Love for Mullets....All to the Glory of God

Disclaimer: If you have ever or are currently sporting a mullet, please do not be offended by me or anything in this post. I respect your confidence, individuality, and sense of style.

So I have this love for mullets--the haircut, not the fish. I think they are wonderful. How can you see a mullet and not at least smile? The proper reaction, in my opinion, is to laugh--not loudly or offensively. But let's be honest, mullets are pretty funny. I usually take pictures of them anywhere I see one and can get a picture. My friends also take pictures of them for me because they are, well, just amazing. Okay so with that said, here's a story of how God managed to use this little quirk I have for His glory. 

On Tuesday morning before going to Rajesh and Susheela's I was praying earnestly for our time with them and for wisdom in direction for ministry, etc. when randomly the thought came to mind that it's been a really long time since I've seen a mullet here. I used to see them all the time, and I would just tell God, "Thank You," smile, click a pic if there was time, and keep going. I have no idea what made me think of this while I was praying a heartfelt prayer, other than a heartfelt desire to see a mullet, so I just prayed and said, "God I'd love to see a mullet sometime if You've got one. Okay, moving on to more important things..." That afternoon as we were leaving Rajesh and Susheela's and walking to get on the ferry, there was a man with a legit mullet wearing a light green shirt right in front of me. (Green just so happens to be my favorite color.) :) It caught me so off guard, I laughed and said, "Wow, God has a funny sense of humor." My supervisor was walking beside me and had been telling me a story when I interrupted him with my little outburst. So I had to tell him the story, and I felt really ridiculous for admitting to having prayed for something as silly as seeing a mullet. However, at the time, I was completely overcome by how incredibly generous it was of God to place that man right in front of me at the end of the day as if to say, "I hear you. I love you. You are exactly where I want you to be." I said, "Thank You!! You didn't have to go all out with the green shirt, but I appreciate it." 

Fast-forward to last night (Friday night). There is a couple on our team that live about 10 minutes from us, and the wife is a nurse. I needed to get a vitamin B12 shot and had already put it off for a week. So I finally went last night to get the shot, which then lead to us eating a delicious dinner together, which of course turned into us talking and sharing stories. I was talking about all that God has been teaching me about joy and thankfulness through the books One Thousand Gifts and Desiring God. So I told them about the mullet story from Tuesday evening. We all laughed. Then the wife shared about how she loves birds and prayed when she first moved here about how she only sees pigeons and crows in the city. Since then every morning at the window where she does her quiet time two little chickadees come and sit. Only He can orchestrate these things. More than that, only a loving, ever-Present, detailed God would/could show love to His children in such personal ways. 

Anyway, moving on, tonight the wife of that couple called to tell me about something funny that happened today. So today this couple was walking along leaving someone's house when the wife notices a guy walking towards them with a mullet. She had them on her mind because of our conversation last night. So she turned to her husband and said, "Don't make a big scene, but turn and look at that guy. He's got a mullet!" 

Her husband turns and sees the guy and yells, "Raju*!!!" As it turns out her husband has been looking for this guy since February and hasn't been able to find him for all these months! 

As she was telling me this, I kept thinking that I cannot believe God would use something so silly and ridiculous to bring glory to His name. Sometimes because I see God as being so big and so much higher and wiser than me, I think that the things I consider "small" or "silly" He just looks over because He's a big God concerned with big matters. I tend to think that He doesn't care about or have time for the little stuff. However, He uses it all for His glory. He uses our quirks and our weaknesses and our strengths and our inabilities and our abilities...ALL of it for His glory and our good. Because He is such a big God, tiny details don't hold him up or fluster Him. He is infinite. He has time for it all. And He has the wisdom to use it all. Glory be to God!

"Charge them...to set their hopes...on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy." (1 Timothy 6:17)

*name changed for privacy

You know you live in India when...

So over the last few days I have had several moments where I just had to stop and take a minute and ask, "Is this real life?" Or better yet, "Is this my life? Really?" So I started making a list in my head of "You know you live in India when..." Let me share a few.

....you stand too close to a goat and it starts to eat your dupatta (scarf). The scarf you are wearing on your neck. Suddenly it's in a goat's mouth. No one even seems bothered by this. No big deal... it's a normal, everyday affair to have a goat eat your clothes off your body.

....you see a sign that says, "Do not urinate here" in Hindi and in English. Now, why is it necessary to designate spots where this ISN'T appropriate? Shouldn't there more places where it's not okay than where it is? And directly beneath the sign is a HUGE pile of trash. It seems hypocritical, or pointless maybe. 

....you shower with the "butt sprayer" because it's the last place to lose water in your flat. True story: the water went out for several hours the other day, and I HAD to leave the house by a certain time, which was fast approaching. So I had to shower with the "bidet sprayer," better known as the butt sprayer, because it's the last to lose water...and it has the best water pressure...just sayin'.

....you watch a movie one night and run into the actress at the mall the next day. Okay, so maybe that one is "You know you live in Bollywood when..."

....you are sitting on the floor in someone's home and feel something behind you, hoping it's a cat, until you hear it squeak and realize that it is not a cat. And you can't react.  

....you see 6 grown men plus the driver in an auto, which is meant to only carry 3 people plus the driver. And they are all starting at you. 

....it's normal to see kids on the side of the road squatting next to each other talking and playing while they poop.

....you get cold if it gets below 80 degrees. 

....children on school buses point and yell, "Foreigner!" and giggle uncontrollably.

....you plan to buy groceries, books, flowers, etc. at certain stop lights.

....you catch yourself pointing with your eyes and agreeing with a head bobble.

....looking "fatter and fairer" is meant to be a compliment.

....everything tastes bland without hot sauce.

....you eat with your hands (even though you have utensils).

....you see a man painting an idol, a statue that will be worshiped as god, on the side of the road. Or there is a whole strip of shops that sell idols and the little cabinets to put them in. Side note: I still cannot wrap my mind around worshiping something you can paint, or put in a cabinet, or purchase, or chisel out of stone. It's hard to watch...and it's everywhere.

I love living here, but sometimes it just hits me like a wave that "we are not in Kansas anymore"...

Day 30!!!

The pressure is on to really make this one count since it's the last day of this 30 day comittment. It's definitely not the end of eucharisteo for me. Alright, so here it is:

My teammates, roommates, friends, sisters. Patricia and Lena.

I am thankful, so so so thankful to God, for putting me with these two ladies on this crazy journey. I honestly cannot imagine doing this without them. In the 8 months while I was sick and in and out of hospitals and doctors' offices, they put up with a lot and a did so much for me. They've seen me at my worst, and they still love me. We have prayed each other through all sorts of stuff. We moved 8,000 miles away from home together and have learned how to live life in India together. These ladies are legit. I love them dearly!

Day 29: Saving Toby

Toby is a hermit crab. Today as we were leaving Rajesh and Susheela's, Patricia picked up a shell. On the way home she realized the shell was moving....because a living creature was still inside it. So of course she named it. Toby. A good name for a hermit crab. And immediately googled how to keep it alive until next Tuesday when we can return him to his home. Crabs are scavengers, so they eat anything. So we tried to give Toby a variety of food. Now he's sitting on our table in a bowl. I am thankful for Toby. I've missed having a pet.

This was just an added bonus for today. I love this view of the city skyline, and it's usually not visible. But it was today...and I had my camera. So yay! :)

Day 28: My Cell Phone

I know I used this picture in a post the other day. However, I realized today that it deserves one of its own. I am so thankful for my cell phone. Without it I honestly don't know how I'd function. Doing work in this crazy busy, hustling, bustling city makes it nearly impossible to maintain face to face relationships on a regular basis. Texting people is a relationship saver and builder. How would I survive in Mumbai without my phone? Thanks be to God I haven't had to figure that one out.

Day 27: Shopping at Stop Lights

You can buy almost anything in traffic here. So tonight Patricia was trying to buy a book just as the signal changed, so this poor kid was chasing us down with a huge stack of books to get his money. I am thankful for the little "conveniences" of living in Mumbai.

Patricia with her new book.

Half way through the book the pages were upside down...

...which makes it look like Patricia is reading the book upside down. :)

Day 26: Gate Dog

Everyday there is at least one of two dogs sitting at the same place by the gate of our building. They faithfully "guard" our building. I love seeing them every day as I come and go from the building. It gives me that nostalgic "home" feeling when I see them. I actually missed them while we were in Thailand.

Gate dog. :) Usually only one or the other is there.