Life moves at a different pace here. People jokingly refer to IST (the Indian Standard Time zone) as Indian Stretchable Time. Things will happen when they happen. I knew this before I came. I also knew that Mizos do not generally make firm plans. But still, this is a lot to get used to when you're one of those Americans who likes schedules and plans and things.
I've spent much of the last two weeks in my room listening to podcasts, reading, praying, playing on my phone, and working on learning Mizo. Several times a day I go out to the kitchen where Omtei (my host sister, who is a baker) is decorating cakes and see if she needs help. Most of the time she doesn't. Sometimes I sit in the kitchen and visit with Omtei and her cousin Tei, but more often they seem very busy and I just go back to the room or go out for a walk and explore the city a bit. A few times there were places we were going to go or people we were going to meet to get the ball rolling on this counsellor training ministry, but those plans didn't come to fruition.
The first week of this was pretty nice, actually. I had occasional twinges of guilt because, although I watch my fair share of Netflix and play plenty of games on my phone when I'm at home, I'm not used to the feeling of having absolutely nothing I need to do. It's a pretty rare occurrence to just sit and do nothing without feeling that there is something else I ought to be doing. This rest was wonderful. But after a week of this I started to secretly feel discouraged and question why I'm here if all I do is loaf about. I started praying about this, and asking God each day to use me in some way. This brought a change in my own attitude as I started to be on the lookout for ways I could be used by God.
On Sunday I attended services at the English Congregation Church. During announcements, newcomers were asked to stand and introduce ourselves and tell what brings us to Aizawl. Afterward the pastor stopped me in the back of the church to ask me more about my background in psychology and interest in training counsellors. He went on to tell me that he holds a doctorate in pastoral counseling, and that in addition to pastoring this church he is also a professor at Aizawl Theological College, where they have just launched a one-year counseling certificate program. He told me that he has been overloaded and that their faculty had been praying for God to send someone to help with this program and with a crisis counseling center he is working to start.
Today I visited the college and was asked to come on as an adjunct staff member to teach practical skills and group therapy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I taught my first class (talk about jumping in feet first!) and it went great! There are four students - one male, three female - but only the female students were present today. I was able to connect well with them and we seem to be off to a good start. I am so excited about working at the college, and thankful for the way God orchestrated the whole thing. I am certain that I was supposed to meet Pastor Ruata on Sunday, and even Indian Stretchable Time can't get in the way of Divine appointments ;)
Several people have asked how they can be praying for me, and I'm really bad about knowing how to answer that in the moment when they ask. Here are some thoughts:
- That I would continue to connect well with my students, and would be an effective teacher
- For the lay counseling course, which will begin this Saturday evening - that God would bring the right group of students and, again, that I would be able to teach them effectively
- For meetings in the next week with the principals of the Baptist seminary and Divine Intervention School - that if I should be involved in those schools my role would be clear and the details would fall into place
- That I would continue to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy.
I've spent much of the last two weeks in my room listening to podcasts, reading, praying, playing on my phone, and working on learning Mizo. Several times a day I go out to the kitchen where Omtei (my host sister, who is a baker) is decorating cakes and see if she needs help. Most of the time she doesn't. Sometimes I sit in the kitchen and visit with Omtei and her cousin Tei, but more often they seem very busy and I just go back to the room or go out for a walk and explore the city a bit. A few times there were places we were going to go or people we were going to meet to get the ball rolling on this counsellor training ministry, but those plans didn't come to fruition.
The first week of this was pretty nice, actually. I had occasional twinges of guilt because, although I watch my fair share of Netflix and play plenty of games on my phone when I'm at home, I'm not used to the feeling of having absolutely nothing I need to do. It's a pretty rare occurrence to just sit and do nothing without feeling that there is something else I ought to be doing. This rest was wonderful. But after a week of this I started to secretly feel discouraged and question why I'm here if all I do is loaf about. I started praying about this, and asking God each day to use me in some way. This brought a change in my own attitude as I started to be on the lookout for ways I could be used by God.
On Sunday I attended services at the English Congregation Church. During announcements, newcomers were asked to stand and introduce ourselves and tell what brings us to Aizawl. Afterward the pastor stopped me in the back of the church to ask me more about my background in psychology and interest in training counsellors. He went on to tell me that he holds a doctorate in pastoral counseling, and that in addition to pastoring this church he is also a professor at Aizawl Theological College, where they have just launched a one-year counseling certificate program. He told me that he has been overloaded and that their faculty had been praying for God to send someone to help with this program and with a crisis counseling center he is working to start.
Today I visited the college and was asked to come on as an adjunct staff member to teach practical skills and group therapy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I taught my first class (talk about jumping in feet first!) and it went great! There are four students - one male, three female - but only the female students were present today. I was able to connect well with them and we seem to be off to a good start. I am so excited about working at the college, and thankful for the way God orchestrated the whole thing. I am certain that I was supposed to meet Pastor Ruata on Sunday, and even Indian Stretchable Time can't get in the way of Divine appointments ;)
Several people have asked how they can be praying for me, and I'm really bad about knowing how to answer that in the moment when they ask. Here are some thoughts:
- That I would continue to connect well with my students, and would be an effective teacher
- For the lay counseling course, which will begin this Saturday evening - that God would bring the right group of students and, again, that I would be able to teach them effectively
- For meetings in the next week with the principals of the Baptist seminary and Divine Intervention School - that if I should be involved in those schools my role would be clear and the details would fall into place
- That I would continue to be physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy.
