teenagers who are at the same education level as kindergarteners whom they have to share a classroom with, to health issues their students face daily.
Alison, Lily, and I were asked by the founder of the nonprofit school, to give a teacher’s seminar on three different topics. We split up the work and prepared our sections prayerfully asking the Lord to lead us in the moment when the time came. We decided to ask them “What is it that YOU would like to discuss?”
Of course, their answers were entirely different from what we had been asked to prepare. They wanted to talk about the challenges they faced in the current moment with their students and hear from fellow teachers (Alison and Lily) what their approach would be to such systemic and unjust issues. These questions had us internally calling on every Bible class and reaching back to every community development workshop we’d had with Mr. Sherrod where he pushed us to discuss hypothetical community development situations, that had now turned into real-life situations placed before us.
At the end of our time, we encouraged the teachers in the work they were doing and exhorted them to not give up. They told us:
“We have had many organizations come to visit our school. The people like to play with the children, to see them laugh and give them things, it makes them feel good. But we are with the kids every day. We know what struggles they face. This is the first time that anyone has ever listened to us. Thank you”
The head teacher of the school had traveled from the hospital, where she was taking care of her sick husband, to talk with us. She told us it was well worth her time, and thanked us again for coming. Mahima and Blessy shone during their time in their translation abilities, compassion, and endurance. without which this conversation wouldn’t have been able to happen.
On our daily commute, we encountered many women and children begging. Women with what looked like freshly newborn babies passed out in their arms, mouthing for food, motioning for money. When it was safe, we would give little crackers when we could. But most of the time, there was always a looming figure behind the beggar, a man waiting to receive or take whatever proceeds had been given. Nothing can make me forget the faces of those women and children. Hopeless, tired, hungry, beautiful. Nothing can make me forget the chaotic mess of the government hospitals and the people walking through stagnant pools of water on the street with their wounded family members, aimlessly searching for help. Or the eerie quietness of the road in front of the Emergency Room. Ample with medical emergencies, but void of anyone to help. There was no urgency, not even people’s loved ones were crying. Just staring in defeat.
“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
At one point as we were walking through the road in front of the hospital, a little girl emerged from behind me and stood in front of me motioning for food. As she did so, a car came speeding down the road right towards where we were standing. I quickly moved my arm to guard her from getting hit and move her out of the road, but as I reached down to do so, she flinched and recoiled as though I was about to hit her with my hand. My heart dropped. She was only one of many little girls I encountered like so. No shoes, torn clothes, eyes that had seen far more than any little girl should see. An open palm begging, or motioning for food. Selling pencils, staring into my eyes with a somberness that communicated more than our language barrier would allow. The word “Behen” would always come from our mouths when we talked with them and asked them their names. Little sister. Responsibility for who and what I’ve now seen was rising.
As the days passed and we spent time with the team, transformation took place in us and them. Mahima testified to us one day, saying “Sometimes when I’m in church, I don’t understand what the pastor is talking about. In my heart, I want to, but it doesn’t make sense to me. So I just say amen, and know that God knows my heart. But when you guys teach me the Bible, I understand it!! And I can say Amen, knowing, I understand!!” She said, through joyous laughter.
On trains and metros, rickshaws, in schools, hospitals, and apartments, we carried the spirit of God with us. Our girl group, me, Lily, Alison, Mahima, and Blessy, often brought much laughter and life to the transportation we took, causing others to look on, and smile with curiosity at the sight of us getting along like sisters. And when the guys were with us, they always took care of us as we were traveling, looking out for us to keep us safe.
We also taught at another school called “Bagiya” which means “garden” in Hindi. One of my highlights from that time was getting to help teach kids of all ages, the song “Lean on Me” with motions, which they LOVED. “We don’t have someone to teach us music, come back with the music tomorrow please!!” I remember looking into each one of their beautiful little faces, noticing their little malnourished bodies, and trying to choke back tears as I saw even more, their hunger to learn.
I couldn’t help but think about the considerations we are charged to make for the next generation. Jesus’ charge to us. The responsibility placed on us as the people of God, is to make the world a better place, for them. Who are more than worthy of receiving good things.
But the BEST part about our time together, was growing together in our friendships and seeing our friends in India growing more and more in a knowledge of God, who he has made them to be, the purpose they have, learning how much the Lord loves them, and the way he wants to work with them to bring about his will in the world.
Swati testified at the end of our retreat, that about had me sobbing, because of how far she had come in just a couple weeks. I remember meeting her for the first time at a Bible study we had the first week we were there. It was the first time she had come to one of their Bible studies, and she was very quiet. She ended up opening up to me later on in the night, she shared with me her story. She grew up Hindu, had run away from home, and was completely disconnected from her family because she didn’t agree to marry a man who had been picked out for her. She told me how, for so long, she would cry herself to sleep at night because she felt so alone. And she had no friends. I told her, “You don’t need to cry now! God has heard you, and now you aren’t alone anymore.” With tears in her eyes, she slowly nodded her head and hugged me. Fast forward to a few weeks later, Swati and I were sitting together at the table after breakfast one morning on one of our retreat days, and she told me “I never used to pray, or believe that God was looking out for me. But now, I can’t stop praying. I believe Jesus loves me.”
After a journaling activity we’d led the previous day, she told me she had written four pages of conversation with the Lord. She had so much to pray about. She told me “I’ve never read the Bible in my life, but there is nothing I want to do more now than read the Bible. I just want to know God.” She proceeded to give a testimony at the end of the retreat that I’ll attach the video below for you to listen to for yourselves. You can see in that video she is radiant, full of joy, and confidence. God had changed her.
Thank you all who prayed for us, your prayers were heard by God. There are so many stories I can share, but you’ll have to ask me in person if you want to know more! Otherwise, I’ll be on my way to writing a full book with the length of this post. For now, know that God is doing good work in this body of Christ! He is here and he is bringing salvation daily. Don’t stop praying for the poor. Don’t stop praying for all of us Institute students, and our teachers, we need it! God is doing a good work in all of us.
“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’”
