Faith to serve

Visakhapatnam, India >> Jessica Garber from Sovereign Grace Church of Fairfax, Virginia, spent two months this fall at Love-N-Care Ministries, a ministry in southeast India that evangelizes, plants and builds churches, and supports a hospital, an orphanage, a Christian school, and an old-age home. Jessica sent us her story and some photos....

When I reflect upon the two months I spent in India, it is hard to narrow down the evidences of God’s grace to something that would not take up a whole novel! So here is my attempt to condense, and yet not compromise, this testimony of God’s faithfulness....

I spent 2 months last year serving at Love-N-Care Ministries (LNC) in Visakhapatnam, India. It was a step of faith to leave my home, my church, and my job for two months, but it was a definite calling from the Lord—something that he had placed on my heart several years ago while I was in nursing school. After many years of praying for and desiring an opportunity like this, it was exciting to see how God faithfully provided a way. The funding came primarily through my local church—Sovereign Grace Church of Fairfax. It was such a blessing and a joy to have their support and prayers behind me while I was in India.

My work at LNC was primarily within their children’s home—teaching the children, helping with their studies, meals, bath time, and pretty much every other aspect of their lives! I could see Jesus in each of the children through their beautiful smiles, their unconditional love, and their childlike faith. I went to serve them, but I came home feeling like I took far more away from the experience than I gave. I benefited immensely from the time I spent with the children, the children’s staff, and the many others I met and worked with.

I also got to do some medical work at the LNC hospital, teach nursing classes, and participate in the Sovereign Grace Ministries evangelism and medical service team that came for one week in November. God’s faithfulness was evident in every aspect of the trip. There were times when physical danger and hardship seemed overwhelming—but God’s presence was there in such a tangible way, and I experienced complete peace in knowing I was being cared for by my sovereign, loving Father. The hardships ranged from minor inconveniences (like doing laundry in a bucket) to terrorist threats, flooding, and sickness. Through it all, I was able to enjoy the grace and active presence of God in a unique way. The lack of worldly distractions and the focus of the mission made it a very sweet time with the Lord. I sensed his faithful, powerful hand at work in everything, even the things that I didn’t understand. A psalm that became the theme of my trip was Psalm 63:7-8: “For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” God proved faithful time and time again as I would call on him through this psalm. I came home feeling closer to God and more aware of his grace than I ever have before in my Christian walk!

The time I spent in India is definitely one of the best experiences of my life thus far. I was so blessed to have this opportunity, not only for the experience itself, but also for the far-reaching aftereffects. One of the many things I took away from my time there was a fresh passion for the gospel and a burden for the lost, as well as an eagerness to do more of this kind of work in the future. It is exciting to see God’s hand at work in far-away nations like India, but it’s just as exciting to see the gospel making a difference in my own hometown and state. I realized that America needs the gospel just as much as India does, and I’m privileged to see northern Virginia as the “mission field” God has called me to right now.